News From Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz

 

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What's Happening in the 81st Assembly District?

Mass Shooting in Uvalde, TX Leaves 21 People Dead, Including 19 Children End of Legislative Session Rapidly Approaching Adult Survivor's Act Passes Assembly Local Update: Use Caution at Blue USPS Mailboxes Albany Update: New Legislation to Create Climate Change Superfund in New York Around the Community: Wave Hill, Van Cortlandt Park, Riverdale Neighborhood House, PS 360, & More Poll of the Week: Gun Violence REMINDER: Virtual Town Hall on June 7 REMINDER: Shred Day in Wakefield on June 4 and Riverdale on June 12 REMINDER: MetroCard Van Services in Woodlawn and Central Riverdale Next on Tuesday, May 31 Updates from Government & Community Partners

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Mass Shooting in Uvalde, TX Leaves 21 People Dead, Including 19 Children

Earlier this week, on May 24, our nation was shaken to the core by another school shooting — this time, in Uvalde, Texas at an elementary school. The gunman murdered at least twenty-one people, including nineteen children and two teachers. It appears that at least seventeen people are also injured, including thirteen children, one teachers, two police officers, and the shooter's grandmother. The gunman was killed by law enforcement. A motive is unknown, although the shooter was an 18-year-old teenager who lived in Uvalde. There have also been some serious issues raised regarding the response to the Uvalde shooting. The Associated Press reports that many parents of children who were involved in the Uvalde school shooting have said that police officers refused to enter the school once they arrived on the scene. Recent reports seem to confirm that it took 78 minutes for law enforcement officers to stop the shooter once he entered the school, and that US Border Patrol agents were prepared to enter at 12:15pm, but local police prevented them from entering until 12:50pm. According to the Texas Department of Public Safety, local law enforcement believed that everybody inside was already dead — despite numerous 911 calls from students who were still inside. It is also unclear whether or to what extent an armed school security officer engaged with the shooter before the shooter entered the school. If these reports about the slow police response are true, then there needs to be a serious investigation and consequence for this failure. This tragedy comes a mere ten days after ten people were murdered in another mass shooting in Buffalo. Although many of these incidents did not make national headlines, there were fifteen mass shooting events between the Buffalo and the Uvalde mass murders (according to the Gun Violence Archive), resulting in the deaths of twelve people and injuries to sixty-nine more people. These other mass shootings occurred in Ohio, South Carolina, Indiana, Washington, Florida, California, Louisiana, Illinois, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and Texas. This is a national problem, and it is absolutely repugnant that so many people continue to refuse to even acknowledge that we have a dire need for common sense gun reforms. Standardized background checks, waiting periods, and safety trainings are common sense and should not be even remotely controversial. Nationwide red flag laws, assault weapon restrictions, and other proposals are also good ideas. We cannot allow NRA-backers in Congress to continue to put our kids' lives, and our own lives, in jeopardy. Voters across the nation will have an opportunity to make their opinions known in November of this year.

End of Legislative Session Rapidly Approaching

There are three scheduled days left in the legislative session this year, and as usual there is a huge list of very important issues that are still left to be done. I am confident that we will get a lot done in coming days, and I know that many key issues have had extensive conversations among stakeholders to work out any concerns regarding the legislation. Here are a few of the issues that I feel strongly should get done this year, in no particular order: • Gun Violence Legislation: There are several outstanding measures that I believe could be implemented in order to help reduce the dangers of gun violence in New York. There is a bill to require microstamping of ammunition, which would help investigators identify the people responsible for shooting someone after a crime occurs. Governor Hochul has proposed, and I strongly agree, that we should raise the required age to purchase certain types of very dangerous weapons (like the AR15) from 18 to 21. We also may need to return this summer depending on a Supreme Court decision regarding New York's concealed carry laws. • Protecting Abortion Access: Over the past several weeks, my colleagues and I have been working hard to formulate a constitutional amendment which would enshrine equal rights in our state constitution. This legislation, once passed by two consecutive legislatures and ratified by statewide popular vote, would add language to the state constitution that prohibits the denial of equal rights based on race, color, ethnicity, national origin, disability, or sex - notably including pregnancy and pregnancy outcomes. We have also been discussing legislation to help protect abortion providers from lawsuits that arise from other states, to help people pay for abortions, and other important protections to ensure that New York remains a state where women can choose whether or not to have an abortion. • New York Health Act: This has long been one of my top priorities, and I am hopeful that we will pass it once more in the Assembly. This legislation would create a universal healthcare system which is paid for by essentially the money that employers are already paying towards employee healthcare. It would also require that workers who receive healthcare benefits as part of a collective bargaining agreement get compensation for the trade-offs that they made in lieu of salary or wage increases. • Good Cause Eviction: Throughout the pandemic, my top focus was working to pass laws (and several extensions of said laws) to prevent people from being evicted from their homes. Good Cause Eviction takes the next step to give every New Yorker the opportunity to stay in their homes - including protections against extreme rent increases or refusals to offer lease renewals. There would be exceptions for small, owner-occupied properties as well as in cases where the tenant is damaging property or disturbing neighbors. • Sexual Assault Reform: There are several bill in the Assembly that would help prosecutors win convictions against rapists. One of these bills is my own legislation, which would prohibit defendants from using the voluntary intoxication of a sexual assault survivor as part of their criminal defense. Another bill would redefine consent in our penal code, creating an affirmative consent standard as opposed to the current standard which requires that a sexual assault survivor actively say no. A third bill would establish better standards for rape kit testing, so that rape kits are not sitting in a warehouse somewhere instead of being used to catch and prosecute rapists. Additionally, the "Rape is Rape" bill passed the Assembly but is awaiting action in the State Senate. • Speed Camera Expansion: The speed camera program in New York City is a vitally important program which helps keep New Yorkers safe against dangerous driving. The data is clear that more incidents of dangerous driving occur when speed cameras are not active. We need to expand speed camera active hours to 24/7, and we should ultimately take steps to allow New York City to set its own rules about how many speed cameras should be installed and how they operate. • Build Public Renewables Act: We absolutely need to take major steps this year to combat climate change, and the Build Public Renewables Act is low-hanging fruit that I believe should get done without further delay. This legislation would eliminate a cap on how much renewable energy the New York Power Authority (NYPA) can generate, and would empower NYPA to be more proactive about developing future renewable energy projects.

