Brooklyn Lawmakers On The Move Aug. 26, 2016

Adams, Brooklyn Arts Council Partner On Grants

Brooklyn Borough President Eric L. Adams and the Brooklyn Arts Council (BAC) yesterday encouraged the borough’s small local cultural organizations to apply for the second annual Destination>Brooklyn mini-grant program.

The program involves Adams and NYC & Company Foundation making $1,500 awards available for the creation, production, and distribution of print promotional materials that represent BAC’s artistic and cultural activities, with an emphasis on borough tourism.

In the last two years, BAC has awarded $73,500 in mini-grants to 49 local cultural organizations in more than a dozen neighborhoods across Brooklyn, which has led to the production of more than 165,000 pieces of marketing materials.

“Destination>Brooklyn is a vehicle for communicating the cultural bounty of our borough far and wide, showcasing the small local arts groups that give our communities character and help define the world-famous Brooklyn brand,” said Adams. “Through the valued partnership of BAC and the NYC & Company Foundation, these grants make it possible to push cultural tourism forward in neighborhoods from Clinton Hill to Coney Island, including for residents that are looking to discover some of the artistic treasures in their own backyards.”

New applicants, and applicants who have not received a BAC grant since the 2014 funding cycle, are required to attend an information session in order to be eligible. Information sessions are offered in person across the borough and online. Applications are now open and will be accepted at brooklynartscouncil.org through Wednesday, September 21.

Hamilton Hosts School Supply Give-Away

Central Brooklyn State Sen. Jesse Hamilton tomorrow will host a Back To SchoolBack to School Celebration and School Supply Give-Away. He also is distributing a newsletter with much back-to-school useful information. 

Besides giving away school supplies, the event will feature free health screenings for parents and children, games and food. Note that A limited number of backpacks will be available for distribution. Backpacks will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis. A child must be present to receive school supplies.

The event is slated for between 1-5 p.m., tomorrow, Sat. Aug. 27 outside the Kingston 3 Train subway stop on Kingston Avenue between Eastern Parkway and St. Johns Place in Crown Heights. 

Squadron Hails Cuomo Signature On Small Business Bill

State Senator Daniel Squadron (Northern Brooklyn, Lower Manhattan) and Queens Assemblymember Ron Kim this week hailed Governor Cuomo’s signature into law of Squadron/Kim’s bill (S579C/A6621A) to expand small business access to small loans/seed funding.

The legislation directs the state to prioritize access for “micro-businesses” (under five employees) and “micro-loans” (under $25,000) when awarding Small Business Revolving Loan Fund (SBRLF) loans.

“Small businesses provide a path to prosperity for neighborhood entrepreneurs and are the fuel that powers economic growth in so many of our communities,” said Squadron.

The Squadron/Kim bill directs the Empire State Development Corporation (ESDC) to show preference in awarding SBRLF funds to lending organizations who serve “micro-businesses” and provide “micro-loans.”

Additionally, application fees for “micro-loans” under $5,000 would be waived. Created in 2010, the state’s Small Business Revolving Loan Fund utilizes $25 million in state funding with a $25 million private match to create an ESDC-administered fund for small businesses to access credit.

The Squadron/Kim proposal was also supported by the Squadron-chaired Senate Democratic Conference Policy Group’s white paper Upstate Left Behind: Job Loss, Policy Challenges, And A New Path To Create Jobs Across New York State.

Simon Reminds & Celebrates Women’s Equality Day

Assemblywoman Jo Anne Simon (Dowtown Brooklyn, Carroll Gardens, Cobble Hill, Boerum Hill) noted to constituents that the federal government in 1971 designated today (Aug. 26)  Women’s Equality Day.

Famously noting that “The test for whether or not you can hold a job should not be the arrangement of your chromosomes,” New York’s Rep. Bella Abzug led the charge. Women’s Equality Day commemorates the passage of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which granted women the right to vote. It also commemorates the 1970 Women’s Strike for Equality, organized by the National Organization for Women in which women stopped working for a day to highlight inequalities in pay and education, and the need for more child care centers.

Women’s Strike for Equality was held on August 26 because it was the 50th anniversary of the passage of woman suffrage. The first public body to call for the right of women to vote was the Seneca Falls convention for women’s rights organized in upstate New York by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott, at which the Declaration of Sentiments was passed.

New York State passed women’s suffrage in 1917. Three short years later, the 19^th Amendment was passed making women’s suffrage the law of the land. In fact, the 36^th and final state to ratify the 19^th Amendment was Tennessee where the deciding vote was cast by legislator Harry Burn, who voted in favor of ratification at the behest of his mother.

Adams Supports Alabi Fundraiser

Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams yesterday reiterated his strong support for Olanike Alabi, the popular female Democratic District Leader of the 57th Assembly District covering Fort Greene, Clinton Hill and Prospect Heights.

Alabi is having a fundraiser from 6-7:30 p.m., Sunday, Aug. 28 at eh home of Ms. Dorothy Siegel, 230 230 Clinton Street between Pacific & Amity streets in Cobble Hill.