Persaud Celebrates Human Data Privacy Day
State Sen. Roxanne Persaud (D-Brooklyn), in honor of today being Human Data Privacy Day, sponsored Resolution J1393 to raise awareness among families, consumers, and businesses about the importance of protecting the privacy of their personal information online, particularly in the context of social networking.
Human Data Privacy Day, celebrated on Jan. 28, promotes events and activities that stimulate the development of technology tools that promote individual control over personally identifiable information; encourages compliance with privacy laws and regulations; and creates dialogue among stakeholders interested in advancing data protection and privacy.
Persaud is also partnering with Assembly Member Jamie Williams (D-Brooklyn) in a free food campaign against hunger at 11 a.m., Thursday, Feb. 3 at 1222 East 96th Street between Flatlands Avenue and Avenue J in Brooklyn.
Hevesi Calls on State to Reimagine NY’s Child Welfare System
Assemblymember Andrew Hevesi (D-Queens) and advocates from Citizens’ Committee for Children of New York (CCC) and Council of Family and Child Caring Agencies (COFCCA) will host a virtual panel today entitled “Reimagining Child Welfare: Strengthening New York Families and Promoting Pandemic Recovery” – to outline state policy and budget priorities that must be enacted to advance an equitable pandemic recovery.
During this conversation, CCC and COFCCA will showcase statewide findings of a new survey that found the pandemic has dramatically increased families’ need for cash aid, food, child care, mental health services, internet access and many other supports. The survey also found that child welfare preventive service providers are running into dire challenges with insufficient funding and staff turnover that limits their capacity to meet families’ needs.
The virtual rally is organized by the Citizens’ Committee for Children of New York.
The event is slated for 1 p.m., today, Jan. 28 at RSVP HERE.
Maloney on Biden Administration Memo Ratifying the Equal Rights Amendment
U.S. Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney (D-Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn), chair of the Committee on Oversight and Reform, yesterday issued the following statement on the release of an opinion from the Biden Administration’s Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) regarding the ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA):
“The Equal Rights Amendment has been ratified by 38 states, completed the required waiting period, and met all constitutional requirements for ratification. The ERA should be added to the Constitution immediately. Following my request, the Biden Administration’s Justice Department has now revisited a flawed Trump-era legal memo that tried to block recognition of the ERA’s ratification,” said Maloney.
“The Justice Department’s new analysis acknowledges serious weaknesses in the Trump-era memo and clarifies that Congress—not the executive branch—is in control of amending the Constitution. In light of this, the Administration must not stand in the way of recognizing the ERA’s ratification, and should immediately instruct the Archivist of the United States to perform his duty under the law to publish the ERA as the 28th Amendment to the Constitution,” she added.
On October 21, 2021, Maloney sent a letter to President Biden and Vice President Harris sharing a legal analysis from constitutional scholars affiliated with Columbia Law School’s ERA Project, concluding that the Trump Administration’s OLC opinion is legally unsound and should be withdrawn. The analysis found that the OLC opinion “sought to advance a policy preference against the ERA,” and is “lacking a thoroughly reasoned understanding of precedent and Congressional power under the Constitution.”
Since October, some of the most prominent legal and constitutional scholars in the country have added their support and signatures to the analysis.
Gillibrand, Maloney Announce Fed Gun Trafficking Legislation
U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens) today will announce their proposed legislation – The Hadiya Pendleton and Nyasia Pryear-Yard Gun Trafficking and Crime Prevention Act.
Named for two teenage girls in Chicago and Brooklyn, respectively, the bipartisan bill seeks to address the illegal transfer of guns across state lines by establishing gun trafficking as a federal crime. It also sets strict penalties for those directly involved in the illegal movement of guns across state lines, those who organize the gun trafficking rings, and those who facilitate trafficking through the sale or delivery of firearms.
According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, there are more than 350,000 gun crimes committed resulting in more than 19,000 homicides each year. Despite the illegal movement of guns across state lines, there is currently no federal law to define gun trafficking as a crime. A lack of federal law results in law enforcement and prosecutors having to rely on a patchwork of state regulations to crack down on criminal networks that makes prosecutions difficult and convictions nearly impossible.
The introduction of the legislation comes as shooting incidents have spiked by 24 percent in New York City this year to date, driven in part by the proliferation of illegal handguns.
The legislation is slated for an announcement at 12:45 p.m., today, Jan. 28, at 875 3rd Avenue, 2nd Floor Mezzanine in Manhattan.
Glen Cove Councilwoman Silverman Endorses Zimmerman for Congress
Glen Cove City Councilwoman Marsha Silverman (D) has endorsed long-time advocate and Long Island businessman Robert Zimmerman for Congress.
“I know that when Robert goes to Washington he will be a fierce advocate for Glen Cove, the communities of our congressional district and stand up for critical issues facing our neighbors. He stands up for LGBTQ rights and a strong Israel,” said Silverman. “Robert’s work with Congressmen Lester Wolff and Gary Ackerman, as a Long Island businessman and as a national advocate have prepared him for public service. I know he will represent us well in the Halls of Congress.”
A resident of Great Neck, Zimmerman has proudly been a leading force in advocating for Planned Parenthood, LGBTQ+ rights, Medicare for All, tax fairness, gun safety policies, a truly safe and secure Israel and a two-state solution in the Middle East, comprehensive immigration reform, border security, defending voting rights, restoring the SALT deduction, and taking on those that deny the climate crisis.
The Democratic Congressional Primary is scheduled for Tuesday, June 28.
