My very best wishes to you at this holiday season.
We normally come to this festive time with great anticipation, but our joy this year is tempered with concern about challenges that threaten our communities and families.
We all know someone who has been affected. Headlines tell us of unemployment, layoffs, foreclosures and bankruptcies. Friends and neighbors talk about the impact of the present atmosphere on their lives.
We are also dealing with these challenges in the Legislature. We have agonized over many months about equally bad alternatives for coping with multi-year State budget deficits. Mindful of our sworn duty to live within our means, we are also aware of our solemn responsibility to seniors, children and families to maintain vital education, health, public safety and job-building services. Even in these troubling economic times, you can be sure that we will work hard to ensure that we will not sacrifice these basic services.
Mindful of the enormous challenges before us, we are after all New Yorkers and I look forward to the New Year with hope and confidence we will overcome them.
I send my very best wishes for a happy holiday season to you and yours and best wishes for 2010.
In response to community concerns about traffic congestion and safety due to the weekday flood of commuter vans on major roadways and side streets in Maspeth, Middle Village and Elmhurst, I recently brought civic leaders together with police, traffic and taxi officials to seek solutions to the problem.
The discussion included leaders of Queens Community Boards Two, Four and Five, as well as the local civic group, COMET. The NYC Department of Transportation (DOT), Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) were represented as well as the 104th, 108th and 110th Police Precincts, and the NY State Department of Motor Vehicles.
The meeting was a valuable opportunity for government agencies involved in registering, licensing and enforcement of these vehicles to hear directly from civic leaders about the adverse impact of these van services on local communities. We also learned about how some loopholes in industry regulation contribute to the inability of the police to enforce the rules and I think we took an important first step toward more effective enforcement of the traffic problems caused by these vehicles.
Police explained that one of the major loopholes in effective enforcement of the van industry is that operators may register their vehicles for different types of license plates, each carrying its own different set of rules, with authority to issue citations divided among different agencies. Chief among the difficulties is that the NYPD cannot issue violations to vehicles with taxi plates.
As a result of the meeting, police officers from three local precincts will receive orientation and training by the Taxi & Limousine Commission to be able to enforce TLC regulations in addition to normal traffic rules. This is an important change that will empower our local precincts to better alleviate the impact of these vehicles on traffic and safety in our streets.
It doesn’t hurt a bit says Rosemary MacDowell, one of more than 100 Maspeth area residents who came to Assemblywoman Markey’s District Office for their annual flu shot. The free service was administered by medical personnel from Elmhurst Hospital.
I am pleased to announce that the NYU Dental Van will return for its annual visit to P.S. 151 in Woodside in January. The “Smiling Faces, Going Places” van is a project of the New York University’s College of Dentistry and brings quality care to those who may not have regular access to oral health care. It is equipped with four dental units, x-ray equipment and a sterilization area. Care is provided by a faculty member and senior and/or postdoctoral students. The community thanks NYU for this free service that also provides information about preventative services as well as dental care.
The “Maple Van” came to several local schools recently to demonstrate how one of the state’s great renewable natural resources becomes a sweet breakfast table companion. The van is a traveling exhibit staffed by the Vernon-Verona-Sherill Future Farmers of America, an upstate branch of the national organization of agricultural students, and is sponsored by the NY State Maple Producers Association.
Through this hands-on, interactive exhibit the youngsters get to see the five steps in maple syrup production, from the tapping of maple trees to the process that reduces the sap into delicious maple syrup. New York State is second in the nation (after Vermont) in the production of maple syrup.
Youngsters “preview” their Halloween costumes at the A.R.R.O.W. Community Center in Long Island City where Assemblywoman Margaret Markey and the NYC Department of Parks & Recreation sponsored a pre-Halloween program. The interior of the center was transformed by Parks staff into an elaborate “Haunted House” that thrilled both youngsters and family members.
The skies were cloudy but it didn’t dampen the spirits of hundreds who came out to my “Harvest Festival” in October to enjoy the seasonal program that was produced by the NYC Department of Parks and Recreation.
There was musical entertainment, a pumpkin patch so everyone could have their own to take home, plus free horse-and-carriage rides. There were also inflatables to enjoy and youngsters were able to make their own costumes as well as take part in face painting and other seasonal arts and crafts activities.
The day was a wonderful opportunity for families and kids to enjoy the delights of the fall season. Just because we live in the city doesn’t mean we can’t get into the spirit of the harvest season and have fun preparing youngsters to enjoy Halloween activities.
