On the brief side...
Gianaris: Notify Parents Of School Bedbug Problems

Assemblymember Michael Gianaris (D- Astoria) has filed a bill mandating that all parents with children attending bedbug infested public schools must be notified of that fact and must be provided with prevention information.

Gianaris acted after the Department of Education refused his request to adopt a notification policy.

The lawmaker stated, "Bedbug infestations are spreading throughout New York City and have hit the schools of Western Queens [in his district] particularly hard. One way to fight back is to educate parents about preventing the spread of this quality-of-life problem." Pheffer Offers Advice On Tax Filing

Parents of school-aged children are reminded by Assemblymember Audrey Pheffer (D- Rockaway) that when they file their income tax statements they must be sure to apply for the Empire State Child Tax Credit.

Pheffer says that the credit is available to all-year-round New York state residents who are eligible to claim a federal child tax credit or who meet certain income thresholds; and have a child who was at least 4 years old but less than 17 years old on Dec. 31, 2006.

To apply, says Pheffer, fill out form IT-213 and submit it with your New York State income tax return. If you've already filed your state return, you can still file the IT-213 form separately by mailing it to the State Processing Center at PO Box 61000, Albany, N.Y. 12261-0001. Maloney Wants Greece In Visa Waiver Program

Joined by 20 of her House colleagues, Congressmember Carolyn Maloney (D- Queens/Manhattan) has appealed to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Homeland Security Service Commissioner Michael Chertoff to add Greece to the list of nations which are included in the Visa Waiver Program (VWP).

In a letter to the two officials, the lawmakers said, "Greece has met the criteria for the VWP, including a less than 3 percent refusal rate of U.S. non-immigrant visa applications and biometric passports. The delay needs to end."

Maloney said Greece is the only member of the original 15 European nations not to belong to VWP. Weprin Hosts Healthcare Workshop

Working in conjunction with the New York Legal Assistance Group (NYLAG), City Councilmember David Weprin (D- Hollis) will hold a workshop on healthcare proxies and living wills at his district office, 205-07 Hillside Ave., this Friday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

At the free session, constituents will have access to healthcare proxy and living will forms and NYLAG will provide assistance to whomever requests it.

The meeting is part of NYLAG's new project called Total Life Choices (TLC), a free legal services project offering assistance in preparing advance directives (living wills and healthcare proxies) and free electronic registration of these documents on a secure database. Gallagher Seeks Applicants For CBs

Seeking to make appointments to community boards more open, City Councilmember Dennis Gallagher (R- C, Middle Village) has announced he will take applications from anyone desiring to serve and will then meet with Borough President Helen Marshall to make final choices for Boards 5 and 9.

Applications are being accepted at Gallagher's office at 78-25 Metropolitan Ave., Middle Village. Once filed, Gallagher said he will meet personally with each applicant.

The lawmaker said he had been flooded with phone calls from people interested in volunteering to serve.

Usually councilmembers, who can recommend people to serve on the boards to the borough president, do not take applications for the voluntary positions.- Compiled by John Toscano