Gonzalez On The Brownsville Mass Shooting
Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez yesterday vowed yesterday to help police authorities in bringing to justice the perpetrators that shot 12 people in Brownsville this weekend, leaving one dead and one in critical condition.
“The horrible shooting in Brownsville during the annual Old Timers celebration on Saturday shattered a peaceful community gathering with senseless gun violence. I attended the festivities before the shooting, as did many other public officials, and rushed to the crime scene shortly thereafter,” said Gonzolez.
“I will continue to work with the NYPD, elected leaders and community members to bring the perpetrators to justice and to fight for safety in every neighborhood in Brooklyn,” he added.
Velázquez Bill Would Help Cannabis Firms Secure Insurance
U.S. Reps. Nydia M. Velázquez (D-Brooklyn, Queens, Lower Manhattan) and Rep. Steve Stivers (R-OH) have introduced H.R. 4074, the Clarifying Law Around Insurance Marijuana (CLAIM) Act, which would help businesses operating in the rapidly growing cannabis sector to obtain insurance products.
“Due to discrepancies in federal and state law, insurers are understandably reluctant to provide coverage to legitimate, cannabis-based businesses,” said Velázquez. “Without casualty, property and title insurance coverage, the growth of this industry will be impeded if not blocked entirely.”
The CLAIM Act establishes a federal “safe harbor,” preventing federal criminal prosecution of insurers that transact with consumers and would prevent civil liability for agents, brokers and insurers that do business with the cannabis sector.
“Without this legislation, insurers will understandably be reticent to insure businesses operating in the cannabis sector,” Velázquez added. “This means a legal cannabis distributor whose product is ruined from a flood or fire could lose all their capital and their livelihood. This bipartisan bill corrects these problems and I’m proud to introduce it.”
In addition to the insurance provisions, the Velázquez measure would require a Government Accountability Office (GAO) study of hurdles facing women and minority entrepreneurs interested in entering the cannabis sector.
“For far too long, minority communities bore the brunt of our country’s backward marijuana policies,” Velázquez added. “As we normalize these products and this becomes a business, we must ensure minorities, women and other disadvantaged groups are able to enter this market and profit from this burgeoning industry.”
The CLAIM Act has been referred to the House Financial Services Committee, of which Velázquez is the third most senior member. Similar legislation has been introduced in the Senate.
Treyger Brings Back Bucks To Sothern Brooklyn
City Council Member Mark Treyger (D-Coney Island, Gravesend, Bensonhurst) announced yesterday the tens of millions of dollars he helped bring to Southern Brooklyn as part of the City’s $92.8 billion Fiscal Year 2020 budget.
Treyger, who was part of the council’s budget negotiating team, brought more than $13 million in capital funding to improving schools in his district and nearly $3 million in capital funding was allocated to upgrading affordable housing in the district.
As chair of the council’s Committee on Education, Treyger steadfastly advocated for significant investments in hiring additional school social workers, Teacher’s Choice, and Title IX coordinators.
Additional local budget investments include upgrades to great Brooklyn higher educational institutions, like Kingsborough Community College and Brooklyn College, securing funding for the borough’s world-class cultural institutions, continued support for workforce development programming, and many funding allocations for community organizations and streetscape improvements to continue enhancing the 47th Council District.
“I thank Speaker Corey Johnson for his unwavering leadership during the budget process. I’m thrilled that I was able to deliver so many substantial and noteworthy investments for my district and throughout Southern Brooklyn,” said Treyger.
“I look forward to witnessing the enhancements to the cultural institutions, local health centers, our schools, parks and infrastructure in the months ahead. The fiscal year 2020 budget will provide a higher quality of life, a sustainable local economy and equitable opportunities for all New Yorkers,” he added.
Gillibrand Announces “Resilient Highways Act”
U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), a member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Subcommittee on Transportation and Infrastructure, yesterday announced new legislation to provide more flexibility for New York State and states across the country to use their federal transportation funding for projects that make bridges and highways more resilient to the impacts of sea-level rise, extreme weather, and climate change.
Gillibrand’s Resilient Highways Act of 2019 would incentivize investments in strengthening highway infrastructure to protect against future floods and natural disasters, saving money in the long-term.
The proposed measure comes as the state and city has experienced significant infrastructure damage in recent years due to extreme weather like Superstorm Sandy, Hurricane Irene, and Tropical Storm Lee.
“Families and business owners across our state are already seeing firsthand the enormous damage that rising sea levels and extreme weather – the consequences of climate change – are having on our roads and bridges,” said Gillibrand. “Congress has a responsibility to make sure our states have the resources they need to protect their most essential infrastructure from the worst damage, and that’s what the Resilient Highways Act would help do. I’m proud to introduce this urgently needed bill and pleased it was included in America’s Transportation Infrastructure Act of 2019 that will be marked up in the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee this week.”
James, Central Brooklyn Electeds Host Deed Theft Town Hall
State Attorney General Letitia James, Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez and Central Brooklyn elected officials including U.S. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, State Sen. Velmanette Montgomery, Assemblywoman Tremaine Wright and City Councilmember Robert Cornegy Jr. tonight are hosting a Deed Theft Town Hall.
The town hall is intended to inform homeowner on how to guard against mortgage fraud, fake mortgage rescue services, and deed theft. Unfortunately, too many in the community have fallen victim to such scrams.
The public forum is slated for 6-8 p.m., tonight, July 30 at Bedford-Stuyvesant Restoration Plaza, 1368 Fulton Street in Bed-Stuy.
Lander Announces “More Moms In Office” House Party
City Council Member Brad Lander (D-Park Slope, Kensington, Windsor Terrace) announced an upcoming “More Moms in Office” house party in Brooklyn Heights.
The fundraiser was inspired through the Vote Mama campaign that Liuba Grechen Shirley started last year in her inspiring run for Congress on Long Island last year.
“It’s crystal clear that our country needs more moms in office. If we had more mothers in office, we wouldn’t have 15 million kids living in poverty. We wouldn’t be separating families and keeping kids in cages. We’d have universal childcare, and paid family leave. And we’d have lots more young girls looking up at their moms and thinking: running for office is the most natural thing in the world,” wrote Lander in his newsletter announcing the fundraiser,” wrote Lander in his newsletter.
“When Liuba ran for office — outraged by the ways that xenophobic GOP Congressman Peter King was supporting Trump’s hateful agenda and refusing even to meet with constituents — she quickly realized the unique challenges that moms face in running for office. She successfully petitioned the Federal Elections Commission to allow her to use campaign funds to pay for childcare,” he added.
The Join Vote Mama in Brooklyn! Is slated for 6:30-8 p.m., Thursday, August 1 in Brooklyn Heights (address upon RSVP). RSVP here: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/votemama8119
Geoff Davis Fundraiser To Feature Big Daddy Kane
Democratic District Leader Geoff Davis (D-Crown Heights, Prospect Lefferts Garden, Flatbush) will host a fundraiser this week featuring Rap artist pioneer and legend Big Dady Kane as the special guest.
The fundraiser is slated for 6-8 p.m., tomorrow, July 31 at the James E. Davis Arts Building, 80 Hanson Place in Clinton Hill.
