Gillibrand Introduces Senior Financial Empowerment Act
U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand yesterday had a round table meeting with New York seniors, during which she announced she will soon introduce the Senior Financial Empowerment Act, new legislation to protect seniors from financial fraud.
The legislation is a response to reports that every year it is estimated that tens of thousands of New York seniors are victims of financial scams and abuse. The bill would ensure that seniors and their caregivers have access to critical information regarding financial abuse. It would also standardize and improve the way senior financial abuse is reported, establish a national hotline that would advise seniors on where and how to report fraud, and provide more resources to combat financial exploitation of seniors before it happens.
“Senior fraud is a destructive and dangerous crime, in which scammers prey on vulnerable citizens, steal their personal information, and harm them financially with very few consequences,” said Gillibrand. “Under the current system, when seniors report these crimes, the information often isn’t shared with the proper authorities, and scammers are able to continue committing these crimes against other seniors. We need to do everything we can to prevent and fight back against senior fraud. This new legislation would give seniors the resources they need to be educated about this crime and the tools they need to get help if they have been a victim of fraud.”
Senator Gillibrand’s new plan would help protect New York seniors from financial fraud by:
- Centralizing services for consumer education and data on scams and fraud targeting seniors;
- Improving reporting of suspected instances of elder financial abuse;
- Educating certain entities regarding elder financial abuse;
- Creating a grant program to prevent mail, telemarketing, and internet fraud;
- Directing the National Institutes of Health to conduct scientific research on older adult’s increased vulnerability to scams;
- Designating a National Senior Fraud Awareness Week.
Davila, Reynoso Lead Protest Against Charter Citing
Assemblywoman Maritza Davila (D-Bushwick, Williamsburg) and Councilmember Antonio Reynoso (D- Willaimsburg, Bushwick) today will join parents, staff and community organizers to challenge the unfair and non-participatory processes the City’s Department of Education (DOE) uses to remove needed classroom space from public schools to award it to charter schools.
Specifically, two weeks ago, the DOE announced its intention to reallocate 18 classrooms in School Building K111 without a community engagement process and with only two weeks’ notice before a vote on February 28.
This action would remove classrooms from IS 347 and Renewal School IS 349 and award them to Achievement First Charter High School, which the DOE previously co-located in K111 despite vigorous community protest.
The two lawmakers will lead a press conference and a rally on the issue at 8:30 a.m., today, Feb. 27 at School Building K111, 35 Starr Street in Bushwick.
Carroll Joins in Fight For Restoration Of MTA Funding
Assembly Member Robert Carroll (D-Park Slope, Windsor Terrace, Kensington) will join State Senate and Assembly Members, transit riders and advocates today in Manhattan to demand that Governor Cuomo restore $65 million in promised MTA funding that he has proposed to cut from the state budget this year.
The broad new coalition of state legislators includes members of both houses and both parties, joining together to stand up for transit riders. The lawmakers also sent a joint letter to Cuomo demanding a restoration of the funds.
The contingent of lawmakers and transit riders will rally at 11 a.m. today, Feb. 27 outside the Times Square Subway Station entrance at the southeast corner of 40th Street and 7th Avenue in Manhattan.
Hikind Says Left As Guilty For Anti-Semitism As Trump
Assemblyman Dov Hikind (D-Boro Park) yesterday issued a statement saying that blaming President Donald Trump for the rise in anti-Semitic incidents is devious and politically misleading, and that the embrace of the Democratic party and their leadership is as much to blame as anything.
“Where are the liberal leaders when Jewish cemeteries are desecrated and campuses are painted with swastikas and racial slurs?” asked Hikind. “How are the leaders of the Democrats communicating with and reigning in their followers when these crimes are committed? It’s simple. They’re not. Instead they’ve found an easy answer: Blame Trump.
“Should the President of the United States do more to stop these crimes? Absolutely. But to blame all of these anti-Semitic incidents on the Trump presidency is absurd. Anti-Semitic crimes were up 9% from 2014 to 2015. Does former President Obama fully own that?
“Suggesting someone as openly anti-Israel as Keith Ellison for the key leadership role in the Democratic Party speaks volumes about what some party leaders consider acceptable. Praising someone as vile as Linda Sarsour—a woman who spoke out in support of an Islamic Jihadist known for recruiting suicide bombers—is a chilling statement on where the Democratic Party has gone.”
Hikind acknowledged that incidents of anti-Semitism have tremendously increased, but the real question is who are the people behind these crimes.
“We know for a fact that in Europe, it’s coming from the Left. We know for a fact that the Obama administration promoted an anti-Israel bias throughout the world. But anti-Israel sentiments have been used as the last half-century’s excuse to spew anti-Jewish rhetoric. Saying that you’re anti-Israel yet support the Jewish people is just a tactic that Jew haters have adopted,” said Hikind.
Ernest Skinner Political Association, Williams Circle Wagons To Mobilize Against Trump
City Council Member Jumaane D. Williams (D-Flatbush, East Flatbush, Midwood) and the Ernest Skinner Political Association (ESPA) tonight will hold a special panel discussion centering around mobilizing in the era of President Trump, efforts to bring transparency within the Kings County Democratic County Committee and the implications for the future
The special guest panelists are Anusha Venkataraman, President of New Kings Democrats and Benjamin Solotaire, President of Central Brooklyn Independent Democrats.
The meeting is slated for 7 p.m., tonight, Feb. 27 at the Clarendon Road Church, 304 Clarendon Road (Corner of Clarendon Road & New York Avenue) in East Flatbush. For more information, contact skinnerpoliticalassociation@
Adams Launches Brooklyn Healthy Workplace Challenge
Brooklyn Borough President Eric L. Adams tomorrow will cap American Heart Month — observed nationwide in February — with the launch of the Brooklyn Healthy Workplace Challenge in collaboration with the American Heart Association, aimed at changing the dietary and exercise habits at businesses across the borough.
The initiative is inspired in part by Adams’ desire to expand his personal struggle against Type 2 diabetes to a boroughwide battle against diseases sparked by poor food choices. Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of the disease, accounting for 90-95 percent of diagnosed cases in the United States. Cardiovascular disease is the most common cause of death among adults with diabetes.
The kickoff will take place in the Brooklyn Navy Yard at 1776, a global innovation network and startup incubator participating in the challenge. Adams and representatives from the American Heart Association will lay out the steps for the challenge and the benefits they can earn, including special incentives for employees from Citi Bike.
They will be joined by a number of local businesses who have already signed up, including the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce, Brooklyn Navy Yard Corporation, Downtown Brooklyn Partnership, DUMBO Business Improvement District (BID), Forest City Ratner Companies, Industry City, and Park Slope Fifth Avenue BID.
The kickoff is slated for 12 noon, tomorrow, Feb 28 at the Brooklyn Navy Yard’s 1776 Beta Campus, 63 Flushing Avenue, Building 280, Suite 814 in Fort Greene.
