NYS Senator Kevin Parker has added more duties to his historic career as a lawmaker, thanks to Senator Senate Majority Leader, Andrea Stewart-Cousins who appointed the Brooklyn politician to the General Budget Conference Subcommittee on Environment, Agriculture, and Housing and the Subcommittee on Higher Education, as the state budget deadline draws near.

In a statement to Caribbean Life following his appointment, Senator Parker, who recently celebrated his 56th birthday surrounded by friends and supporters in Brooklyn, said, “I am honored that Majority Leader Stewart- Cousins chose me to sit on these important budget subcommittees as we look to strike a budget deal that puts working families and vulnerable New Yorkers first.”

“This year would make it the 20th state budget I have had the opportunity to help craft on behalf of our state’s long-neglected communities. I look forward to focusing on the appropriation aspect of these critical issues, particularly how they will affect Black and Brown communities like the 21st Senate District.”

Throughout his years in the State Senate, Senator Parker has advocated for health care, education, housing, tax, and criminal justice reforms to address inequalities and improve outcomes for New Yorkers from traditionally marginalized communities. As chairman of the Senate Energy and Telecommunications Committee, Senator Parker works to decrease New York’s carbon footprint by promoting renewable energy resources, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and improving broadband access in underserved areas.

The New York State Constitution mandates the approval of the state budget by April 1. Senator Parker is intimately familiar with the needs of his ethnically diverse Brooklyn district comprising sections of Flatbush, East Flatbush, Kensington, Ditmas Park Midwood, Flatlands, Canarsie, Georgetown, Old Mill Basin, Mill Basin, Marine Park, and Bergen Beach. A lifelong Brooklyn resident, Senator Parker is the chairman of the Senate Energy and Telecommunications Committee and is a member of the following standing committees: Rules, Banks, Internet and Technology, and Budget and Revenue.