1. Thomas K Duane was born on January 30,1955 and is an American politician from New York, who served in the New York State Senate from 1999 to 2012, and in the New York City Council from 1992 to 1998.
16 Facts About Thomas Duane
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Thomas Duane represented the 29th Senate district, which stretched along Manhattan's West Side from 85th Street to Canal Street, and includes the following neighborhoods: Upper West Side, Hell's Kitchen, Chelsea, Greenwich Village, and part of the East Side, including the East Village, Stuyvesant Town, Peter Cooper Village and Waterside Plaza.
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Thomas Duane holds a degree in American and Urban Studies from Lehigh University.
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In 2004, Duane completed Harvard University's John F Kennedy School of Government program for Senior Executives in State and Local Government as a David Bohnett LGBTQ Victory Institute Leadership Fellow.
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Thomas Duane was first elected to the New York City Council in 1991 for the 3rd district.
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In 1994, Thomas Duane ran for the US House of Representatives against incumbent Jerrold Nadler, losing the primary election by a margin of two to one.
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Thomas Duane has served as a member of his local Community Board, and four terms as Male Democratic District Leader in the 64th New York State Legislature.
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Thomas Duane was the lead sponsor of same-sex union legislation in the New York State Senate.
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Thomas Duane was the prime Senate sponsor of the state's Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act, which became law in 2019 after he had left office.
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Thomas Duane was instrumental in the ultimate passage of the Hate Crimes Protection Act of 2000, which stipulates longer penalties for those convicted of alleged hate crimes and mandates that New York State keep an active database of these crimes.
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Thomas Duane took the lead on "Manny's Law", which requires hospitals to disclose to indigent patients the availability of state-sponsored funds for health care costs, and worked to enact a rental cap of 30 percent of income for people who are living with AIDS and eligible for government financial assistance.
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Thomas Duane was a leader in bipartisan moves to require health insurers to cover mental health treatment, to improve health care for prisoners, and to make it harder for people to avoid paying child and spousal support.
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Thomas Duane has been an outspoken critic of Republican Party agendas, including the first Trump Administration, and an ongoing supporter of LGBTQ rights.
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Thomas Duane has done philanthropic work with New York City's Anti-Violence Project, which coordinates the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs, and has served on its board of directors.
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Thomas Duane has received a number of honors, from organizations including Callen-Lorde Community Health Center, Congregation Beit Simchat Torah, and The Alpha Workshops, which will be honoring him on May 15,2017.
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In January 2022, Tom Thomas Duane endorsed New York State Assembly candidate Tony Simone for the June 28,2022 Democratic Party Primary.