5.31.17 – Unanswered questions on NY Health Act, Bag Fees, IDC, Trump tax returns

The following questions were sent to Sen. Felder’s office over recent days. As of the time of this posting, no answers had been received. Any responses from Mr. Felder’s office received subsequent to this posting will be added to this blog.

(1) Question on the New York Health Act – On 5.30, Nick Loss-Eton, one of Sen. Felder’s constituents in the 17th district, sent the following email to Sen. Felder’s legislative director, Bryan Best:

Hi Bryan – I’m a middle class freelancer and I support single payer health care for NY State, especially during a time when the ACA (on which I rely) is threatened.

What is Senator Felder’s position? I am disturbed that he declined to do an interview with the Village Voice and is not responsive about his policy positions in the press or with his constituents.

Loss-Eton said he did not receive an answer from the office.

In his email, Loss-Eton referenced an article published in the Village Voice on May 25 concerning Mr. Felder’s approach to the New York Health Act. It included the following:

The Village Voice has been reaching out to Felder, the pivotal vote on the New York Health Act. Where does he stand on the bill? As a member of the senate’s health committee, surely he has an opinion…For two weeks, the Voice called Felder’s office at least a dozen times, and each time his staff insisted they would “get back to us” if we left our number. We decided to drive up I-87 to Albany and find Felder ourselves, to try to get some sort of comment — to find out whether he was undecided, opposed, or in favor. Anything on the record would have been appreciated.

Felder remained mostly on the senate floor on Monday afternoon, speaking with aides while seated on the Republican side of the chamber. Visits to his nearby office ended with “no comment” from his aides, who said they would speak to the senator about our questions. The Voice resumed its vigil of the senate floor, hoping to talk to Felder about his position during a break in the session. Perhaps Felder had been alerted to our presence — when the break came, he quickly left the senate floor and retreated to his office. When we knocked, we were told he was unavailable.

(2) Question re: Felder’s approach to the Independent Democratic Conference (IDC) – In an email, a constituent of Mr. Felder’s summarized the following question she asked his office:

I called Felder’s Albany office on May 24 to ask about his letter to the IDC and what it meant. The staffer who answered said he didn’t really know. I asked if this meant Felder would rejoin the Democratic Party. He didn’t know but said he would pass my comments on to the senator, took my name and number, and said someone would get back to me. Of course, no one has.

The constituent was referencing a May 24 letter (published by The New York Times) that Mr. Felder wrote to Sen. Jeffrey Klein, who leads the IDC.

Mr. Felder’s letter was itself a response to the IDC’s recent call for “all elected Democrats to sign a pledge, become sponsors, and help enact progressive legislation before this legislative session ends.”

Specifically, the IDC called for passage of “the Reproductive Health Act, the DREAM Act, GENDA, protecting Title X funding, public campaign finance, single-payer health care and the Contraceptive Care Act.”

The eight Democratic members of the IDC currently caucus with the Senate Republicans, keeping the Senate under Republican control.

In a related article, the Times reported the following concerning Felder’s letter to Klein:

The call for a breakaway faction of Democrats in the State Senate to abandon its Republican allies and rejoin the party’s fold picked up a surprising supporter on Wednesday: Senator Simcha Felder, a Brooklyn Democrat who also sides with the Republicans.

Mr. Felder sent a letter urging Senator Jeffrey D. Klein, the leader of the faction, the eight-member Independent Democratic Conference, to “unconditionally and publicly rejoin the Democrats.”

The letter, dated Wednesday, was all the more striking because it came from Mr. Felder, who, within days of being elected to the Senate as a Democrat in 2012, declared that he would caucus with the Republicans.

It was unclear whether Mr. Felder’s call for the Independent Democratic Conference to reunite with the mainline Democrats would mean that he, too, would consider leaving the Republican conference. But his letter articulated a frustration with the tactics of the Independent Democratic Conference, which has grown in size and influence in recent months.

In his letter to Klein, Mr. Felder wrote the following:

“Although I am no longer a practicing CPA, it would make more sense for your 25% [of Senate members] to rejoin the rest of the Democrats rather than everyone else join you and support issues you deem a priority. Who are you to decide what the legislative priorities are for loyal Democrats across New York State? While I concur with you that the Democrats must work together to confront challenges ahead for New York, there are many such issues that you have failed to include in your so-called Unity Pledge.”

