|
Assemblymember Linda B. Rosenthal Reports to the People Spring 2006 |
|
|
District Office: 230 West 72nd St., Suite 2F • New York, NY 10023 • (212) 873-6368 rosentl@assembly.state.ny.us |
|
Dear Friends and Neighbors, I thank you for allowing me the great honor of representing you in the New York State Assembly. I will work relentlessly to serve this district in the best way that I can. Since taking office, I have been fighting hard for our community. Keeping my promise to hit the ground running, I have already introduced legislation, sponsored over 40 bills, testified before state agencies, and of course met with community leaders and constituents about the issues facing our neighborhood. I was also named to the following committees: Housing; Corporations, Authorities and Commissions; Agriculture; Alcoholism and Drug Abuse; and Energy. For one of my first pieces of legislation, I introduced a bill that will dramatically alter the special election process. My bill creates a system that is open, transparent and provides public matching funds for qualified candidates who agree to limit their campaign spending. For the second year in a row, the Legislature passed an on-time budget. The budget includes significant aid in several areas: it protects the health of the elderly, sick and disabled by funding critical nursing homes, hospitals and emergency care centers; it increases funding for the arts by $6.1 million; and it provides a record $200 million for the state’s Environmental Protection Fund. We still have much more work ahead of us in Albany. Before the session ends in June, I will push to make sure that we take action on my legislation and tackle other important issues, such as getting the State Senate and Governor to join us in repealing the Urstadt Law, creating greater transparency in government and enacting further Albany reform. I encourage you to call or stop by my community office if you have any questions or comments about matters covered in this newsletter or before the Legislature, or if we can assist you in any way. Wishing you a happy spring!
|
|
Progress on NYC education funding I have a deep commitment to providing New York City with its fair share of funding from Albany. That’s why I fought for a state budget that takes a big step forward in complying with the Campaign for Fiscal Equity (CFE) court decision. New York City school children deserve a quality education so they can succeed in the future, and it is our job to ensure that they receive it. I fought for a bipartisan, on-time state budget that clearly lays the foundation for better schools, access to affordable health care, tax relief for homeowners and a better future for New York’s working families. The budget is a victory for New York school children, as it fulfills the capital funding requirements outlined in the CFE decision. The Assembly’s capital construction program, EXpanding our Children’s Education and Learning (EXCEL), provides $2.6 billion for capital construction on top of building aid. Of the capital program, $1.8 billion goes to New York City to modernize our schools. The Legislature’s plan also includes a record $1.362 billion increase in education funding over last year, including a nearly 7 percent increase in formula-based school aid. New York City schools will receive $501 million more than last year. This is $220 million more than the governor’s proposed budget for New York City. The CFE battle is not over. We must continue to work for an equitable, permanent school aid formula. |
|
Special Election Reform Recently, I introduced a landmark reform bill in Assembly that fulfills my campaign pledge to reform special elections in New York State. The bill calls for the elimination of the county committee process and instead requires that candidates qualify for the ballot through petitioning. Candidates can then receive public campaign matching funds if the candidate agrees to cap all campaign spending. The public financing component is similar to what is in place at the local level in New York City. Candidates who participate in the program are prohibited from accepting corporate donations and must abide by a strict set of rules and spending limits. In return for limiting their spending, candidates receive matching funds from the state. This legislation will ensure that special elections are open, competitive and fair. I call on my fellow legislators, the state Senate and the governor to rally behind this important piece of reform legislation. I have also created a task force that will explore reforming the special election process to determine the fairest way to select candidates for vacancies. |
Summer Jobs for Youth. In Albany, Assemblymember Rosenthal met with youth and staff from
Goddard Riverside Community Center’s Beacon Teen program to discuss funding for summer youth
jobs. The budget allocates $30 million for this program, up $5 million from last year. With the teens are
Beacon Director Sheila Clark, youth worker Akil Childs and organizer Larry Wood.
|
|
Legislative Update The following are critical pieces of legislation that I have sponsored in the Assembly. A.3213 – Eliminates vacancy decontrol on apartments. A.2517 – Adds bottled water, juice, tea and other beverage containers to New York’s bottle bill to encourage recycling and cut down on littering. A.6036 – Enhances the Freedom of Information Act law by requiring state agencies to provide free public access to records via the Internet. A.6287 – Establishes an independent reapportionment commission to propose district boundaries for Congress, state Senate and Assembly districts every 10 years following the U.S. Census. A.7463 – Validates marriage between same-sex parties. A.9264 – Prohibits the stunning or killing of fur-bearing animals by electrocution. A.9227 – Allows for Election Day voter registration in New York State. I also worked on the following legislation: Timothy’s Law. Named after 12-year-old Timothy O’Clair, who committed suicide after his family was unable to afford mental health treatment, Timothy’s Law will end the discriminatory practice of providing unequal insurance coverage based on diagnosis, will help to curb the stigma associated with mental illness and chemical dependency, and will allow people to receive the services and treatment they need to live full and productive lives. Unfortunately, the state Senate has refused to pass this bill. Repealing Urstadt Law. I joined with other legislators in calling for the repeal of the 1971 Urstadt Law to return the power over rent and eviction laws to New York City. For too long, Albany’s control of housing laws has led to a dramatic weakening of rent protections, resulting in a severe lack of affordable housing, increased homelessness and the continued deregulation of apartments. Fighting for Working Families. I cosponsored the Fair Share for Health Care Act, which requires large businesses (100 or more workers, and office buildings over 100,000 square feet or 50 residential units) to supply workers with benefits worth at least $3 per hour. The bill lets businesses decide how best to provide benefits, while requiring them to pay their fair share toward their employees’ health costs. Fair Share will extend coverage to as many as 450,000 New Yorkers, and it is an important first step in solving the state’s health care crisis. Regressive Clothing and Footwear Tax Eliminated. This month, the Assembly voted to repeal the state’s 4 percent sales tax on clothing and footwear items under $110, effective April 1. This tax was imposed following the post-Sept. 11 economic downturn. Now that the state has a multi-billion dollar surplus, the tax is no longer needed. This repeal will encourage people to shop at local businesses and will help working families save $600 million annually. Fighting DHCR’s Rent Increase. In March, I testified before the Department of Housing and Community Renewal (DHCR) to convey my outrage at its proposed two-year, 8.2 percent Maximum Base Rent (MBR) increase on rent-controlled apartments. The people affected by this increase are earning an average of $22,000 a year, 30 percent of which goes to paying their rent. Many seniors today have enough trouble affording high-priced but essential prescription drugs. Raising the MBR will force too many to make a terrifying and untenable choice between paying the rent and paying for their medications. It is incumbent upon DHCR to amend its proposal, not just by lowering it to less than 7.5 percent, but by freezing the rent at current levels. |
Helping the Community. Assemblymember Rosenthal stands with DOROT Executive Director Vivian
Fenster Ehrlich and Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer at DOROT’s Passover Package Delivery Day
and Family Circle.
