Espinal Holds Rally Against Plastic Straws
City Council Member Rafael Espinal (D-Bushwick, Cypress Hills, East New York) will join the Wildlife Conservation Society and Adrian Grenier today in rallying in support of legislation to ban plastic straws in New York City establishments.
The bill, Intro. 936, would ban plastic straws and stirrers across the city’s eating and drinking establishments. The rally comes directly ahead of a Consumer Affairs Hearing, chaired by Espinal on the legislation.
The bill states: No food service establishment or beverage service establishment in the city shall offer to consumers any single-use beverage straw or beverage stirrer made of plastic or any non-biodegradable material. The city will not issue penalties for the first two-years after the legislation has been enacted, only warnings and informational materials. The legislation makes exceptions for a person that requires a straw due to disability or medical condition and carries a penalty of $100 for the first violation after the allotted two years.
It is estimated that every year 100,000 marine creatures die from plastic entanglement in addition to 1 million seabirds. While plastic straws are among the most common litter found on beaches and in oceans, they are also among the easiest plastic to replace. Alternatives to plastic straws made of paper, bamboo, metal, or glass are readily available, and consumers can always skip the straw all together.
The event is slated for 12-noon today, June 21, at City Hall Park (entrance on Broadway & Park Pl) in Lower Manhattan.
Donovan Reacts To New Trump Policy Ending Family Separations At Border
Congressman Dan Donovan (R-South Brooklyn, Staten Island) responded to President Donald Trump’s Executive Order ending family separation at the U.S.-Mexico border yesterday.
On Wednesday, the President signed an executive order ending the controversial practice of separating migrant children from their parents at the southern border. The new order will work to “keep families together”, according to initial reports.
The order instructs government officials to continue its “zero-tolerance” enforcement policy of criminal prosecution for every immigrant who crosses the border illegally, but says that officials will seek to “maintain family unity” by detaining parents and children together instead of separating them while their legal cases wind through a severely backlogged immigration court system.
“The President has just taken action to address the issue of family separations – a practice that has previously been used for years at the border. Now, Congress must work to fully tackle our broken immigration policies,” said Donovan.
“Instead of confronting our backwards system years ago, past administrations put in place Band-Aid fixes that exacerbated the problems we face today. I’m committed to implementing comprehensive reforms to secure our borders, stop illegal entries, close dangerous loopholes, and enact a merit-based system. I look forward to working with my colleagues and voting on legislation that will finally deliver a comprehensive solution to President Trump’s desk,” added Donovan.
Golden To Host Annual Teacher of the Year Event
State Senator Martin J. Golden (R-C-I,Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights, Bensonhurst, Marine Park, Gerritsen Beach, Gravesend) announced plans to host his annual Teacher of the Year Ceremony yesterday.
The Teacher of The Year is an annual awards ceremony that celebrates the outstanding work of educators in public schools throughout Golden’s district. The teachers receiving the honors were selected by their school leadership.
The event is slated for 4 p.m., today, June 21, at Fort Hamilton High School – Auditorium, at 8301 Shore Road in Bay Ridge.
Carroll’s Bill Taking Dangerous Drivers Off Roads Passes Assembly, Senate
Assembly member Robert Carroll (D-Windsor Terrace, Park Slope, Kensington) applauded passage of his bill set to take dangerous drivers off the road by the State Assembly and Senate yesterday.
The legislation will allow the commissioner of Motor Vehicles to require New York State licensed drivers to submit to a Department of Motor Vehicle (DMV) reexamination following an accident that was caused by his or her loss of consciousness (A.11121, Carroll).
The new measure comes just three months after the tragic accident that took the lives of two young children in Park Slope in March. Dorothy Bruns, 44, of Staten Island blew through a red light into a busy Park Slope crosswalk full of pedestrians, killing Abigail Blumenstein, 4, and Joshua Lew, 1, and injuring Abigail’s pregnant mom at the time. Bruns was said to have suffered a seizure at the time of the crash and reportedly had a history of medical episodes at the wheel of a car.
Under current law, the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles can compel a person holding a New York State driver’s license to submit to a reexamination of their fitness to drive a motor vehicle if that person was involved in three reportable crashes within a period of 18 months, or if the Commissioner has reasonable grounds to believe that a person holding a New York driver’s license is not qualified to drive.
This bill will give the commissioner the authority to compel a person who lost consciousness while operating a motor vehicle and caused either monetary damage of $1000 or more, serious injury or death to a passenger, pedestrian, bicyclist or other motorist, to submit to a reexamination of their fitness to drive a motor vehicle.
“After the tragic crash that took place just a few blocks from my District Office which took the lives of two young children it became clearer to me than ever that our state must do more to make the safety of pedestrians, bicyclists and other motorists a top priority,” said Carroll.
