Williams Still Undecided After Debate
City Council Member Jumaane Williams yesterday said in an emailed statement that he remains undecided on who he will support in Mondays’s Presidential Primary following last night’s debate between Democratic Candidates Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders at the Brooklyn Navy Yard.
“Hillary Clinton and Senator Bernie Sanders both made excellent points about the state of our country and what can be done to move the United States forward. However, like many voters, I am still undecided on who to endorse. We need a candidate who will be bold in building affordable housing and ending the epidemic of gun violence that is plaguing our communities, including by adopting universal youth employment,” said Williams.
Adams Launches Immigration Exhibit and Borough Hall
Brooklyn Borough President Eric L. Adams and the non-profit Make the Road New York yesterday launched “Faces of DAPA & DACA+,” a photo exhibit at Brooklyn Borough Hall featuring portraits and stories of individuals and families directly impacted by Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents (DAPA) and Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) Expansion, administrative immigration relief programs enacted by President Barack Obama.
The United States Supreme Court is currently reviewing the DAPA and DACA in United States v. Texas, a case concerning these executive actions. The exhibit and rlated banners hanging from Brough Hall is meant to educate the public and highlight the importance of the Supreme Court ruling in favor of keeping immigrant families together.
“In Brooklyn, we are all immigrants of different generations,” said Adams. “Immigration defines Brooklyn, where nearly 40 percent of residents were born in another country and 47 percent of households speak a language other than English at home. I am proud to showcase this exhibit with Make the Road New York in Brooklyn Borough Hall — the People’s House — to reveal the true faces of immigrants who have come here to work, attend school, and pursue the American Dream.”
The “Faces of DAPA & DACA+” launch was also attended by Council Members Carlos Menchaca, chair of the Committee on Immigration, as well as Council Member Antonio Reynoso. The display will run at Brooklyn Borough Hall through Saturday, May 14.
Nadler Hails Email Privacy Act
Congressman Jerrold Nadler (Borough Park, Kensington, and parts of Bay Ridge, Bensonhurst, Dyker Heights, Red Hook, Sunset Park and Midwood) this week hailed the The House Judiciary Committee voting 28-0 to approve the Email Privacy Act.
The bill would require officials to obtain a warrant before reading Americans’ old emails (and texts, instant messages and other cloud-stored communications). If the Email Privacy Act continues to progress through Congress, it will amend the Electronic Communications Privacy Act, which allows law enforcement (with a simple subpoena) to read emails that are more than 180 days old.
“I have long called for an update to the laws impacting electronic communications and privacy, and today the House Judiciary Committee will take a major step forward to do just that with the long overdue passage of the Email Privacy Act,” said Nadler. “With communications technology evolving at an exponential rate, it is imperative that we revise our privacy laws in a corresponding manner. Our nation’s laws must be brought up-to-date with advances in technology to clarify issues of electronic privacy and third-party involvement, which is why the significance of this legislation cannot be overstated. The Email Privacy Act requires the government to obtain a warrant in order to access peoples’ electronic communications from a third-party provider, protecting Americans’ privacy rights while still enabling law enforcement to do its job.”
Cuomo Signs MMA Into Law
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo yesterday signed legislation authorizing competitive mixed martial arts in New York State.
The legislation reverses an effective ban that had been in place since 1997, and ensures mixed martial arts contests will be supervised either directly by the New York State Athletic Commission, or by a sanctioning entity approved by the Commission.
“It’s time to bring mixed martial arts competitions to the New York stage,” said Cuomo. “With venues like Madison Square Garden, New York truly is the international icon for great sporting events, and we’re excited to begin a new chapter of MMA in the Empire State. This legislation will make the sport a better sport for all involved, and bring new economic activity into arenas across the state, and I’m proud to sign it into law.”
Also hailing the legislation was Assemblymember Rodneyse Bichotte (Flatbush, Ditmas Park), who said authorizing mixed martial arts (MMA) events in New York State and enact tough safety standards for the sport is common sense.
“Currently, amateur mixed martial arts participants across New York State are competing in unregulated events,” said Bichotte. “MMA is here to stay – it’s time to bring these fights out of the shadows and treat MMA as a professional sport. These fighters are dedicated athletes who work hard honing their skills every day, and we must ensure they can compete as safely as possible just like many other contact sports.”
“As a former red black belt martial arts trainee I support making mixed martial arts a legitimate regulated professional sport in the State of New York. I have experienced personal benefits from studying mixed martial arts for 6 years. Not only is it good exercise and a powerful form of self-defense, it has allowed me to further develop the qualities of self-control, and discipline. Even more important, as a survivor of domestic violence, it empowered me to remove myself from a dangerous situation. I am a better person because of it,” she added.
Cymbrowitz Commends State Strengthening help For Gambling Addiction
Sheepshead Bay Assemblyman Steven Cymbrowitz, former Chair of the Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Committee, is commending a new multi-year initiative to train counseling professionals to better enable them to deliver problem gambling treatment and support services.
The Problem Gambling Training Partnership, funded by the NYS Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services, will offer training on assessing and treating a gambling disorder to social workers, mental health counselors, marriage and family therapists and psychoanalysts throughout New York State.
“This important program will ensure that counseling professionals across the state are knowledgeable about problem gambling and can effectively treat and refer people to the kind of help they need,” Cymbrowitz said.
The initiative is part of a statewide collaboration between OASAS and the New York Council on Problem Gambling. The NYCPG will work with the New York State Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers, the New York Mental Health Counselors Association, the New York Association for Marriage and Family Therapy, and the National Association for the Advancement of Psychoanalysis to implement the program. The five professional organizations partnering in this effort represent nearly 20,000 counseling professionals across the state.
“Gambling is often perceived as an invisible addiction because its outward signs may not be readily observable,” said Cymbrowitz. “According to a joint report by the National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) and the Association of Problem Gambling Service Administrators (APGSA), an estimated 4 to 6 million adults, along with an additional 500,000 adolescents, meet the criteria for a gambling disorder. Each of those individuals affects the lives of many others, including family, friends, employers, and their local communities. The same report found that in addition to personal financial, emotional and physical harm, cost to society from crime, bankruptcy, etc. is $6.9 billion.”
To sign up for training or to learn more about the trainings offered throughout the state, visit The New York State Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers or www.oasas.ny.gov/gambling.
New Yorkers struggling with problem gambling, or whose loved ones are struggling, can find help by calling 1-877-8-HOPENY (1-877-846-7369) or by texting HOPENY (Short Code 467369). New Yorkers can also find an OASAS-certified problem gambling or substance use disorder treatment provider by using the NYS OASAS Bed Availability Dashboard or visiting the NYS OASAS Find Help web page. For additional tools to use in talking to a young person about preventing problem gambling, underage drinking or drug use, visit the State’s Talk2Prevent website.
