Immigrant Assistance Service Enforcement Act

Speaker Sheldon Silver and Assemblyman Marcos Crespo announced today the passage of legislation to implement the Immigrant Assistance Service Enforcement Act (A.4887A).

·         The bill would require organizations assisting immigrants to register with and be certified by the Department of State.

·         This bill would increase civil penalty from not more than $7,000 to not more than $10,000 dollars, for violations of this article.

·         No immigration service shall be provided unless such provider is registered with the Department of State.

“For many immigrants, naturalization in the United States is a lifelong dream. However, the process can be arduous,” said Silver. “Immigration assistance is an essential resource. We must ensure that those on this path have access to competent, skilled service providers who can help navigate this complicated process,” said Speaker Silver.

“Acclimating to a new environment is extremely challenging. And individuals trying to follow the precise application process for citizenship face added pressures. The Immigrant Assistance Service Enforcement Act will protect those seeking citizenship from unnecessary missteps in the application process by guaranteeing the qualifications of providers,” said Crespo.

The application process for citizenship is complex. Serious consequences can occur if related laws, rules and procedures are not followed. As a result of this legislation, individuals seeking assistance can be certain that the assistance they receive is from a qualified provider.

 

This is being sponsored in the State Senate by Senator Ruben Diaz Sr. and is Senate bill S-94-8 which is currently in committee.

 

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Is Adriano Espiallat ciculating petitions for State Senate?

   

     While 13th Congressional candidate & current 31th State Senator Adriano Espiallat announced at the Ben Franklin endorsement meeting that he was not going to circulate petitions for state senate We have received a copy of a petition for Gabriella Rosa for member of the Assembly in the 72nd A.D. Also on the petition in the spot for 31th State Senate is the name of the current state senator and 13th congressional candidate Adriano Espiallat. We are trying to confirm this, we were unable to reach Senator Espaillat or anyone from his campaign at this time.

    As soon as we get official word as to if Senator Espaillat is circulating this petition or if his name is being used as a place holder should he win the 13th Congressional race that the committee of vacancies would then name another person to run for the 31st State Senate position we will let you know.
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UPDATE******
   We spoke to Senator Espaillat's campaign spokesperson who said that the candidate running for assembly in the 72nd Assembly District was responsible for the petition. Espaillats campaign also said that Mr. Espaillat did not authorize the use of his name for the petition, and has asked that it not be circulated anymore, We were also told as it looks now Senator Espaillat should be the new congressman from the 13th C.D. 

       When we took a closer look at the petition we noticed that the highest level position was not on top as is usual on most petitions, because that the top position is generally responsible for the petition. We also noticed that Mr. Mark Levine the current Male District Leader in the 72nd A.D. was listed as a judicial delegate but not as a candidate for district leader. In fact the important positions of Male and Female District Leaders were not listed at all on the copy of the petition that we saw that included the male and female State Committee members listed. 
 

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ADMINISTRATION FOR CHILDREN’S SERVICES RFP HAS BEEN A DISASTER

Comptroller’s office will register more than 200 ACS contract extensions to ensure existing childcare programs remain in place for over 40,000 children   

   City Comptroller John C. Liu today called on the Administration for Children’s Services (ACS) to reassess its EarlyLearn NYC Request for Proposal (RFP) process.  The EarlyLearn NYC initiative was designed to, according to the agency, “merge childcare and early education into a single, seamless system.”

In May, following an RFP process, ACS announced new contract awards for the EarlyLearn NYC initiative which was scheduled to begin on September 1, 2012. Following an outcry from numerous well-established childcare vendors who responded to the agency’s RFP process, ACS began submitting requests to the Comptroller’s office to extend the existing childcare contracts scheduled to expire this month. These contracts have now been extended for up to one year.

“While the EarlyLearn NYC initiative may be well intentioned, the RFP process has been, by too many accounts, a disaster. It has also caused a tremendous amount of unnecessary anxiety for parents, children, and service providers,” Comptroller Liu said. “It is unfair to put parents through the stress of not knowing how long the doors of their childcare provider will remain open. ACS should use the twelve months provided under the contract extensions to conduct a comprehensive review of the EarlyLearn NYC RFP.”

“City Hall is taking some of the best programs in the country and throwing them out the window. You have to fear for our kids’ futures if we lose centers like these,” said Public Advocate Bill de Blasio. “If this were really about the merits, the City would have never made these decisions. The Comptroller is absolutely right to extend these contracts given the serious concerns with this RFP process.”

