Join Assemblymember Zaccaro, Jr. for a Free Rain Barrel Giveaway

 

Friends, 

It’s rain barrel season and that means our office will be distributing FREE rain barrels by RESERVATION ONLY.  A rain barrel saves you money on your water bill and is eco-friendly and sustainable.

 

The giveaway will take place on May 31, 2024 starting at 11am at our community office at 2018 Williamsbridge Road. To reserve your rain barrel, click this link or follow the information on the flyer below.

 

Hope to see you on May 31st. 

 

With Gratitude, 

 

John Zaccaro, Jr. 

New York State Assembly 

Plumbers Recruit Apprentices

 

The Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee (JATC) for Plumbers Local Union #1 will conduct a recruitment from June 10, 2024 through June 24, 2024 for 50 Plumber apprentices, the New York State Department of Labor announced today.

Applications must be obtained in person by the applicant at the JATC for Plumbers Local Union #1 Training Center, 37-11 47th Avenue, Long Island City, NY 11101, from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding Saturdays and Sundays, during the recruitment period. This is a limited-application recruitment. Only 1,000 applications will be distributed, on a first-come, first-serve basis. The recruitment will be offered for the period mentioned above or until 1,000 applications have been issued, whichever comes first.

All applicants are required to bring a form of positive proof of identification. Only one (1) application per person will be issued until the supply of 1,000 is exhausted.

Applications must be completed and returned by hand (not by mail) to the JATC for Plumbers Local Union #1 Training Center, 37-11 47th Avenue, Long Island City, NY 11101 from Friday July 19, 2024 through Thursday, July 25, 2024, excluding Saturdays and Sundays, 9:00 A.M. to 12:30 P.M. and 1:30 P.M. to 3:00 P.M. Upon return, the application must be fully completed and submitted with all relevant related documentation. A receipt will be issued to the person who returns the completed/sealed application. All applications must be received by no later than Thursday, July 25, 2024.

There is a $25.00 application fee to cover recruitment costs and $25.00 testing fees to cover aptitude test cost. Applicants must submit a $50.00 Money Order (no cash or checks will be accepted) with the application. Applicants may request that this fee be waived. Fee waivers will be approved upon showing verifiable proof of financial need. Monies collected will not exceed the specific costs of conducting the recruitment, and the sponsor will maintain records of all recruitment specific expenses. Additionally, any testing fees and permitted application fees charged to an applicant may not result in any profit to the sponsor.

The Committee requires that applicants:

• Must be at least 18 years old at the time of entry into the apprenticeship program.
• Must submit a diploma from an accredited high school reflecting a minimum of four calendar years of high school work in an accredited school system with transcript.
• In lieu of a four-year High School Diploma, the Committee will accept applicants who hold a High School Equivalency (HSE) Diploma issued by the State Department of Education of the state in which the test was taken, with a transcript confirming GED or TASC scores. International students must submit a state issued High School Equivalency (HSE) issued by the state department of education in the state in which the test was taken, with transcript confirming TASC or GED scores.
• Must take and pass a drug test, at the expense of the sponsor, after selection and prior to enrollment in apprenticeship.
• Must be legally able to work in the USA. Must show proof after selection and prior to enrollment in apprenticeship.
• Must appear for a personal interview.
• Must take a TABE assessment test.

For further information, applicants should contact JATC for Plumbers Local Union #1 at (718) 752-9630. Additional job search assistance can be obtained at your local New York State Department of Labor Career Center (see: dol.ny.gov/career-centers).

Apprentice programs registered with the Department of Labor must meet standards established by the Commissioner. Under state law, sponsors of programs cannot discriminate against applicants because of race, creed, color, national origin, age, sex, disability, or marital status. Women and minorities are encouraged to submit applications for apprenticeship programs. Sponsors of programs are required to adopt affirmative action plans for the recruitment of women and minorities.

