Thomas focuses on student loans, privacy

Kevin Thomas is leaving it up to voters to decide whether he’s worthy of another term in the state senate.

The Democratic incumbent from Levittown says it was his work in legal service that first got him into politics, helping people pay off private student loans and credit card debt.

“I decided to be the good lawyer, the legal services guy who went to court every day and defended the little guy if they get sued,” Thomas told reporters during a recent Herald Roundtable session. “So, this was just a bigger platform for me to help others.”

His first bill to pass after his 2018 election to Albany helped create what became known as the Student Loan Borrower Bill of Rights — the first of its kind in the nation —  intended to allow the state financial service department to audit federal student loan services like Sallie Mae.

Thomas also touts his efforts to provide funding for local schools, the Nassau University Medical Center, infrastructural repairs, small businesses, and the efforts to clean up the contamination related to the Northrop Grumman plume.

Thomas also supports the need provide consumers with more control over information, and how it can be accessed and used.

“There are a lot of data brokers out there — especially with the companies that you give information to — who then resell it and use it for purposes that are beyond what the contract that you signed off says they could use it for,” Thomas said. “So there’s a lot of accountability that I’m trying to put into play here.”

Thanks to a lawsuit led by the GOP, an independent third party was called in to redraw the lines based on 2020 census data. As a result, the boundaries of this particular senate district were shifted to include South Shore communities like Baldwin, Freeport and Rockville Centre.

It also shifted to not only exclude where Thomas lives, but also his challenger. They were both given a one-time exemption, meaning that by next election, the winner will either have to move, or find a new senate district.

Thomas is no stranger to bipartisan efforts. While the two major political parties will often disagree, they have maintained a civilized working relationship in Albany.

Much like those on the other side of the aisle, Thomas has been an outspoken supporter of maintaining a 2 percent cap on property tax increases, and is focused on working to make Nassau a more affordable place for people to live.

“People who can’t afford anything are still living with their parents,” he said. “This is an issue that everyone has been trying to tackle for years now. If you’re making $50,000 to $60,000, what is affordable? There are some innovative ways that are going into this, but we need to do a lot more.”

For public safety, however, Thomas has a multifaceted approach.

“If you look at the data here, recidivism before bail reform and after are around the same,” he said.

He indicated that under the law, judges currently have discretion to determine who is eligible for bail, despite claims that indicate otherwise. He also says the state has passed legislation to allow them to prosecute gun traffickers caught with at least three illegal firearms, and have continued to help fund mental health programs.

“There’s so much here that to just blame it all on bail reform is completely unfair,” Thomas said. “What we’ve seen for decades were people who did not have money when they are arrested for misdemeanors or nonviolent felonies and were kept in jail until there’s a trial date.”