“Several centers in my district will be closed as a result of the EarlyLearn RFP and many others have been significantly downsized as slots have been diverted to lesser known centers in and around the community,” said City Council Member Letitia James.  “The citywide effect is even more detrimental. Mayor Bloomberg's proposed city budget slashes more than 47,000 low-income and working-class children from subsidized daycare, Head Start and afterschool programs. About 6,500 children will be left without a slot come this November as a result of Early Learn. I believe something is extremely wrong with this picture and it is our time now to stand up and say enough is enough.”

To date, the Comptroller’s Office has received 35 contract extensions from ACS and expects to receive nearly 200 more before the looming expiration deadline. In order to ensure stability in childcare for more than 40,000 children throughout the City, Comptroller Liu’s Bureau of Contract Administration will work to swiftly register these extensions. 

This blunder echoes a similar incident at ACS in 2010, when the agency rescinded awards worth $470 million for a group of more than 60 foster care nonprofits because of mistakes made when the contracts were evaluated.

Due to the importance of early childhood education and the serious issues raised regarding the EarlyLearn NYC RFP, Comptroller Liu will be exploring the possibility of auditing whether ACS has abided by all applicable procurement guidelines.

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Assemblyman Nelson L. Castro Legislation Requiring the Sanitization of Bedding Passes State Assembly

  

 Assemblyman Nelson L. Castro announced that his legislation A4243A requiring the sanitization of every used mattress or bedding material that is transported, stored or sold with new bedding in New York State has been passed by the state assembly.

Currently, the New York State General Business Law classifies any mattress or bedding material that has been returned by the purchaser within 30 days as new bedding. Legislation A4243A amends the definition of "New Bedding" by automatically classifying it as used bedding after being purchased and returned. This legislation also prohibits the transportation of used bedding with new ones unless they are sanitized or enclosed in non-permeable plastic, polyethylene film or similar materials useful to prevent the passage of contaminants.

In addition, the legislation requires the sanitation of used bedding that are sold or stored with new bedding, in accordance with regulations established by the Department of State. It also requires the Department of State to inspect every place where articles of bedding are made, remade, renovated, prepared or sterilized. The bill gives the Department of State the authority to determine the inspection frequency but requires it to have at least one inspection during any continues three year period.

Over the past years, the State of New York has been negatively affected in many different ways by the spread of bed bug infestation. New York State has the greatest concentration of bed bug reports in the United States. [1] 

According to the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development, 13,152 bed bug infestation complaints were received in 2009. "Bed bugs infestation is one of the epidemics that can be prevented through this legislation. The first step in fighting bed bugs and other similar epidemics in our state is to educate our citizens on effective preventive methods to control the spread of contaminants," expressed Assemblyman Castro.

The bill passed the Assembly with bipartisan support (138-1) and is currently in the Senate Rules Committee, sponsored by Senator Jose Peralta (S358A). If immediate action is not taken, New York residents, business owners and tourists will continue to experience the negative impact of bed bugs and other infestations. "This is an important piece of legislation that will help in the prevention and treatment of critical epidemics throughout the state and will prevent used bedding that has not been properly sanitized from being transported, stored or sold with new bedding," added Assemblyman Castro.

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Borough President Diaz Marches at National Puerto Rican Day Parade

   

    On Sunday June 10, Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. joined  thousands of others to celebrate Puerto Rican pride at the National Puerto Rican Day Parade.

    Borough President Diaz  paraded up 5^th Avenue to the tune of  “Bomba y Plena,” thanks to the musical group Los Pleneros de la Casita de Chema (El Rincón Criollo), who marched with Borough President Diaz and dozens of staffers and supporters.

 

    You can see a brief video of BP Diaz marching here.

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WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW

By Senator Rev. Rubén Díaz
32nd Senatorial District, Bronx County, New York 

With A Committee Like That…

You should know that the Committee to Sell – I mean to Save New York - has invested more than $17 million in selling out - I’m sorry – in saving New York. The Committee has been selling Governor Cuomo’s popularity to the people of New York State to the point where he consistently receives 70% approval ratings.

The Committee to sell – again, I apologize, I mean to Save New York- has been very effective in selling out the workers of New York State.  Just take the Tier 6 Pension Plan that was recently adopted. This new pension plan raises the retirement age and requires new state workers to work longer before they can receive a pension.

Another effort of the Committee to Sell – I mean, to Save New York- is the New York Works Infrastructure Initiative, where Governor Cuomo played the private sector unions against the public sector unions and also where he provided millions in corporate tax breaks.

Another project, where the Committee spent millions to push through was the Budget Deficit Solution, where the Governor cut social services, senior citizens program, school aid, and services to the poor without extending the Millionaires Tax.

