Clarke Leads Bipartisan Group of Lawmakers In Protecting TPS Migrants
Congresswoman Yvette Clarke (D-Crown Heights, Flatbush, Midwood, Sheepshead Bay) introduced bipartisan legislation to allow Temporary Protected Status (TPS) individuals to stay in the United States permanently yesterday.
The legislation would allow TPS eligible individuals to apply for lawful permanent resident status and allow those who have been here for more than five years to legally remain in the United States through a newly-proposed “protected” status.
The ASPIRE TPS Act would protect TPS eligible individuals from Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Central America and Haiti who could otherwise be sent back to life-threatening conditions in their home countries. TPS provides a safe haven for migrants who are unable to return home due to dangerous situations in their native countries – whether it be armed conflict, natural disasters, or other extraordinary circumstances. Individuals who received TPS are not on an immigration track that leads to permanent residence or citizenship.
In May of this year, the Department of Homeland Security (DOH) Secretary, John Kelly, extended TPS to immigrants of Haiti for an additional six months, 12 months shy of the usual 18 months given. The extension deadline only granted TPS designation to eligible Haitians until January 22, 2018, leaving many in fear of the future in the US.
“The Temporary Protected Status program was created with bipartisan support to protect human life. It advances American interests and values and we must work in a bipartisan manner to do the right thing and protect hardworking immigrants from being sent back to countries where their physical wellbeing could be cast into doubt,” said Clarke.
Donovan Applaud’s Passage of Amendment On Student Vet Housing Assistance Bill
Congressman Dan Donovan (R-South Brooklyn, Staten Island) and the U.S. House of Representatives passed the final version of the National Defense Authorization Act agreed upon by House and Senate negotiators yesterday.
The measure includes Donovan’s amendment requiring the Department of Defense (DOD) to re-analyze Staten Island’s housing allowance for student-veterans. It also provides a 2.4% pay raise for military personnel. The amendment is the latest in Donovan’s push to bring assistance to Staten Island student-vets in line with the rest of the City.
The legislation passed on Monday also includes major reforms in Pentagon buying practices including allowing the military to buy commercial products through online e-commerce sites, such as Amazon, Staples, and Grainger; making major reforms to defense contract auditing; and increasing oversight into service contracts, which comprise a significant portion of DoD spending. Additionally, the measure provides $26.4 billion for essential readiness recovery, including increased naval presence, aviation readiness, and $4.4 billion for missile defense.
“The Department of Defense needs to merge Staten Island’s military housing area with the rest of New York City. While I continue my push to make that a reality, my amendment requires DOD to update its Staten Island rental analysis, hopefully resulting in a boost for student-vets. I’m glad I was successful in getting this provision into the final bill,” said Donovan.
“Men and women in uniform put their lives on the line and their families on hold in defense of our country. They’ve earned fair compensation, and this bill gives them a much deserved raise,” added Donovan.
Cornegy To Discuss Affordable Housing Plan At Upcoming Speaker’s Forum
City Council member Robert Cornegy Jr. (D-Bedford-Stuyvesant, Northern Crown Heights) will discuss a follow up plan to the affordable housing crisis facing thousands of Brooklyn residents at this week’s Speaker’s Forum.
Cornegy is one of eight current City Council Members vying to become Speaker including Jumaane Williams (D-Flatbush, East Flatbush, Midwood) along with Council Members Ritchie Torres (D-Bronx), Donovan Richards Jr. (D-Queens), Ydanis Rodriguez (D-Manhattan), Corey Johnson (D-Manhattan), Mark Levine (D-Manhattan) and Jimmy Van Bramer (D-Queens).
Last month, Cornegy joined thousands of housing advocates and local residents in demanding Mayor Bill de Blasio to build more affordable housing units for the city’s seniors and prioritize public housing repairs. At the rally, Reverend David K. Brawley released a four-point plan that included building 15,000 units of affordable senior housing on vacant land controlled by the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA), repairing existing public housing and ensuring more affordable housing for those making $35,000 or less.
