Felder Proposal Would Increase Supply Of Meds
State Sen. Simcha Felder (Borough Park, Midwood) and Queens Assemblyman Michael Simanowitz are floating a bill that will allow for 90 day refills of medications provided that the medication is not a controlled substance and that the patient’s doctor is in agreement.
The effort is designed to improve medication compliance, lower medical costs for New Yorkers, and make it easier for residents to maintain the necessary supplies of their medications.
Currently, people who are on long-term medications must return to pharmacies once a month or use mail-order pharmacies to refill their prescriptions. This can prove to be a costly and troublesome trip, which has resulted in a decrease in adherence to medication.”
Ninety day refills have shown to increase a patient’s adherence to their medication by 15% and reduce costs. However, existing law does not allow local pharmacies to authorize 90-day refills.
“The only opposition I expect to this law is from on-line pharmacies, and most of those are in Canada” said Felder. “This is common-sense legislation that protects vulnerable New Yorkers, particularly the elderly and those with chronic illnesses.”
Persaud Gets 1199 Endorsement
State Sen. Roxanne Persaud (Canarsie, East New York, Bergen Beach Mill Basin and parts of Flatlands and Sheepshead Bay) yesterday received the endorsement from the politically powerful 1199 SEIU United Healthcare Workers East union.
“Senator Persaud’s work to ensure that Brooklyn communities have access to quality healthcare, and her commitment to improving education opportunities, from pre-k to college confirms that she knows the issues that are important to 1199 families. We look forward to our continued work with the Senator to achieve our 1199SEIU Action Platform and make certain that the voices of healthcare workers and all working families are heard in the New York State Senate,” said 1199SEIU President Gresham.
“I’m pleased to stand with 1199’s dedicated healthcare workers, who are on the front lines every day, caring for our community and always standing up for social and economic justice,” said Persaud. “It is an honor to work side by side with the 1199 members in my district standing up for fairness, security and dignity for all.”
Persaud, a freshman senator is facing a primary challenge from Canarsie business leader and activist Mercedes Narcisse.
Williams Address July 4th Shootings
City Council Member Jumaane D. Williams (Flatbush, East Flatbush, Midwood), co-chair of the Council’s Task Force to Combat Gun Violence, released the following statement after 16 people were injured in 10 incidents of gun violence on Independence Day.
“As an elected official who has fought to combat gun violence throughout the City, I am troubled each time I hear of another shooting. Holiday and summer weekends are meant to be a time of leisure and fun, not of violence and fear. As temperatures rise, so do tempers and incidents of gun violence. In a little over 24 hours, 16 people were shot in 10 separate incidents. At the same time, we should not, and must not, accept this as what comes with the change of seasons, or for summers to come,” said Williams.
“We cannot become complacent. We have to respond to every shooting with the same horror as the one before. We all, advocates, community partners and elected officials, must remain committed, beyond words, to fight this alarming epidemic of gun violence in our streets.”
ICYMI: Lentol Announces Passage of Tax Credit for Craft Brewers in New York City
Assemblyman Joseph R. Lentol (Williamsburg, Greenpoint) last month announced that the Assembly and Senate have both passed legislation he introduced which provides a tax credit for craft brewers within New York City (A.01719C).
The legislation is now awaiting Governor Cuomo’s signature to be enacted. The credit will be available to craft brewers that are registered as distributors and produce sixty million or fewer gallons of beer in the state per year.
For every gallon of beer produced, up to 500,000 gallons, the craft brewer will receive a 12 cent tax credit. For every gallon after 500,000 gallons the credit is nearly four cents per gallon. No credit will be available for any beer produced in excess of 15.5 million gallons per year.
Lentol has long been a staunch advocate of promoting craft beer brewing in the state. In 2012, he sponsored legislation that was signed into law by Governor Cuomo that provided a similar tax credit to craft brewers producing less than sixty million gallons of beer per year throughout New York State (A.10695).
A report prepared in 2015 for the New York State Brewers Association and the New York Wine and Grape Foundation found that the craft beer industry in New York State grew 59% from 2013 to 2014, with a total economic impact estimated at $3.5 billion.
“I am certain that the tax credit we provided for the craft brewers in 2012 is what fueled the industry’s growth in New York State. I look forward to seeing similar growth right here in New York City,” said Lentol.
“In North Brooklyn alone we have some great craft brewers from Greenpoint Beer & Ale Co. and Brooklyn Brewery to KelSo Beer and Keg & Lantern Brewing Company. I am hopeful that this tax credit will catapult New York City’s craft brewers to the next level. Cheers to our New York City craft brewers,” he added.
Cuomo Cracks Down On Unsafe Day Care Centers
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo yesterday announced new emergency regulations to improve the safety and accountability of child care programs in the state.
The regulations define the conditions under which the state may revoke or suspend a provider’s licenses and increase penalties for serious violations of child care health and safety standards. The Governor also announced that the state is expanding its online registry of state-licensed child care providers to include inspection and violation histories for up to six years, as well as more information on illegally operated programs.
“Every parent should have access to safe, reliable child care. These new regulations will help improve access to quality care statewide by increasing transparency and accountability in the system,” Cuomo said. “From strengthening penalties for serious violations to updating our state registry to include a history of fines, these reforms will ensure New York’s children are both safe and protected while in the care of their community provider.”
The new regulations come on the heels of Cuomo’s child care program proposal, which won unanimous passage in the Senate, only to fail to come to the floor for a vote in the Assembly during the recently concluded legislative session.
Under current law, the state is authorized to suspend, revoke or limit a provider’s licenses when a provider’s care poses an “imminent danger” to a child or to the public health. However, imminent danger has never been clearly defined. The state will now be able to suspend, limit or revoke a child care provider’s licenses under specific circumstances, including insufficient staff-to-child ratios, failure to obtain appropriate medical treatment for a child, blocked exits, corporal punishment, poor sanitary conditions and refusing to cooperate with inspectors, among others.
There are about 11,000 day care programs in the city. The State Office of Children and Family Services oversees all of the programs, with the exception of 2,000 operating in the five boroughs that are regulated by the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.
VIDA Hosts Fundraiser For Wright
The Vanguard Independent Democratic Association tomorrow will host a house party/backyard BBQ fundraiser for Tremaine Wright, candidate for the 56th Assembly District seat covering Bedford-Stuyvesant.
Current Assemblywoman Annette Robinson is retiring at the end of this term, leaving the seat open. Wright, the Community Board 3 Chair, is expected to get a spirited challenge from Neighborhood activist Karen Cherry in the September primary.
The fundraiser is slated for between 6-9 p.m., tomorrow July 7 at 341 Jefferson Street between Tompkins and Marcy Avenues. RSVP to Dovie Matthews (917)202-4413, (718) 638-1386 or email: doviematthews@aol.com or to Chinyelu O. Udoh (646) 295-0203 0r email: coudohesq@gmail.com.
