Adams Joins Buddhist Foundation For Vision Care Initiative
Brooklyn Borough President Eric L. Adams, in partnership with the Buddhist Tzu Foundation, today will host a ribbon-cutting ceremony to mark the official launch of See 2 Succeed, a new vision care initiative aimed at students in kindergarten through third grade to identify visually-impaired children and provide them with free corrective lenses.
The ongoing program will enlist licensed optometrists who will travel with the vans, providing no-cost screenings to address vision problems in early childhood, when they might otherwise go undetected without regular optometric check-ins.
Vision impairment in young children can lead to lack of concentration, poor school performance, frequent headaches, and other issues that can be prevented.
The Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation is an international humanitarian non-governmental organization (NGO) dedicated to missions of charity, education, medicine, and humanistic culture.
The kickoff is slated for 1:40 p.m., today, Sept. 18 at Borough Hall Plaza behind Brooklyn Borough Hall, 209 Joralemon Street in Brooklyn Heights.
Persaud to Hold Free Shredding Event
State Sen. Roxanne J. Persaud (D-Canarsie, East New York, Brownsville, Mill Basin, Sheepshead Bay, Bergen Beach, Marine Park, Flatlands, Mill Island, Georgetown, Ocean Hill, Starrett City) will hold a shredding event at her district office for members of the community to safely recycle their unwanted confidential documents, free of charge.
Persaud’s free shredding event is being held in partnership with City Councilmember Alan Maisel (D-Bergen Beach, Canarsie, Flatlands, Georgetown, Gerritsen Beach, Marine Park, Mill Basin, Mill Island, Sheepshead Bay, Assemblymember Nick Perry (D-East Flatbush) and the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP).
Additionally, the Department of Environmental Protection, NYPD Community Affairs and the Department of Sanitation will be on-site sharing important resources and information with attendees.
The event is slated for between 10 a.m. – 2 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 28, at Persaud’s district office, 1222 E. 96th Street in Canarsie.
Gillibrand Urges Extension of National Flood Insurance Plan
U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) yesterday urged the Senate leadership to extend the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), which is set to expire at the end of this month.
Gillibrand also said that any legislation concerning the program should include her reforms to fix the current broken system and make flood insurance policies more affordable for New Yorkers.
Gillibrand helped write the bipartisan National Flood Insurance Program Reauthorization and Reform (NFIP Re) Act of 2019, which would extend the NFIP for five years and fix the problems plaguing the program. The NFIP Re Act of 2019 was introduced in the Senate earlier this summer, but there has yet to be any meaningful action to pass this bill.
“Helping our communities prepare for and recover from the devastation caused by flooding should be one of our highest priorities here in the Senate, especially as so many states continue to be hit with extreme weather. The National Flood Insurance Program is meant to protect households in New York and across the country from the losses that follow major flooding, but for too many New Yorkers, flood insurance is becoming unaffordable. Additionally, following Superstorm Sandy, we learned that our National Flood Insurance Program is broken and riddled with fraud,” said Gillibrand.
“Congress has the chance now to fix this broken system. The NFIP Re Act of 2019 contains my reforms to make the flood insurance program more affordable, transparent, and accountable, and that’s why I am calling on Senate leaders to put this bill on the floor for a vote without delay,” she added.
Cuomo Implements First-In-Nation Ban On Flavored E-Cigarettes
Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo yesterday announced that New York State is the first state in the nation to implement a ban on the sale of flavored electronic cigarettes and nicotine e-liquids.
The announcement came following a Public Health and Health Planning Council vote on emergency regulations on the products. The ban, which is now in effect, is the latest in a series of actions to combat the increase in young people using vape products, largely as a result of e-cigarette companies marketing flavors that are intended to get children addicted to nicotine.
“It is undeniable that vaping companies are deliberately using flavors like bubblegum, Captain Crunch and cotton candy to get young people hooked on e-cigarettes – it’s a public health crisis and it ends today,” said Cuomo. “New York is not waiting for the federal government to act, and by banning flavored e-cigarettes we are safeguarding the public health and helping prevent countless young people from forming costly, unhealthy and potentially deadly life-long habits.”
On Sunday, Cuomo directed the Department of Health to convene an emergency meeting of PHHC to consider this ban. The Governor also directed State Police and DOH to immediately partner to ramp up enforcement efforts against retailers who sell to underage youth, with the possibility of criminal penalties, in addition to announcing that he will advance legislation to ban deceptive marketing of e-cigarettes to teens and children.
Eugene Hosts Caribbean Communities In Action Event
City Council Member Mathieu Eugene (D-Crown Heights, East Flatbush, Flatbush, Kensington, Midwood, Prospect Park, and Prospect Lefferts Gardens) in partnership with the NYC Commission On Human Rights today will host a resource fair and community talk for New York’s West Indian communities.
The event dubbed, Caribbean Communities in Action: A Conversation About Human Rights and Our Communities will feature government representatives to share the resources the city has, and to address and questions or concerns raised by attendees. Come listen to the dynamic panelists and learn your rights in the city.
The event is slated for between 5-9 p.m., today, Sept. 18 at MS 61 Dr. Gladstone H. Atwell School, 400 Empire Boulevard on the Lefferts Garden/Crown Heights border.
Treyger Secures Funding for Food Pantries
City Council Member Mark Treyger (D-Coney Island, Bath Beach, Bensonhurst, Gravesend) yesterday attended the Met Council High Holidays food distribution event at the Bensonhurst Council of Jewish Organizations (Bensonhurst COJO) and participated in distributing food to seniors in the community.
Treyger has worked hard to increase support for food pantry services across the city to combat food insecurity and is happy to deliver this service to the community. In his district alone, he’s been able to secure over $100,000 to local organizations to help feed local families.
“Thank you to Met Council, David Greenfield, Bensonhurst COJO staff and all of the volunteers for their tireless efforts to ensuring everyone receives a meal in a time of need. I was proud to join folks this morning at Bensonhurst COJO along 21st Avenue to prepare and deliver tasty and nutritious Rosh Hashana meals for our seniors,” said Treyger.
AG James Slams Fed Attempt to Circumvent Civil Rights Protections
New York State Attorney General Letitia James yesterday joined a coalition of attorneys general in opposing a new Trump Administration rule undermining civil rights protections that prevent federal contractors from discriminating against employees.
Under the proposed rule, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) would expand existing exemptions to allow any federal contractor who asserts a religious purpose to discriminate against current or prospective employees based on the religious or moral objections of the contractor.
In a comment letter, the attorneys general urged the DOL to rescind the proposal and note, among other things, that it needlessly conflicts with protections afforded under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
“This proposed rule legitimizes discrimination and is an affront to our values,” Attorney General James said. “We will not allow this administration to turn back the clock on civil rights without a vigorous fight. They would do well to remember that in America, our diversity is our strength and that hate has no home here.”
Under the new proposal, the DOL seeks to loosen the standards regarding the types of organizations that can self-identify as religious. As a result, DOL is opening the door for a broad range of employers, including for-profit corporations, to claim the exemption and discriminate against their employees based on any worker’s non-adherence to specific religious beliefs or practices as understood by the contractor.
For example, as a result of the proposal, a gay or transgender employee could potentially be required to adhere to the religious tenets of a for-profit corporation’s owners or board or face the possibility of termination.
In the comment letter, the attorneys’ general highlight how this expansion of the exemption would directly conflict with existing protections afforded under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act and describe how the rule would harm the states’ residents.
