| Jeffrion L. Aubry for the 35th A.D. of Queens County was elected to the New York State Assembly in a Special Election on January 3, 1992.
Assemblyman Aubry presently is the New York State Speaker Pro Tempore and member of the following committees- Ways and Means, Rules, Social Services and Governmental Employees. Assemblyman Aubry is a member of the Council of State Governments and is a "Toll Fellow" a distinguished association of state legislators from across the country.
Mr. Aubry has served as a chairman of the Board of Justice Center, a national organization which provides technical assistance to states to develop data driven consensus supported criminal justice policies to reduce crime and decrease the cost of incarceration nationwide.
He has also been a past Chair of the New York State Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic and Asian Legislative Caucus. He is a member of the New York State Association of Black and Puerto Rican Legislators, Inc., and a member of the New York State Assembly/Senate Puerto Rican/Hispanic Task Force. As a former Chairman of the Committee on Correction, Assemblyman Aubry successfully championed legislation enacted in 2009 that significantly reformed the Rockefeller Drug Laws in New York State by returning discretion to judges to sentence drug addicted offenders to treatment as an alternative to prison, and led the fight to ensure that prisoners suffering from serious mental illness receive needed treatment and are not confined under inhumane conditions through the enactment of the Special Housing Unit Exclusion Law. He has developed a series of efforts to advance several national and statewide issues. He has also raised money to advance the cause of bone marrow donor identification in the state of New York and passed legislation to allow employees to receive sick time if they choose to become a donor.
Assemblyman Aubry was the former Director of Economic Development for the Borough President's Office of Queens. Mr. Aubry was the Queens' representative to the Economic Development Corporation of the City of New York, Chairman of the Small Business Development Center's Advisory Board at York College and has served on the District Management Association for all business improvement districts in Queens.
Assemblyman Aubry was formerly employed by Elmcor Youth and Adult Activities, a not-for-profit multi-service corporation, for sixteen years, and held various positions, including Executive Director. While at Elmcor, Mr. Aubry initiated new economic development, housing, and capital development programs. He also worked as a teacher in the New Mexico State Penitentiary for Eastern New Mexico University, as a consultant for Massand Associates, an engineering firm, and as the Director of the North Shore Fair Housing Center.
Assemblyman Aubry attended P.S. 92, Saint Gabriel School, Monsignor McClancy High School, Saint Augustine's High School and was awarded a Bachelor of Arts from the College of Santa Fe in 1969. He was inducted into the Elmcor Youth and Adult Activities Hall of Fame and received a Community Service Award from New York State Black and Puerto Rican Legislative Caucus, Inc. He has also been honored with the East Elmhurst/Corona Civic Association Award, the Key Women Award, the Concerned Citizens Award, the Unit Citation from the LaGuardia Redevelopment Program of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, the Man of the Year Award from The Wheelchair Classic, the Congressional Award for Outstanding Leadership from the National Marrow Donor Program, the Martin Luther King Drum Major Justice Award, the Advocate for Justice Award, and was selected as the Toll Fellow from New York in 2000. He was also presented the Advocate for Justice Award, in recognition of his commitment to improving New York's criminal justice system for women offenders in 2004. Mr. Aubry received the Outstanding Contribution to Legislation Award from the Criminal Justice Selection of the New York State Bar Association in 2005. In 2009, Assemblyman Aubry received The Justice Gerald Le Dain Award in the Field of Law at International Drug Policy Reform Conference in New Mexico, recognizing his leadership and tenacity in a successful effort to roll back draconian New York State drug laws. It is bestowed on those involved in the law who work within official institutions to challenge traditional drug war orthodoxy. He was also the recipient of The Award for Outstanding Legislative Leadership in the Cause for Justice from the Correctional Association of New York. In addition, Mr. Aubry received the Community Leadership Award from the Epilepsy Foundation and the National Alliance on Mental Illness/NYS Legislative Champion Award in 2013 as well as The John R. Dunne Champion of Justice Award from the Prisoner's Legal Services in 2014.
In his former capacity as Chairman of the Correction Committee, Assemblyman Aubry has sponsored and passed numerous pieces of legislation designed to improve the outcome of the criminal justice system. |