Billionaire Chinese National Sentenced to Seven Months in Prison and Removal from United States for Straw Donor Campaign Contribution Scheme and Other Frauds

 

In federal court in Central Islip, Hui Qin, also known as “Qin Hui,” “Hui Quin,” “Muk Lam Li” and “Karl,” a citizen of the People’s Republic of China (“PRC”), who was listed on Forbes Magazine’s List of Billionaires and who operated SMI Culture, a Hong Kong-based entertainment entity, was sentenced by United States District Judge Joan M. Azrack to seven months’ imprisonment for making political contributions in the names of others, immigration fraud and producing a false identification document.  Qin pleaded guilty to the charges in March 2024.  As part of his plea, the defendant consented to abandonment of his fraudulently obtained LPR status and removal from the United States immediately after the sentencing.  Qin has been incarcerated since his arrest seven months ago on October 2, 2023.

Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, James Smith, Assistant Director-in-Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), Thomas Fattorusso, Special Agent-in-Charge, Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation, New York (IRS-CI), and Ivan J. Arvelo, Special Agent-in-Charge, Homeland Security Investigations, New York (HSI), announced the sentence.

“Qin’s brazen flouting of our political and immigration systems, and his defrauding government agencies resulted in a felony conviction, prison sentence and today, his removal from the United States,” stated United States Attorney Peace.  “Qin has learned a lesson in American civics the hard way, that no one is above the law.”

“Hui Qin violated our democratic norms by illegally attempting to influence election campaigns through fraudulent political donations,” stated FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge Smith.  “His unlawful actions and repeated efforts to exploit various government agencies were disrupted by the FBI and such attempts by other threat actors will not be tolerated. Today’s sentence and his removal from the United States should dissuade any future schemers from engaging in similar activity.  The FBI is committed to exposing all forms of corruption, especially those that threaten election integrity and our duly elected officials.

“Qin interfered with our election system and tried to gain advantage through his straw donations.  He furthered his criminal activity by misrepresenting himself on documents to obtain a false Visa, then lived with an illegitimate status in his $5 million Manhattan apartment.   It is through our law enforcement partnerships and good police work that Qin was held accountable for behaving like he was above the law,” stated IRS-CI Special Agent-in-Charge Fattorusso.    

“By flouting laws vital to the sanctity of the federal election and immigration systems, the defendant threatened not only the community's safety, but the democratic foundation on which the United States of America was established,” stated HSI New York Special Agent-in- Charge Arvelo.  “Hui Qin’s sentencing today underscores the importance of law enforcement’s collaboration, coordination, and unwavering dedication to one common goal: protecting the public. HSI New York stands united with our partners against any individuals attempting to jeopardize our national security.”  

 As set forth in court filings and facts presented at the plea proceeding, between December 2021 and December 2022, Qin agreed to reimburse other individuals who made contributions on his behalf to the campaign committees for a candidate for a New York City-wide political office, a member of the United States House of Representatives for a congressional district in the Eastern District of New York and candidate for a House of Representatives seat in a Rhode Island congressional district.  During the scheme, straw donors made approximately $11,600 in contributions on Qin’s behalf, which caused the campaign committees to file false contribution reports with the Federal Election Commission in 2022.

Additionally, as part of his plea Qin admitted that, in April 2019, he filed a false application for LPR status with United States Citizenship and Immigration Services.  In the application, Qin falsely swore, under penalty of perjury, that he had never used another name.  In fact, in 2008, a PRC government official provided Qin with the alias “Muk Lam Li” and between 2008 and the filing of Qin’s LPR application, Qin obtained identification documents, including a Hong Kong identification card, a PRC identification card and a Hong Kong passport in the name of the Li alias, which contained Qin’s photograph, but a date of birth different than Qin’s.  Around September 2017, Qin used the Li alias to transfer more than $5 million from the PRC to a United States bank account, a portion of which was used to purchase a luxury Manhattan apartment, where Qin resided. 

