Senate Finance Committee advances Denise Miranda nomination to lead New York State Division of Human Rights

The New York State Senate Finance Committee voted May 28 to advance Governor Kathy Hochul’s nominee, Denise Miranda, to be commissioner of the New York State Division of Human Rights after Miranda described operational changes she has overseen since becoming acting commissioner.

Miranda, who told the committee she is a "first generation Bronx-born New York-educated Afro-Latina of Puerto Rican heritage," outlined a set of reforms she said are intended to reduce a roughly one-year case cycle time and address an estimated backlog of about 6,000 matters at the division.

The nomination matters because the Division of Human Rights enforces the state Human Rights Law — the state’s principal statute prohibiting discrimination in employment, housing, education and public accommodations — and the committee’s action moves Miranda’s nomination to a full Senate vote.

Miranda described her tenure as acting commissioner, beginning in March 2024, as a period of diagnosing and correcting longstanding deficiencies. She said the division lacked clear performance metrics, adequate training and internal controls when she arrived and that the governor and Legislature provided what she described as an "unprecedented" infusion of…