Queens Gazette

I On Politics


 

CELEBRATE THE FUTURE OF QUEENS WITH REP. MALONEY: Please join Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney with Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney with Loula Loi and John Alafoyiannis, Anne Marie Anzalone, Rhonda Binda, Tracy Capune, Noreen Caraher, Gianna Cerbone-Teoli, Dr. Florentia Christodoulidou, Claudia Coger, Patrick Dolan, Evangeline Douris, Joseph Ficalora, Sean Granahan, Amy Hau, Laura Jean Hawkins, Dr. Neeta Jain, Ted Kasapis, Paula Kerby, Shibber Khan, Richard Khuzami, Sheila Lewandowski, Dirk McCall, Kim Mullarkey, Brent O’Leary, Joseph Pistilli, Marc Solomon, Carol Wilkens, and Hon. Peter and Tena Vallone, Sr. in Celebrating the Future of Queens.

Special guests include Councilman Costa Constantinides, Queens Borough President Melinda Katz, Congressman Greg Meeks and Assemblywoman Aravella Simotas.

The fundraiser for Congresswoman Maloney will be held on Wednesday, September 4, from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm at Manducatis Rustica (46-31 Vernon Boulevard, Long Island City). Tickets cost $5,600 to attend as Chair; $2,800 as Host; $1,000 as Sponsor; $500 as Patron; $250 as Friend; and $100 to Attend. You can RSVP and buy a ticket at: bit.ly/CBMQueens or RSVP to Darren Rigger at darren@dynamicsrg.com. If you have questions, call 212-531-2858.

Checks are payable to Maloney for Congress (24 East 93rd Street, Suite 4B, New York, NY 10128). Paid for by Maloney for Congress.

 

LEGISLATORS COUNTRY-WIDE CALL FOR GUN CONTROL LAWS: At the National Conference of State Legislatures annual summit in Nashville, Tennessee, Assemblyman David I. Weprin joined NYS Senator Brian Kavanagh, chair of the American State Legislators for Gun Violence Prevention, and 50 other legislators from over 20 states to call upon Congress to enact stricter gun control laws in the wake of recent mass shootings.

GIANARIS ANNOUNCES $58K FOR ANTI-VIOLENCE PROGRAMS: In advance of National Night Out, Senate Deputy Leader Michael Gianaris joined residents and community leaders to announce $58,000 in funding for anti-violence programs during Queensbridge Houses Family Day. The funding will support anti-violence programs in NYCHA developments administered by the Jacob Riis Neighborhood Settlement House.

“We must keep our communities safe from the scourge of gun violence. While I successfully fought for new laws to keep guns out of the hands of dangerous individuals, we can never do enough to prevent tragedies from occurring,” said Senator Gianaris. “I am pleased to secure $58,000 in this year’s state budget to take guns off our streets.”

Gianaris has a lengthy record of leadership on issues of gun safety. Just last week, New York state enacted his legislation creating a 30-day background check waiting period. Gianaris successfully advocated for increased funding for community priorities in this year’s state budget, including $30,000 for the Gantry Parent Association, $13,000 for Sunnyside Community Services, $13,000 for Hunters Point Middle School, and $20,000 for Immigrant Families Together.

National Night Out is an annual community-building campaign that promotes police-community partnerships and neighborhood camaraderie to make neighborhoods safer, more caring places to live. National Night Out enhances the relationship between neighbors and law enforcement while bringing back a true sense of community. Furthermore, it provides a great opportunity to bring police and neighbors together under positive circumstances.

‘RESEARCH FREEZE HINDERS SEARCH FOR SOLUTION TO GUN VIOLENCE’: The Democratic staff of the Joint Economic Committee (JEC) wrote the following report: Gun Violence: Research Freeze Hinders Search for a Solution (for the full paper, visit bit.ly/JECGunResearch). The report states that “Federal funding for research on gun violence has faced severe restrictions for more than two decades. This makes it difficult for policymakers to fully understand the problem and create solutions to fix it. This lack of federal funding largely is due to the 1996 Dickey amendment, which specifies that ‘none of the funds made available for injury prevention and control at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) may be used to advocate or promote gun control.’ In 2011, Congress extended this restrictive language to other health agencies, including the National Institutes of Health (NIH). These actions created a chilling effect, significantly curtailing the amount of gun violence research that has been performed at the federal level. Congress in 2018 provided clarifying language to the CDC, in effect saying that the Dickey amendment does not prevent the agency from conducting research on gun violence. But lawmakers did not appropriate any funds to the CDC for this purpose. As a result, the agency still cannot carry out adequate levels of research.

