Adams Celebrates Lunar New Year Of The Pig
Brooklyn Borough President Eric L. Adams today will join the Sino America New York Brooklyn Archway Association in co-hosting a Lunar New Year celebration at Brooklyn Borough Hall.
The event will feature celebratory giveaways, traditional cuisine, and live cultural performances including a lion dance by NY Lotus Light Association and a dance to welcome the Year of the Pig by Circle Dance & Arts Studio. Adams will also present citations and certificates to Chinese-American Brooklynites who have served the borough’s residents in various capacities.
Lunar New Year is celebrated by a number of Asian cultures with deep roots in the borough, including Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese. In particular, Brooklyn is home to a large and growing Chinese population. According to the 2017 American Community Survey, 7.9 percent of the borough identifies as Chinese, a population largely with origins in the Fujian province that now resides in neighborhoods such as Bensonhurst, Sheepshead Bay, and Sunset Park.
The celebration is slated for 6 p.m., tonight, Feb. 15 at Brooklyn Borough Hall, 209 Joralemon Street in Downtown Brooklyn.
Rose Gives Thumbs Up On Fed Vote To Keep Government Open
U.S. Rep. Max Rose (D-South Brooklyn, Staten Island) yesterday voted in support of the bipartisan funding agreement to keep the government open.
“The entire shutdown saga has shown just how truly broken our government and politics have become. While this deal to keep the government open isn’t perfect, it’s the result of hard, bipartisan negotiations—just as it should be—because shutting the government down is not and should never be an option,” said Rose.
“I look forward to the President declaring national emergencies to help working people who have been ripped off and screwed over for decades, to truly combat the opioid epidemic, and to rebuild our crumbling infrastructure.”
Nadler, Gillibrand Introduce Legislation To Protect Living Donors
U.S. Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-Borough Park, Kensington, parts of Bay Ridge, Bensonhurst, Dyker Heights, Red Hook, Sunset Park, Midwood & Western Manhattan) and U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) yesterday joined U.S. Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler (R-WA) and U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR), introduced the Living Donor Protection Act of 2019 to protect the rights of living organ donors.
Organ donation saves thousands of lives every year, but roadblocks remain that too often stop individuals from becoming living donors. Last year, after pressure from Congress, the Department of Labor (DOL) issued a legal opinion stating that individuals who choose to donate an organ are covered under the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA).
The Living Donor Protection Act would codify the DOL’s guidance to protect living donors in the private and civil service sector, remove one of the largest barrier to organ donation, and provide certainty to donors and recipients.
The Living Donor Protection Act would protect living organ donors and promote organ donation in three easy, low-cost ways:
1) Prohibits life, disability, and long term care insurance companies from denying or limiting coverage and from charging higher premiums for living organ donors;
2) Amends the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 to specifically include living organ donation as a serious health condition for private and civil service employees; and
3) Directs HHS to update their materials on live organ donation to reflect these new protections and encourage more individuals to consider donating an organ.
“Every year, 6,000 Americans become living donors of kidneys, livers, and other organs to save the lives of family members, friends, colleagues, and even complete strangers,” said Nadler. “But every 10 minutes, another name is added to the transplant waitlist. This Living Donor Protection Act, which I am proud to sponsor again this Congress, will provide critical protections for living donors and remove economic roadblocks that too often make it impossible to become a living donor. Ensuring that donors have the time they need to heal following donation and can continue to afford insurance going forward will give donors more certainty and encourage more Americans to make the gift of living organ donation.”
Gounardes Lauds Joint Hearing On Sexual Harassment In The Workplace
State Sen. Andrew Gounardes (D-Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights, Marine Park, Sheepshead Bay, Gerritsen Beach) yesterday lauded the state legislature’s joint session hearing on sexual harassment in the workplace.
The joint hearing heard from relevant stakeholders so they could engage in meaningful dialogue.
“For the first time in nearly 30 years, the New York State legislature heard from victims of sexual harassment, government agencies, and other stakeholders. Even with policies and trainings for employees in place, it is clear that what we need are adequate laws to protect victims; both in and out of the courtroom,” said Gounardes.
“There is still much to be done to ensure that those we heard from yesterday–and those who may come forward because of the courage shown by them—are well protected by a structured legal framework for acceptable behavior. Our justice system must empower victims to bravely come forward rather than embolden perpetrators lurking in the shadows,” he added.
