Maloney Mourns Loss of Senator Paul Sarbanes
U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens) released a statement yesterday to pay respects to the late former Senator Paul Sarbanes (D-MD).
Sarbanes served as Senator of Maryland for over 30 years, during which he drafted the first articles of impeachment against then- President Richard Nixon (R), and co-authored the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, a landmark piece of anti-fraud legislation. He passed away at the age of 87 on Dec. 6.
“Yesterday, our country lost an iconic legislator and leader,” said Maloney. “Senator Paul Sarbanes dedicated his career to bettering the lives of all Marylanders and Americans with his remarkable vision and consistent message of unity. I and so many others are lucky to have called Sen. Sarbanes a friend and colleague. He was a champion for Greece and Cyprus, and it was my honor to work with him to further the Greek-American relationship, as well as on financial services issues. The transformational Sarbanes-Oxley Act reshaped corporate oversight and has helped to protect hardworking Americans and prevent fraud for nearly two decades. The countless lives he shaped and the legislation he helped pass will undoubtedly be felt throughout our country for generations to come, especially as we begin the 117th Congress.”
Cuomo: Schools Demonstrate That COVID-19 Containment is Possible
Last Friday, Governor Andrew Cuomo (D) wrote an op-ed for Newsday about what we can learn from successful COVID-19 containment efforts in our public schools.
Across New York state, schools consistently show a lower positivity rate than that of the surrounding neighborhood. The schools in Long Island’s Massapequa Park, for instance, have a positivity rate of 3.5 percent – just a little more than half of the community-wide positivity rate, 6.6 percent.
This, said Cuomo, is because students and faculty consistently follow basic health guidelines, such as wearing masks, social distancing and washing hands frequently. The takeaway is that containing the spread of COVID-19 is not nearly as hard as we’re making it out to be.
“Too many adults have not heeded their education, ignoring the experts and acting without regard for the consequences of their actions by hosting large gatherings or failing to use the most effective tool at our disposal right now: a face covering,” wrote Cuomo. “We know how a virus spreads. We have all had someone in our homes catch a virus, and we all know what we have to do to prevent other family members from getting sick. The same is true of COVID-19, only on a larger scale.”
“All that is required to control its spread is for people to be smart and disciplined. COVID-19 is potent, but it has no power until it enters a person’s body.”
Read the full article here.
Gottfried Calls on Cuomo to Prioritize Vulnerable New Yorkers for Vaccines
Yesterday, Assemblymember Richard Gottfried (D-Chelsea, Midtown) released a statement calling on Governor Andrew Cuomo (D) to ensure vaccine priority for vulnerable New Yorkers – specifically the incarcerated.
Cuomo recently released his vaccine distribution plan, which prioritizes New Yorkers in “congregate care settings” for the early phases of vaccine distribution. However, the plan doesn’t clarify whether the category includes jails, prisons and detention centers.
“Science and sound public health policy point to what we already know; all persons living and working in congregate settings in New York, including those incarcerated in correctional institutions, should have access to COVID vaccines, and should be included in phase 2 distribution,” said Gottfried. “COVID doesn’t distinguish or discriminate between different kinds of congregate settings, and neither should New York.”