Qin also pleaded guilty to engaging in interstate travel to fraudulently obtain a Florida driver’s license.  In December 2020, Qin travelled from New York to Florida and applied for a driver’s license at Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (“FLHSMV”).  At the time of his travel, Qin was a resident of Old Westbury, Long Island and Manhattan, but he signed an application stating that it was “true and correct” that he resided at an address in Miami, where he had never lived.  To bolster this false assertion, Qin presented FLHSMV officials with fake bank and credit card statements bearing the name “Hui Quin” and the false Miami address.  After FLHSMV issued Qin a Florida Driver’s License, he presented it to banks and a motor vehicle insurer as identification.

Statement from Speaker Adrienne Adams on Delayed Timelines in Contracts for The Bronx and Queens Borough-Based Jails

 

In response to the announcement of proposed contracts for The Bronx and Queens borough-based jails with completion dates seven years from now, Council Speaker Adrienne Adams released the following statement.

“The announcement of delayed completion dates in the proposed contracts for the Bronx and Queens borough-based jails is concerning. The legal deadline to close Rikers is 2027, and the Administration must commit towards the investments and alternative solutions previously outlined to help improve public safety, lower the jail population, and close Rikers. The mayor’s administration can begin this work in the forthcoming budget by supporting funding for Justice Involved Supportive Housing, recidivism reduction programs, and mental health court programs and other interventions that connect people to care rather than inappropriately cycling them through the justice system. The mayor has expressed a shared commitment to addressing the mental health gap that leads too many people into our jails, and now is the time for follow-through actions.”

Statement by the Office of New York City Comptroller Brad Lander on Today’s Vote by the New York City Banking Commission

 

The New York City Banking Commission voted to approve the designation of the Bank of Montreal (BMO), Flagstar Bank and KeyBank as designated depository banks for the City of New York. 

New York City Comptroller Brad Lander, one of three members of the Commission, joined the Commission in its unanimous vote to approve BMO and KeyBank, while splitting with the Department of Finance and New York City Mayor’s Office by voting AGAINST the designation of Flagstar Bank due to its history of problematic practices and poor credit rating. Flagstar Bank, formerly designated by the Banking Commission as Signature Bank, and current subsidiary of New York Community Bank, was conditionally designated last year due to new ownership. 

The full list of designated banks prior to the vote is available here. 

Following is a statement from Comptroller Lander on the vote delivered by Deputy Comptroller for Policy Annie Levers who represents the Comptroller on the Banking Commission: 

“Just like any other entity seeking to do business with the City, we expect banks to fully comply with the Commission’s rules for applications – and for those applications to reflect a sound financial position and a meaningful commitment to community reinvestment and combating discrimination. 

“Flagstar Bank has a troubling history of problematic practices. Per the bank’s application, Flagstar’s credit is currently rated “speculative” by Fitch, and “high risk” by Moody’s. To our knowledge, it is unprecedented for the Commission to fully designate a bank with these ratings. 

“Given the bank’s concerning ratings and testimony at this hearing, a one-year conditional designation for Flagstar would be both appropriate under the Commission’s rules and more prudent. Conditional designation would allow City agencies to keep their existing accounts open but preclude the City from doing new business with the bank for one year. 

“Because conditional designation was not under consideration by the Commission I have chosen to vote no on Flagstar Bank.” 

Governor Hochul Joins New York City Officials and Activists to Celebrate the Signing of Sammy’s Law

 

Law Allows New York City to Lower Speed Limit and Save Lives 

Governor Kathy Hochul today was joined by New York City Mayor Eric Adams, New York City officials, and activists to celebrate the passage of Sammy’s Law as part of the FY2025 Budget Agreement. After a decade of advocacy, this law will allow New York City to lower its speed limit to 20 miles per hour on nearly every road, which will reduce the risk of death or life-threatening injury in a crash. The legislation was named for Sammy Cohen Eckstein, a 12-year-old child who died in 2013 after he was hit by a driver in Park Slope, Brooklyn.

“Too many children have been hit and killed by cars speeding through our city streets, shattering families and traumatizing communities," Governor Hochul said. “We are celebrating the passage of Sammy's Law which will empower New York City to take back its streets and save lives."

