In her new role as chairperson, said she Harris hopes to improve the quality of life for seniors in Brooklyn and throughout New York by working to ensure that older adults have access to high-quality health care as well as the resources to live comfortably and independently.

Harris said she also plans to focus on the challenges senior citizens face day-to-day, including transportation options and nursing assistance.

The committee assignment is in keeping with her goals, Harris said. Throughout her time in politics, she has made fighting for senior citizens a priority, she said.

Harris, a Coney Island civic activist, was first elected to the Assembly in 2015.

In 2016, she helped pass legislation supporting Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities (NORCs) by making it easier for them to qualify for state funding.

In contrast to retirement community in places like Florida that have been constructed in recent years to attract older adults, NORCs are places where senior citizens moved decades ago when they were young adults. The seniors set down roots in these communities, remained in place over the years and continue to live there in their golden years.

There are several NORCs in New York City, including one in Bay Ridge.

Harris has also secured more than $100,000 in the past two state budgets to improve senior citizen programs at the Jewish Community Council of Greater Coney Island.

“Seniors established the foundation from which our neighborhoods rose,” Harris said. “They’ve worked hard to provide a bright future for Brooklyn, and I’ll be a strong voice for their needs.”

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