New Yorkers are working hard, but too many families are finding that their paychecks simply do not go as far as they used to. The cost of groceries, housing, utilities, transportation and other everyday necessities continues to put enormous pressure on household budgets.
Assemblywoman Nikki Lucas believes affordability requires more than talking about the problem. It requires the government to develop practical solutions that can reduce everyday expenses and put real money back into the pockets of working New Yorkers.
That is the foundation of Nikki Lucas’ Affordability Plan, a growing legislative and policy agenda focused on one simple question: Will this make life more affordable for everyday New Yorkers?
The plan is focused on identifying opportunities to reduce the cost of everyday living for working families, seniors, homeowners, renters, students and small businesses. Some solutions will require major policy changes, while others can be straightforward ideas that provide consumers with immediate and measurable savings.
One of the first major legislative proposals under Nikki’s Affordability Plan is New York State Assembly Bill A11501, introduced at the request of Assemblywoman Lucas in May 2026.
The legislation would require food retail establishments that provide self-service checkout to give customers a 10% discount on goods purchased through a self-checkout kiosk.
The idea is based on a simple principle of fairness. When customers use self-checkout, they scan their own purchases, bag their own groceries and complete the payment process themselves – tasks traditionally performed by paid employees. Retailers can realize efficiencies through self-service technology, and Nikki believes consumers who participate in that process should share in the financial benefit.
Under A11501, a qualifying purchase that costs $100 would result in $10 in savings when completed through self-checkout. For New Yorkers who regularly purchase groceries and other eligible goods, those savings can add up to hundreds of dollars over the course of a year.
This is not simply a campaign proposal. A11501 is actual legislation introduced in the New York State Assembly and referred to the Assembly Committee on Consumer Affairs and Protection.
Official Press Release
For Nikki, the self-checkout proposal represents a larger approach to affordability. Government should look closely at the expenses New Yorkers encounter every day and find opportunities to create savings that residents can actually see in their household budgets.
A policy that saves someone a few dollars once is helpful. Policies that consistently reduce grocery bills, utility expenses, housing costs and other recurring expenses can have a much greater cumulative impact, potentially putting thousands of dollars back into a family’s household budget over time.
That is the goal of Nikki’s Affordability Plan: find savings wherever government can reasonably create them and make those savings meaningful enough for families to feel the difference
Housing is one of the largest expenses facing New Yorkers, and Assemblywoman Nikki Lucas believes a serious affordability plan must support both renters who need quality housing they can afford and residents who want an opportunity to become homeowners. New Yorkers should not be forced into one housing model simply because the other has become financially out of reach.
Nikki believes government should create more realistic pathways to ownership. One part of her Affordability Plan is to explore opportunities to transform appropriate city-owned residential buildings and properties into affordable housing and resident-ownership opportunities, including affordable cooperative housing. Where feasible, residents should have an opportunity to purchase and build equity in the apartments and communities where they live rather than being permanently excluded from ownership because of the cost of entering New York City’s housing market.
At the same time, Nikki recognizes that not everyone wants to own a home, and not everyone is in a position to do so. Many New Yorkers simply want a safe, well-maintained apartment with a rent they can reasonably afford. A strong housing policy must protect that choice as well.
Nikki’s housing vision is not about choosing homeowners over renters or renters over homeowners. It is about creating more choices for New Yorkers at different stages of their lives and at different income levels. Residents who want to rent should have access to quality affordable rental housing, while residents who want to own should have a realistic opportunity to take that next step.
For many working New Yorkers, the dream of ownership is becoming increasingly difficult to achieve. The prices of homes, condominiums and co-ops have risen dramatically, and even residents who earn enough to make monthly housing payments can find the down payment and upfront costs required to purchase a home nearly impossible to afford.
Affordable co-ops can provide another path to ownership for working- and middle-class New Yorkers who may never be able to afford the down payment required for a traditional home or market-rate condominium. Nikki supports examining financing assistance, affordable purchase structures and other programs that can lower the barriers to ownership while ensuring that these homes remain accessible to the people they were created to serve.
That means preserving and expanding affordable rental housing, improving conditions in existing developments, supporting NYCHA residents, protecting tenants and ensuring that affordability is based on the economic realities of the communities where people actually live.
For Nikki, ownership is also about building long-term economic security. When working families have an opportunity to own an affordable home or apartment, they have an opportunity to build equity, create generational wealth and have a greater financial stake in the future of their community.
The goal is a housing system that allows more East Brooklyn residents to remain in the neighborhoods they helped build, whether they choose to rent affordably or pursue the opportunity to own
Seniors and people with disabilities can be especially vulnerable to increases in the cost of living because many live on fixed or limited incomes. Rising utility bills, food costs, housing expenses and other necessities can quickly consume income that may not increase at the same pace.
Nikki’s Affordability Plan will continue to identify opportunities to provide meaningful discounts, expand access to essential services and reduce recurring expenses for these New Yorkers.
The goal is straightforward: people who have spent their lives contributing to New York should be able to afford to continue living here with dignity and financial security.
Affordability also affects the neighborhood businesses that employ New Yorkers and provide essential goods and services. Rising rents and operating expenses can force small businesses to raise prices, reduce staffing or leave the community entirely.
Nikki has advanced proposals addressing some of these financial pressures, including legislation involving small-business rent relief and tax-deferred savings opportunities.
Her Affordability Plan recognizes that helping neighborhood businesses control their expenses can also benefit consumers, preserve local jobs and strengthen the economic foundation of communities throughout East Brooklyn and New York State.
The self-checkout bill is intended to be the beginning, not the end, of Nikki’s affordability agenda.
New technology, changing business practices and rising costs continually create new challenges for consumers, but they can also create opportunities for innovative public policy. Nikki believes elected officials should be willing to examine those changes and ask whether government can help ensure that the economic benefits are shared with working people.
That means continuing to look at groceries, housing, utilities, transportation, small-business costs and other everyday expenses to identify practical opportunities for savings. It also means listening to New Yorkers, because some of the best solutions can come directly from the people experiencing these financial pressures every day.
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