Constantinides Lauds His Haul in First Round of Matching Funds
Queens Borough President candidate and City Councilmember Costa Constantinides (D-Astoria, East Elmhurst, part of Long Island City, Woodside) yesterday lauded the $476,697 amount of public $8-to-$1 matching he received yesterday from the New York City Campaign Finance Board:
“The numbers make one thing clear: this is a people-powered campaign that’s ready to Transform Queens,” said Constantinides. “Our grassroots movement to fight climate change, improve our schools, and create a better Queens transit network had the lowest average donation of those who qualified for matching funds at $187. More than 1,000 unique donors gave to our campaign, which demonstrates Queens’ residents want a stronger borough and a brighter future.”
Constantinides currently chairs the Committee on Environmental Protection. His legislative accomplishments include the Climate Mobilization Act, a Green New Deal for New York City, as well as the historic 80% reduction by 2050 of carbon emissions commitment. He lives in his native Astoria with his wife and son.
Kim To Promote Inclusive Value Ledger At Washington Conference
Assemblyman Ron Kim (D-Whitestone, Flushing, College Point, Murray Hill) today will participate at the Government Blockchain Association’s conference in Washington DC to promote the nation’s first proposal to create a “public Venmo” system called Inclusive Value Ledger (IVL).
Kim maintains that IVL will bring more cash flow to local commerce and to the caring economy through a 100% free and public payment architecture. The NY Assembly legislation can be found here.
Kim will promote the “public Venmo” system at 3:50 p.m., today, Jan. 31 at the Congressional Auditorium in the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington DC.
Gillibrand Announces Measure to Better Equip Female Service Members
U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), the ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Personnel Subcommittee, yesterday announced her co-sponsorship of the Female Body Armor Modernization Act of 2019 to help equip female and male service members with properly fitting personal protective equipment (PPE).
Often, access to female-specific or non-standard male body armor is severely limited and mostly issued to service members who are deploying, and not during initial entry training (IET) or in garrison environments. Research has shown that poorly-fitting PPE is a leading cause of injury for all service members. It can lead to injuries, fatigue and severe discomfort.
The bipartisan bill would call for expedited procurement and deployment of body armor that is properly-fitted for women and some male service members. The bill would also require the Defense Health Agency to track injuries associated with ill-fitting equipment, better enabling the Department to address this urgent issue.
“Ill-fitting equipment can make it hard for women service members, and some men, to do their jobs. Poor-fitting protective equipment increases the risk of injuries and fatigue, and in some cases, could make the difference between life and death,” said Gillibrand. “Our service members risk their lives to keep us safe, and we must provide them with the resources they need. This bipartisan bill will ensure our women service members are properly equipped and ready to defend our nation on the battlefield.”