Adult Survivors Act Passes Assembly

This week, I proudly co-sponsored and voted to support the Adult Survivors Act. This legislation is very similar to the Child Victims Act, and would create a window for people who were sexually assaulted as adults to file civil lawsuits against the person who assaulted them. This is a very important piece of legislation to help survivors of sexual assault and abuse seek the justice that they deserve. For many people, it can be difficult to process what happened immediately after a sexual assault or during a period of abuse. The statute of limitations for these types of lawsuits is restrictive, and I believe it is not consistent with what modern science suggests is a reasonable timeline for survivors to process their experience and trauma. I want to specifically commend my colleague, Assemblywoman Linda Rosenthal, as well as State Senator Brad Hoylman, for never giving up on this legislation. As the lead sponsors, they knew it would be a tough fight and they deserve kudos from all New Yorkers for getting this to the finish line for the Governor to sign into law. I also want to recognize the efforts from advocates, such as Safe Horizon, as well as Speaker Heastie for their support on this legislation as well. Justice delayed is justice denied, and justice has been delayed and denied for far too long.

Local Update: Use Caution at Blue USPS Mailboxes

My office has received several recent reports about a continuing problem that there is sticky residue on some mailboxes throughout our community. We contacted the 50th Precinct and the United States Postal Inspection Service about these reports, and they are actively investigating them. Please be aware that this residue is likely caused by mailbox fishing, which is when criminals steal mail from the box, often looking for checks that they can wash and rewrite to their own names. If you see a mailbox with sticky residue on it, please avoid using it. Additionally, please try to avoid sending checks or other sensitive materials using these mailboxes. If you must use one, please try to avoid dropping your mail in after the last collection of the day (posted on each box).

Albany Update: New Legislation to Create Climate Change Superfund in New York

This week, I introduced new legislation which would create a $30 billion fund to help pay for climate adaptive infrastructure, such as sea walls or other projects that are necessary in order to combat the anticipated impacts of climate change. This program is modeled after the Superfund program, which was created in the 90s in order to force toxic polluters to pay for the cleanup required from their operations. You can read more about this legislation in my recent news release here. On Thursday, we had a virtual press conference to announce the bill. The State Senate lead sponsor, Liz Krueger, and I hosted the press conference and we were joined by Blair Horner from New York Public Interest Research Group (NYPIRG), Peter M. Iwanowicz from Environmental Advocates NY, Lee Wasserman of the Rockefeller Family Fund, and Rachel Rothschild of the Institute for Policy Integrity at NYU School of Law. In summary, this legislation is common sense. The fossil fuel industry spent decades knowingly ignoring climate science, with full awareness of the damage that their product was causing to our climate. It's time that they paid for the damage that they've done. We all learned in grade school: if you make a mess, you clean it up. It's time we hold fossil fuel companies accountable for the mess that they created. Pictured above at a virtual press conference to announce the new Climate Change Superfund Act.

Around the Community: Wave Hill, Van Cortlandt Park, Riverdale Neighborhood House, PS 360, & More

I attended the annual gala for Wave Hill along with Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson and Council Member Eric Dinowitz. Wave Hill is an astounding place to visit if you have not been already, and admission is free on Thursdays!

I attended the Spring Fete for the Van Cortlandt Park Alliance. It was wonderful to see our new Parks Commissioner Sue Donaghue as well as our beloved former Bronx Borough Commissioner (and now First Deputy NYC Commissioner) for Parks Iris Rodriguez-Rosa. I proudly shared proclamations with the two honorees for the evening, Sonia Manzano (of Sesame Street and Alma's Way) and Iris Rodriguez-Rosa. These two women have done an incredible job at promoting the Bronx and making the Bronx a great place for young people to grow up.

I was proud to present a set of proclamations at Riverdale Neighborhood Houses' 2022 Community Day Awards Ceremony. Congratulations to Good Neighbor Jen Laurie and Teen of the Year Olukanyinsola "Esther" Olojede!

I was pleased to meet with Principal Rivera at PS 360, located in Kingsbridge Heights and tour her wonderful school. It is always great to have a collaborative relationship with our schools, and I'm already working to convince DOT to install a second speed bump outside the school on Kingsbridge Terrace.

It was my privilege to speak with the Social Action Committee at Riverdale Senior Services. We talked about the need to get the traffic signal at Kappock Street and Johnson Avenue installed more quickly, and their opposition to the proposed "road diet" on northern Riverdale Avenue, and other important topics.

Poll of the Week: Gun Violence

The poll last time asked "Do you believe working from home should continue to be encouraged?" We had over 80 responses, and the results are below: Yes: 59% No: 23% Unsure: 18%

This week's poll is about your thoughts on gun violence. We have seen several mass shootings in recent weeks, including in Buffalo as well as at an elementary school in Uvalde, and there is once again a national conversation about how we should prevent gun violence. In New York, we already have very strong laws to combat gun violence, but there are still things that could be done to keep people safe.

Do you believe New York should take additional action to restrict access to firearms? Yes. Select EDITOR' NOTE: It should be noted that Assemblyman Dinowitz sent this poll out with only the Yes select button.