At the forum each councilman will discuss how they can perpetuate the proposed plan which will be moderated by Brawley.
The event is slated for 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 30, at St. Paul Community Baptist Church, at 859 Hendrix Street in East New York.
Cymbrowitz Demands DEC Stop Killing Mute Swans In NYS
Assembly member Steven Cymbrowitz (D-Sheepshead Bay, Manhattan Beach, Brighton Beach) called on the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) yesterday to revise its draft swan management plan in regards to the mute swan killing policy across the state.
In a strongly worded letter to the DEC written in response to the draft plan released this fall, Cymbrowitz criticized the agency for recommending that lethal methods of swan management be allowed in upstate areas while swans in Sheepshead Bay and other downstate regions would be controlled through non-lethal means like coating the eggs in oil. “While the DEC’s plan suggests an increased reliance on non-lethal management, it is unacceptable that the plan continues to call for the killing of mute swans in New York State,” wrote Cymbrowitz in the letter.
The Fall plan was DEC’s first draft plan since Governor Andrew Cuomo signed legislation in late 2016 declaring a two-year moratorium on swan executions pending further study. On Tuesday, Cymbrowitz claimed that the DEC has failed to offer a scientific basis for killing mute swans as part of the new policy.
“Critically, the plan violates the legislation I introduced, which passed both houses of the Legislature overwhelmingly in 2014 and 2015 and was signed by Gov. Cuomo in 2016, which included requirements that DEC fully document the scientific basis for future mute swan population projections and produce current evidence supporting its claim that mute swans are harmful to either humans or the environment. The plan does neither,” Cymbrowitz said.
“Since the time I first introduced the two-year moratorium on DEC’s mute swan eradication plan, I have heard from individuals and organizations across the state – including many people in my own southern Brooklyn district – who stand in agreement that DEC is behaving in a manner that is both inhumane and without scientific merit. DEC’s third draft plan only strengthens my resolve to keep fighting,” added Cymbrowitz.
Reynoso To Host Dinner for Williamsburg Hotel Shelter Residents
City Council member Antonio Reynoso (D-Bushwick, Williamsburg), the Department of Homeless Services (DHS), and shelter operator Acacia Network will host a dinner for Metropolitan Hotel shelter residents today.
Since this summer, DHS has been renting all 54 rooms at the Metropolitan Hotel, located on Union Avenue near Metropolitan Avenue, to homeless families as shelter.
The dinner is meant to help families living in the shelter feel welcome in the Williamsburg community, celebrate the holidays, and encourage dialogue between residents, DHS, and the shelter provider. The dinner will be provided by DAR 25.
The event is slated for 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., today, Nov. 15, at Dar 525, at 525 Grand Street in Williamsburg.
Nadler Questions AG Session On Previous Russia-Trump Collusion Testimony
Congressman Jerrold Nadler (D-Brooklyn/Manhattan), senior member of the House Judiciary Committee, questioned Attorney General Jeff Sessions during the Committee’s Department of Justice oversight hearing yesterday on his previous testimony regarding the Trump administration’s ties to Russia.
Nadler specifically questioned Sessions about the information in the George Papadopoulos guilty plea and his earlier testimony that he had no knowledge of any “exchange of information between Trump’s surrogates and intermediaries for the Russian government.” Nadler plans to ask the Attorney General about a potential obstruction of justice with regards to the ongoing investigation into potential ties between the Trump campaign and the Russians.
According to previous new reports, former Trump campaign advisor, Papdopulos pled guilty on October 5 to making false statements to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Later he struck a cooperation agreement with Special Counsel Robert Mueller, secretly pleading to lying to federal agents about his contacts with Kremlin-connected Russians.
Sessions shifted his testimony of his knowledge of the Russian connection to the Trump campaign a number of times. In his most recent testimony he claimed he was aware of such communication in at least one case, after initially denying any knowledge of a Kremlin connection within the administration.
