Saturday, June 19, 2010

Croton Filtration Monitoring Committee Meeting June 17th

   Mr. Damian McShane chair of Community Board #8 and chair of the CFMC opened the meeting by saying that the chairs of CB7 and CB12 would not be in attendance. Mr. McShane also said that there would be no July meeting of the CFMC. In the construction update from DEP it was said that two miles of trolley tracks were found and would have to be removed from the Webster Avenue corridor before the force main from the water filtration plant to the waste water plant in Hunts Point could be built. Work on the main will start in Hunts Point and work up the local streets to the main corridor of Webster Avenue (from E.170th Street to E.204th Street) ending up on Bainbridge Avenue to the filtration plant.
   The discussion then moved to jobs where DEP Assistant Commissioner Mark Lanaghan said there is 1054 workers on site with 203 from the Bronx for 19 percent of the workforce. Councilman G. Oliver Koppell voiced his displeasure with such a low local percentage, and added that DEP had promised more Bronx jobs then they have provided. Mr. Lanaghan then announced that DEP would have 56 DEP employees running the water filtration plant, and that Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. and BOEDC are working with DEP to get more Bronxites hired.
   There was some concern about fire house closings, as the closest fire house to the filtration plant is two blocks past White Plains Road on E.233rd Street. Councilman Koppell voiced concern  that Mayor Bloombergs closing of fire houses would not be known until the city budget is done by the end of June.
   The next CFMC meeting will be held on Thursday August 17th at the DEP community office on Jerome Avenue at 7PM.

Monday, June 14, 2010

Why I Refuse to Budge by New York State Senator Reverend Ruben Diaz

 Here is the statement in its entirety, from Senator Ruben Diaz Sr.

For some reason, my refusal to go along with budget extenders that include budget cuts is causing unusual concern about my responsibilities as a Democrat. As a Democrat, I am opposed to these deep cuts that will disproportionately impact the lives of my constituents and the lives of less fortunate New Yorkers.

I need to set the record straight about why I will not budge and why I will not vote for another budget extender that includes tax cuts. (I will vote for a budget extended that does not include tax cuts.) I want New Yorkers to know about the three solid legislative initiatives I support that would help balance the budget and fill the gaps. None of these proposed bills will hurt the needy, and all of them will help New York State.

1) Pass Senate Bill 1645 to create a New York State prescription medication cost containment program. This bill would allow institutions throughout New York State to make bulk purchases of prescription drugs from Canada for our seniors. Schenectady County serves as a model for this type of innovative program. In their first five years utilizing the Canadian drug program, Schenectady County’s savings in prescription drug costs have exceeded $9.4 million. This innovative program needs to be enacted throughout the State.

2) Pass Senate Bill S774 to force credit card companies to send taxes they have already collected directly to New York State instead of to the merchants. Presently, when people in New York make credit card purchases, the credit card companies send the collected taxes back to the merchants, instead of sending the money directly to the State. These merchants are then supposed to send these sales taxes to the State. For various reasons, many businesses only send an estimate or portion, others send nothing at all, and others declare bankruptcy - - as a result, New York State’s budget loses $500 - $600 million of tax revenue already … collected by credit card companies and owed to the State.

3) Enact legislation to collect taxes from cigarettes generated by American Indians sales to non-Native Americans. In the fiscal year 2008-2009, 40 million cartons of cigarettes sold by Native American were sold untaxed, translating to a loss of as much as $1.6 billion to New York State.

While much attention has been given to the push and shove match in Albany this year about our State’s budget, overlooked are fiscally responsible proposals I have made and continue to support that could save New Yorkers billions – yes, BILLIONS – of dollars to help fill these budget gaps.

There is no excuse that these three pieces of legislation remain in limbo. If and when they are enacted into law, weekly budget extenders will no longer be necessary. No matter what happens in Albany on Monday, I remain committed to representing my constituents and to defending against cuts to the poor and the needy.