Attorney General James Opens Investigation into ParCare Over COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution

 

 New York Attorney General Letitia James released the following statement in response to her office opening an investigation into ParCare Community Health Network’s distribution of COVID-19 vaccines in New York:

“My office is launching an investigation into ParCare over allegations that it wrongfully distributed and administered COVID-19 vaccines. In order for the vaccine to be most effective in protecting our communities, we must all follow the same distribution plan. We will not tolerate any attempts to circumvent that process.”

Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz Statement on Critical Housing Protections Legislation

 

The COVID-19 Emergency Eviction and Foreclosure Prevention Act would alter judicial procedure to prevent evictions, foreclosures, and tax lien sales that would otherwise remove people from their homes during a pandemic.

 The New York State Assembly is taking up the COVID-19 Emergency Eviction and Foreclosure Prevention Act of 2020, legislation which was introduced by Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz.

Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz, Chair of the Assembly Judiciary Committee, said: “As policymakers, our top priority must be to ensure that human dignity and decency can be maintained – even during times of crisis. Housing is a human right, and I am proud of the protections that this critical legislation puts into place. Although we still have much work to be done to get through the pandemic, such as raising revenue through a tax on the wealthiest among us, this legislation will help thousands and thousands of New Yorkers stay in their homes and the impact of this cannot be understated.

 

“The pandemic has been difficult enough on New Yorkers without the added anxiety and uncertainty of losing your home, and this legislation makes sure everyone, including, seniors, families, and children – whether they are tenants or homeowners – aren’t put out on the street in the middle of winter during a pandemic. The Tenant Safe Harbor Law has already provided key protections against evictions for new rent arrears during the COVID-19 period, and this new legislation expands on that effort. I believe once this legislation is enacted into law, New York will have the strongest housing protections of anywhere in the nation.

 

“Thank you in particular to the leadership of Speaker Carl Heastie as well as my colleagues in the Assembly Majority who have been incredible participants in the crafting of this omnibus legislation. Thank you as well to my counterpart sponsor in the State Senate, State Senator Brian Kavanagh, as well as the new State Senate majority for their partnership. I am hopeful that this legislation will be passed and signed into law imminently so that New Yorkers can be protected as soon as possible.”

 

Bill Summary

 

The COVID-19 Emergency Eviction and Foreclosure Prevention Act (A11181) addresses many concerns that have been raised over the past several months, and it builds on successes established in the Tenant Safe Harbor Law that was enacted over the summer.

 

• All ongoing eviction-related matters, residential foreclosure proceedings would be stayed (frozen) for 60 days. These proceedings could be further stayed until May 1, 2021 by submitting a standard hardship declaration form available to tenants, homeowners, and small landlords.

• It establishes a course of action for certain proceedings to continue where tenant may be causing a substantial safety hazard to others, which has been a significant source of contention with broader eviction moratorium proposals. Tenants would still be obligated to pay their debts and landlords can seek a money judgment through the civil courts even while the eviction stay is underway.

• It prohibits negative credit decisions to homeowners who receive a stay on a mortgage foreclosure, tax foreclosure, or tax lien sale, or if they are in arrears and file a hardship declaration.

• It extends the Senior Citizens’ Homeowner Exemption and Disabled Homeowner Exemption programs without requiring homeowners to actively recertify unless they may be entitled to a larger exemption, cutting red tape for some of our most vulnerable neighbors.

 

The bill text can be viewed here.

 

A11181 Summary:

BILL NO	A11181
SAME AS	SAME AS S09114
SPONSOR	Rules (Dinowitz)
COSPNSR	Cymbrowitz, Heastie, Reyes, Richardson, Epstein, Gottfried, Lentol, Weinstein, Nolan, Abbate, Glick, Aubry, Cahill, Perry, Ortiz, Colton, Ramos, Benedetto, Jaffee, Rosenthal L, DenDekker, Thiele, Bronson, Rodriguez, Simotas, Weprin, Quart, Kim, Mosley, Davila, Pichardo, Blake, Seawright, Simon, Hyndman, Carroll, De La Rosa, Niou, Vanel, Taylor, Cruz, Darling, Fernandez, Anderson, Burgos, Jacobson, Barnwell, Bichotte, Frontus, Walker, Zebrowski, Barron, Clark, Rivera, Meeks

EDITOR'S NOTE:

We do not see two current Bronx Assembly members Assemblywoman Joiner, or Arroyo, but we see the name Burgos who has not taken office yet.

Governor Cuomo Announces He Will Sign Legislation and Issue Executive Order Extending Residential Eviction Moratorium

 

Governor Cuomo: "We want to make sure that homeowners are protected, that it doesn't affect their credit rating, there's no mortgage foreclosure, the Legislature convenes today, and we have an agreement with them on a housing moratorium bill. We want to get to May 1 and we'll see what happens by May but we want to protect tenants."

