ALBANY, NY – As we near the end of the 2019 Legislative Session, the Members of the Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic, and Asian Legislative Caucus continue to work with Assembly and Senate leadership to advance Caucus priorities that will bring equity to our communities across New York State.

Educational Equity

In the remaining days, we have the opportunity to advance a clear vision of educational equity in New York State. For too long, we have witnessed growing inequities and segregation in our public school system. It is painfully clear, in New York City for example, that segregation in our schools is worsening. As a body, we are committed to efforts that will increase diversity within our K-12 schools. Thus, we advocate for legislation that achieves this goal, and support local school efforts to eliminate barriers to increased diversity, such as the Specialized High School Admissions Test.

Further, while we support parents’ right to choose the best form of education for their child, we strongly believe that limited public school funding and resources must be reserved for public school students. Thus, we reject any effort to increase the charter school cap that is not coupled with sufficient increases in public school funding. We acknowledge, however, that charter schools face inequities, as well; as such, we propose that any “zombie charter” slots be reserved for non-profit charter schools that are minority-owned/operated.

Tenant Protections

As a body comprised of Members from all around the state, we are understanding of the unique housing challenges faced by various New Yorkers. The unifying value, however, is the belief that tenants must be awarded the strongest possible protections against evictions and landlords who act in bad faith. This session, our membership has worked tirelessly to help shape this debate; and we are confident that in the coming days, our support for tenants will result in the passage of a package of rent regulation bills that will set New York apart as protectors of the belief that affordable housing is a right, not a privilege.

Minority/Women Business Enterprises

Before session ends, it is vital that we protect and support minority and women-owned businesses across the state. As a Caucus, we are motivated to not only lift our communities out of poverty, but to continue to ensure they advance up the economic ladder. Thus, we are advocating for legislation that will reduce economic and bureaucratic barriers to MWBEs; and will increase access and opportunity for the businesses in our communities so that they can grow and compete.

Adult-Use Marijuana

At the end of the 2018 Legislative Session, the Caucus formed a Marijuana Task Force in order to explore how and if New York could be a leader in the nation as hearts and minds changed with respect to the legalization of marijuana. Over the course of the year, we have engaged in countless internal and external conversations with stakeholders and residents; we have conducted site visits; studied actions of other states; and we strongly believe that it is time to end the criminalization of marijuana use that disproportionately impacts our communities once and for all. In the remaining days of session, the Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act must be passed in order to right the wrongs of decades passed, and to establish New York as a leader in a new and growing industry.

Reparations

Across the country, there is a renewed debate on the long-delayed issue of reparations for hundreds of years of slavery, Jim Crow, and devastating inequality. For this reason, the Caucus supports legislation that would study the implementation of reparations in the State of New York.

Criminal Justice

The Caucus is proud of the advancements we have made in New York State with regard to reform of the cash bail system, access to speedy trials, and equitable discovery practices. These reforms this year are on top of a list of successes we have achieved over the last few years as we strive to continuously right a justice system that is often unjust for those in our community. However, many vital issues remain. We must end solitary confinement in New York State. We must ensure that police are held fully accountable if we are to achieve real trust in our communities—and that requires a codified office of the special prosecutor, a fully supported commission to review the conduct of prosecutors, and public access to police conduct reports. And we must bring reforms to our system of parole.

We are committed in the final days of session to working towards real, tangible solutions to the issues our communities deem most important; and we call on all partners in government and stakeholders across the state to come to the table in order to successfully close out what has been an historic year for New York State.