“Federal funding for research on gun violence is extremely low compared to spending on research of other leading causes of death. A 2017 study found that the federal government spends just $63 on research for every life lost to gun violence, compared to nearly $183,000 on every HIV-related death. Meanwhile more Americans died from gun violence between 2001 and 2013 than from AIDS, illegal-drug overdoses and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan combined. If funding for research on gun violence were comparable to spending for research on other leading causes of death, such as liver disease or high blood pressure, it would have received $1.4 billion from 2004 to 2015. Instead, federal agencies only provided $22 million in funding for research on gun violence during that period – almost 64 times less.

“Democrats, including JEC Vice Chair Carolyn Maloney and members of the House Gun Violence Prevention Task Force, have strongly advocated for federal funding for gun research. Representative Maloney and Senator Edward Markey (D-MA) this year reintroduced legislation to allocate $50 million to the CDC for gun violence prevention research (H.R.674; S.184).

“While to date the legislation has not passed the House or Senate, on June 19 the House approved an appropriations bill (H.R.2740) that would allocate $50 million in funding to the CDC and NIH for gun violence prevention research. The Senate has not taken action on this legislation, nor has it voted on other gun-related bills passed this year in the House, including H.R.8, the Bipartisan Background Checks Act, and H.R.1112, the Enhanced Background Checks Act.

“Researchers, with more grant money, could develop and use enhanced databases and conduct higher quality research that could create a better understanding of the various forms of gun violence. This would help policymakers, nonprofit institutions and individuals develop improved methods to prevent gun deaths and injuries.”

CUOMO AUTHORIZES STOP-ARM CAMERAS ON SCHOOL BUSES: Governor Andrew M. Cuomo signed legislation (S.4524B/A.4950B) on August 6 authorizing school districts to install stop-arm cameras on school buses in order to catch drivers who unlawfully pass a stopped school bus and ensure the safety of New York’s students. This measure was a key component of Governor Cuomo’s Justice Agenda.

“No parent should ever have to worry that their child’s bus ride to and from school is anything other than safe and easy,” Governor Cuomo said. “By signing this measure into law, we are providing school districts the tools they need to hold reckless drivers accountable and advancing New York state’s bold initiatives to keep our schoolchildren safe.”

In New York state, approximately 1.5 million students ride school buses to and from school every year, and in order to protect their safety, it is illegal to pass a stopped school bus. However, Operation Safe Stop in April 2018, a one-day operation in which law enforcement targeted offenders passing a stopped school bus, exposed that hundreds of people ignore this law and over 850 people were ticketed. This amounts to someone passing a stopped school bus over 150,000 times in a 180- day school year, endangering the safety of schoolchildren in every corner of this state. The legislation will hold drivers accountable.

Governor Cuomo said the safety of our children is our highest priority. Earlier this year, Governor Cuomo signed legislation to reinstate the speed camera program in New York City and expand the number of authorized school speed zones from 140 to 750. The bill also expanded the hours of the program to weekdays between 6 am and 10 pm. Additionally, in 2016 Governor Cuomo modernized New York’s school safety laws to increase student safety. The updated laws required school districts to designate a point of contact in case of emergency, increase training requirements for faculty and staff, and update safety drills to include a lockdown event.

WEPRIN’S INSURANCE FRAUD BILL SIGNED BY GOVERNOR CUOMO: Assemblyman David I. Weprin’s bill, A.3985 also known as Alice’s law, which imposes criminal penalties on those who engage in staged accidents for the purposes of insurance fraud, was signed by Governor Cuomo after passing the Assembly and Senate earlier in the year. The legislation makes the staging of an accident to commit insurance fraud a class E Felony, and in cases where serious physical injury or death occurs, a class D felony, punishable by up to seven years in prison. The legislation aims to potentially save New Yorkers billions of dollars in higher insurance premiums and protect innocent victims from harmful injury or death.

