4.2.18 – The Forward: “Ultra-Orthodox Rejoice After Lawmaker Forces New York To Relax Yeshiva Rules”

As reported by The Forward on 4.2.18:

Through the extreme efforts of a rogue lawmaker who held the entire state budget hostage, New York’s powerful Hasidic groups may have found a way to derail a movement to force them to improve the secular education they give their children.

A provision forced into New York state’s budget by Simcha Felder, and supported by some of the state’s Hasidic groups, may ease a longstanding requirement in state law that the education at private religious schools be “substantially equivalent” to that offered at public schools. Critics of some Hasidic yeshivas say they shortchange secular subjects, like math and history, to the point that they impair their graduates’ ability to function in society.

The new provision was custom-written for Orthodox yeshivas, and appears to only apply to them. Felder, a state senator, threatened to derail the entire state budget if the provision was not included. Hasidic leaders have greeted it as a major win for their community, though its practical implications remain far from clear. 

“The entire private school community from every religious persuasion, will forever remember [Felder] for protecting their freedoms,” wrote Aron Wieder, a Rockland County legislator and a member of the Belz Hasidic community, on Twitter.

Read the full story here: https://forward.com/news/national/398026/ultra-orthodox-rejoice-after-lawmaker-forces-new-york-to-relax-yeshiva/

— Posted on 4.19, backdated to 4.2

3.30.18 – NY Times: “Brooklyn Senator’s Request Is Blamed for Budget Stall, but Deal Could Be Near”

As reported by the New York Times on 3.30.18:

ALBANY — Just a day before the deadline for a new multibillion-dollar spending plan, negotiations over the final pieces of the New York State budget slowed to a crawl on Friday, as Democrats in the Assembly effectively blamed a Brooklyn senator for holding up talks over a provision that would ease state oversight of religious schools.

The senator, Simcha Felder, is a key player in the fractured Senate, representing the decisive vote in Albany’s 63-seat upper chamber, which is ruled by Republicans. Mr. Felder, a Democrat who has nonetheless declared no party loyalty, caucuses with the Republicans, giving them the majority.

Mr. Felder — an Orthodox Jew who represents a large Orthodox Jewish constituency in Brooklyn — has expressed support in the past for allowing yeshivas leeway in complying with state law, which requires that private schools must offer students instruction that is “at least substantially equivalent” to that offered in public schools.

And while the exact contours of Mr. Felder’s demands are not clear, Carl E. Heastie, the Democratic speaker of the New York State Assembly, suggested on Friday that the budget was “99.9 percent” done and that the remaining issue, touted by Mr. Felder, “should be worked on in partnership with stakeholders and educational experts at the state Education Department, which we would fully support.”

Read the full story here. 

 

— Posted on 4.19, backdated to 3.30

3.19.18 – Brooklyn Daily: “Troubleshooting: Electeds tie faster BQE fix with deploying gun-toting cops in schools”

As reported by the Brooklyn Daily on 3.19.18:

They’re pulling out the big guns for this infrastructure fix.

Some state pols want to fast track work on the deteriorating Brooklyn–Queens Expressway — but only if the city puts armed cops in every school.

Republicans in the state Senate proposed a fiscal plan on March 14 — following Gov. Cuomo’s two budget drafts issued in January and February — that allows the city to use the streamlined design-build process in its job to rebuild a 1.5-mile stretch of the three-tiered expressway between Atlantic Avenue and Sands Street, but inextricably ties the authorization to a provision that would require firearm-carrying officers in public learning houses across the five boroughs…

And days before the upper chamber’s Republicans introduced their budget proposal tieing design-build with more boots on the ground, Brooklyn state Senators Marty Golden (R–Bay Ridge) and Simcha Felder (D–Midwood) — a long-time supporter of armed cops in schools, who sits across the aisle with the Grand Old Party to give it a majority in the Senate — along with a colleague from Staten Island drafted a similar bill authorizing the faster process to fix the expressway on the condition that pistol-packing police are stationed in every city public school…

There are already Police Department–employed school-safety agents stationed at all public schools in Brooklyn and the outer boroughs, but those officers are not armed, according to a police spokesman and a rep for the Department of Education.

Earlier this month, Cuomo expressed his support for allowing design-build in the city-led expressway repair, calling it “essential” to the job after releasing his two budget drafts that did not include authorization for the process.

And now, state legislators will begin negotiations — some behind closed doors — until both houses and the governor agree on a final budget, which Cuomo must sign by April 1.

Felder did not respond to a request for comment by press time.

Read the full story here.

— Posted on 3.25.18 by JVS, backdated to 3.19.18

3.19.18 – City & State: “Could the long-stalled state DREAM Act finally advance this year?”