Assemblywoman Markey and Evelyn Talutis, a member of the board of the Greater Ridgewood Historical Society, celebrate the news that emergency roof repairs may proceed thanks to the successful “Raise the Roof” fundraiser at the historic Vander Ende-Onderdonk House on Flushing Avenue. The 1709 Dutch Colonial stone house was saved from demolition by the historical society and is now open to the public. The house is a NYC landmark and is listed on the State and National Register of Historical Places.
Thousands of New Yorkers have reached out to my colleagues in the State Legislature over the past few months to ask them to support my bill, A.2596, the Child Victims Act of New York, and I am pleased that a growing majority of members of the Assembly now support the bill.
In the State Senate, Senator Ruth Hassell-Thompson, the prime sponsor of the companion bill in that house S.5893, has added several additional co-sponsors to the bill, which already enjoys the support of top leaders in that body.
The Child Victims Act extends the statute of limitations for childhood sexual abuse crimes and gives victims a greater opportunity to get justice for the atrocities committed against them. The bill will also help expose pedophiles who continue to prey on other children and hold accountable those who have shielded or employed them.
One in five children in America is a victim of childhood sexual abuse, most by family or family acquaintances or other people they trust and respect. The Child Victims Act of New York will provide victims of abuse greater opportunity to have their day in court and will ensure that sexual predators are identified, stopped and punished.
Assemblywoman Markey was honored by the national organization SNAP at its annual convention in
Washington, DC, which hailed her work to secure passage of the Child Victims Act of New York.
“She has worked tirelessly on this initiative to protect children and provide justice for
victims,” the citation read. “Children and victims of childhood sexual abuse are so fortunate to
have such an effective and compassionate advocate working on their behalf.”
The State Legislature will soon have its own New York State version of C-SPAN, the highly-successful television channel that lets citizens follow the workings of the U.S. Congress.
Live sessions of the Assembly and Senate have already been available on the state legislative channel that is carried by most of the cable networks across the state. Starting in January, the current limited offerings will be significantly expanded as a first step in providing greater public access to the work of state government.
The expansion is the result of the work of the Joint Advisory Board on State Legislative Proceedings, of which I am a member. The Board held several public hearings in different parts of the state and worked throughout 2009 to get public comment on the future scope and content of the channel.
In addition to live coverage of the sessions of the Legislature, our goal is to broadcast a full spectrum of government affairs content on the channel, including committee meetings, Court of Appeals proceedings, hearings of the Board of Regents and other public-policy programming. Promotional material will also be provided by the 11 tourism regions of New York State.
New Yorkers take pride in being “plugged in.” But the big increase in the use of mobile phones, personal digital assistants, laptops and other electronic devices has a perilous downside: they are dangerous distractions to someone who is driving.
That’s why I helped implement a statewide ban on the use of portable electronic devices while driving. According to a 2007 Harris Interactive poll, 91 percent of Americans think that driving while texting is as dangerous as drunk driving. There were already many local bans on texting while driving, but this ban now applies to all of New York State. I believe it will go a long way toward limiting driver distractions and help solve the tragic problem of fatal and personal injury crashes.
I was pleased to join recently with Assemblymember Mike Gianaris in hosting a visit of the Partnership for Prescription Assistance Mobile Help Bus to Queens. The visit benefited residents of Boulevard Gardens and adjacent areas, offering those without prescription drug coverage access to assistance programs that offer medicine for little or no cost. We in the Legislature have already led the effort to improve health care in western Queens by expanding coverage to over 400,000 uninsured children and providing over $1.3 billion to ensure that working families have access to quality health care. For information call 1-888-477-2669 or log on to www.pparx.org.
A new safety measure that is now state law will help protect young children in case of an auto accident. Youngsters through the age of eight are now required to be restrained in a car seat, booster seat or harness while a passenger. Previous rules applied only to younger children. This new law requires the use of a booster seat when using the conventional lap and shoulder belts and also says that infant car seats should be on the back seat and facing the rear of the vehicle.
Keeping warm in winter is a challenge for many New Yorkers, especially in these tight financial times. Families who need financial assistance may be able to get help through the Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP), a federally funded program that provides help for low-income families and those on limited incomes.
Assistance is based on income and the number of household members who are under the age of 6 or over the age of 60, or who are permanently disabled. Emergency assistance is also available to those who face a heat-related emergency. To apply, call the New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance’s toll free hotline at 800-342-3009.