Alice’s Law was inspired by 71-year-old Queens grandmother Alice Ross, who was killed in a staged accident in 2003. These staged accidents result in fraudulent insurance claims for fake crash injuries costing companies and their policyholders upwards of $1 billion per year. Furthermore, these activities pose a serious public safety risk especially for women and elderly drivers who are often targeted for these accidents because they are considered by criminals less likely to be confrontational.

“Alice’s Law is named after a constituent of mine, Alice Ross, who was killed in a staged auto accident in an attempt to exploit New York’s nofault insurance law. The signing of this legislation closes loopholes in the insurance law, adds higher penalties for those who stage auto accidents, and rightfully honors the memory of Alice Ross,” said Assemblyman Weprin. “I thank Governor Andrew M. Cuomo for signing this important law and Senator Anna M. Kaplan for carrying this bill in the Senate.”

MOYA CELEBRATES ECUADOR’S 200TH ANNIVERSARY: In honor of Ecuador’s 200th independence anniversary and Heritage Month, NYC Councilman Francisco Moya announced his annual Ecuadorian Heritage Celebration at Sabor Latino will take place on August 15, from 6-10 pm, 95-35 40th Road, in Elmhurst. You can take the 7 train to Junction Blvd. station. If you wish to attend, RSVP via email Jacqueline@Teammoya.com or call 718-651-1917.

Moya attended many Ecuadorian celebrations and included photos in his newsletter. There was the 37th Annual Ecuadorian Heritage Parade and Pre-Parade Breakfast, for which Moya thanked Queens Borough President Melinda Katz, Assembly Member Michael DenDekker, Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr., Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, Congresswoman Grace Meng, and “my Council brother, Costa Constantinides, for joining me today to make Ecuadorian Heritage parade truly special and a celebration for everyone! Special shoutout to my honorary Ecuadorian Assembly Member Michael DenDekker for celebrating the Ecuadorian pre-parade breakfast with me five years running – ¡QUE VIVA ECUADOR!”

Moya also attended National Night Out on Tuesday, August 6. He said, “It was so great to see everyone come together for National Night Out. Thank you to the 115th Precinct, 110th Precinct, NYPD Queens Borough North and all the residents and advocates who work to keep this community safe.”

‘DOZENS OF LIRR STATIONS INACCESSIBLE, IN DISREPAIR’: Spotlighting deteriorating conditions and inaccessibility challenges that inhibit seniors, young children, and people with disabilities at Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) stations in Brooklyn and Queens, New York City Comptroller Scott M. Stringer sent a letter to LIRR President Phil Eng seeking a comprehensive timeline for the agency to meet its commitment to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) upgrades at 18 Queens and 2 Brooklyn stations. The letter also requested a concrete roadmap regarding station rehabilitation plans at Hollis and Hunters Point Avenue; the construction of new stations in Elmhurst and Sunnyside; and the installation of elevators at Murray Hill, Nostrand Avenue, and St. Albans. Stringer’s office has received frequent complaints from local residents and passengers about deteriorating conditions at these stations, including a lack of elevators or ramps, malfunctioning ticket machines, broken platform surfaces, unsanitary conditions, old and faded signage, and excessive litter.

Comptroller Stringer said, “Maintaining and providing equitable access to our public transit system is critical to building a city that works for every New Yorker. The LIRR stations in Queens and Brooklyn should be providing fast, frequent, reliable, and affordable transit to hundreds of thousands of New York City residents living beyond the subway’s reach. Instead, far too many are underutilized, inaccessible, deteriorating, and locked behind an exorbitant pay wall.

“This issue isn’t just about basic maintenance – it’s an issue of fairness. Behind every motionless elevator or deteriorating station there are New Yorkers who can’t travel. There are people who can’t make it to school or the doctor or a job interview. We need to improve mobility and job access throughout the five boroughs, and that means we need to invest in our commuter rail stations, dramatically reduce in-city fares on the LIRR and Metro-North, allow free transfers to the subway and bus, and increase off-peak frequency.”

DOT RETURNS FLUSHING COMMUTER VAN STOP TO ORIGINAL SPOT: The New York City Department of Transportation (NYC DOT) has returned the Downtown Flushing Commuter Van stop to its original location at 41st Avenue and Main Street following the completion of a residential construction project.

