Walker Stands Up For Her Voter Reform Legislation
Brownsville Assemblywoman Latrice Walker last week defended her legislation that seeks to take advantage of technology to improve how citizens register to vote in New York State.
Walker’s bill – The Modernized Voter Registration Act of New York (A.8626) – was not on the agenda of last week’s meeting of the Assembly Elections Committee. Instead, the meeting agenda included another bill sponsored by the committee chair Michael Cusick that contained several of the same elements included in Walker’s legislation.
Walker developed and introduced her bill six months ago. Cusick introduced his bill in late May. The bills are very similar, except Walker’s bill contains language that would require the NYS Attorney General’s office of Civil Rights to give preclearance to future changes in election law that would impact districts previously covered by Section 5 of the Federal Voting Rights Act.
“It is very interesting to me that everything that was great about the bill was introduced but everything that protects minority and black voters was left totally as if this never even happened,” Walker told reporters.
At post time it is unclear, which bill was heard and if it passed through committee.
Treyger, Savino, Harris Call On More City Funding For Youth Programs
Coney Island lawmakers including City Council Member Mark Treyger, State Sen. Diane J. Savino and Assemblymember Pamela Harris yesterday called on the city to increase funding for youth-oriented education and employment programs in Coney Island.
The lawmakers also called on an expanded police presence, in response to two incidents of gun violence which occurred several hours apart on the same neighborhood street on June 5.
“The incidents of gun violence in Coney Island yesterday were a disturbing reminder of how systemic underfunding in communities such as this one leads to cyclical violent outbursts and criminal activity,” said Treyger. “There is no doubt that the NYPD needs to deploy additional narcotics and anti-gang patrols to keep our residents safe, and that, once caught, the perpetrators of these crimes must be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law by the District Attorney’s office.
“However, we cannot simply arrest our way out of these issues. The most effective way to prevent further gun violence is to provide residents in Coney Island with more education and employment opportunities. Degrees and jobs are the best preventative measures. We need to create more opportunities for our youth to receive quality educations, which in turn, will lead to them being able to better compete in the job market.
“We must increase funding for the Summer Youth Employment Program to the greatest extent possible. Let’s lay the groundwork for universal youth employment, so that our young people can learn valuable job skills and explore different possibilities for their lives, rather than engaging in behavior that is destructive and harmful not only to themselves, but to our communities.”
Both Savino and Harris gave supporting statements to Treyger in regard to these issues, which involve city funding and city policy.
Harris Supports Cuomo Opposition To BDS Movement
Assemblymember Pamela Harris yesterday lauded Governor Cuomo’s recent executive order for all state agencies under his control to divest themselves of companies and organizations aligned with a Palestinian-backed boycott movement against Israel.
“Yesterday, Governor Cuomo signed an executive order requiring all state agencies, departments and authorities to divest public funds in businesses connected to the Boycotts, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign against Israel. I’m proud to stand with the people of Israel and lend my strongest support to this initiative,” said Harris.
“New York has a long history of rejecting harmful and discriminatory behavior in any form, and this order only solidifies our commitment to supporting and protecting the freedom of one of our country’s closest allies. With this action, we are sending a clear message that hate and intolerance has no place in our state.”
Felder Measure Helping retired Veterans Passes Senate
State Senator Simcha Felder (Brough Park, Midwood) recently saw a bill signed into law that he co-sponsored that gives honorably discharged veterans who are members of a state retirement system the ability to now purchase service credit for up to three years of military service performed.
Senator William Larkin (Cornwall-on-Hudson) is the main sponsor of the measure, which is one of nine recent measures pushed by the Senate to provide important benefits and recognition to veterans and their families.
“We should be enormously grateful to the men and women who serve in the armed forces and extend to those veterans who live in New York State every opportunity to make their lives easier,” said Felder. “Previously, only veterans who served during certain specified periods of war were eligible for this retirement benefit, which unfairly excluded a considerable number of them, including those who recently served in Afghanistan. Now, with the passage of this new law, even veterans who served in peace time can buy back military time towards their state pension.
“Financially speaking, this is one of the biggest benefits our State has extended to veterans in more than a decade,” Senator Felder continued. “I’m grateful to my colleague Senator Larkin—a veteran of three wars—for having championed this bill, to Senate Majority Leader Flanagan, and to Governor Andrew Cuomo for having signed off on it.”
Adams Kicks Off “Embrace Your Hyphon” Citizenship Drive
Brooklyn Borough President Eric L. Adams and Deputy Borough President Diana Reyna on Saturday hosted the inaugural “Embrace Your Hyphen” citizenship drive at Brooklyn Borough Hall.