With the passage of Sammy’s Law, New York City can now lower its speed limits via local law, with exception for major thoroughfares in the outer boroughs. Lowering speed limits is a demonstrated method to reduce the risk of death or injury during vehicular crashes and saves lives. Signing Sammy’s Law builds on Governor Hochul’s work to improve roadway safety across the State, expanding camera programs near schools and key intersections, dedicating funding towards traffic calming programs, and establishing New York State’s first Automated Work Zone Speed Enforcement program.

Assistant Attorney General Jonathan Kanter Announces Task Force on Health Care Monopolies and Collusion

 

New Health Care Task Force Will Tackle Competition Problems in Health Care Markets

The Justice Department announced the formation of the Antitrust Division’s Task Force on Health Care Monopolies and Collusion (HCMC). The HCMC will guide the division’s enforcement strategy and policy approach in health care, including by facilitating policy advocacy, investigations and, where warranted, civil and criminal enforcement in health care markets.

“Every year, Americans spend trillions of dollars on health care, money that is increasingly being gobbled up by a small number of payers, providers and dominant intermediaries that have consolidated their way to power in communities across the country,” said Assistant Attorney General Jonathan Kanter of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division. “Led by Katrina Rouse, the task force will identify and root out monopolies and collusive practices that increase costs, decrease quality and create single points of failure in the health care industry.”

The HCMC will consider widespread competition concerns shared by patients, health care professionals, businesses and entrepreneurs, including issues regarding payer-provider consolidation, serial acquisitions, labor and quality of care, medical billing, health care IT services, access to and misuse of health care data and more. The HCMC will bring together civil and criminal prosecutors, economists, health care industry experts, technologists, data scientists, investigators and policy advisors from across the division’s Civil, Criminal, Litigation and Policy Programs, and the Expert Analysis Group, to identify and address pressing antitrust problems in health care markets.

The HCMC will be directed by Katrina Rouse, a long-serving antitrust prosecutor who joined the Antitrust Division in 2011. She previously served as Chief of the division’s Defense, Industrials and Aerospace Section, Assistant Chief of the Division’s San Francisco Office, a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney and a Trial Attorney in the division’s Healthcare and Consumer Products Section. She holds degrees from Columbia University and Stanford Law School, and clerked for federal judges on the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. Rouse will serve concurrently as the division’s Deputy Director of Civil Enforcement and Special Counsel for Health Care.

The Antitrust Division welcomes input and information from the public, including from practitioners, patients, researchers, business owners and others who have direct insight into competition concerns in the health care industry. Members of the public can share their experiences with the Task Force on Health Care Monopolies and Collusion by visiting HealthyCompetition.gov. Where appropriate, the division will refer matters to other federal and state law enforcers.

NYC Comptroller’s Investigation Finds Adams Administration Implemented the 60-Day Shelter Limit in Haphazard, Ineffective Manner

 

Investigators found inadequate written policies, training, and notices; Despite promises, the City provides limited case management services that do little to help families achieve self-sufficiency

New York City Comptroller Brad Lander released his office’s investigation into the Adams Administration’s implementation of its 60-day shelter limit for asylum-seeking families. As a result of the rule, the City has issued 60-day notices to 10,229 families with children—affecting 19,497 adults and 18,149 children—as of April 28.

The investigation found that the policy was haphazardly implemented, and that notices to families, training for staff, and written guidelines were all inadequate. For example, despite an announcement from City Hall that pregnant women in their last trimester and families with newborns would be exempted, no written policy to that effect was ever given to staff or contractors. Despite promises of “intensive case management” to assist families, investigators found that the City provides very limited case management services that do little to help asylum-seeking families achieve self-sufficiency. And the City specifically discriminated against families with elementary-school aged children in shelter placements, making it more likely their children’s schooling would be disrupted.

“Back in January, the Adams Administration enacted a cruel policy of evicting families from shelter every 60 days with the empty promise of intensive case management—as a result, City Hall has subjected over 37,000 people to repetitive screenings for shelter alternatives, disrupted families’ efforts to obtain work authorization and legal status, and uprooted children from the schools where they made connections,” said Comptroller Brad Lander. “Beyond the cruelty of the policy, our investigation found significant management flaws in how City Hall is administering these evictions and how poorly they are tracking outcomes. Our City can do so much better.”

