Stringer: “We Need to Eliminate all Court-Imposed Fees”
NYC Comptroller Scott Stringer commented on the passage of a bill that passed yesterday which allows judges the discretion to waive court fees for people under the age of 21.
“The passage of legislation providing exemptions from mandatory court fees for some young people entangled in the criminal legal system is a welcome step. But let’s be clear: until we eliminate all court-imposed fees, we will continue to perpetuate a two-tiered justice system – one for those who can afford to buy their freedom and another in which New Yorkers with low incomes, predominantly Black and Latinx communities, are punished for poverty and trapped in a cycle of debt and incarceration. We must abolish mandatory surcharges and fees to fully untangle the system of punitive poverty which fuels our mass incarceration crisis,” said Stringer.
Rose Helps Lead Passage of NO BAN Act
U.S. Rep. Max Rose (South Brooklyn, Staten Island) co-sponsored the National Origin-Based Antidiscrimination for Nonimmigrants (NO BAN) Act which would repeal the President’s existing executive order blocking travel from several Muslim-majority countries.
“I rise in support of the NO BAN Act, to finally repeal the racist and discriminatory Muslim Ban that has stained our nation for the past three years,” said Rose.“The Muslim Ban undermines everything that this great country stands for, the greatest country in the history of the world. It’s torn apart my constituents’ families, and trapped their loved ones in war zones and refugee camps. It made Muslim Americans feel like second-class citizens in their very own country—they are Americans just as much as me. This ban has done nothing to make us safe. … If we are going to fight for this country’s promise, this ban must be overturned.”
The NO BAN Act repeals the three versions of President Trump’s Executive Order, strengthens the Immigration and Nationality Act to prohibit discrimination on the basis of religion, and restores the separation of powers by requiring the Executive Branch provide evidence when issuing future travel bans.
The legislation is supported by more than 200 Members of Congress, nearly 400 diverse civil rights, faith, national security and community organizations, as well as private companies, and more than 50 immigration law professors.
Myrie Helps Pass Voting Reform Laws
NYS Elections Chair Zellnor Y. Myrie (D-Brownsville, Crown Heights, East Flatbush, Gowanus, Park Slope, Prospect Heights, Prospect Lefferts Gardens, South Slope, Sunset Park) and the New York State Senate passed several new voting reforms that will expand access to the ballot box in preparation for November’s general election.
The bills — which include a “right to cure,” an allowance of non-postmarked ballots, and automatic voter registration — will protect and expand voting rights in New York State and help ensure that every eligible New Yorker will have access to the ballot box.
“From the moment this Majority entered the Senate and passed a package of major voting reforms like early voting, we have continually improved and expanded voting rights in New York. Now, following the first primary election during COVID and the expanded use of absentee voting, these bills will begin the work of adjusting our elections to the new reality and ensuring the right to vote remains protected now and in future elections,” said Zyrie.
Clarke Votes in Favor of the NO BAN Act
U.S. Rep. Yvette Clarke (D-Brownsville, Crown Heights, East Flatbush, Flatbush, Kensington, Midwood, Prospect Heights, Prospect Lefferts Gardens, Park Slope) voted in favor of the NO BAN Act, which would repeal the Trump Administration’s ban on immigrants arriving from Muslim majority nations in Africa and the Middle East.
“We are a country that is made stronger by immigrants. This unconstitutional ban, which disproportionately affects individuals from Muslim majority and non-white nations, is blatantly discriminatory and will not be tolerated. As a nation of immigrants we should welcome all those who wish to enter the country legally; from refugees and asylum seekers to migrant workers, and everybody in between. To reject individuals who wish to become American simply because of their country of origin and/or their faith tradition is to turn our back on one of our country’s greatest values,” said Clarke.
The NO BAN Act repeals the three versions of President Trump’s Executive Order, strengthens the Immigration and Nationality Act to prohibit discrimination on the basis of religion, and restores the separation of powers by requiring the Executive Branch provide evidence when issuing future travel bans. The legislation is supported by more than 200 Members of Congress, nearly 400 diverse civil rights, faith, national security and community organizations, as well as private companies, and more than 50 immigration law professors.
