Golden Slams Cuomo Plan To Restore Voting Rights For Paroled Felons
State Sen. Martin J. Golden (R-Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights, Marine Park, Gerretsen Beach) a former NYPD officer, yesterday condemned Governor Andrew Cuomo’s plan to restore voting privileges for paroled felons:
“Astonishingly, Governor Cuomo has circumvented the legislative process by issuing an executive order restoring voting privileges to convicted felons out on parole, who by definition, are still serving the terms of their sentencing. I also vehemently oppose that this also applies to convicted rapists and murderers who should never have their right to vote restored. They relinquished that right when they decided to commit crimes against their innocent victims,” said Golden.
“My colleagues and I in the state senate rejected the governor’s ridiculous proposal during the budget process and we will continue to fight against the governor’s liberal justice system policies. Once again, the Governor has proven he is more concerned with the rights of criminals who inflict harm on innocent people than the concerns of law-abiding citizens living in New York State.”
Ortiz Fights Gender Pay Gap
Assembly Member Felix Ortiz (D-Sunset Park, Red Hook) this week joined the state assembly in going on record supporting equal pay for women.
Through a legislative resolution, the assembly recognized April 10 as Equal Pay Day, and also passed a series of bills addressing a gender gap that hold women back in the labor force.
The “Fair Pay Act” expands equal pay protection to ensure that women (and especially minorities) are recognized as part of the state workforce. Legislation was also passed prohibiting employers from asking a prospective (or current) employee about their salary or wage history as a condition of employment or promotion.
The American Association of University Women (AAUW) reported that women only earn 80 cents for every dollar a man does nationwide. African-American and Hispanic women earn 63 to 54 cents for each dollar their white equivalent earns.
New York has closed the wage gap, but women in the state only earn 89 cents for every dollar a man earns.
“My granddaughter should know that her hard work and determination will be equally and fairly valued by her future employers. We still face a gender gap that makes financial security harder for women to support their families. This is about equality and basic rights for everyone,” said Ortiz.
Levin Supports Ida B. Wells Co-Naming
City Council Member Stephen Levin (D-Northern Brooklyn, Boerum Hill) this week asked Community Board 2, which covers Downtown Brooklyn, to review an application to co-name Gold Street between Myrtle Avenue and Willoughby Street for Ida B. Wells.
Wells was a noted African-American journalist, newspaper editor, suffragist, sociologist, and an early leader in the Civil Rights Movement. She was one of the founders of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in 1909.
The CB2 Executive Committee will vote on the ratification of the item at 6 p.m., Monday, April 23 in the Long Island University Library Learning Center, Rm 515, 85 DeKalb Avenue in Downtown Brooklyn.
Gillibrand Introduces SNAP For Kids Legislation
U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, yesterday introduced the SNAP for KIDS Act with Senators Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Cory Booker (D-NJ), and Kamala Harris (D-CA).
This new legislation would expand the current Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) food assistance program for the most vulnerable children across the country. Gillibrand’s legislation comes on the heels of the recent announcement by Congressional Republicans that they are planning to take away food assistance from low-income families who rely on the SNAP program to put food on the table.
“No one in America should ever have to suffer from hunger – especially our children,” said Gillibrand. “Congressional Republicans are proposing drastic cuts to the SNAP program even though more than 40 million Americans rely on SNAP to put food on the table for their families. I am proud to introduce the SNAP for KIDS Act, which would expand the SNAP program so that our most vulnerable children never have to go to bed hungry. No community and no classroom is better served by having hungry kids, and no amount of government savings is worth a child in their bed hungry at night.”
Under the current SNAP program, low-income families with children receive very modest benefits at the beginning of each month, making it nearly impossible for most families to purchase enough food to get through the end of the month. Many families with school-age children report running out of SNAP food assistance funding every month. Research has shown that students who suffer from hunger have lower test scores, miss class more often, and don’t retain as much information in class as their peers.
Gillibrand’s SNAP for KIDS Act would increase food assistance for school-age children (5-17 years old) by $42 per child per month, a 27 percent increase, and would adjust the formula for benefit calculations to make certain that families don’t fall behind as food prices rise.
