Assemblyman William Boyland (D-Kings) announced that the Assembly and Senate have come to a bipartisan spending plan that will help ensure access to quality, affordable health care while easing the burden on local taxpayers.

"I have received overwhelming feedback from constituents on the concerns they have over the devastating health care cuts Governor Pataki has proposed," Assemblyman Boyland said. "The Governor unfortunately took a shot-term approach towards his budget without looking at the long-term implications. The budget the Assembly and Senate have offered will bring real health care reform without sacrificing quality service."

A major item of the Assembly and Senate budget includes the establishment of a preferred drug list program, a first of its kind in the nation. Its creation has the ability to dramatically reduce the cost for prescription drugs the state currently pays for Medicaid and EPIC. The new law will save taxpayers $200 million in its first year alone. Future returns will be several times greater because the first year only includes a preferred drug list for Medicaid. The EPIC program will be phased in subsequent years by the Health Department.

How does it work?

The Preferred drug list will save the taxpayers and state in two ways. First, drug companies will have the privilege to get their drugs on the PDL by offering the state substantial discounts on the per unit price. Second, physicians will be encouraged to stick to the list. Therefore they will be prescribing drugs that are costing the taxpayers less. Drug manufacturers on the list will see increased volume in sales of their products which will negate the cost for offering them at a discount. Everybody wins!

"The preferred drug list is essential in controlling the skyrocketing health care costs in this state," Assemblyman Boyland said. "The money saved from the PDL can be influential in easing the tax burden on New Yorkers or redistributed for education."

Other major provisions of the bipartisan budget include:

• Rejecting the governor’s establishment of the sick tax on nursing homes and cutting his tax on hospitals in half;

• The creation of a commission to effectively determine measures to control rising health care costs;

The agreement rejects cuts in benefits and higher fees the Governor had proposed for Family Health Plus. This is, if you remember, a program the Governor spent millions of dollars in ad campaigns to promote-only to turn around a year later and call for cutbacks in funding.

The new Medicare Modernization Act, scheduled to take effect in January 2006, represents the most fundamental changes to the Medicare program since its inception. Assemblyman William Boyland Jr. is concerned that all individuals in the 55th district who currently need drug coverage choose the new drug plan in a timely manner so that they will not have to pay a higher premium due to late selection. Here are the facts:

What are Medicare prescription drug plans?
Beginning January 1, 2006, new Medicare prescription drug plans will be available to people with Medicare. Insurance companies and other private companies will work with Medicare to offer these drug plans. They will negotiate discounts on drug prices. Medicare prescription drug plans provide insurance coverage for prescription drugs. Like other insurance, if you join you will pay a monthly premium and pay a share of the cost of your prescriptions. Costs will vary depending on the drug plan you choose. Drug plans may vary in what prescription drugs are covered, how much you have to pay, and which pharmacies you can use. All drug plans will have to provide at least a standard level of coverage, which Medicare will set.

When can I Join a Medicare prescription drug plan?
If you currently have Medicare Part A and/or Medicare Part B, you can join a Medicare prescription drug plan between November 15, 2005 and May 15, 2006. If you join by December 31, 2005 your Medicare prescription drug plan coverage will begin on January 1, 2006. If you join after that, your coverage will be effective the first day of the month after the month you join.

What if I can’t pay for a Medicare prescription drug plan?
Some people with an income at or below a set amount and with limited assets will qualify for extra help. The exact income amounts will be set in early 2005. People who qualify will get help paying for their drug plan’s monthly premium, and/or for some of the cost they would normally have to pay for their prescriptions. The type of extra help will be based on your income and assets.

What if I already have prescription drug coverage from a Medigap Policy?
If you have a Medigap policy with drug coverage, you will get a detailed notice from your insurance company telling you whether or not your policy covers as much or more than a Medicare prescription drug plan. This notice will explain your rights and choices.

What if I have prescription drug coverage from an employer or union?
If you have prescription drug coverage from an employer or union, you will get a notice from your employer or union that tells if your plan covers as much or more than a Medicare prescription drug plan.

How do I get more information and help choosing a Medicare prescription drug plan?
To get more information about the Medicare Modernization Act go to www.medicare.gov, or call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227). Also, feel free to stop by Assemblyman William Boyland’s district office to receive additional counseling.

* Information provided by the Department of Health and Human Services.

