BP Adams Denounces Senate’s Refusal To Extend Speed Camera Program
Brooklyn Borough President Eric L. Adams yesterday denounced the state senate’s decision to not extend or expand speed camera authorization.
On Thursday, the group of Albany legislators failed to pass a bill extending the safety program that provides 140 speed cameras around NYC Public schools.
The cameras were originally installed in 2015 to police dangerous drivers around school campuses and are part of Mayor Bill de Blasio’s Vision Zero Initiative. Without a special state senate session, the cameras will be turned off on July 25.
“It’s a disgrace that the state senate could not get its act together during this legislative session to expand, much less extend, our speed cameras. Children’s lives literally hang in the balance. Governor Cuomo must call legislators back with a special session as soon as possible. Every school matters,” said Adams.
Donovan Supports Immigration Reform Bills
Congressman Dan Donovan (R-South Brooklyn, Staten Island) is pushing for support for two new immigration reform bills.
On Thursday, the House was set to vote on two broad immigration measures set to overhaul the country’s immigration system. The first proposal would take a hardline position on dealing with Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients, border security and cutting legal immigration.
The second proposal provides $25 billion for a border wall and creates a pathway to citizenship for DACA recipients through visa cuts and other elements of legal immigration. This bill would also eliminate the diversity visa lottery and limiting family visas, according to CNN.
“Our immigration system is broken. For too long, Washington has failed to act to overhaul and enforce our laws – leading to porous borders, unchecked illegal immigration, and backwards policies. But today the House has a historic opportunity to fix the current challenges we face,” said Donovan.
“I fully support both bills that are expected to be brought to the floor today, which will secure our borders, fund the wall, curb illegal entries, better support our frontline defenders, and enact a merit-based system. These pieces of legislation deliver the strong solutions President Trump has called for, and I look forward to voting to repair our system,” added Donovan.
Kavanagh, Lentol Denounce Senate GOP Blocking The L Train Bill
State Senator Brian Kavanagh (D-Northern Brooklyn, Lower Manhattan) and Assembly member Joseph Lentol (D-Williamsburg, Greenpoint) yesterday denounced State Republicans lack of action on a bill aimed to mitigate the negative impacts of the L Train shutdown.
The two lawmakers sponsored bill (S8052/A9861) in their respective chambers that would have helped mitigate the negative impacts of the L Train tunnel closure. The assembly passed the bill, which both the city and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), earlier this year.
The measure proposed to lessen the negative impacts of the looming closure, scheduled for April 2019, by authorizing camera-enforced high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes on the Williamsburg Bridge. In addition, the bill would direct the MTA to formalize its plans to address the hardships New Yorkers and small businesses are expected to face.
“When the L Train tunnel closes, hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers will have to find a new way to get from point A to point B. Commutes will change, businesses may lose customers, and New Yorkers will have to deal with more buses, cars, and bikes on our streets — especially in Manhattan and Brooklyn on either side of the Williamsburg Bridge,”said Kavanagh.
“This bill is not a panacea — but it would make a difference. Effective enforcement of HOV lanes would help keep traffic flowing. A comprehensive plan to address the hardships that will inevitably result from the closure would help keep small businesses open and New Yorkers employed. This bill would have no impact on the majority of our state — but for Brooklyn and Lower Manhattan, it would make a real difference. Refusing to hold a vote on this bill simply makes no sense. With the closure just nine months away and preparations well underway, the proper thing to do would have been to pass this bill before the Senate adjourned, rather than waiting until we return to Albany — which may not be until January 2019, when final plans for the closure will need to be in place. I’ll continue to work with Assemblymember Lentol, our colleagues in government, and the local community on this legislation and on the many issues that arise from the closure to ensure the impacts on our communities are addressed.”
“I join Senator Kavanagh in pledging to continue the fight for this legislation. We know that it will take every tool and program — like the HOV3 camera program — to ensure the tunnel shutdown is executed in a safe, secure and efficient way,” said Lentol.
“The Republican Senators who failed to bring this measure to a vote may be very surprised when their constituents arrive in Brooklyn off the LIRR next April and don’t have a space on the subways. They ought to realize a well-managed project helps everyone.”
Golden To Host Senior Fair In Bay Ridge
State Sen. Martin J. Golden (R-Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights, Bensonhurst, Marine Park, Sheepshead Bay, Gerritsen Beach) today will host a senior information fair.
The event will feature the participation of numerous City and State agencies including the NYPD and the FDNY, the NYC Department of Finance, the Brooklyn Public Library, Catholic Charities, the Norwegian Christian Home and Health Center, the Social Security Administration, Kingsborough Community College’s “My Turn Program”, the New York Legal Assistance Group, and Calvary Hospital. Representatives will be on hand to assist local seniors.
Golden will also update the community on the 2018-2019 New York State Budget as well as ongoing legislative and community efforts. Entertainment and lunch will be provided.
The event is slated for 12 noon, today, June 22 in the St. Anselm Catholic Academy’s Meletia Hall, 365-83rd Street in Bay Ridge.
Cymbrowitz Demands Answers From DEC Of Upstate Swan Slaughter
Assemblyman Steven Cymbrowitz (D-Sheepshead Bay, Manhattan Beach, Brighton Beach) whose legislation to protect New York’s mute swans from extermination was signed into law in 2016, is demanding answers from the state’s Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) following two disturbing swan-related incidents this week.
On Monday, a family of mute swans in upstate Oneida was killed by U.S. Department of Agriculture wildlife staff after a kayaker complained to state DEC about an “aggressive” male swan. The two adults were shot and the four cygnets were captured and intentionally drowned. Closer to home, the seven swans that make their home in Prospect Park Lake have been missing since June 2nd, according to signs posted this week.
In a strongly worded letter to DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos, Cymbrowitz expressed his outrage that DEC is deliberately getting around the no-kill law by directing a federal agency to kill mute swans on its behalf.
“As the prime Assembly sponsor of the legislation, signed into law in 2016, imposing a two-year moratorium on the State’s extermination of mute swans until an acceptable management plan is in place, I find it outrageous that DEC is actively circumventing the ban by enlisting another agency to kill the birds (and in a particularly cruel and reprehensible manner),” he said. “This deceptive behavior violates the spirit of the moratorium and, equally important, erodes any shred of trust that the public may place in DEC to act appropriately and humanely regarding the mute swans.”
Assemblyman Cymbrowitz noted that his office is currently being inundated with letters from people all over the state who are voicing their concern about the swans in Prospect Park and Oneida. “They assumed that the law I authored would keep the mute swans safe, but evidently they were wrong,” he said.
The lawmaker wants answers from DEC on how, and why, the unsanctioned swan killings occurred.
“I would like to know from you exactly who gave permission to USDA to enter the State and kill the family of swans. Additionally, I want to know why the adults and babies weren’t relocated rather than killed, and why an isolated report of an aggressive male swan wasn’t investigated thoroughly before it was acted upon, especially since swan attacks on humans are very rare. Finally, I would like your assurance that DEC has no plans to continue circumventing the moratorium that we carefully put in place,” he said.
