Deutsch Introduces Bus Bollard Bill
Councilman Chaim Deutsch (D-Brighton Beach, Gerritsen Beach, Gravesend, Manhattan Beach, Marine Park, Midwood, Plum Beach, Sheepshead Bay) proposed a bill that would require the city to install bollards – safety barriers – at the 16,350 bus stops throughout the five boroughs. Intro 1818 would require that the Department of Transportation prioritize crash-prone areas and locations where there have been pedestrian-involved traffic incidents.
Deutsch proposed the bill in memory of a young boy who lost his life waiting for the bus. In September, 10-year-old Enzo
Farachio was hit by a car while waiting on Ocean Avenue and Avenue L to catch a city bus home from school.
“Installing bollards is a commonsense method of protecting New York City commuters as they wait for a city bus,” said Deutsch. “While there is still more to be done, this is another layer of protection to ensure that we are doing everything possible to keep New Yorkers safe. Had there been bollards at the bus stop on Ocean Avenue and Avenue L, little Enzo Farachio would still be with his family today.”
Nearly every single day, we hear of another vehicle jumping a curb and causing damage, chaos, and even fatalities. The risk of a death associated with a curb jump increases at a bus stop, where many people gather throughout the day. The installation of bollards would effectively combat this risk.
Clarke’s Legislation to Protect Americans from Fentanyl Passes in the House
U.S. Rep. Yvette D. Clarke’s (D-Brownsville, Crown Heights, East Flatbush, Flatbush, Kensington, Midwood, Prospect Heights, Prospect Lefferts Gardens and Park Slope) legislation to protect Americans from exposure to synthetic opioids (like fentanyl) passed in the U.S. House of Representatives yesterday. The Synthetic Opioid Exposure Prevention and Training Act (H.R. 4739) will require mandatory safety measures so the workers screening packages and cargo entering our country can properly and safely screen for fentanyl and other synthetic opioids at our borders and in airports, like New York’s JFK Airport.
“Empowering our workers who screen packages in our airports and at our borders to feel safe when looking for fentanyl helps keep this deadly drug off our streets while protecting these workers from accidental exposure and potential death,” said Clarke. “I’m proud my legislation, The Synthetic Opioid Exposure Prevention and Training Act passed the House–this means less synthetic opioids, like fentanyl, on our streets. Our workers can have peace of mind as they protect the American people by safely screening for these deadly drugs.”
Fentanyl is a synthetic drug 100 times stronger than morphine that was developed to help pain patients and is dispensed in incredibly small dosages due to its potency. As little as one grain of fentanyl can be deadly when handled improperly. Fentanyl’s opioid properties have lent itself to abuse in patients and furthermore has made it to the streets due to its highly addictive nature. To get a “better high” makers of heroin often lace their products with fentanyl unbeknownst to users resulting in overdose deaths.
Much of the screening occurs only a few miles from the neighborhoods Clarke represents, at New York’s seaports and at the JFK Airport International Mail Facility – the largest mail screening facility in America – where every day fentanyl is found hidden in packages from places like China.
Persaud to Host Girl’s Coding Holiday Workshop
Sen. Roxanne J. Persaud (D-Canarsie, East New York, Brownsville, Mill Basin, Sheepshead Bay, Bergen Beach, Marine Park, Flatlands, Ocean Hill and Starrett City) will host a coding event for girls titled the “Holiday Tynker-ing Workshop” in partnership
with Digital Girl Inc.
This workshop will allow girls, Grade 3 and up, to create their own virtual maze game, using holiday props and characters, which their friends or family can play! Digital Girl Inc. seeks to encourage inner city youth, especially girls, to pursue careers in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. They are motivated by the United States overall lag in producing an adequate number of STEM professionals and the under representation of women and people of color.
The workshop will be held from 2 p.m. – 4 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 14 at the Brooklyn Public Library, located at 2385 Ralph Ave in Mill Basin.
BP Adams Applauds City Council’s Passage of Bird-friendly Glass Bill
Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams supports the New York City Council in the passage of a local law to amend the administrative code of the New York City building code in relation to bird-friendly materials. This bill would require that materials to reduce bird strike fatalities be installed on newly constructed or altered buildings.
“I applaud the City Council for passing Intro 1482-B, requiring the installation of materials to reduce bird strike fatalities on newly constructed or altered buildings. This legislation will protect migratory birds and significantly reduce the number of fatal collisions by helping birds distinguish between glass windows and open airspace. New York City Audubon estimates that between 90,000 and 230,000 birds die in building collisions every year in our city,” Adams said. “During my time as a state senator, I was mocked for rallying our neighbors to the cause of protecting at-risk geese in Prospect Park. I’m grateful that the voices of common-sense animal welfare advocates and compassionate New Yorkers have lifted important policies such as bird-friendly glass to the forefront, and I encourage Mayor de Blasio to sign this bill into law.”
Cuomo Signs Legislation To Streamline Absentee Voting Processes
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo signed legislation Tuesday to ensure absentee ballots match ballots used to vote in the district on Election Day (S.3135/A.2687) and that the new, simplified absentee ballot applications created in 2010 are used in school district elections (S.2038A/A.1922).
Sen. Zellnor Myrie (D-Brownsville, Crown Heights, Sunset Park) said, “We don’t pull levers in the voting booth anymore, so our ballots shouldn’t be designed for lever pulling. This legislation gets rid of dated ballot formats so that our absentee ballots match our primary ballots and helps ensure our democracy works. I commend the Governor for supporting this legislation and look forward to its implementation.”
“This year we enacted historic reforms to modernize our antiquated voting process and strengthen our election system,” Cuomo said. “These measures build on that progress by ensuring absentee ballots match the ballots that in-person voters use on Election Day and simplified absentee ballot applications are used in school district elections, making it easier for voters to exercise their fundamental right to vote.”
