Adams on World AIDS Day
Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams released a statement commemorating World AIDS day.
“We join the international community in observing World AIDS Day, an opportunity to remember, reflect, and renew our collective spirit. The dramatic declines in the number of those dying from HIV/AIDS and historic lows in New York City diagnoses are a testament to the hard work of our community partners and evidence-based actions we have taken like expanding access to prevention services and addressing the social determinants of health that impact infection rates.
“While we rightly recognize our progress, we cannot ignore the challenges still at hand. Black, Latino, LGBTQ+, and lower-income New Yorkers continue to contract and die from the disease at a higher rate than their wealthier, heterosexual, and White counterparts. A significant part of the challenge we face comes from a persistent culture of shame and discrimination associated with HIV/AIDS. Every one of us has a role to play to stop the stigma, to encourage everyone we know to get tested; more than ever, we should appreciate the importance of knowing the status of our health. Combating stigma must also involve our engaged advocacy to dismantle prejudicial policies that have stemmed from this crisis, notably the FDA’s blood donation guidelines that shamefully discriminate against sexual orientation and gender identity.
“Nearly 40 years since the first clinically reported case of AIDS, our fight against this epidemic continues. Let us all recommit to uplifting the memories of the thousands of New Yorkers we have lost, to improving our care for those living with HIV/AIDS in our communities, and to supporting the righteous effort to find a cure,” he said.
Treyger, Jeffries to Talk about new STEM Greenhouse Facility
Council Member Mark Treyger (D-Coney Island, Bensonhurst, Bath Beach, Gravesend) will be joined by U.S. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-Brooklyn, Queens) and other community leaders for a virtual press conference to announce funding and project details for a brand new STEM greenhouse facility at Rachel Carson High School for Coastal Studies in Coney Island.
Treyger helped secure $4.6 million for the greenhouse project through City Council discretionary funding from fiscal years 2019 to 2021.
The high school is an educational campus focused on resiliency and is centered in a community greatly impacted by climate change as evidenced by Superstorm Sandy. Students and school staff at Rachel Carson High School for Coastal Studies experienced first-hand the detrimental effects of climate change, due to Superstorm Sandy, occurring right in their community. Solutions to climate change require a focus on green-based initiatives around resiliency and sustainability, and this new STEM investment will help students better relate to their environment, connect to 21st-century opportunities, and address healthy food deserts like Coney Island.
This event is slated to take place at 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday, Dec 2 at https://www.facebook.com/CouncilMemberTreyger
Parker Declares Racism as a Public Health Crises
State Kevin Parker (D-East Flatbush, Flatbush, Midwood, Kensington, Park Slope) introduced a Bill S8673A that would declare racism as a “Public Health Crisis” in the state of New York and create a working group within the New York State Commissioner of Health’s office to address these issues related to racism.
“Framing racism as a public health issue compels organizations and governmental agencies to address the crisis in the systemic ways that other threats to public health have been addressed,” he said. “For decades, racial inequalities have caused significant mental, physical, and financial hardships for people of color. These inequities have impacted how they live, the resources they have access to and more importantly their quality of healthcare.”
James Announces Final Rules to Modernize Securities Filings
New York Attorney General Letitia James announced the adoption of final rules that will modernize registration and filing with the Investor Protection Bureau (IPB) in the Office of the Attorney General (OAG).
This adoption is the latest step in Attorney General James’ ongoing efforts to streamline and enhance the oversight of the securities industry in New York by moving filings and payments to standardized federal and multi-state systems.
Once these changes are fully implemented in 2021, New York’s registration procedures will better conform to the federal securities registration regime, cure industry confusion when it comes to certain registration requirements, and better track exam requirement compliance and disciplinary disclosures for thousands of investment advisers who provide investment advice to New Yorkers.
“These new rules reflect years of hard work by this office to bring securities registration into the 21st century,” said James. “By moving to standardized electronic filings and payments, our systems will be more resilient to disruption in the future and will be better equipped to protect investors from frauds, especially critical as we have seen an exponential rise in these types of scams as a result of COVID-19. It is more important than ever for New Yorkers to know who they are dealing with when making an investment, and these rules will do exactly that by expanding the registration and tracking of individual investment advisers. Ultimately, this action represents a significant step forward in our efforts to protect New York investors and oversee securities sales practices.”