In 2017, DOT worked with Councilman Peter Koo and local stakeholders to relocate the station to a temporary stop on Sanford Avenue due to the construction of the One Flushing development,” said NYC DOT Queens Borough Commissioner Nicole Garcia. “We would like to thank Councilman Koo and his office for their assistance in coordinating the relocation with the community.”

“Commuter vans offer a great alternative to the city’s more traditional modes of transportation, and offer competitive prices and convenience in the busy downtown Flushing transportation hub,” said Council man Koo. “Thank you to the DOT for working with our community to make sure this transition period goes smoothly as we relocate the bus stops and coordinate with city agencies and local businesses.”

While the location at Sanford Avenue offered a viable temporary stop, DOT moved the stop back to 41st Avenue on August 5, after the development’s opening. DOT will continue to work with local stakeholders as the new curb space is updated.

STAVISKY, BRAUNSTEIN ANNOUNCE REVISED EAST SEA POLICY: Surrounded by Korean-American groups from throughout New York City, Senator Toby Ann Stavisky and Assemblyman Edward Braunstein announced that the New York State Education Department (NYSED) will update references to the East Sea.

On May 8 of this year, the senator and the assemblyman met with Acting Commissioner Beth Berlin as well as officials of the NYSED. During the meeting the two legislators shared the concerns of the Korean community regarding the matter of the East Sea and the importance of being historically accurate in our textbooks and in our classrooms.

After the initial May meeting, Stavisky and Braunstein worked closely with NYSED to create a policy in which school districts across New York state would encourage and recognize the co-naming of the sea. The new language states, “The NYSED recommends teachers refer to the body of water on the eastern boundary of Asia, between Korea and Japan, as both the East Sea and the Sea of Japan” and “while teaching about this geographical location, school districts should be sensitive and responsive to the historical significance of both names.”

In addition to recognizing both names, the revised policy gives teachers improved detail on the matter, including the period in which Korea was silenced under Japanese rule and current information stating that the International Hydrographic Organization has urged Japan to negotiate with the Republic of Korea.

In 2015, Braunstein and Stavisky reached out to the top publishers who sell to the New York City schools to determine which designation they used. McGraw Hill and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, two of the most popular textbooks used for Social Studies, both noted their commitment to accurately portray the body of water as both the East Sea and Sea of Japan.

Updated Guidance for Sea of Japan/East Sea can be viewed on New York State Education Department’s website: www.nysed.gov/memo/curriculum-instruction/updated-guidance-sea-japan-east-sea

“I applaud the action by the New York State Education Department (NYSED) in updating the recognition of the name, ‘East Sea.’ This demonstrates what can happen when community leaders, elected officials and government agencies work together,” said Senator Stavisky. “I want to thank Acting Commissioner Beth Berlin and NYSED for their understanding and sensitivity on this issue. I would also like to recognize and thank each and every one of the individuals and organizations who join me today for their commitment, determination and patience. My colleague, Assemblyman Edward Braunstein, was relentless in resolving this problem and as a result, we will provide New Yorkers with a more balanced and full picture of the history of East Asia.”

“I want to commend the New York State Education Department for recognizing the importance of educating students about the East Sea. As we prepare our young people to compete in the global economy, it is critical that they are aware that many countries refer to the body of water between Korea and Japan as the East Sea, and that they understand the historical significance of that terminology. I want to thank all of the civic groups and advocates who worked tirelessly to bring attention to this issue. Finally, I want to recognize the work of Senator Toby Ann Stavisky, who was instrumental in bringing about this new policy,” said Assemblyman Edward Braunstein.

HONORED AS CITY & STATE’S QUEENS POWER 100: Numerous elected officials were honored on August 7 as City & State’s Queens Power 100. Among them were NYS Senator Joseph P. Addabbo, Jr., NYC Councilmembers Paul Vallone and Karen Koslowitz, and County Clerk Audrey Pheffer. Councilman Vallone said, “I was honored to be recognized at Wednesday’s City & State NY Queens Power 100 event alongside esteemed company like NYC Council colleague Karen Koslowitz! Congratulations to my fellow honorees!”

—With contributions by Annette Hanze Alberts

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