Cuomo: "We're also going to be extending the housing eviction moratorium by executive order."

 We're also going to be extending the housing eviction moratorium by executive order. We are working with the Legislature. The Legislature is going to reconvene this week. We've been working with them on a piece of legislation that will also extend the eviction moratorium. We want to make sure that homeowners are protected, that it doesn't affect their credit rating, there's no mortgage foreclosure, the Legislature convenes today, and we have an agreement with them on a housing moratorium bill. We want to get to May 1 and we'll see what happens by May but we want to protect tenants. We want to make it simple. We don't want people evicted. We don't want them to have to go to court to fight the eviction. But we want to make sure they're not committing fraud either so they will make representations that will be legally enforceable. And again, we have an agreement and as soon as that bill is passed I'll sign it.

Mayor de Blasio Issues Emergency Executive Order Number 170

 

EMERGENCY EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 170

December 28, 2020

WHEREAS, on March 7, 2020, New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo declared a State disaster emergency for the entire State of New York to address the threat that COVID-19 poses to the health and welfare of New York residents and visitors; and 

WHEREAS, Emergency Executive Order No. 98, issued March l 2, 2020 and extended most recently by Emergency Executive Order No. 165, issued December 3, 2020, contains a declaration of a state of emergency in the City of New York due to the threat posed by COVID-19 to the health and welfare of City residents, and such declaration remains in effect; and 

WHEREAS, this Order is given because of the propensity of the virus to spread person-to person and also because the actions taken to prevent such spread have led to property loss and damage; and 

WHEREAS, measures taken to combat the spread of COVID-19 may prevent individuals, businesses and other entities from meeting legally imposed deadlines for the filing of certain documents or for the completion of other required actions; and 

WHEREAS, this Order is given in order to ensure that the Governor's orders are enforced; NOW, 

THEREFORE, pursuant to the powers vested in me by the laws of the State of New York and the City of New York, including but not limited to the New York Executive Law, the New York City Charter and the Administrative Code of the City of New York, and the common law authority to protect the public in the event of an emergency

Section 1. I hereby direct that sections 1, 2 and 3 of Emergency Executive Order No. 169, dated December 23, 2020, are extended for five (5) days. 

§ 2. This Order incorporates any and all relevant provisions of Governor Executive Order No. 202 and subsequent orders issued by the Governor of New York State to address the State of Emergency declared in that Order pursuant to his powers under section 29-a of the Executive Law. 

§ 3. I hereby direct the Fire Department of the City of New York, the New York City Police Department, the Department of Buildings, the Sheriff, and other agencies as needed to immediately enforce the directives set forth in this Order in accordance with their lawful enforcement authorities, including but not limited to Administrative Code sections 15-227(a), 28- 105.10.1, and 28-201.1, and section 107.6 of the New York City Fire Code. Violations of the directives set forth in this Order may be issued as if they were violations under the New York City Health Code, title 24 Rules of the City of New York sections 3 .07 and 3.11, and may be enforced as such by the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene or any other agency named in this section. 

§ 4. This Emergency Executive Order shall take effect immediately, and shall remain in effect for five (5) days unless it is terminated or modified at an earlier date. 

Bill de Blasio, MAYOR

 

Governor Cuomo Announces Executive Order Withholding Pay Increases for All Statewide Elected Officials and Commissioners

 

Governor Cuomo: "It's no reflection on what these commissioners have done. They probably worked harder this past year and performed better than any commissioner in their position frankly in decades. There has been no test like this test for a government official. But I appreciate their sacrifice and their showing of solidarity for the people of this state during this difficult period and during this difficult financial period."

Cuomo: "I also want to thank the Lieutenant Governor and the Attorney General and the Comptroller for the same statement that they're making. They've all worked incredibly hard this year and this is another sign of their commitment and their public service so I thank them very much."

 Today I'm also signing an executive order to withhold pay increases for all State commissioners and statewide elected officials. This is the right thing to do I think. Obviously it's easy for me to propose something that's going to affect myself. This also affects all commissioners and statewide elected officials.

Dr. Zucker, for example, won't be getting a raise this year. It's no reflection on what these commissioners have done. They probably worked harder this past year and performed better than any commissioner in their position frankly in decades. There has been no test like this test for a government official. But I appreciate their sacrifice and their showing of solidarity for the people of this state during this difficult period and during this difficult financial period. I also want to thank the Lieutenant Governor and the Attorney General and the Comptroller for the same statement that they're making. They've all worked incredibly hard this year and this is another sign of their commitment and their public service so I thank them very much. 

 

Attorney General James Issues Alert to Protect New Yorkers from Coronavirus Vaccine Scams

 New York Attorney General Letitia James today issued an alert to warn New Yorkers about potential scams offering early access to a coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine. While New York has begun the process of vaccinating nursing home residents, nursing home staff who regularly interact with patients, and high-risk medical workers, the vaccine will not become widely available to the general public in New York for several more months. 