Assemblymember William F. Boyland, Jr.(D-Kings) announced that the Assembly and Senate have come together to pass a responsible budget ensuring that every New York child receives a quality education. The bipartisan agreement provides over $848 million more in funding to public schools than last year. The state Assembly and Senate budget provides $354 million more than what the governor proposed in his executive budget in January.

"This is a first step towards the sound investment schools need to keep our educational system a leader in the U.S.," Assemblyman Boyland said.

While the governor is persisting with his costly appeals of the CFE ruling, the Assembly and Senate secured $327 million additional funding for New York City schools this year. This also includes a more equitable formula in the distribution of educational funds. One based on, among other variables, student need and regional wealth. The combination of increased funding and a more equitable distribution sets the stage for the kind of real education funding reform the Campaign for Fiscal Equity decision calls for.

In addition, the Legislature restored the governor’s cuts for local schools that provide expense-based programs, such as, BOCES services and transportation costs that had already been spent in the anticipation of state reimbursement.

"It is my hope, and that of my fellow Assembly colleagues that we took constructive measures today to ensure that our children are not shortchanged, and that they have every resource available to compete in the ever growing global economy," Assemblyman Boyland said.

Assemblymember William F. Boyland, Jr. introduced a resolution in June urging the New York State Congressional Delegation to call upon Congress to renew the Voting Rights Act of 1965 in its entirety.

President Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act into law on August 6, 1965. President Regan in 1982 extended the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and the amendments of 1970 and 1975, for twenty-five years. Expiration of these amendments is to take place in 2007.

The special provisions that could expire include:

• Section 5 requiring states with a documented history of discriminatory voting practices to prove to the Department of Justice that any new changes to their voting procedures are not discriminatory before those changes are implemented.

• Section 203 requiring bilingual voting materials in certain areas.

• The authority to send federal examiners and observers to monitor elections.

The Voting Rights Act has guaranteed millions of minority voters a chance to have their voices heard and their votes counted. The Department of Justice estimated in 1975 that almost as many African Americans had registered to vote in some southern states in the first five years after the passage of the Act as had registered in the entire century before 1965. Widely considered the most effective civil rights law, with its loss we would lose many of the tools that provide protection of the rights provided by the 15th Amendment of the Constitution.

"Without the provisions of the 1965 Voting Rights Act and it’s amendments I mostly likely would not be where I am today," said Assemblyman William F. Boyland Jr. "We must guarantee minority participation in the political process, and this can only be achieved by renewing the Voting Rights Act in its entirety."

Assemblyman William Boyland Jr. was joined by colleagues Assembly Corrections Committee Chairman Jeff Aubry, Assemblyman Michael Benjamin, Assembly Black and Puerto Rican Caucus Chairman Adriano Espaillat, Assemblyman Jimmy Meng, and Senator Parker in a press conference on Capital Hill to shed light on the "backdoor" tax burden on the poor and working families of New York State with relatives in correction facilities.

MCI since 1996 has been the exclusive phone service provider for the New York State Department of Correction Services. Currently, they charge inmate families as high as 630 percent above public market rates! Local and long distance phone calls have a $3 hook-up fee, and 16 cents per minute thereafter. It is commonplace for families to being paying phone bills as high as $300-700 per month. Public rates for MCI are as low as $5 monthly hook-up fee (17 cents a day), and 5 cents per minute thereafter.

Studies have shown that inmates that are in contact with family during their incarceration have a lower recidivism rate upon being reintroduced into society. Even the Department of Correctional Services’ own study from 1980, "The Family Reunion Program’s Impact on Discipline" by J. Grossman, demonstrates that family has a positive influence on inmate behavior both in prison and upon release. So why is the Department of Corrections limiting the social interaction between inmates and family members after all the evidence suggests doing otherwise?

For $175 million reasons - that’s why. This is the amount that the Department of Corrections has amassed since its contract with MCI in 1996. MCI won the contract because they agreed to share 57.5 percent of their revenue with New York State, which was the largest share to the state over other competitors that provided lower rates for users. So what’s being done?