As reported by City & State on 3.19.18:

As the national debate rages about the DREAM Act, the New York state version is back in the spotlight as well. Gov. Andrew Cuomo has included it as an education priority in his executive budget, and the Assembly has included the bill in its budget resolution as well. Supporters hope this will finally be the year that the bill passes as part of the budget.

The New York DREAM Act was first introduced in the state Legislature in 2013, with state Sen. José Peralta and then-Assemblyman Francisco Moya as the sponsors in each chamber. States don’t have the ability to grant citizenship to undocumented immigrants, as the national version would for those who entered the country illegally as children. The state bill instead would allow college-bound undocumented immigrants to access the same in-state scholarships and financial aid available to U.S. citizens. The bill has passed the Assembly every time it has been brought to the floor, but has been met with harsh opposition by the Republican-controlled state Senate…

The first and only time the DREAM Act came to a vote in the state Senate, the circumstances were similar. Republicans controlled the chamber, but Democrats had a 32-seat majority. The bill failed by two votes. One “no” vote was from state Sen. Ted O’Brien, an upstate Democrat who was voted out of office in 2014. The other was state Sen. Simcha Felder, a Brooklyn Democrat who is still in office and caucuses with the Republicans.

Felder is the wild card in the DREAM Act debate. Without him, the bill likely would fall one vote short of passing despite a unified front by the IDC and mainline Democrats. Peralta said he is in constant conversation with Felder about the DREAM Act in case it doesn’t make it into the budget. But he still remained very hopeful that won’t happen.

“That’s probably going to be the best bet that it actually sort of forces people’s hands to make a decision during this election year,” Peralta said. “And it’s going to be very important, very powerful.”

Read the full story here. 

— Posted on 3.25.18 by JVS, backdated to 3.19.18

3.18.18 – City & State: “Armed school officers could turn the state Senate blue”

As reported by City & State on 3.18.18:

On March 5, three weeks after 17 people were killed in a school shooting in Parkland, Florida, New York state legislators had their standoff. State lawmakers introduced bills in response to the massacre, with Republicans emphasizing school safety measures and Democrats pushing for more gun control. Some of the bills may become law, and others won’t, as legislative leaders and the governor make deals over the coming weeks.

But among the bills, one rises above the others – at least politically – because the fate of the bill to put an armed police officer at the entrance of every New York City school may determine the balance of the state Senate.

“My bill is not about guns in general,” said state Sen. Simcha Felder, the sponsor of Senate Bill 6798A. “My bill is about having a trained, armed security guard or police officer at the entrance of every school. Our children are certainly no less valuable than cash in the Brinks truck.”

Felder pitched his bill as a commonsense action for school safety, and one that’s long overdue. All New York City public schools currently have a uniformed officer, but most are school safety agents, who are not armed. Felder introduced the legislation last session, long before the Parkland shooting reignited debates over school safety. And in fact, it’s been one of Felder’s main legislative concerns for years. Felder has been calling for funding for NYPD officers at private schools as far back as 2009, when he served in the New York City Council.

Felder is in a pivotal position as a registered Democrat who caucuses with the state Senate Republicans. Though the eight-member Independent Democratic Conference now forms a majority coalition with the Republicans and Felder, Democrats are hopeful that they can win over Felder and the IDC to form a liberal majority if Democrats can win the two open Senate seats in Westchester County and the Bronx in the April 24 special elections. The IDC has shown interest inrealigning with the mainline Democrats, which means Felder could be that last, essential piece of the puzzle. And Felder seems to be tying his decision to whether or not his armed school guards bill gets support.

“Somebody asked me on the record, ‘If the governor were to get this done, would I do what he wanted?’ I think I said I’d do acrobatics for him if he got it done,” Felder told City & State.

Read the rest of the story here.

— Posted on 3.25.18 by JVS, backdated to 3.18.18

3.5.18 – Release: Borough Park forum on New York Health Act draws more than 70 attendees

BROOKLYN, NY – On March 4, New York Senate District 17 for Progress (NYSD 17 for Progress) hosted a forum featuring analysis and discussion of the New York Health Act (S4840), with an emphasis on how the legislation could impact the residents of New York State Senate District 17. SD 17 includes Borough Park, Midwood, and parts of Ditmas Park, Kensington, Sunset Park, Mapleton and Sheepshead Bay.  

More than 70 people attended the event. A video recording of the forum can be viewed here: Part 1, and Part 2.

The forum featured:

1) An NYHA presentation by Dr. Oliver Fein, a practicing doctor, and chair of the NY Metro Chapter of Physicians for a National Health Program. Dr. Fein is a Professor of Clinical Medicine and Public Health at the Weill Cornell Medical College, where he is also Co-Director of the David Rogers Health Policy Colloquium. In the past, he served as Vice President of the American Public Health Association.

