Wright Hosts Women of Distinction Awards Ceremony
Assembly member Tremaine S. Wright (D-Bedford-Stuyvesant, Northern Crown Heights) announced last week the 56th Assembly District’s 2018 Women of Distinction Awards.
The event will recognize incredible women who are Community Champions and are making tremendous contributions to our community through volunteerism, activism, and civic engagement.
“Every March, we celebrate Women’s History Month by honoring women who break down barriers and shatter glass ceilings. Bedford Stuyvesant and Crown Heights have historically been the home of strong women who have led and been revolutionaries in their own right”, said Wright.
“These women, our Community Champions, are living examples of the strength and selfless devotion necessary to enhance lives, improve conditions and catapult improvements. We are honored to recognize the women who are speaking up, inspiring others and working hard to improve and maintain our community,” added Wright.
The event is slated for 7 p.m., Friday April 12, at Restoration Plaza, Skylight Gallery, 1368 Fulton Street in Bedford-Stuyvesant.
RSVP online here or by calling the District Office at 718-399-7630.
Persaud Applauds Passage of FY 2019-2020 NYS Budget
State Senator Roxanne Persaud (D-Canarsie, East New York, Brownsville, Mill Basin, Sheepshead Bay, Bergen Beach, Marine Park, Flatlands, Mill Island, Georgetown, Ocean Hill, Starrett City) last week applauded the passage of the Fiscal Year 2019-20 New York State Budget.
On April 1, the State Legislature alongside Gov. Andrew Cuomo passed the $175.5 million budget. The spending plan is the second highest in the United States with only California having a larger budget. New York is currently the 4th most populated state with about 20 million people.
Persaud in particular lauded funding to:
- Funding for K-12 Schools
- Investing in Higher Education
- Caring for our Seniors
- Protecting Critical Health Funding & Programs
- Assisting New York’s Most Vulnerable
- Justice Delivered
- Empowering New Yorkers To Stay In Their Homes
- Fixing and Funding the MTA
- Addressing the Scourge of Gun Violence
- Protecting New York’s Environment And Natural Resources
- Restoring Trust In State Government And Reforming The Electoral System
- Supporting New York Businesses
- Stronger Labor Protections
“Since early January, I have been working with my colleagues in the Senate and Assembly to craft a state budget that serves all New Yorkers. The Legislature held a series of public hearings, where we received testimony from advocacy groups and organizations representing people and concerns from all over the state,” said Persaud
“Throughout the negotiation process, I sat at the Joint Human Services and Labor Budget Conference Committee table and served as an alternate member of the Joint Mental Hygiene Conference Committee. Our diligent work helped us advocate for funding and policies that will help the most vulnerable New Yorkers. Beyond my work on these committees, I participated in discussions pertaining to better funding for our public schools, crucial investments in the MTA and more programs for seniors and youth,” added Persaud.
NYC Comptroller Stringer Issues Subpoena For Information On $173M Purchase of 17 Buildings
New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer announced last Friday that he issued a subpoena for more information regarding the city’s purchase of 17 buildings across the Bronx and Brooklyn for $173 million.
The de Blasio administration opted to buy the buildings in Brooklyn and the Bronx two years ago from the Podolsky brothers, two landlords with a long record of violations who are currently under federal investigation for tax fraud. And the lawyer who represented them in the portfolio sale to the city is Frank Carone, is a longtime de Blasio ally and fundraiser, according to the Real Deal. The city’s aim is to convert the cluster sites, into permanent affordable housing.
The news comes just one week after Kings County Supreme Court Judge Mark Partnow on March 28, ruled that the City of New York violated the U. S. Constitution in the seizure of six central Brooklyn properties, and ordered the city to give them back to their owners, restoring millions of dollars of intergenerational wealth in the black and Latino community. The buildings were seized through the city’s Third Party Transfer program (TPT).
Under the program, which KCP has chronicled in a series of stories, the city, through HPD takes properties behind on their taxes, water or sewer bill, and in which the agency labels “distressed.” These properties then get their deeds transferred to Neighborhood Restore, who in turn wipes out any property taxes or water bills owed and sells it to a favored non-profit or for profit developer for a nominal price to redevelop into “affordable housing” for a fee. However, when the city takes property under TPT, they give no equity to the property owners.
“I have repeatedly expressed concern regarding the $173 million price tag that, to date, has lacked any trace of transparency. My office has made multiple requests to see the appraisals and documents that support this seemingly inflated price, and the explanations provided by the City so far have raised more questions than answers. The City has refused to provide my office with all of the documents and information it relied on to make their decisions. The time for excuses is over and I am therefore issuing a subpoena for any and all appraisals and any other information supporting this deal,” said Stringer.
Rose Votes Against Administration’s Lawsuit Attacking Healthcare, Protections for Pre-Existing Conditions
Congressman Max Rose (D-South Brooklyn, Staten Island), a former executive of a healthcare non-profit, last Wednesday, voted in support of a resolution condemning the Administration’s participation in the Texas v. U.S. healthcare lawsuit.
The lawsuit seeks to strike down protections for people with pre-existing conditions and to eliminate every provision of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Additionally, the suit calls on the Department of Justice to reverse its position in the case. In January, Rose voted to authorize the counsel of the House of Representatives to throw its full legal weight against the suit.
Since its full implementation in 2014, the ACA has provided critical protections for the 130 million people in the United States with pre-existing conditions, including more than 8 million New Yorkers. If the courts agree with the Administration’s position, the following provisions would be struck down:
- Protections for people with pre-existing conditions;
- The ban on lifetime and annual limits on health coverage;
- The Medicaid expansion covering 15 million Americans;
- Health insurance affordability tax credits assisting 9 million Americans;
- Bans on discriminatory insurance practices that force women to pay more for coverage;
- Young adults’ ability to remain on their parents’ insurance until age 26, and more.
Rose is co-sponsoring new healthcare legislation that will lower health insurance premiums, crack down on “junk” health insurance plans, and strengthen protections for people with pre-existing conditions. Studies have shown that New York health insurance premiums are already set to rise 8.6% this year after this Administration’s efforts to undermine the Affordable Care Act.
“At what point will people in D.C. get it through their heads: stop trying to take away people’s healthcare and protections for those with pre-existing conditions. The American people have been loud and clear, make healthcare cheaper and more accessible—enough with the gimmicks and catch phrases. Let’s fix what’s broken,” said Rose.
