Golden’s Appointee For MTA Sustainability Advisory Group Gets Green Light
Senator Martin J. Golden (R-Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights, Gerritsen Beach, Bensonhurst, Marine Park, Gravesend and parts of Midwood, Borough Park, Sheepshead Bay) yesterday applauded the appointment of Michael Shamma to the Metropolitan Transportation Sustainability Advisory Workgroup.
Shamma was appointed by Senate Majority Leader John Flanagan (D-Long Island) to the group after being originally recommended for the position by Golden. The workgroup is charged with making recommendations to provide safe, efficient, reliable transportation in the New York City metro area.
The Metropolitan Transportation Sustainability Advisory Workgroup was established as part of this year’s State Budget. The Workgroup would allow for recommendations designed to improve a transportation system in crisis and will also focus on information and analysis to improve the MTA’s infrastructure.
“Michael brings 30 years of transportation experience to the table. Rising from Junior Engineer to Chief Engineer for the NYSDOT Engineering Division, and then serving as Chief Engineer for the New York Thruway Authority. Michael has been directing roadway and bridge designs throughout the Northeast. He has worked his way up in the industry and understands the many key components of our transportation needs,” said golden.
“Bringing together the best and the brightest benefits everyone. This Workgroup will help keep New York City the economic hub of the entire world. Getting people into the City, and getting people out of the City is the key to our future success. Commuters are the lifeblood of our economy. I look forward to the vision and experience Michael Shamma brings to New York’s transportation debate,” added Golden.
Mosley To March In West Indian American Day Parade
Assembly member Walter T. Mosley (D-Fort Greene, Clinton Hill, Crown Heights) announced yesterday his participation in the West Indian Day Parade.
The annual Labor Day celebration has roots in the post-emancipation Carnival festivities and takes place every year in Brooklyn with a “day break celebration” the night before the parade, known as J’ouvert. The festivities take place in Flatbush and Crown Heights and are known for its costumed revelers and steel bands.
The event is slated for 9 a.m., Monday, Sept. 3, at Eastern Parkway (between Utica Avenue & Schenectady Avenue) in Crown Heights.
If you wish to join, please RSVP to 718-596-0100 or atdaviselliottg@nyassembly.gov.
Gillibrand Announces Legislation Aimed At Decreasing Deaths From Childbirth
U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) yesterday announced the Modernizing Obstetric Medicine Standards (MOMS) Act, a bill aimed at decreasing deaths from childbirth.
The new legislation would help prevent women from suffering from medical complications or dying before, during, and after childbirth. The MOMS Act would help reduce maternal deaths and complications in the United States by providing funding to states and hospitals to develop and implement standardized maternal safety best practices, in conjunction with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), to prevent and respond to complications arising from pregnancy and childbirth.
New York State has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the country, and over the past decade, the state has experienced a 60 percent increase in maternal mortality, according to Gillibrand’s office. To date, in August 2018, the rate of maternal mortality in New York State is 20.9 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births. In New York City, where half of the state’s births take place, there have been 22.6 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births so far this year.
Racial disparities are also very evident, especially with black women, who are three to four times more likely to die from complications arising during or after childbirth. In New York City, black women are twelve times more likely to die from complications arising during or after childbirth.
“This is completely unacceptable and largely avoidable, and it’s a crisis that we can and must solve now. This much-needed legislation would help our hospitals monitor all mothers before, during, and after they give birth for preventable but potentially fatal conditions like hemorrhage and preeclampsia, and it would provide them with the federal funding they need to purchase supplies to implement new procedures and effectively treat patients,” said Gillibrand.
Cuomo Shocked At Latest Death Toll Estimate For Hurricane Maria
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo denounced yesterday’s latest death toll estimate for Hurricane Maria’s devastation in Puerto Rico.
On Tuesday, the island Governor Ricardo Rossello announced the death toll for the devastating storm was now at nearly 3,000 people, according to initial reports. The number was a shocking blow to many officials who were originally given an official count of 64 casualties. The number comes as part of a study commissioned by Rossello and conducted by researchers at George Washington University’s Milken Institute School of Public Health. The updated count makes Maria one of the deadliest hurricanes in U.S. history, compared to Hurricane Katrina, which struck the Gulf Coast in 2005, killed more than 1,830 people.
The hurricane hit the island last September, causing major flooding and power outages. Since then, the the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has designated more than $13.7 billion for emergency management. Earlier, this month, the island’s government petitioned Congress for $139 billion investment toward a reconstruction proposal aimed at helping the island recover housing initiatives and energy investments.
“The new independent death toll estimate for Hurricane Maria is a shocking reminder of the devastating impact of the storm — the deadliest in the U.S. in a century. The study confirms that the most vulnerable populations were hardest hit, and that the federal government failed the people of Puerto Rico in their time of need,” said Cuomo.
“In New York, we have stood with our brothers and sisters in Puerto Rico from the beginning of this crisis, and we will walk with them every step of the way down the long path to recovery. We recently completed the New York Stands with Puerto Rico Recovery and Rebuilding Initiative, and we will continue to support Puerto Rico until she is stronger and more resilient than before,” added Cuomo.
