Inside Government is a Q&A series that gives New Yorkers a glimpse inside the role of the elected officials who represent them. This edition of Inside Government with PoliticsNY features New York State Senator Jabari Brisport. Senator Brisport represents the 25th Senate District in Brooklyn which includes Clinton Hill, Navy Yard, Bedford-Stuyvesant, Ocean Hill and parts of Fort Greene, Prospect Heights, and Brownsville.
What piece of legislation are you most proud to have passed in the 2025 session?
The Anti-Harassment in Reporting Act. ACS investigations are extremely traumatic and abusers sometimes weaponize ACS by repeatedly making false reports of child mistreatment against their victims. Doing this is already illegal, but New York can’t effectively enforce this law because reports can be filed anonymously. The Anti-Harassment in Reporting Act will combat this by switching from anonymous reporting to confidential reporting (where the state keeps a private record of who is filing the reports.)
How are you working to better the lives of your constituents?
Our government has spent decades selling out Brooklyn to the highest bidders. I run my campaigns with volunteers and small-dollar donations instead of corporate and real estate donors so that I’m free to speak the truth and stand up to the billionaires used to pulling the strings. We’re passing life-changing legislation and providing essential direct services, but beyond that, we’re building a movement that’s shifting power back to the people for a more just future.
What is one of the lesser-known roles of a senator that you believe constituents should know more about?
When the Governor wants to appoint a new judge, State senators are responsible for voting to confirm or overturn the nominee. These votes have often been treated more like formalities and given little scrutiny – but judges have enormous power over our lives and liberties. In 2023, thanks to a groundswell of community organizing, we were able to block a nomination to the state’s highest court for the first time in New York’s history.
As 2025 comes to an end, what do you hope to accomplish in the new year?
With massive cuts coming from the federal government, it’s especially important that New York requires the ultra-rich to finally pay their fair share of taxes. We also need to fight gentrification by passing legislation like our Deed Theft Protection package. And we can build a better future; New York can help children, families, and our economy thrive by passing our Universal Child Care Act – making childcare free for all and raising childcare worker wages.
What influenced you to pursue a career in politics?
I was a public-school math teacher; my students were incredible and full of potential, but the school didn’t even have enough textbooks for them. They weren’t getting the investment they deserved in their future. I’d been involved in the fight for marriage equality and the Black Lives Matter movement, and I’d seen that change can happen when we fight for each other, so that’s what I wanted to do for them and for my community.