Solution oriented lawmakers such as Assemblyman William Boyland Jr. and Assemblyman Jeff Aubry have introduced legislation that will dramatically change the current policy. They are offering two viable alternatives, federal and debit card, over the current system. The federal prison system uses 800 numbers for both local and long distance calls in all of its facilities. There is no dial up service fee and users only pay 7 cents per minute. The debit card system is becoming extremely popular in state correctional facilities throughout the nation. This system will charge the inmates, rather than the families, for both local and long distance calls. An inmate’s wages are automatically debited to a card and subtracted when used for phone privileges. When the money runs out inmates must wait to accumulate enough money to buy more minutes.

"It is inconceivable that we are penalizing the poor and working families because they have a family member incarcerated. They are already burdened enough. We the Assembly will continue to fight to lower the exorbitant rates and to renegotiate a new state contract," Assemblyman William Boyland Jr. said.

After numerous constituents have complained about the state of desolation that subway stations at East 98th and Rockaway Avenue have fallen into, Assemblyman William Boyland Jr. and William Boyland Sr. are proud to announce that talks are currently underway with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to renovate these facilities. "Team Boyland" has cited that both stations have problems with crumbling stairs, rusted platforms, and broken overhead lights. In addition, neither station complies with the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act. Title II of the ADA pertaining to state and local governments providing transportation protects individuals with disabilities from discrimination. Neither East 98th nor Rockaway Avenue Station is handicap accessible. Team Boyland is demanding the immediate restoration of these stations and the installation of an elevator for people with disabilities.

Assemblyman William Boyland Jr. is proud to announce that the Assembly has passed legislation to toughen current state penalties for individuals who commit accidents under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

The passage of "VaSean’s Law" was a bipartisan agreement that Assemblyman Boyland sees as an effective measure to combat negligent drivers under the influence. Assemblyman Boyland, a co-sponsor of bill A6285-B, became a prolific advocate for the VaSean bill after meeting with Monique Dixon, the mother of VaSean Phillip Alleyne who was killed in an accident last year by a motorist charged with drunk driving. Unfortunately, the drunk driver in the VaSean case could not be charged with a felony due to the antiquated existing law.

The new legislation will strengthen the current state law by eliminating the needed for criminal negligence as a basis for prosecution of crimes of vehicular assault and vehicular manslaughter while driving with ability impaired by drugs or alcohol. This will make it easier to indict individuals who commit these crimes and charge them with a felony. More then one-third of New York’s nearly 1,500 fatal traffic accidents in 2003 involved alcohol impaired drivers.

"This legislation will go along way in punishing drivers who lack good judgment and social responsibility," Assemblyman William Boyland Jr said. "Their careless disregard for the lives of others will not go unpunished."

Assemblyman William Boyland Jr. and the Assembly passed a resolution urging Congress to safeguard Social Security benefits which have provided financial stability to millions of Americans. President Bush is currently in deliberations with Congress over a controversial plan to privatize the program.

The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office has stated that if no changes are made to the current system, Social Security will be able to rely on its trust funds until 2052. This is due in part to the surplus that Social Security now generates-raising more taxes than it pays out in benefits. After 2052, the tax dollars coming in from workers will still be able to pay 80 percent of the benefits for all retirees.

Privatizing Social Security could cost up to 5 trillion dollars. This money would have to be borrowed from foreign governments and ultimately force significant cuts in future benefits. Congress has repeatedly reviewed and reformed Social Security during the last 70 years, but the Congressional Budget Office stated that privatizing the program is simply too drastic and too risky.

The Assembly resolution passed called on President Bush and Congress to not act hastily. The outcome of this decision will hold in the balance the future security for generations to come. "President Roosevelt in 1935 had the foresight to see that the financial security of older Americans needed to be assured," Assemblyman William Boyland Jr said. "We do not want to be the generation that reneged on this promise."

With the end of the school year comes another opportunity for parents to help children discover the joy of reading. Study after study has shown that children who read develop communication and thinking skills earlier than those that don’t. Reading helps children with speech, vocabulary, comprehension of complex ideas, and pronunciation. Children who continue to read during the summer are more likely to perform better in school in the fall.

To encourage children of the 55th district to read this summer, Assemblyman Boyland wants to extend an open invitation to parents and children to participate in the 2005 Boyland Reading Challenge. Children, who meet the minimum of reading at least 15 minutes a day for 40 days during July and August, will be rewarded for their initiative with a New York State Excellence in Reading Certificate. Assemblyman Boyland hopes that this reading challenge will make an impact on children to pursue lifelong learning. For further details about the 2005 Boyland Challenge, please call or stop by the office. Good luck!