The event saw 30 participants receive free assistance with their naturalization applications and have their legal questions answered by experienced immigration attorneys.
According to an analysis by the Center for Migration Studies of New York, it has been estimated that, as of 2013, more than 200,000 Brooklynites were eligible for naturalization, with the largest such populations residing in Bensonhurst, Bushwick, East Flatbush, and Sunset Park.
Adams said the event was one component of his larger “Embrace Your Hyphen” campaign, which focuses on celebrating the unique cultural diversity of Brooklyn and unifying various communities around shared values.
“Our hyphens define us as proud members of the most diverse community in the world, where our many cultures contribute to the extraordinary success of One Brooklyn,” said Adams. “In Brooklyn, where generations of families from around the world have come in search of the American Dream, we know that citizenship offers enormous benefits, such as the right to vote, entry into public service, and participation in our civil society.
“I want to thank the attorneys and advocacy organizations who work every day on shepherding immigrant families through the naturalization process, especially at a time when our national discourse has proven hostile at times toward those seeking to legally become members of the patchwork quilt that is our American family. Brooklyn Borough Hall will continue to be an extension of the welcoming arms that Lady Liberty extends far and wide from our harbor.”
Malliotakis Applauds Online Public Access To Assembly Proceedings
Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis R-Bay Ridge, Staten Island) yesterday applauded the implementation of her proposal to provide the public with access to committee votes which, after two years of being struck down, was finally approved by the Assembly in March.
Under the direction of new leadership of Speaker Carl Heastie, the reform was adopted unanimously, along with another measure Malliotakis proposed that would require committee meetings to be broadcasted online. The latter has not yet been implemented.
“I am pleased to see that my proposal to provide public access to committee votes has finally been enacted. The public deserves to know how their representative votes in committee and which bills they vote to block from coming to the floor for a debate and vote. This is a great step toward increasing the transparency of our legislative proceedings, and I hope my proposal to broadcast all committee meetings will be put in place in time for the beginning of next year’s legislative session,” said Malliotakis.
Committee votes, like floor votes, can now be accessed by entering a bill number on the Assembly website athttp://assembly.state.ny.us/leg/
Dilan Lauds Cuomo For Housing Funds
Senator Martin Malavé Dilan (Williamsburg, Bushwick) yesterday praised Governor Andrew Cuomo on the awarding of nearly $12 million in capital funding and incentives to support two affordable and supportive housing projects in North Brooklyn.
The two recipients, Comunilife-Woodhull Project developed by Comunilife Inc., and the Atlantic East Apartments spearheaded by the Ridgewood Bushwick Senior Citizen Center, are key components of housing investment commitments as part of this year’s (2016-17) state budget as well as a continuation of healthcare delivery grants approved in the (2015-16) state budget.
“Both of these projects address long-standing needs in North Brooklyn. They range from services to extremely low-income families to the most vulnerable members of our community. Our lowest-income residents, homeless veterans and those in need of mental health treatment, have been largely overlooked in past applications of affordable housing initiatives,” said Dilan. “I commend Governor Cuomo for looking to a broader coalition of stakeholders and developing a plan that addresses needs now, and identifies at-risk populations to head off our growing affordability and homelessness crisis.”
Following Governor Cuomo’s calls at the beginning of the year, Senator Dilan and colleagues approved the initial stages of the Governor’s plan for a $20 billion, multi-year commitment, to add 100,000 new units of affordable housing and 6,000 supportive housing beds statewide.
Williams Wishes City Muslims A Blessed Ramadan
City Council Member Jumaane D. Williams (Flatbush, East Flatbush, Midwood), released the following statement marking the start of Ramadan, which begins today and ends with the celebration of Eid al-Fitr on July 6.
“I would like to wish my Muslim brothers and sisters a ‘Ramadan Mubarak,’ or Happy Ramadan. This holy month of fasting, charity and prayer is a time for reflection, a time to focus on self-reformation and how best to serve our community. These are lessons we can all apply to our lives, regardless of own personal creed.
“In this time of xenophobic rhetoric and bigotry towards Muslims, let this month serve as a reminder of the peaceful tenets that Islam truly stands for, and not the extremist divergent views that are constantly perpetuated as the norm for Muslims. We cannot as a nation mourn the death of Muhammad Ali, one of the most well-known Muslims, yet be passive when a man is attacked because of his faith, such as the incident that took place yesterday with Mohamed Rasheed Khan, a Muslim man who was beaten outside of a Queens mosque allegedly because of his faith.
“May this Ramadan be a meaningful, spiritual experience for all who practice Islam.”
