A Special Report to the Residents of the 41st Assembly District

ASSEMBLYWOMAN HELENE WEINSTEIN GETS RESULTS

The 2018 Budget and Session resulted in important achievements that will help many New Yorkers. I’ve highlighted some of the most important achievements in this newsletter. I’ve also included important community office programs I am sponsoring this Fall.

As your Assemblywoman, my most important responsibility is to listen carefully, answer questions, and help solve your problems. Along with my experienced community office staff, I can assist you with a variety of important services and help to resolve community problems. Please contact my office if you think I can be of assistance to you.

As newly appointed Chair of the NYS Assembly Ways and Means Committee, I have a unique role in ensuring that our State budget is so much more than a spending plan; putting families first, and keeping New Yorkers moving forward.

We had challenges; the federal tax changes and other disruptive federal actions made this one of the most difficult budgets my colleagues and I have ever worked on, but we knew we had to adequately fund the programs and services that millions of New Yorkers rely on. This year’s budget takes steps to make New York State a better place to live, work, and raise a family by:

Investing an unprecedented $26.7 billion in our schools and our children’s futures, from pre-K through graduation day.

Committing to jointly fund the $836 million Subway Action Plan to immediately address safety, service reliability and other necessary capital investments, and adopting a long-term revenue stream to support transportation sustainability.

Providing $250 million for the New York City Housing Authority to make capital repairs, including replacing and updating heating equipment, as well as invest in weatherization and other critical maintenance.

Requiring all domestic abusers to surrender guns, including handguns and long guns, closing a loophole in NYS law and adding domestic violence misdemeanors to the list of prohibited offenses.

Providing $96.6 million in aid to public libraries, an increase of $1 million over last year, including $34 million for public library construction grants, $10 million more than last year.

Funding the fourth year of the five-year $29.2 billion state DOT Capital Plan, which includes critical funding to improve the city’s bus and subway services, as well as critical road and bridge maintenance projects, and 50 new traffic monitoring cameras on Transit Authority buses to reduce congestion and increase safety.

Providing $18.97 million in Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) funding, restoring many vital social services programs, $1.5 million for the Disability Advocacy Program, $2 million for refugee resettlement agencies, as well as $350,000 in assistance for nonprofits resettling people from Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Traffic Improvements

During a recent Madison-Marine Civic Association meeting, Assemblywoman Weinstein outlined several crucial traffic improvements recently installed in the neighborhood.

Pre-Holiday Food Distribution Program

Assemblywoman Weinstein helped hand out holiday care packages to those in need at the Pre-Holiday Food Distribution Program run by the Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty at the Kings Bay Y.

To ensure New Yorkers aren’t left with extra painkillers that could be misused or could fall into the wrong hands, Assemblywoman Weinstein passed legislation enabling patients to partially fill controlled substance prescriptions (A.10392-A). This measure would allow 30 days to fill the remainder of the prescription. It gives patients the final say when it comes to their treatment and may help stop prescription drug abuse before it happens.

Under current law, patients who partly fill this type of medication initially are not allowed to fill the remainder of the prescription later on. The opioid crisis continues to wreak havoc in communities across our state, claiming countless lives each and every year. From 2015 to 2016, the number of drug deaths in New York State — fueled primarily by opioids like fentanyl and heroin — increased by nearly 30 percent. Many individuals become addicted to these deadly drugs after being prescribed opioid painkillers following an injury or operation.

Midwood Active Adults Program

During a recent event at the Midwood Active Adults Program, Assemblywoman Weinstein commended Director Jacqueline Florio and the food staff on the delicious fare served to members. Although temporarily closed, we look forward to welcoming them back at a site close by in the near future.

Jewish Community Council of Marine Park

The Jewish Community Council of Marine Park visited Assemblywoman Weinstein in the Assembly’s Chamber where they were formally greeted before meeting with various elected officials to lobby for their organization which helps thousands of local families through a plethora of vital social service programs.

Assemblywoman Weinstein successfully fought for improvements in the 2018 State Budget, which included tremendous wins for children in public and private schools, a major investment in education to ensure every child has the opportunity to succeed.

The 2018-19 State Budget increases New York City education funding by $914 million, or 3.6 percent, over the previous year reaffirming our unrelenting commitment to putting every city student on their path to success.

Other highlights of the 2018 State Education Budget include:

$618 million increase in Foundation Aid for a total of $17.8 billion
$50 million increase to help high-need schools become community schools in underserved communities
$15 million to expand our pre-K programs, for a total of $827 million
$300,000 for cyber bullying prevention
$12 million to create the Breakfast After the Bell program to serve breakfast after the beginning of the school day and bans meal shaming
$10 million for a second round of Empire After School awards, providing after-school care for over 6,000 students, which will be directed toward districts with high rates of childhood homelessness.

