Cymbrowitz Measure Sheds Spotlight On Elder Abuse
Assemblyman Steven Cymbrowitz (Sheepshead Bay, Manhattan Beach, Brighton Beach) yesterday hailed the passage of legislation he sponsored (A.9143-A) that will require the State Office for the Aging, in consultation with the Office of Children and Family Services, to conduct a public education campaign to raise awareness about elder abuse.
According to a comprehensive study done by the senior advocacy organization LiveOn NY, about 260,000 older adults each year are the victims of some form of elder abuse, and this number is rising. Only 1 out of 24 of overall cases are reported to law enforcement, Adult Protective Services, medical or social services. Only 1 out of 44 financial abuse cases are reported, according to the study.
“There are many reasons why 85 percent of all elder abuse incidents fail to be reported to to the authorities,” said Cymbrowitz, who chairs the Aging Committee. “While many people are aware of the problem, they may not know how to recognize the signs of elder abuse, especially when it manifests itself as financial exploitation and the physical signs are not there.”
“Additionally, many of those who want to report suspected elder abuse do not know where to turn, and many seniors who feel they have been victimized may fear what will happen to them after an investigation is made,” he said.
In an estimated 60 percent of elder abuse cases, the perpetrator is an adult child or relative of the victim. Almost half of victims have a physical impairment and one-third have cognitive impairment or dementia.
The bill has passed both the Assembly and Senate and will be sent to Gov. Cuomo.
Donovan Lauds House Passage Of Countering Terrorist Radicalization Act
Congressman Dan Donovan (Southern Brooklyn/Staten Island) yesterday announced the House passed a measure he cosponsored called the Countering Terrorist Radicalization Act, in response to the growing threat of radicalization within America’s borders.
The bill passed by a margin of 402-15. The legislation combines three bills that were already passed by the House of Representatives with broad bipartisan support. By combining the bills into one package, the House hopes the Senate can take action more quickly and move the legislation to the President’s desk for signature.
The three-pronged measure allows the Department of Homeland Security to expand its work to quickly identify suspicious activity in the community through state and urban fusion centers, expands its efforts to counter-message terrorist organizations like ISIS that use social media propaganda to recruit and radicalize potential operatives in local communities and and strengthens the Counterterrorism Advisory Board (CTAB), which sets the procedures for issuing terrorism alerts.
“We can’t lose focus of the threat here: radical Islamic terror has once again hit our shores. Today’s action by the House addresses the undeniable threat of homegrown radicalization. It doesn’t fix every problem, but this package is good, sound policy and deserves to be passed by the Senate immediately,” said Donovan.
Simon Hosts Annual Senior Fair
Assemblymember Jo Anne Simon (Downtown Brooklyn, Carroll Gardens, Boerum Hill) next Friday will host her annual Senior Resource Fair with co-sponsoring State Senators Velmanette Montgomery (Bed-Stuy, Fort Greene, Clinton Hill) and Daniel Squadron (Northern Brooklyn, Lower Manhattan).
The fair is free and includes a bevy of city and state agencies that provide services for seniors as well as free dental screenings and many exhibitors. Assemblymember Steven Cymbrowitz, who chairs the Assembly’s Committee on Aging will be the special guest.
The Senior Fair is slated for 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Friday June 24 at St. Francis College, 180 Remsen Street between Court and Clinton Streets in Brooklyn Heights.
Harris Bill Extending Paid Family Leave Passes Assembly
Assemblymember Pamela Harris (Coney Island, Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights) announced yesterday that legislation she authored to extend the paid family leave program to include employees in the construction industry passed the Assembly (A.10680).
“Passing paid family leave was a huge victory for families across New York State, but unfortunately, many construction workers may not qualify for it due to the temporary nature of the work in the building trades industry,” said Harris. “My bill will fix this and help ensure these workers can take time off to care for a loved one.”
Harris explained that most construction workers are excluded from the recently passed paid family leave plan because they often work for multiple employers with intermittent layoffs. The current law requires that employees work for 26 consecutive weeks before qualifying for paid leave.
Under Harris’ bill, construction workers who have worked 26 of the past 39 weeks for one or more employers covered by a collective bargaining agreement would qualify for paid family leave. This expanded measure would include employees who work in construction, demolition, reconstruction, excavation, rehabilitation, repairs, renovations, alterations or improvements.
Levin Leads Rally To Strengthen City’s Foster Care System
City Council Member Stephen Levin (Downtown Brooklyn, Dumbo, Williamsburg, Boerum Hill) yesterday joined other lawmakers and foster care advocates in a rally to support proposed legislation strengthening the City’s foster care system for nearly 10,000 children and youth.
The proposed legislation would establish new feedback systems and guarantee the necessary data to push for systemic reforms at the state level and ultimately, comprehensive services in the City:
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Create a taskforce to recommend improvements to our foster care system that will include experts such as child advocates and foster youth (Intro 1192);
- Implement a survey for children and youth in care regarding experiences with foster parents (Intro 1199);
- Call on the New York State legislature to improve a housing subsidy used by former foster youth in order to reduce their risk of homelessness as they age out of care (Res 1073);
- Ensure we have the necessary data to push for systemic reforms, especially regarding educational continuity; incidences of abuse and neglect; and barriers to permanent placement (Intro 1190; Intro 1196;Intro 1191);
- Expand reporting on foster care regarding graduation success; attainment of government-issued identification; and the number of youth who have aged out of care and who enter a homeless shelter or receive financial assistance such as SNAP benefits (Intro 1205; Intro 1187; Intro 1197).
“Children and youth in the City’s care are some of the most vulnerable New Yorkers and it our collective responsibility to ensure that each of them has a safe, loving home and access to comprehensive services,” said Levin. “These bills are especially important because many of them are a direct response to the firsthand experiences of youth in care.”
“The very system that is meant to protect our children is failing them,” said Public Advocate Letitia James. “This package of bills is an important first step to overhaul our City’s broken system and provide the protections that our children need and deserve.”
While the number of children in foster care has decreased significantly in the past year, it stands that children in New York City’s system spend almost twice the amount of time in care than children in the rest of the country – 3.2 years versus 1.7 years.
Also lending string support for the measure were City Council Members Mathieu Eugene (Flatbush) and Laurie Cumbo (Fort Greene, Clinton Hill, Prospect Heights, Crown Heights).
Richardson Hosts Health & Fitness Expo
Assemblymember Diana Richardson (Lefferts Garden, Crown Heights) will partner with Bodysculpt tomorrow in hosting her annual Health and Fitness Expo tomorrow.
Families and neighbors will have the opportunity to take advantage of numerous sports clinics like archery, fencing and football and engage in informative workshops that focus on nutrition, vision, weight counseling and more.
The Expo is slated for between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m., tomorrow, June 18 at PS 92 on 601 Parkside Avenue in Flatbush.