A Powerpoint presentation Dr. Fein showed during his talk is available here, and a video recording of his presentation is available here. Among its highlights:

• The NYHA would cover every New York State resident, regardless of age, sex, wealth, income, employment status or medical history (slide 46)
• The NYHA would eliminate deductibles and co-pays (slide 46)  
• The NYHA would pay for primary and preventative care, along with dental, vision and hearing care (slide 47)
• The NYHA would be paid for using a graduated payroll premium, meaning those making $50,000 annually would spend six percent of their earnings on insurance, compared to an average of 11 percent under our current healthcare system (slide 49)  

“I believe that healthcare is a human right,” said Dr. Fein, “and it is very difficult to practice in the American healthcare system with the present structure.”

“After seeing Dr. Fein’s presentation, I am more convinced than ever that we need the New York Health Act so that everyone can receive the health coverage that is their right,” said David Goldberg, a Midwood and SD 17 resident, and a founding member of NYSD17 for Progress.

2) Data collected by NYSD17 volunteers was shown at the forum, providing an overview of the state of healthcare coverage, and healthcare needs, in Senate District 17.

A PowerPoint presentation of the data is available here available here. Among its highlights:  

• 26% of Borough Park residents rank their healthcare as “fair” or “poor”
• 47.5% of residents in Community Districts 12 and 14 rely on public health insurance
• 15.3% of residents in SD 17 had no health insurance as of 2014
• An estimated 31,468 residents of SD 17 have no health insurance

3) Also at the forum, personal testimony was offered from SD 17 resident Leah Koenig, a food writer, cookbook author, and mother, and Debbie Herdan, a mother, nurse, midwife and project manager at Maimonides.

Ms. Koenig said she and her husband are thankful for the coverage they and their young son Max receive under the Affordable Care Act, but added that they currently pay $840 per month for insurance, a sum they work hard to afford.

“Last summer, when the Affordable Care Act was threatened, it scared me,” Koenig said. “We could definitely not afford healthcare for our family if we didn’t have the Affordable Care Act or something else. To think that we might be able to have some kind of single-payer option to help keep healthcare affordable for our family is really a wonderful thought, and I hope that our State Senator, Simcha Felder, can hop on board.” (Video of her remarks is available here.)

Ms. Herdan spoke about her son, Ruby, who suffers from Crohn’s Colitis. He currently receives treatments every eight weeks that cost $10,000.

”If his father or I lost our insurance, we would not be able to afford his treatment,” Herdan said. “[Ruby] may require expensive medical treatment for the rest of his life. For my son, and for all chronically ill kids and adults, we need the New York Health Act.” (Video of her remarks is available here.)

The forum’s co-sponsors included:

1. Campaign for New York Health
2. Physicians for a National Health Program (PNHP) – NY Metro Chapter
3. Hitoreri: An Orthodox Movement for Social Change
4. Jews for Racial & Economic Justice (JFREJ)
5. Torah Trumps Hate
6. Ditmas Civic
7. Occupy Kensington
8. Love Trumps Hate Sunset Park Brooklyn (Indivisible)
9. Fight Back Bay Ridge
10. RUSA LGBT – Russian-Speaking American LGBT Association
11. South Brooklyn DSA
12. South Brooklyn Progressive Resistance
13. The Brooklyn ReSisters
14. National Women’s Liberation, New York Chapter
15. Fight Back Bay Ridge
16. OnStack

Background on NYSD 17’s activism on the NYHA

The NYHA would provide single-payer healthcare coverage to all New York residents. It has passed the the New York Assembly during each of the past three years, and has the support of every elected Democrat in the New York State Senate, with the exception of Sen. Simcha Felder, who represents SD 17.

Mr. Felder has yet to publicly discuss his thinking on the bill. On Feb. 15, NYSD 17 led 26 community organizations in calling on Mr. Felder to engage in a public dialogue concerning the NYHA. The groups co-signed a letter to Mr. Felder requesting the discussion, but a response has yet to be received (media coverage of the effort can be found here in Patch and here in Bklyner).

NYSD 17 invited Mr. Felder to attend the March 4 forum, or to send a staffer as a representative, but no one from his office was in attendance.

Background on NYSD 17 for Progress

NYSD 17 for Progress is a grassroots group of individuals who live, work, and attend school within New York State Senate District 17. The group was founded in 2016, and is focused on promoting progressive policies and legislation that will improve the lives of all NYSD 17 residents.

