HHS, NYC ELECTED OFFICIALS, SAMARITAN DAYTOP VILLAGE, AND THOSE IMPACTED BY THE OVERDOSE CRISIS, COMMEMORATE INTERNATIONAL OVERDOSE AWARENESS DAY 2023

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), New York City elected officials, Samaritan Daytop Village (SDV), and those impacted by the overdose crisis in the United States, today marked International Overdose Awareness Day with a special event that honored those who have been lost to overdoses, and celebrated those who live in recovery.

The commemoration was held at SDV’s Richard Pruss Wellness Center in The Bronx, a state-of-the-art facility that provides a holistic approach to care for clients with behavioral health needs including substance use programs, peer-based recovery services, and primary medical care. Participants highlighted the ongoing global campaign to end overdose, remember without stigma those who have died from overdose, and acknowledge the grief of those that loved them.

“The opioid and overdose crisis is sweeping the nation and the world, and we must continue to do all we can to continue to save lives, and bring much needed healthcare, support and resources to those impacted. There is healing and hope, as we at SDV prove it daily here at the Richard Pruss Wellness Center, and the multiple facilities in our network,” said Mitchell Netburn, President & CEO of Samaritan Daytop Village, one of the largest not-for-profit human services agencies in New York, with more than 60 locations across NYC and beyond.  

Netburn welcomed the speakers, which included HHS Regional Director Dr. Dara Kass, NY State Senators Natalia Fernandez and Luis Sepulveda, NYC, and Deputy Bronx Borough President Janet Peguero. Dominic Dupont, nephew of the late actor Michael K. Williams, who was a Daytop Village client and died of an overdose in 2021 at age 54, presented keynote remarks. Other individuals who have lived through the opioid crisis, and survived overdose shared their testimony.

U.S. Rep. Ritchie Torres, who represents New York’s 15th Congressional District, said: “According to the CDC, nearly 110,000 people died from drug overdoses in the United States last year. These tragedies not only impact families but also health systems, caregivers and families, and entire communities. International Overdose Awareness Day is a time to come together to remember those we’ve lost, raise awareness about the need for more resources to support those struggling with mental health and addiction, and to recognize all the organizations and providers on the front lines working to end this epidemic.” 

Dr. Dara Kass, HHS Regional Director, said: “Addressing the overdose crisis is a top priority at HHS, and our Overdose Prevention Strategy focuses on primary prevention, harm reduction, evidence-based treatment, and recovery support, but we could not move the needle without our partners on the ground like Samaritan Daytop Village.” 

NY State Senator Natalia Fernandez, who represents the 34th District and is the chairperson of the State Senate’s Alcoholism and Substance Use Disorders Committee, said: “Overdose Awareness Day aims to help combat the stigma that surrounds drug-related deaths and acknowledge the grief felt by those who have lost someone as the result of an overdose. But we cannot simply stop at awareness. We must mobilize the necessary resources to combat this epidemic. We need increased funding to support initiatives aimed at preventing overdoses, expanding treatment options, and providing support to individuals and families affected by addiction. Investment in research, treatment programs, and community-based organizations is crucial for our success.” 

 

NY State Senator Luis Sepúlveda, who represents The Bronx’s 32nd District, said: "Awareness is always the first step toward finding effective solutions to a crisis. We need everyone to clearly understand that the overdose crisis in the country, and worldwide, is real and serious, and it is rampantly causing death and suffering. Today, we honor the memory of those who have died, and we rally behind the survivors and their families, and the dedicated health, recovery, and intervention organizations that are making a difference. We will continue to make sure that funding, and much needed resources to alleviate and end the opioids and overdose crisis, remain a top priority at all levels."  

Dominic Dupont emphasized: “My uncle was an amazing human being. Upon his shocking passing, I felt the responsibility of speaking about the dangers of opioids and overdose, so that no one, nor you or someone you love, have to untimely die like him, and no other family has to experience the irreparable loss that we have.” 

Williams, noted for his work on the HBO television drama The Wire, among other projects, died on September 6, 2021, in an accidental overdose caused by cocaine and heroin that had been laced with fentanyl. Four men were later arrested, and charged with knowingly distributing the lethal substance, and selling it to the unsuspecting actor.