To make sure this year’s budget helps all students, including those attending Parochial schools and Yeshivas, the budget and end of session actions also provide:

$5.4 million increase for non-public school aid for a total of $186.4 million
$15 million in funding for STEM Programming in non-public and parochial schools
$7 million for costs related to complying with immunization requirements
$1.75 million increase in funding for Bus Service for Children in Private Schools with dismissals after 4:00 pm, bringing the total to $18.8 million

Assemblywoman Weinstein will continue to fight for all schools and teachers so they can continue to provide a quality education to students throughout New York.

The 2018-19 State Budget makes a substantial $7.6 billion investment in SUNY and CUNY colleges — an increase of $1.2 billion since 2012 — and helps expand access to higher education through scholarship and opportunity programs.

I am extremely proud of the $118 million in funding for the Excelsior Scholarship, a ground breaking, first-of-its-kind initiative to provide a tuition free education at SUNY and CUNY for New Yorkers who earn less than $110,000 annually. Other higher education highlights include:

$12.1 million to SUNY and $6.3 million to CUNY to increase community college base aid by $100 per full-time equivalent (FTE) student, bringing the total rate to $2,847
Restoration of $1.1 million to SUNY and $902,000 to CUNY for Child Care Centers, helping students care for their families while earning a degree
Restoration of $5 million for Educational Opportunity Centers (EOCs), for a total of $60.04 million.

Haitian Unity Day

On May 7th, the NYS Assembly celebrated Haitian Unity Day. Assemblywoman Weinstein and Assemblywoman Jamie Williams congratulated this year’s honoree, Karine Jean-Pierre, National Spokesperson for moveon.org.

Oscars for Distinguished Community Service

At the Annual BIG Oscars Dinner for Distinguished Community Service, Assemblywoman Weinstein joined Steve Barrison of the Bay Improvement Group in presenting NYS Assembly Certificates of Merit to the honorees.

In an effort to ensure equality and fairness for New Yorkers with disabilities, Assemblywoman Weinstein and her colleagues took steps to strengthen anti-discrimination protections, and improve access to critical resources by:

Offering a small business tax credit for the employment of people with disabilities (A.1369-A – Passed Assembly and Senate)
Establishing the New York state Interagency Coordinating Council for Service-disabled Veterans — which would assist those who became disabled serving their country (A.5931-A – Passed Assembly and Senate)
Reestablishing the Office of the Advocate for People With Disabilities to advocate on behalf of persons with disabilities (A.10706 – Passed Assembly)
Providing reasonable accommodations to persons with disabilities so as to allow the use of a service animal in housing where the use is usually prohibited (A.7283 – Passed Assembly)

Street Safety Fair

At a recent street fair promoting public safety, Assemblywoman Weinstein commended 61st Precinct Community Affairs Officers, 61st Precinct Auxiliary Captain, Gene Singer, and Auxiliary Officers on the terrific work they do keeping her constituents, young and old, safe and informed.

Ribbon Cutting Ceremony

Assemblywoman Weinstein joined Mount Sinai Brooklyn President, Lin H. Mo, as administrators and community leaders celebrated the ribbon cutting of their newly renovated lobby, providing improved handicap accessibility.

Assemblywoman Weinstein says
"Protect Your Identity"
A Free Shredding Truck
Is Coming to Our Neighborhood
September 13, 2018

TIMESLOTS AVAILABLE – CALL TO RESERVE YOURS
• Shred your personal papers for FREE.
• You can bring any documents containing your personal information, such as bank account, social security number, credit card applications, and bank statements.
**No commercial or wet paper - Limit 2 boxes/bags per household**

Smoke Detector Installations

Assemblywoman Helene Weinstein assisted John Waldman, Regional Senior Director of Government and Community Relations at American Red Cross Greater New York in installing smoke detectors at the homes of several elderly constituents.

Victory Day Celebration

Assemblywoman Weinstein joined Fira Stukelman, President of the American Association of Invalids & Veterans of World War II, and decorated female War Veterans, during a Victory Day celebration commemorating the surrender of the Nazi regime to the former Soviet Union.

Jewish Community Council of Marine Park Fundraiser

The JCC of Marine Park Machal program feeds hundreds of families who cannot afford the rising cost of weekly grocery bills. At a recent fundraiser for the program, Assemblywoman Weinstein commended Shea Rubenstein, Executive Vice President of the JCCMP, Victor Shine, and Nachman Mostofsky, Director of Government Affairs for the National Council of Young Israel for all the work they do for the community.

Kings Bay 2 Cooperation Shareholder Meeting

Kings Bay 2 Coop residents welcomed Assemblywoman Weinstein to their shareholder meeting, where she spoke about local street safety issues and how and the State Budget would assist our hardest working New Yorkers.