# # #

3.3.18 – Auburn Citizen: “Cuomo OKs bill moving state primary election to Sept. 13”

As reported by the Auburn Citizen on 3.3.18:

Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed legislation Friday moving the state and local primary election to Thursday, Sept. 13.

The bill, which received bipartisan support in the state Legislature, was introduced to change the date of the primary. The election was scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 11.

That date would not only conflict with commemoration of the 9/11 attacks but it falls during Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year.

The legislation was sponsored by Assemblyman Robert Carroll. State Sen. Simcha Felder carried the bill in his chamber.

Read the full story here in the Auburn Citizen.

— Posted on 3.4.18 by JVS, backdated to 3.3.18

3.2.18 – KKP: “Lawmakers Pull Togther To Save Former Orphanage”

As reported by Kings County Politics on 3.2.18:

Six Brooklyn electeds representing differing political ideologies came together this week to write a letter to the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission urging them to save the Angel Guardian Complex in Dyker Heights and grant it landmark status.

Among the signators were the more progressive Public Advocate Letitia James (D) and Councilmembers Carlos Menchaca (D-Sunset Park, Red Hook) and Justin Brannan (D-Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights, Bath Beach, Bensonhurst); moderate Democrat Peter J. Abbate Jr. (Bensonhurst, Sunset Park), Republican State Sen. Martin J. Golden (Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights, Bath Beach, Marine Park, Gerritsen Beach) and State Sen. Simcha Felder (D-Boro Park, Flatbush, Sunset Park, Bensonhurst), a Democrat who caucuses with the Senate Republicans.

Read the full story in Kings County Politics.

— Posted on 3.4.18 by JVS, backdated to 3.2.18

2.28.18 – NY Post: “Senate GOP blocks Dems push for new gun control measures”

As reported by the New York Post on 2.28.18:

Republicans thwarted a Democratic plot to force them into voting on gun control in the state Senate Wednesday — refusing to take a stand on the issue as the Dems’ own scheme blew up in their faces.

The Democrats’ big plan was to take four bills that had been blocked by committees in the GOP-controlled chamber — including a ban on bump stocks and allowing courts to take disturbed people’s weapons away — and attach them as a “hostile amendment” to every measure up for a vote that day.

They’d bragged the plan would strong-arm GOP members into finally voting on the record after the Florida school shooting.

But the Republicans never had to record a yea or nay on the proposals.

When the first bill came up — a measure to allow hunters to put “organ donor” on their licenses — the presiding Republican, Sen. Tom Croci, simply declared that the amendments weren’t “germane” and that Dems lacked the 32 votes needed to overrule him.

“The Republicans in the Senate unanimously turned their backs on the victims of these massacres because they’re unwilling to confront the gun lobby and their supporters in the NRA,” fumed Sen. Michael Gianaris (D-Queens) afterward.

Democrats managed to corral 29 votes in the 63-member chamber — but not Simcha Felder, who frequently votes with the GOP.

Read the full story here.

— Posted on 3.25.18 by JVS, backdated to 2.28.18

2.28.18 – NY Times: “Even After High School Massacre, Albany Demurs on Gun Control”

As reported by the NY Times on 2.28.18:

ALBANY — It was, especially in a restrictive state like New York, a seemingly modest set of gun-control proposals.

Prospective gun buyers would undergo longer background checks; an institute would be formed to study gun violence; courts would be allowed to seize or prohibit the sale of guns to potentially violent individuals; and a ban would be enacted on the possession of bump stocks, which can make a semiautomatic rifle shoot nearly as fast as a fully automatic version.

And yet, the legislative proposals have not been embraced by the Republican-controlled State Senate…

Twenty-nine Democrats, including all eight members of the Independent Democratic Conference, voted to consider the amendments, falling short of the 32 needed for passage. Mr. Gianaris failed to persuade a single Republican to consider the measure; more important, he also failed to lure Simcha Felder, a Brooklyn Democrat, to his side.

Mr. Felder said that he felt the bills were being rushed to the floor in piecemeal fashion.

“I do believe that its better to do something that’s as important as this in a very comprehensive way,” said Mr. Felder, who has sponsored a bill to put armed guards at schools, something he says he wished would have been taken up sooner.

“I think ‘now’ is a very broad term,” he continued, adding, “There’s a balance between doing something expeditiously or doing something immediately that’s not really conclusive, not comprehensive.”

The Independent Democratic Conference and Ms. Stewart-Cousins’ group of mainstream Democrats have tentatively pledged to form a new majority in April, after two special elections to fill seats vacated by Democrats. (That plan still depends on Mr. Felder, who has repeatedly said he is loyal to no party.)

Read the full story here in the NY Times.

— Posted on 3.4.18 by JVS, backdated to 2.28.18