HHS and SDV, with other local agencies, have partnered to provide information to the community about the current efforts to combat the opioid and overdose epidemic, as well as the locally available resources for those in need and their families.  

ABOUT HHS:

The mission of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is to enhance the health and well-being of all Americans, by providing for effective health and human services and by fostering sound, sustained advances in the sciences underlying medicine, public health, and social services.

ABOUT SDV:

About Samaritan Daytop Village: What began as one community’s compassionate effort to reach struggling youth, Samaritan Daytop Village has evolved into a comprehensive human services agency with more than 60 locations across NYC and beyond. Samaritan Daytop Village offers a rich array of programs including treatment for substance use, health and mental health services, supportive housing and shelters, peer recovery services, and specialized programs for veterans, adolescents, seniors and families. 

NYSLRS Announces Employer Contribution Rates for 2024-25

 

New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli today announced employer contribution rates for the New York State and Local Retirement System (NYSLRS) for State Fiscal Year (SFY) 2024-25. Employers’ average contribution rates will increase from 13.1% to 15.2% of payroll for the Employees’ Retirement System (ERS) and from 27.8% to 31.2% of payroll for the Police and Fire Retirement System (PFRS).

NYSLRS is made up of these two systems, which pay retirement and disability benefits to state and local public employees and death benefits to their survivors. There are more than 3,000 participating employers in ERS and PFRS, and more than 300 different retirement plan combinations. Last fiscal year, $15.5 billion were paid out in benefits.

“Our state’s pension fund remains one of the strongest pension funds in the nation, and the rates announced today will help ensure that public workers and their families can rely upon the retirement benefits promised to them,” DiNapoli said.

DiNapoli also announced that NYSLRS had a funded ratio of 90.3% as of March 31, 2023. NYSLRS is consistently ranked among the nation’s best funded retirement systems. A high funding ratio means NYSLRS has the funds available to pay out retirement benefits to its more than 1.2 million members, which includes nearly 700,000 current and former state and local government employees and more than 500,000 retirees and their beneficiaries.

Employer rates for NYSLRS are determined based on investment performance and actuarial assumptions recommended by NYSLRS’s actuary, who is required to review the actuarial assumptions and issue an annual report. The recommendations are reviewed by the independent Actuarial Advisory Committee and approved by DiNapoli. In addition to investment performance, other factors that impacted rates included inflation and higher salaries.

In 2012, DiNapoli began providing employers with access to a two-year projection of their annual pension bill. Employers can use this projection in the preparation of their budgets. Projections of required contributions vary by employer depending on factors such as the types of retirement benefit plans adopted, salaries paid, and the distribution of employees among the six membership tiers.

The New York State Common Retirement Fund’s long-term assumed rate of return will remain at 5.9%. DiNapoli has been a leader in the trend of public pension funds lowering their assumed rates of return to better enable New York to weather volatile markets. The investment return assumption median for public pension funds was 7% in July 2023, according to the National Association of State Retirement Systems. The Kentucky Employees Retirement System was the only state with an assumed rate of return lower than New York state.

Report

Annual Report to the Comptroller on Actuarial Assumptions

NYGOP - CHAIR ED COX: HOCHUL’S BACKWARDS PRIORITIES ON IMMIGRATION CRISIS

 

NYGOP Chair calls for ending "right to shelter," special session for legislature to address ongoing crisis

Kathy Hochul met in Washington yesterday with the Biden Administration regarding New York’s ongoing migrant crisis. In a statement released after the meeting, Kathy Hochul stated that “securing expedited work authorization for asylum seekers and migrants has been and remains my top priority.”

 

NYGOP Chair Ed Cox released the following statement today in response:

 

“Kathy Hochul’s priorities are backwards. She should be in court demanding an end to the 1981 legal settlement that created an automatic ‘right to shelter.’ That agreement never contemplated forcing New York taxpayers to guarantee housing for illegal immigrants and asylum seekers from across the globe. She should also call the legislature back into session to explicitly bar taxpayer funds from supporting that 1981 agreement, while also prohibiting localities from adopting so-called ‘sanctuary city’ status.

