Political career
On May 10, 2005, Hevesi won a special election to fill a seat left vacant by the resignation of former Assemblyman Michael Cohen, serving for the remainder of his term. He was re-elected in November 2006 and has been re-elected in every election since.
From June 2011 to February 2015, Hevesi served as Chair of the Assembly Committee on Oversight, Analysis and Investigation. As chair, he held hearings on issues including health care, human trafficking, and technology infrastructure in New York State.
In February 2015, Hevesi was appointed Chair of the Assembly Committee on Social Services.
Since 2021, Hevesi has served as Chair of the Assembly Committee on Children and Families. During his tenure, the committee has focused on child welfare policy, foster care, child protective services, juvenile justice, and access to child care. Legislation he sponsored was enacted raising the minimum age for juvenile delinquency proceedings from seven to twelve years old, except in homicide cases, and replacing anonymous reports to the State Central Register of Child Abuse and Maltreatment with a confidential reporting system.
In 2026, the Legislature passed Kyra's Law (A.6194-C), sponsored by Hevesi, requiring courts to consider allegations and histories of domestic violence, child abuse, stalking, coercive control, and other risk factors when making child custody and visitation determinations. During the same legislative session, the Legislature also passed legislation sponsored by Hevesi establishing a statewide supervised visitation initiative through the Office of Children and Family Services.
Hevesi has supported expansions to the Empire State Child Tax Credit and increased state investment in child care affordability, child care workforce support, and family assistance programs.
_Andrew_Hevesi_(cropped).jpg)