|
|
Free credit report Under the federal Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act, everyone is eligible to receive one free credit file disclosure every 12 months from each of the three national credit reporting companies: Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. The official site to request credit reports can be found online at www.AnnualCreditReport.com or by phone at 877-322-8228. |
|
Assemblymember Rosenthal: Making Sense of Medicare
Many seniors have called my office concerned about Medicare’s new prescription drug program. Unfortunately, the program created by the federal government is tremendously bureaucratic and confusing. I opposed the law that created Medicare Part D, because I knew that it would cause distress and confusion without delivering real reform for seniors. It is important to research options and make a choice regarding the program before May 15, 2006, when late enrollment fees are scheduled to begin. With 47 prescription drug plans to choose from in New York, it can be confusing. If you have drug coverage (other than Medicaid) now, your current insurance company has to provide you with a notice indicating if your current prescription coverage is “as good, or better than” the standard Medicare plan. If it is, you do not have to consider joining a Medicare plan at this time. Seniors with EPIC can keep their EPIC coverage. For some, particularly those eligible for “extra help” for low-income beneficiaries, enrolling in the Medicare drug program will mean more savings. EPIC will waive fees for low-income enrollees eligible for full “extra help” who join a Medicare plan. The new Medicare drug program provides assistance in paying for drug costs for beneficiaries with lower incomes. Those already in Medicaid or in one of the Medicare savings programs will be eligible automatically for “extra help.” This new Medicare drug benefit will only be available through private plans. This means that in order to get prescription drugs covered through Medicare, New Yorkers must enroll in one of the plans offering the benefit in New York State. HMOs and other Medicare Advantage plans will also be offering the new prescription drug benefit. I urge seniors to talk with a trained individual who can help them get the answers and information they need or come to my office to speak with someone.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Women’s History Month. Assemblymember Rosenthal celebrated with Women’s Legislative
Caucus Chair Assemblymember Patricia Eddington (L), and Patricia Volland, Senior Vice President,
NY Academy of Medicine and member of the Board of Planned Parenthood. One of the first women
elected to the New York State Legislature, Mary Lilly, represented this district in 1919. Before Rosenthal’s
election last month, she was the only woman to represent the 67th Assembly District.
|
|
Sign up for monthly neighborhood reports Each month, my office writes a report updating local Community Board members about my views and actions on important local issues. For constituents who do not attend Community Board meetings, these reports may be helpful in keeping you informed about local issues and understanding how the office is active on these issues. My office can e-mail or mail Neighborhood Reports to interested constituents. Just contact my office to join the mailing list. |
|
West Side Notes 72nd Street Off-Ramp. The upcoming closing of the Miller Highway northbound 72nd Street exit ramp and its impact on traffic conditions continues to be a serious concern for the neighborhood. I have scheduled a meeting with the New York City Department of Transportation to discuss pedestrian safety, air quality impacts and effects on existing traffic problems, and will inform constituents of the outcome. Protecting Workers Compensation. I am currently investigating, along with Assembly Insurance Committee Chair Assemblymember Pete Grannis, reports that companies are denying certain types of insurance to local businesses based on their proximity to so-called potential targets of terrorism. I believe that we need to protect local businesses and make sure that insurance companies are not redlining neighborhoods based on arbitrary designations of tall buildings as targets. Hell’s Kitchen/Hudson Yards Alliance. As a longtime advocate for affordable housing, I am proud to have joined the Hell’s Kitchen/Hudson Yards Alliance, with whom I worked to fight and defeat the West Side Stadium proposal, and the SRO Illegal Use Task Force. The task force has begun to tackle the major problem of Single Room Occupancy (SRO) units being illegally used as hotel rooms for tourists, instead of as housing for New Yorkers living on low or moderate incomes. Local Development Watch. Many in the community are alarmed at the large number of demolitions and development projects on the West Side. My office is monitoring the new projects and will work to see that they are appropriate to the community and that construction does not occur outside permitted times. |
|
What do you hear? Got a tip about something happening in the community? Have you witnessed fraud or had a friend cheated in a scam? Has a problem arisen on your block? If so, contact my community office at:
Assemblymember Linda Rosenthal |
|
**Click here for a printable view** Important Phone Numbers
New York City
Precincts
Community Boards
Health Services
Violence Prevention Services
Civilian Complaint Review Board:
Other Numbers |
|
Back |
Speaking Out. Assemblymember Rosenthal speaks on the floor of the Assembly about
state budget issues.