BP Adams, CM Treyger Pass Bill Increasing Postsecondary Education Financial Planning
Brooklyn Borough President Eric L. Adams and Council Member Mark Treyger (D-Coney Island, Bensonhurst) praised the City Council’s unanimous vote in favor of their joint legislation yesterday, that will help prepare parents for their children’s future college expenses.
Intro 1254-A states that within three months after the receipt of the report of any birth, the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) will be required to distribute college savings plan materials for parents and guardians of the child. As well as, making those materials available on its website in English and each of the designated citywide languages. Additionally, the bill will ensure that this information is also distributed by the New York City Department of Education (DOE) to families of pre-kindergarten students.
“Families who plan for essential postsecondary education expenses at the very beginning of the child’s life are setting themselves up for success, and that benefits the fiscal health of our greater society. My administration’s campaign to increase financial literacy and decrease consumer debt has made real strides in the lives of everyday Brooklynites, and the passage of Intro 1254-A will go even further to educate and prepare parents for tackling one of the greatest budgetary challenges they face,” said Adams.
“Never before has postsecondary education been more important to the journey toward a successful career. Yet, as a former high school teacher, I understand that pursuing postsecondary education has also never been more cost-prohibitive. There are steps, however, that parents can take years before their children are ready to begin applying to colleges or other institutions that can make the acquisition of a postsecondary degree more affordable and attainable,” said Treyger.
Harris Passes Legislation To Protect Environment
Assembly Member Pamela Harris (D-Brooklyn) announced yesterday her help in the passage of a series of bills designed to protect the environment in recognition of Earth Day, which was April 22.
“Earth Day is a reminder that each and every one of us must do our part to protect our environment for the next generation,” Harris said. “As your representative in Albany, I’m passing legislation that preserves our precious natural resources and keeps our air and water clean. This legislation makes sure New York leads the way to a sustainable future,” said Harris.
The legislative package includes a bill giving the state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) regulatory authority over freshwater wetlands of one acre or more in size in order to protect vital water systems that act as natural water filters and to help prevent flooding during storms (A.6282), a bill to amend the state constitution to include the right to clean air and water and a healthy environment (A.6279), a bill to institute financial surety measures for owners of crude oil storage facilities, vessels and railroads to hold companies accountable (A.1773), a bill ensuring that mercury-added lamps don’t contain excessive amounts of mercury (A.2875) and a bill that will create a battery recycling program for consumers and require producers of primary batteries to register with the DEC and establish a recycling plan before they can do business in New York State, reducing the need for mining (A.6280).
“Every single New Yorker – no matter their income or neighborhood – has the right to clean air and water. It isn’t a luxury for the privileged few. It’s a basic right, and it’s time we start taking that seriously,” said Harris.
Carroll Calls On NYS To Enact Electoral Reforms
Assembly Member Robert Carroll (D-Park Slope, Windsor Terrace, Kensington) joined with the League of Women Voters of New York State and colleagues in government at the Million Dollar Staircase yesterday to call on the Governor and his legislative colleagues to pass comprehensive voting reforms across the state.
“Early voting is one of a few key reforms that would make the ballot box more accessible to millions of New Yorkers. Our election laws and voting procedures must be modernized so that participating in our democracy is as open as possible. I firmly support any effort to allow more New Yorkers to participate in our Primary and General Elections.”
“New York State ranked 41st in the nation in voter turnout for the 2016 General Election, with 57% of the voting eligible population participating. “We have some of the lowest voter turnout in the nation. This is a pox on all our houses. We need more people to participate in our democracy. The only way to change Albany is to make sure more people are able to vote. If we do that, I am convinced we will have a better state government.”
There is a meeting slated for today, April 26, of the Assembly Election Law Committee, of which Carroll is a member that will decide upon A.2064/S.2950, a bill to allow for early voting up to 7 days before an election.
Menchaca Demands Full Audit of Delayed Capital Projects
Council Member Carlos Menchaca (D-Sunset Park, Red Hook) and Community Board 7 are demanding that the Parks Department provide a full audit of the extremely delayed capital projects in Sunset Park.
Menchaca noted the severe delay in the Sunset Park Playground reconstruction project, on the intersection of 6th Avenue and 44th Street, as the reason for the audit. The project had a completion date of June 1, 2017 but further investigation by Menchaca and CB 7 District Manager, Jeremy Laufer revealed a Parks capital project timeline would delay the completion date until September of 2017. This cumulative five month delay in project completion will mark the second summer the youth of Sunset Park will go without a children’s playground.
Community Board 7’s general board voted on April 19th to demand a general audit of all recent and planned capital projects. While Menchaca is demanding a full accounting of all capital projects, including pool repairs, recreational center improvements, and the replacement of paths and benches in addition to the long-delayed children’s playground. The audit, they assert, should include full disclosure of details about current and upcoming project timelines, contractor information and construction quality analysis.
They further demand the children’s’ playground in Sunset Park be opened in time for summer use on or before June 1st, 2017.
St. Francis College Hosting Rikers Island Documentary Screening
St. Francis College Post-Prison Opportunity Program in partnership with the NYU Law School Prisoners’ Rights and Education Project and Johnny Perez, a Safe Reentry Advocate at the Urban Justice Center of the will host a premiere screening for a documentary film by Bill Moyers, Rikers: An American Jail about the levels of mass incarceration at Rikers Island.
The film includes one-on-one interviews with past inmates who tell their stories about the cruel arc of the Rikers experience-from the shock of entry, to the extortion and control exercised by other inmates, the oppressive interaction with corrections officers, the beatings and stabbings, the torture of solitary confinement and the many challenges of returning to the outside world.
A post-screening panel discussion with students at St. Francis directly impacted by the criminal justice system, will be led by Johnny Perez, a Safe Reentry Advocate at the Urban Justice Center and a full-time criminal justice student at the College. Students will discuss why it’s important to start over and build a just and fair prison system, that focuses on rehabilitation rather than punishment. In addition, the panelists will discuss why colleges like St. Francis, with a commitment to educating students with criminal justice involvement, are one answer to the system of mass incarceration that perpetrates violence and injustice.
The screening is slated for 6pm, today, April 26 at St. Francis College, 180 Remsen Street in Brooklyn Heights. The event is free and open to the public.