 

“Hochul and New York Democrats have explicit policies that encourage migrants to come to our state at taxpayer expense. Enough already!”

 

“Since taking office, the Biden Administration has foolishly encouraged illegal immigration into the U.S. While Hochul and Biden keep fiddling, the problem only gets worse.”

Georgia Owner of Long-Term Care Facilities Pleads Guilty to Attempting to Obstruct IRS

 

Defendant Caused Tax Loss in Excess of $9.5 million

A Georgia man pleaded guilty today to seeking to obstruct the IRS in its efforts to collect employment taxes and related penalties.

According to court documents and statements made in court, from at least 2003, Douglas K. Mittleider of Adairsville, Georgia, operated long-term care facilities throughout the United States and was responsible for paying to the IRS the federal income and Social Security and Medicare taxes withheld from employees’ wages. In June 2004, the IRS assessed against him personally the employment taxes Mittleider had not paid – also known as the Trust Fund Recovery Penalty. Beginning in at least November 2011, Mittleider took multiple steps to conceal business funds and impede the IRS’s ability to collect his outstanding tax liability. Among other things, Mittleider directed the commingling of funds among businesses he controlled and used funds for purposes other than to pay the IRS. Mittleider also caused the creation of new operating companies and bank accounts to make it more difficult for the IRS to locate assets and levy accounts. In total, Mittleider’s conduct caused a tax loss to the IRS of more than $9.5 million.

Mittleider is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 4. He faces a maximum penalty of three years in prison, a term of supervised release, monetary penalties, and restitution. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division made the announcement.

IRS-Criminal Investigation is investigating the case.

Statement from Governor Kathy Hochul on Asylum Seekers

 

"I met, for more than two hours, with senior members of the Biden Administration in the West Wing of the White House for a frank and productive conversation about how the federal government can, and must, provide additional support to the people of New York as we work to address the ongoing influx of asylum seekers and migrants. We focused on a number of immediate and tangible actions, including several that would allow more individuals to work legally in the United States, as well as long-term actions to end this crisis. 

“As New Yorkers know, securing expedited work authorization for asylum seekers and migrants has been and remains my top priority. It is the only way to help asylum seekers become self-sustaining, so they can move into permanent housing. I am especially pleased that the federal government has agreed to provide personnel, data, and resources to identify the thousands of individuals in New York who are already eligible, but have not yet applied, for work authorization. 

“This is a critical first step but make no mistake: it is not enough to fully address this crisis or provide the level of support that New Yorkers need and deserve. That is why in the days ahead I will continue working to secure expedited work authorization for even more individuals, expanded financial support for New York, and long-overdue immigration reforms. I am grateful to the White House for agreeing to continue these productive discussions and strengthening the partnership at all levels of government to respond to this crisis.”

Permits Filed For 307 Bruckner Boulevard In Port Morris, The Bronx

 

Permits have been filed for a two-story warehouse at 307 Bruckner Boulevard in Port Morris, The Bronx. Located between East 140th Street and East 141st Street, the lot is two blocks north of the Cypress Avenue subway station, serviced by the 6 train. Caleb Ahles of Sterling Organization is listed as the owner behind the applications.

The proposed 59-foot-tall development will yield 98,612 square feet designated for commercial space. The steel-based structure will have 26 enclosed parking spaces and four loading berths.

Robert Budetti, Jr. of Architects Orange is listed as the architect of record.

Demolition permits were filed earlier this month. An estimated completion date has not been announced.

Maryland Man Pleads Guilty to Issuing Threats of Violence to an LGBTQI+ Advocacy Group

 

A Maryland man pleaded guilty in a U.S. District Court in Baltimore to a federal crime for using a telephone to threaten a group that advocates for LGBTQI+ people. 

