Bklyn Pols Respond To Obamacare Supreme Court Ruling
Several Brooklyn elected officials lauded yesterday’s 6-3 Supreme Court upholding the Affordable Care Act, also knows as Obamacare, which has seen millions of Americans who previously had no medical insurance now covered. Since its passage in 2010, critics have charged it is the ruination of the country while proponents maintain it stands aside social security and Medicare as a pillar of federal social safety net laws.
Congressman Hakeem Jeffries: “President Obama’s health care law is one of the most important pieces of legislation of our generation. It has provided vital health insurance to millions of people across this nation, many of whom could not afford it or were previously denied due to preexisting conditions.
“The Supreme Court acted in a bipartisan and responsible manner to protect the Affordable Care Act and the tax subsidies it provides for hardworking Americans. House Republicans have tried – and failed – to overturn this law more than 50 times, wasting millions of taxpayer dollars in the process. The Supreme Court decision should put an end to this spectacle.”
Public Advocate Letitia James: “Today’s Supreme Court decision is a victory for millions of Americans across the country, and everyone who believes that healthcare is a basic right – not a privilege. The Affordable Care Act will be remembered as one of President Obama’s most important legacies, and will stand as shining hallmark of progress in the story of America. Let today’s decision further empower all of us to continue to fight to improve the lives of working people everywhere.”
Congresswoman Yvette Clarke: “I commend the Supreme Court for upholding access to health care for millions of Americans. The decision conformed with a basic principle of statutory construction, that the meaning of each provision of a law depends on the entirety of the law. As a member of the House of Representatives who voted for the Affordable Care Act, I know that we wanted the law to work for American families, both in states-based health care exchanges, as in New York, and in the federal health care exchange operated by the Department of Health and Human Services. A majority of the Supreme Court understood that too. People in the 34 states that have not yet established state-based health care exchanges will now continue to have access to affordable, comprehensive health care choices as a result of this decision. This decision will, I believe, finally provide the American people with the certainty that these choices will always exist.”
Mayor Bill de Blasio:“For far, far too long, many poor and middle class Americans went without basic access to health services, but with financial assistance they have been able to access care for themselves and their families. I applaud the Supreme Court’s decision to affirm a central tenet of President Obama’s Affordable Care Act that has made healthcare affordable for millions of Americans. As of February 2015, approximately 2 million New Yorkers across the state have signed up for insurance under the Affordable Care Act, and today’s decision will further safeguard their access to healthcare.”
Deutsch Responds To City FY 2016 Budget
Sheepshead Bay City Councilman Chaim Deutsch, yesterday, broke down how the city’s recent agreement on the Fiscal Year 2016 budget will impact his 48th Council District.
“The FY16 budget agreement includes funding for the hiring of additional crossing guards, something that will greatly benefit our district. With more than 50 public and non-public schools in the 48th Council District, added crossing guards will assist in protecting children as they travel to and from school every day. Our children will also benefit from the creation of a year-round youth job program, as well as the expansion of summer youth employment. The summer youth program is highly utilized by teenagers and young adults in our district, and more funding for the program will mean that it will continue to be accessible for the same amount of applicants, taking into account the new minimum wage,” said Deutsch.
Deutsch also said he was happy with increased funding for libraries, will result in the Homecrest Library increasing services fom 5 to 6 days per week while maintaining the Sheepshead Bay, Brighton Beach, and Kings Bay libraries having six day service, and the Kings Highway Library remaining open 7 days a week.
“I have fought for monies for enhanced benefits for seniors, such as naturally occurring retirement communities, healthy aging, and expanded homecare services for the elderly (EISEP). I worked in conjunction with New York City Council Aging Committee Chair, Margaret Chin to advocate for $4.8 million that will close the gap for seniors waiting on the EISEP list. This homecare service enhancement will go directly to addressing the needs of our extremely vulnerable senior population,” he said.
Clarke Urges Nationals of Countries Afflicted With Ebola To Register
Flatbush Congresswoman Yvette Clarke, yesterday, released the following statement on the decision by the Department of Homeland Security to extend the initial registration deadline for Temporary Protected Status from May 20, 2015, to Aug. 18, 2015, for eligible nationals of Liberia, Guinea, and Sierra Leone.
