MANH Lawmakers on the Move, Sep. 18, 2020

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De Blasio Rolls Out Phased School Reopening Schedule

Yesterday, Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) and Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza announced a revised school reopening plan for this coming semester.

Originally, all in-person and blended learning was going to return on Sep. 21. However, the revised plan opts to phase it in slowly over the next two weeks. The current schedule is as follows:

• Sep. 21: Blended learning begins for students in 3-K and Pre-K; instruction begins for all students in fully remote programs
• Sep. 29: Blended learning begins for students in K-5 and K-8 schools
• Oct. 1: Blended learning begins for students in middle, high, secondary and transfer schools

“For months, teachers, principals and school staff have been working hard to make sure our students have the education they deserve while putting health and safety first,” said de Blasio. “Today, we are announcing the latest in our larger plan to re-open schools the right way and give working class families the in-person education they’ve asked us to deliver.”

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Hoylman Writes Op-Ed About His New Anti-Street Racing Bill

Yesterday, State Senator Brad Hoylman (D-Chelsea, Midtown) wrote an op-ed for StreetsBlog NYC to make the case for his new bill to crack down on illegal street racing.

In the wake of the pandemic, traffic on New York City streets has fallen to all-time lows. Since that change, the City has seen a surge in illegal street racing, as motorists have started using the empty streets as their own personal racetrack. Between Mar. 20 and Sep. 10, 311 received over a thousand complaints about drag racing – more than four times what they received during the same period in 2019.

In response, Hoylman has introduced the Fighting Underground Racing In Our Streets (FURIOUS) Act. The act would allow the City to operate its speed cameras at any hour of any day (currently, the cameras can only be operational from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. on weekdays).

“The bill isn’t a panacea for safe streets,” wrote Hoylman. “We still must continue to fight for protected bike lanes, busways, funding for mass transit, and more open streets. But our legislation is a step toward holding reckless drivers accountable by adding to the tools available to the city to crack down on street racing.”

Read the full article here.

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Maloney Calls for Passage of ERA

Yesterday, U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens) wrote an op-ed for Ms. Magazine to call on the nation to add the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) to the U.S. Constitution.

The ERA, introduced in 1923, would abolish all legal distinctions between men and women, thus guaranteeing that both sexes are equal under the law. Last January, Virginia became the 38th state to ratify the ERA, clearing the minimum threshold needed for an amendment to become law. A month later, the House voted 232-183 to pass a bill that would rescind its original deadline of 1982. However, the bill has yet to pass the Senate.

“The Senate should follow suit to make it clear that there is no deadline on equality,” wrote Maloney. “Now, with more women than ever in Congress and public outcry from across our country for equal pay for equal work, for an end to sexual harassment and assault, and heightened awareness of sex discrimination in practically every sector of society, we must talk about and ensure constitutional equality.”

Read the full article here.