“I would welcome unity,” Mr. Felder’s letter concluded, “if it effectuates my priority to have the greatest positive impact on my constituents and all New Yorkers.”

(3) Questions re: New York Health Act, Bag Fees, and bill to force release of Trump tax returns – On 5.30, John V. Santore, a constituent of Mr. Felder’s, emailed the following questions to Mr. Felder’s office:

1) Does Mr. Felder have a position on the New York Health Act? If not, what specific information does he want to learn before he takes a position on the bill?

2) Does Mr. Felder have a position on S5572? (text of the bill: https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2017/s5572/amendment/a) If he does not have a position on the legislation, can you explain why?

3) Is Sen. Felder involved in any way with the New York State Plastic Bag Task Force, and if so, what is his involvement with the group? Does he have any comment on the Task Force’s work so far?

A response was not immediately received.

– Posted by John V. Santore

5.30.17 – Information received at Sen. Felder’s district office

On 5.30.17,  John V. Santore, a constituent of Sen. Felder’s, went to Mr. Felder’s district office in Borough Park. While there, he spoke with an office staffer. The following information was received:

(1) Review of legislative actions – When asked for any available documentation reviewing Sen. Felder’s legislative actions during the current Senate session, the staffer provided a copy of Mr. Felder’s most recent mailer, “Felder Focus,” which can be read online here. The mailer, which the staffer said comes out twice per year, summarized some of Mr. Felder’s constituent-oriented activities, as well as a few legislative ones (including his successful opposition to the city’s fee on non-reusable bags). The staffer also said he would check to see if an additional review of Mr. Felder’s legislative activity during the session was available.

(2) Constituent services – The staffer said that questions regarding local constituent issues (i.e., constituent services questions) should be directed to Ellyn Walansky, the director of constituent services (walansky@nysenate.gov) or Judah A. Wohlgelernter, director of special projects (wohlgele@nysenate.gov).

(3) Requests for meetings – The staffer said any requests for meetings with Mr. Felder or his staffers should be directed to Wohlgelernter, as he serves as the office’s scheduler.

(4) Felder’s schedule – As noted before, Mr. Felder’s website has not listed any events so far this year. Asked for a list of Mr. Felder’s upcoming activities, as well as a schedule of his meetings in Albany, the staffer said that Mr. Felder’s personal schedule is not made public. This is done out of deference to those Mr. Felder may be meeting with, the staffer said. For example, if Mr. Felder is going to be attending an event at a school, the school may not want others to attend the event, and therefore the event will not be publicized. Any events that Mr. Felder attends that are open to the public will be publicized, the staffer said.

(5) Other staffers of note – Asked for a list of Mr. Felder’s staffers in Albany and in the district, the staffer offered several names beyond the two mentioned above:

• Legislative questions are handled by Bryan Best, the staffer said (best@nysenate.gov)
• Mr. Felder’s chief of staff is Cirel Neumann (no direct email address provided)
• Scheduling in Albany is handled by Darlene Leder, who can be reached at Mr. Felder’s general email address (felder@nysenate.gov)

– Posted by John V. Santore

5.26.17 – Request made for Sen. Felder’s staff list

On 5.26, John V. Santore, one of Sen. Felder’s constituents, called Sen. Felder’s district office and asked for a list of the names and titles of the staffers working for Mr. Felder. The information is not available on Mr. Felder’s website. In response, a staffer in the district office said he could not share that information.

A call was then placed to Mr. Felder’s Albany office. A staffer there initially said that a list of Mr. Felder’s staffers was “public information” accessible through the state’s comptroller, though she added that she wasn’t familiar with how exactly to obtain it. The staffer also said the office typically does not share lists of all of its staffers.

Upon further questioning, the staffer said that Bryan Best is serving as Mr. Felder’s legislative director and is also handling communications for the office. She subsequently said that she would share information for Mr. Felder’s top staffers via email. The information had not been received by the close of business on 5.26.

– Posted by John V. Santore

5.26.17 – Request made for Sen. Felder’s events schedule and meeting schedule

On 5.26, John V. Santore, one of Sen. Felder’s constituents, sent an email to Sen. Felder’s staff asking to “see his public events schedule, both in Albany and in the district, during the remainder of May, and during the months of June and July.”

As of 5.26, the events page on Mr. Felder’s website had yet to list any events during 2017, as can be seen in the below screen grab from the site:

The email was not immediately responded to, but during a follow-up call, a staffer in Mr. Felder’s district office said that he would share Mr. Felder’s events schedule via email. The email had yet to be received by the close of business on 5.26 (though Mr. Felder’s office closed early that day in recognition of Shabbat).