Comptroller Lander announced the investigation on the first day that families were evicted and were told to re-apply for shelter in Humanitarian Emergency Response and Relief Centers (HERRCs). The Comptroller’s office investigation found:

• The City implemented the 60-day rule in a haphazard manner without adequate policies—such as exemptions for third trimester pregnancies and newborns or mail transfers—or training in place for agency staff;
• 60-day notices failed to provide families with critical information about opportunities to seek exemption or reasonable accommodation;
• Despite promises of “intensive case management” for every family, the City provides limited case management services that do little to help families achieve self-sufficiency;
• The 60-day rule undermined new arrivals’ ability to obtain work authorization and stable employment;
• Administrators specifically denied families with elementary school-aged children placement in Department of Homeless Services (DHS) shelters upon re-intake, subjecting them to more frequent moves that are detrimental to children’s learning;
• The City is not tracking any outcomes regarding families’ housing placements; efforts to obtain work authorization, legal status, or employment; or pathway to self-sufficiency.

In a January 9th letter sent to City Hall that initiated the investigation, Comptroller Lander requested information about “the protocols City agencies will use to implement” the 60-day shelter limit and reassignment and inquired about “the potentially harmful impacts of the policy on families seeking asylum, especially on children who may be displaced from their public school as a result of being transferred to a shelter far from their school.”

In a letter response dated February 5, the Mayor stated that “Shelter time limits, paired with intensive case management, are designed to help more households achieve self-sufficiency, find stable housing arrangements, and exit from the shelter system.”

Despite that promise, the Comptroller’s investigation into the 60-day rule found that the promise of intensive case management was hollow. The documents implementing the policy disclose a single-minded focus on avoiding the City’s legal obligations to provide shelter. While the rule has contributed to a reduction in the shelter population, it also served to destabilize families with children and increase barriers to work authorization and legal status.

The investigation report recommends:

• The City should end the 60-day rule. Instead, the City should implement a policy that genuinely coordinates temporary shelter, legal assistance toward immigration status and work authorization, workforce development that enables people to obtain work, and case management that enables people to achieve self-sufficiency. The program that the City entered into last week with Jewish Families Services of Western New York, to replace the failed DocGo contract for services to asylum-seekers relocated upstate, is one model for such a program.
• While the City continues to implement the 60-day rule, administrators must immediately correct critical shortcomings in the implementation of the policy, including writing clear policies and procedures, amending the 60-day notice to add critical missing information, providing the “intensive case management” as promised, and allowing families with elementary school-aged children to be placed in DHS shelters upon re-intake.
• To achieve cost savings, the City must move away from emergency procurement to competitive bidding among qualified service providers, as the Comptroller’s Office has repeatedly recommended. Read the Comptroller’s report: Rethinking Emergency Procurement.
• The City should track and evaluate program effectiveness, including overall cost savings, and outcomes for families toward immigration status, work authorization, housing stability, and self-sufficiency.

Lander announced these finding and recommendations alongside a coalition of immigrant advocates, elected officials, shelter providers, and homeless rights organizations in front of the Row Hotel, where the first eviction notices took place in January.

Read the investigation here.

“From the start, the Council has been clear that the Administration’s 60-day shelter limit policy would be counterproductive and destabilizing for our new arrivals, and to our goal of helping them achieve self-sufficiency,” said Council Speaker Adrienne Adams. “As the policy has impacted increasing numbers of children and families, more and more students have had disrupted schooling as families are needlessly moved from location to location. This and the inhumane conditions at the Hall Street Complex in Brooklyn are among the many examples of why our city must improve its collaboration and planning with stakeholders to meet the needs of asylum seekers, longtime New Yorkers, and communities. We must support those seeking shelter and provide an opportunity for new arrivals to contribute to our economy. I thank Comptroller Lander’s office for this investigation, the findings of which can help guide the Administration towards more effective policy solutions that prioritize the well-being of everyone in our city.”