Consistent with federal guidelines, New York plans to offer vaccines next to long-term care residents and staff and other healthcare workers, then to certain essential workers, and finally to members of the general population, beginning with the people at highest risk for severe COVID-19 symptoms (such as those over 65 years old or with underlying health conditions like cancer or heart disease). New York has not yet announced a definitive timeline for distribution of a COVID-19 vaccine to any of these later groups.

“We must remain vigilant about potential scams and ensure New Yorkers know the latest information regarding the COVID-19 vaccine. At this time, there is no government-authorized vaccine available to the general population in New York,” said Attorney General James. 

“Throughout this pandemic, scammers have found ways to victimize the public, with the vaccine distribution process being their latest method for fraud. My office remains committed to rooting out COVID-19 scams, and I encourage the public to report suspected illegal activity to my office.” 

The Office of Attorney General (OAG) continues to warn New Yorkers of anyone who calls, e-mails, or texts individuals offering access to a COVID-19 vaccine. In addition, some individuals may seek to use online platforms with similar schemes. Scammers may impersonate public health officials from organizations such as the Center for Disease Control (CDC) or the World Health Organization (WHO). They may also offer to ship a COVID-19 vaccine directly to homes, provide special access to vaccines or clinical trials, or sell special cold storage device for vaccines. 

Here are some tips to help New Yorkers avoid vaccine-related scams: 

• Be wary of anyone calling or emailing you with offers of a vaccine and do not give out your Social Security number, personal credit card, or bank account information. No one from a vaccine distributor, health care company, or private insurance company will ask for this information.  
• If you have health insurance, you should not need to pay anything out of pocket to get the vaccine while the pandemic remains a public health emergency. If you don’t have health insurance, the provider may only charge an administration fee. However, in many instances, you likely will not be required to pay the administration fee.
• You can’t pay to put your name on a list to get the vaccine or to get into a vaccine clinical trial.
• If you get an e-mail about a COVID-19 vaccine or clinical trial, check the sender’s email domain to make sure it matches the website of the organization sending the e-mail and be wary of clicking on any hyperlinks or providing any login or other personal information.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has authorized two COVID-19 vaccines for emergency use so far. The Pfizer/BioNTech’s vaccine is authorized for use in individuals 16 years of age and older, while the Moderna vaccine is authorized for use in individuals 18 and older. If you have doubt about whether a vaccine or clinical trial is real, check with a licensed healthcare provider. For all up-to-date information pertaining to COVID-19 vaccine approval and distribution in New York, please visit: https://covid19vaccine.health.ny.gov. Individuals may contact the New York State COVID-19 Hotline at 888-364-3065 for all COVID-19 related questions.

The OAG continues to surveil and monitor the state for potential scams designed to exploit public concern related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Scammers commonly exploit real public health concerns and use heightened public fear to prey on consumers and profit from frauds related to those health fears. If a consumer believes they have been the victim of an unlawful activity, they can report these incidents to the OAG. 

Governor Cuomo Updates New Yorkers on State's Progress During Covid-19 Pandemic - DECEMBER 27, 2020

 

7,183 Patient Hospitalizations Statewide

1,187 Patients in the ICU; 687 Intubated

Statewide Positivity Rate is 5.85%

115 COVID-19 Deaths in New York State Yesterday

 Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today updated New Yorkers on the state's progress during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

"As we near the end of the holiday season, New York remains locked in a footrace between the vaccine's quick distribution and COVID-19's continued spread," Governor Cuomo said. "It has been a tough year and we still have several tough months ahead, but we can see the light at the end of the tunnel and we will make it there if we all do our part to slow the spread. New York is working closely with the medical community to not only administer the vaccine, but to continue growing capacity as well. As that work progresses, the rest of us need to step up, stay united and continue doing what we know works—wearing masks, staying socially distanced and washing our hands."

Today's data is summarized briefly below:

• Test Results Reported - 130,299
• Tested Positive - 7,623
• Percent Positive - 5.85%
• Patient Hospitalization - 7,183 (+299)
• Patients Newly Admitted - 757
• Hospital Counties - 55
• Number ICU - 1,187 (+58)
• Number ICU with Intubation - 687 (+49)
• Total Discharges - 99,583 (+427)
• Deaths - 115
• Total Deaths - 29,511

Statement from New York State Health Commissioner Dr. Howard Zucker On Fraudulently Obtained COVID-19 Vaccine,

 

 "The State Department of Health has been made aware of reports that Parcare Community Health Network, an Orange County provider, may have fraudulently obtained COVID-19 vaccine, transferred it to facilities in other parts of the state in violation of state guidelines and diverted it to members of the public - contrary to the state's plan to administer it first to frontline healthcare workers, as well as nursing home residents and staffers. We take this very seriously and DOH will be assisting State Police in a criminal investigation into this matter. Anyone found to have knowingly participated in this scheme will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law."