According to court documents, on the evening of March 28, the victim organization received a threatening voicemail from Adam Michael Nettina, 34, of West Friendship. The message referenced a mass shooting that had happened the day before at a school in Nashville, Tennessee, involving multiple shooting fatalities, where the perpetrator was a transgender woman. During the call to the advocacy organization on March 28, Nettina made multiple threats, including, “…We’ll cut your throats. We’ll put a bullet in your head….You’re going to kill us?  We’re going to kill you ten times more in full.” 

Nettina admitted to leaving the threatening voicemail and to targeting his victims because of their actual and perceived gender, gender identity and sexual orientation.

“Bias-motivated threats of violence terrorize entire communities and have no place in our society,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “We will not stand by idly when the LGBTQI+ community faces bias-motivated threats of violence. The Justice Department will continue to investigate and prosecute individuals who commit unlawful acts of hate in our country.”

According to court documents, Nettina also admitted to sending messages to state delegates in two prior incidents. On Oct. 15, 2022, Nettina emailed a Virginia state delegate who had advocated, in an interview published two days earlier, for the prevention of abuse towards transgender children. Nettina wrote, in part, “You are a terrorist. You deserve to be shot and hung in the streets. You want to come after people? Let’s go bitch.” On Nov. 8, 2022, Nettina sent Facebook messages to a Maryland state delegate who had previously posted his support for the transgender community. Nettina wrote, in part, “Better watch out[.] Baby killing terrorist. Enjoy hell[.] You’re going sooner than you think.” 

“You have the right to your own opinions, but you don’t have the right to threaten the lives of those who disagree with you,” said U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron for the District of Maryland. “We’ll continue prosecuting these threats to the fullest extent of the law.”

“The defendant in this case attempted to terrorize the LGBTQI+ community by calling in multiple threats of violence to a local advocacy group,” said Assistant Director Luis Quesada of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division. “The FBI will not tolerate these acts of hate, and we remain committed to investigating civil rights violations and keeping our communities safe and free from fear.”

Nettina faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison for interstate communications with a threat to injure. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The FBI Baltimore Field Office investigated the case.

As Long-Range Impacts of Hurricane Franklin Reach New York, Governor Hochul Directs State Parks to Suspend Swimming on Long Island Ocean Beaches Facing Dangerous Conditions

 

Beaches at Robert Moses, Hither Hills and Jones Beach State Parks Experiencing Flooding and Rough Surf Conditions

New Yorkers Encouraged to Sign Up for Real-Time Emergency Alerts via NY-Alert to Receive Real-Time Weather and Emergency Alerts During Hurricane Season

 Governor Kathy Hochul today directed State Parks to suspend swimming at Long Island ocean beaches due to flooding and rough surf conditions resulting from Hurricane Franklin.

“As peak hurricane season approaches, the safety of all New Yorkers remains my top priority,” Governor Hochul said. “With tropical storms and hurricanes affecting our beaches on Long Island, we are taking proactive steps to protect New Yorkers, and I urge everyone to remain vigilant.”

The restrictions are expected to be in place at Robert Moses, Hither Hills and Jones Beach State Parks as long as adverse conditions persist. All three ocean beaches experienced significant water levels today, including flooding at the Jones Beach beachfront and unpassable areas at Robert Moses and Hither Hills.

These three State Parks posted red flags on the beachfront to warn visitors that swimming is prohibited. Lifeguards remain on duty to prevent anyone from entering the water. Swimming remains available at Sunken Meadow and Wildwood State Parks on Long Island Sound, which are not experiencing dangerous impacts from the storm. The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation will continue monitoring conditions across state parks

New York State Parks Commissioner Erik Kulleseid said, “Even if they are far away, hurricanes and tropical storms are powerful events that cause dangerous and unpredictable conditions at our swimming beaches. We urge all park visitors to take these events seriously and follow all direction of our lifeguards and park staff.”

While the Atlantic hurricane season began in June, the threat of tropical storms impacting New York state is traditionally highest in the months of September and October. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) recently increased its prediction for the 2023 Atlantic hurricane season, shifting from a “near-normal” level of activity to an “above-normal” level of activity. As of August, NOAA forecasters predicted a total of 14-21 named storms during the 2023 Atlantic hurricane season.