Separately, Santore’s 5.26 email also asked the following question:

“I’d like to learn what official meetings Mr. Felder has scheduled with advocacy groups, policy organizations, or any other interested parties during May, June and July, both in Albany and in the district. Can you share any available list of such meetings?” A response had not been received by the end of the day on 5.26.

– Posted by John V. Santore

5.25.17 – Constituents ask Sen. Felder to host regular town halls

On 5.25, John V. Santore, one of Sen. Felder’s constituents, sent Sen. Felder’s office an email asking if Mr. Felder would be willing to host regular, public town hall meetings. A response was not immediately received.

Specifically, the email linked to a petition calling on Mr. Felder to hold town halls every other month when the Senate is out of session (starting in June, 2017), and to hold monthly town halls when the Senate is in session. (The full text of the petition is below.)

Additionally, on 5.25, Santore called Mr. Felder’s district office and asked if the Senator had any public meetings planned in the future. A staffer said Mr. Felder did not. A call was also placed to Mr. Felder’s office in Albany, and the same question was asked, but a staffer there said any public meetings would be coordinated by the district office.

As of 5.25, 88 people had signed the petition asking Mr. Felder to host regular town halls, including numerous members of the 17th district. The petition reads as follows:

Dear State Sen. Felder,

We, your constituents in New York State’s 17th Senate District, submit this petition to you in the hope of promoting regular and public discourse concerning your work in Albany and matters of concern to us at home.

(Not sure which State Senator is yours? Find out here: https://www.nysenate.gov/find-my-senator)

As a long-standing New York elected official, and as an established and influential member of the Senate, the stances you take and the legislative initiatives you push have a direct impact on us and on people throughout New York State. For that reason, we respectfully request the following:

We request that you host regular, public town hall meetings within SD17. These town halls would have an agreed upon length and structure, one that would both allow you to speak about your work and explain its impact on your constituents, and permit constituents to raise issues they care about and ask you for responses to questions.

Additionally, recording would be permitted at the town halls, so that their content could be viewed or heard by those not in attendance

We are requesting town halls to take place every two months when the Senate is out of session, and every month when the Senate is in session, for a total of nine meetings per year.

We are requesting the first of these town halls to take place in June, 2017, with subsequent meetings in August, October, and December. Ideally, the June town hall would be a re-cap of the ending Senate session while the December one would be a preview of what you hope to accomplish and expect to happen in the upcoming Senate session Those meetings would be followed by monthly meetings starting in January 2018.

We look forward to discussing this proposal with you as soon as possible, and to starting a new tradition in the 17th that will serve all of its residents.

– Posted by John V. Santore

5.24.17 – American Health Care Act – No position following latest CBO score

As of 5.24, Sen. Felder had yet to take a public position on the American Health Care Act (AHCA), passed this May by the House of Representatives.

According to an analysis of the legislation put out by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) on May 24, the AHCA would increase the number of Americans without health insurance by 23 million by 2026.

Additionally, the CBO found that the legislation would cut $834 billion in Medicaid spending during that period, and that by 2026, 14 million fewer people would be on Medicaid compared with current projections under existing law.

As of 5.24, Sen. Felder had also yet to take a public position on the New York Health Act (A4738). That legislation would, according to its text, create “a comprehensive universal single-payer health care coverage program and a health care cost control system for the benefit of all residents of the state of New York.”

The bill passed the State Assembly in May, and had the support of 30 Democrats in the State Senate as of 5.24.17.

– Posted by John V. Santore

5.23.17 – Felder’s involvement with state’s bag fee task force unclear

On May 19, John V. Santore, one of Sen. Felder’s constituents, sent an email to Sen. Felder’s staff asking the following question:

“Is Sen. Felder involved in any way with the New York State Plastic Bag Task Force, and if so, what is his involvement with the group? Does he have any comment on the Task Force’s work so far?”

A response has yet to be received. This page will be updated if that changes.

Felder was a leader of the Senate’s effort to overturn the city’s new fee on non-reusable plastic and paper bags, passed in 2016. Felder authored legislation outlawing the fee that passed the Senate in 2017. Felder has written about his efforts to stop the bag fee extensively on his blog. For example, as he wrote in a Feb. 8 post:

Sen. Felder has been battling the “bag tax” ever since 2008, when the then-city councilman confronted Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s budget chief at a hearing. Taking out of his pocket a prop of three plastic bags, Felder theatrically aired them out and placed them on his desk, questioning if there was a difference in the 5-cent tax charged for a small bag or a much larger one.

