Howard L. Lasher (1944–2007) was an American Democratic Party politician from Brooklyn. He was the first Orthodox Jew elected to state office in New York. He was the first to ever wear a Kippah in the New York assembly.[1]
Lasher was the principal author of the "New York Deprogramming Bill, which would have allowed courts to appoint temporary guardians to remove people forcibly from cults.[7] The New York State Assembly passed the bill 77-64,[8] as did the New York State Senate 35-23.[9] However, it was vetoed in July 1981 by New York Governor Hugh Carey.[7]
Lasher did not run in the 2001 Brooklyn City Council elections due to term limits. His wife, Susan Lasher, ran and lost to Domenic Recchia, receiving 2,999 votes to his 4,509.[6][13]
^"Brooklyn Councilman, a Political Fixture, Faces Fight in Primary", August 28, 1997, The New York Times, Jonathan P. Hicks.
^New York City Economic Development Corporation, August 22, 2000, Press Release Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani was joined today by City Council Speaker Peter F. Vallone, City Council Member Howard L. Lasher, Deputy Mayor for Economic Development and Finance Robert M. Harding, New York City Economic Development Corporation (EDC) President Michael G. Carey, New York Mets co-owner Fred Wilpon, and Joan Hodges, wife of baseball player Gil Hodges, to celebrate the start of construction on the permanent home of the New York Mets' minor league baseball team.
^Sack, Kevin (February 27, 1991). "Cuomo Bill Seeks Insurance for the AIDS Exposed". New York Times. Retrieved September 16, 2017. Insurance industry officials and key legislators said today that it would be unfair to non-AIDS patients to make them share the high cost of insuring those with the disease. "If you do this you'll bring the cost of insurance up and you'll exclude people who can no longer afford the insurance," said Assemblyman Howard L. Lasher, Democrat of Brooklyn, the chairman of the Insurance Committee. Mr. Lasher said the bill "would have almost no chance in the Senate."