Congresswoman Clarke, with several members of the New York City Delegation to Congress, asked the Department of Homeland Security to extend the deadline to allow more eligible registrants to participate.
“As the representative of many first-generation and second-generation immigrants from Liberia, Guinea, and Sierra Leone to the United States, I know the importance of Temporary Protected Status. Since the Ebola epidemic that started in March 2014, these nations have succeeded in reducing the number of people infected and in preventing many unnecessary deaths. With Temporary Protected Status, nationals of Liberia, Guinea, and Sierra Leone who are now here will have the ability to support the recovery with remittances to their families – a critical factor in allowing individuals to purchase the basic necessities required to protect themselves from the Ebola virus,” said Clarke.
“I want to thank Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson for his efforts to assist the people of West Africa in this crisis,” she added.
To register, applicants can download Temporary Protected Status forms from www.uscis.gov/forms or request them by calling USCIS toll-free at 1-800-870-3676.
The letter to the Department of Homeland Security was also signed by Senator Charles E. Schumer, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, Congressman Charles Rangel, Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney, Congressman Joseph Crowley, Congressman Steve Israel, Congresswoman Grace Meng, and Congressman Gregory W. Meeks.
Adams Blasts State’s Extension of Rent Regulations Law
Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, yesterday, blasted the state’s passing a four-year extension to the city’s existing rent regulations laws, which affects over 600,000 of the borough’s residents living in rent control apartments.
Adams and the de Blasio Administration wanted the renewal to include the vacancy decontrol threshold in which apartments can move to market rate eliminated. Instead the state lifted that cap from $2,500 monthly to $2,700 monthly.
“As leaders in the New York State Legislature extend our city’s rent regulations for an additional four years, I can assert that the deal known as the ‘Big Ugly’ is in fact a big, ugly result for tenants. This was a missed opportunity to take decisive action that would have best protected our tenant population and the affordable apartments they call home. Raising the vacancy decontrol threshold, rather than eliminating it entirely, is a half-measure that will lead to a loss in affordable units,” said Adams.
“New Yorkers have the right to be frustrated with Albany leadership and how they have addressed this most pressing of issues; political dramas that have played out on the sidelines should not be accepted as excuses for legislative shortcomings when there were months of opportunity for meaningful negotiation. With that in mind, I remain committed to doing whatever it takes to move the State toward significant action in the months ahead that will create and preserve affordable housing, including 421-a tax exemption reform and tougher penalties against tenant harassment.”
Walker Hosts VIDA Meeting
Brownsville Assemblywoman and Vanguard Independent Democratic Association (VIDA) Executive Board Member Latrice Walker will host tomorrow’s monthly VIDA meeting from 10 a.m. to 12 noon at 2194 Fulton Street at the corner of Eastern Parkway.
Bedford-Stuyvesant City Councilman Robert Cornegy Jr., the Chair of Small Business, and the Restoration Plaza Work Force Development Team, will be the guest speaker.
Cumbo Brings Mobile Legal Help Center To Her District
Fort Greene/Clinton Hill/Prospect Heights City Councilwoman Laurie Cumbo is bringing the Mobile Legal Help Center to her district office from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. today at 1 Hanson Place.
The mobile help center is a partnership between the New York Legal Assistance Group (NYLAG) and the New York State Courts’ Access to Justice Program that provides free civil legal services to New Yorkers in need. Private meeting rooms and technology inside the vehicle enable it to function as a full-service office.
Staff on board the Mobile Legal Help Center will provide free legal assistance on issues related to housing (for tenants only), public benefits, identity theft, debt management, consumer credit, immigration, domestic violence, divorce, custody, employmnet, advance planning and issues relating to Superstorm Sandy.
The vehicle will also be stationed from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., July 22 at Medgar Evers College 1650 Bedford Avenue.
To Make an Appointment, please visit: http://nylag.org/MLHCappointments. For more information, please call Cumbo’s office at 718-260-9191