The bag tax failed.

Mr. Felder is now in the state Senate, but his flair for visualizing his political positions has not waned.

Withdrawing a bag of bread and a carton of a dozen eggs from under his desk last week, he quizzed a new mayor citing the environment to nickel New Yorkers for a pound of plastic. Is Mayor Bill de Blasio aware of grocery prices today that he was willing to add more expenses to residents, he asked?

“Government’s job is to protect people, not make their lives harder,” Mr. Felder declared. “Our efforts should be geared towards making it easier for New Yorkers to keep more of their hard-earned money, not nickel and diming them every time they turn around.”

After signing Felder’s legislation into law on Feb. 14, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced the creation of “a statewide task force to develop a uniform State plan for addressing the plastic bag problem.” Cuomo said the group would produce an alternative legislative proposal by the end of 2017.

As of 5.24, Felder’s blog had yet to mention the task force.

– Posted by John V. Santore

5.23.17 – American Health Care Act – No position

On May 19, John V. Santore, one of Sen. Felder’s constituents, sent an email to Sen. Felder’s staff asking if he had “any comment concerning the American Health Care Act passed by Republicans in the House of Representatives.”

“Specifically,” the question continued, “does he have any comment on the impact the legislation will have on his constituents?”

A response had yet to be received as of 5.23.

– Posted by John V. Santore

5.23.17 – Bill to force release of Trump tax returns – No position

As of 5.23.17, Sen. Felder had yet to take a public position on S5572A. The bill would make public the last five years of New York state tax filings submitted by federal officials – including President Donald Trump.

On 5.19, a member of NY State 17th District for Progress sent Sen. Felder’s staffers an email asking if Mr. Felder had a position on the legislation. “If he does not have a stance on the bill,” the email continued, “does he have any comment on why he hasn’t taken a position?” A response had not been received as of 5.23.

As of 5.23, an online petition calling on Felder to support the bill – or explain why he was not supporting it – had collected 58 signatures. The text of the petition is as follows:

Dear State Sen. Felder,

We, your constituents in New York State’s 17th Senate District, request that you co-sponsor the TRUMP Act, S5572A, which was introduced to the State Senate last month. The legislation would require the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance to publish the last five years of state income tax returns filed by the President and Vice President, as well as New York’s senators, governor, lieutenant governor, comptroller and attorney general.

(Not sure which State Senator is yours? Find out here: https://www.nysenate.gov/find-my-senator)

The text of the bill can be read in full here: https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2017/s5572/amendment/a

SS572A was authored by State Senator Brad Hoylman. As he wrote in the legislation to explain why it’s necessary:

“New York State income tax returns contain a wealth of information about elected officials’ financial standing, including salary, dividends, capital gains, rental estate income, and income from other sources. New Yorkers deserve to know whether elected officials representing the state are paying their fair share of taxes or hold potential financial conflicts of interest.”

We agree. We believe that the refusal by President Donald Trump – a New York resident – to release his tax returns does more than simply violate a long-standing norm in national politics. It also represents an ongoing challenge to the integrity of the White House, since Mr. Trump’s decision makes it more difficult for the public to know what, if any, conflicts of interest he has related to his administration’s national and international policies, including tax policy and his dealings with foreign leaders.

Since Mr. Trump is a New York resident, state legislators here have a unique ability to shed valuable light on this issue by passing S5572A. Additionally, analysts believe the legislation would hold up to any court challenges. Perhaps most importantly, this law extends beyond partisan politics. It would apply to Republicans and Democrats alike. And the issue of tax disclosure has nothing to do with parties, and everything to do with ensuring that elected officials are not using their positions of power to benefit themselves financially.

Finally, if you choose not to co-sponsor this legislation, we request you to publicly explain why you have chosen not to do so.

– Posted by John V. Santore

5.23.17 – New York Health Act – No position

As of 5.23.17, Sen. Felder had yet to take a public position on the New York Health Act.

The legislation (A4738) was passed by the State Assembly on May 16th. It was the third time that body has passed the bill in recent years. In the Senate, the legislation (S4840) was referred to the Health Committee on March 3.

– Posted by John V. Santore