You should also know that the Regional Economic Development Councils are basically for multi-million dollar companies, while the Governor cut funding to organizations like little leagues in poor neighborhoods.

I remember all the fanfare that Andrew Cuomo created when he was Attorney General. I remember Project Sunshine where he promoted transparency in government and that everyone should release the names of contributors to their campaigns. What happened Mr. Governor? Why are you not pushing for the names of the contributors to the Committee to Sell –I mean Save New York- to be made public? Why can’t we know who they are?

I have to give it to the Governor.  The creation of the Committee to Save New York has been one of the greatest, biggest, most successful, amazing, Machiavellian, and indirect promotion for a political candidate in the history of New York State.

I am Senator Rev. Rubén Díaz, and this is what you should know. 

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13th Congressional Debates Tonight

    Tonight starting at 6 PM the candidates for the 13th Congressional District will debate hosted by the League of Women Voters, which will air on channel 34 of Time Warner Cable or on the web here, just check which channel the debate is on .

    Later tonight at 9 PM on Bronxtalk Channel 67 on Cablevision there will be another debate by the candidates in the 13 C.D., but this one will not be held by the League of Women Voters.

    I will give my breakdown of the race and prediction of the winner of the 13th C.D. in my June 21st column of "100 PERCENT" that appears in the Bronx and Parkchester Newspapers.

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NYC COMPTROLLER, NYC LAW DEPARTMENT ANNOUNCE MAJOR SHAREHOLDER DERIVATIVE SUIT AGAINST WAL-MART

  The Office of the New York City Comptroller and the New York City Law Department announced today that the New York City Pension Funds filed a shareholder derivative action against Wal-Mart Stores Inc.  The lawsuit concerns the recent revelations contained in a New York Times article regarding the bribery and corruption scandal at Wal-Mex, the Mexican subsidiary of Wal-Mart. 

The City Funds’ Complaint, filed in the Delaware Chancery Court, alleges that Wal-Mart’s officers and directors breached their fiduciary duty to the company and its shareholders by failing to properly handle credible claims of the bribery allegations and attempting to cover up details of the scandal.  

“Wal-Mart’s board has repeatedly rebuffed our office and the New York City Pension Funds when we have raised concerns over the company’s failure to comply with legal and ethical standards,” Comptroller John Liu said. “Rooting out the directors and executives responsible for the current crisis would be a first step, but Wal-Mart also needs corporate governance reforms and an independent board that will protect outside shareholders and safeguard against another breakdown of internal controls.”

“This suit seeks to recover corporate assets lost as the result of its wrongful acts, tighten legal and regulatory compliance structures, and institute improved governance oversight,” noted Inga Van Eysden, Chief of the New York City Law Department’s Pension Division. 

In 2005, Wal-Mart executives were notified of a scheme involving the bribing of Mexican officials to expedite the building of Wal-Mart stores in that country.  Several internal investigations resulted.  The Pension Funds allege that the company took no significant action to change the situation.  On April 21, 2012, The New York Times published an article concerning the Mexican bribery scandal.  Wal-Mart’s stock quickly declined approximately 8 percent in the days that followed. 

Based on these developments, the Funds decided to commence their derivative action against Wal-Mart directors and executives.  Separate derivative cases against Wal-Mart are also pending in Delaware Chancery Court and the U.S. District Court in Arkansas.

New York City’s legal team includes Valerie Budzik and Richard Simon of the Comptroller’s General Counsel’s Office, and Inga Van Eysden and Keith Snow of the New York City Law Department’s Pensions Division.

The New York City Law Department is one of the oldest, largest and most dynamic law offices in the world, ranking among the top three largest law offices in New York City and one of the largest public law offices in the country. Tracing its roots back to the 1600’s, the Department has an active caseload of 90,000 matters and transactions in 17 legal divisions. The Corporation Counsel heads the Law Department and acts as legal counsel for the Mayor, elected officials, the City and all its agencies. The Department’s approximately 650 attorneys represent the City on a vast array of civil litigation, legislative and legal issues and in the criminal prosecution of juveniles. For more information, please visit nyc.gov/law.

New York City Comptroller John C. Liu serves as the investment advisor to, custodian and trustee of the New York City Pension Funds. The New York City Pension Funds, consisting of the New York City Employees’ Retirement System, New York City Teachers’ Retirement System, New York City Police Pension Fund, New York City Fire Department Pension Fund, and New York City Board of Education Retirement System, serve more than 600,000 active and retired New York City employees, and combined constitute one of the largest public pension funds in the United States.


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