DOCSLIB.ORG

10-17-19 NYS Senate Hearing

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
10-17-19 NYS Senate Hearing 1 BEFORE THE NEW YORK STATE SENATE STANDING COMMITTEE ON CODES 2 ------------------------------------------------------ 3 PUBLIC HEARING: 4 POLICING (S3695), REPEALS PROVISIONS RELATING TO 5 PERSONNEL RECORDS OF POLICE OFFICERS, FIREFIGHTERS, 6 AND CORRECTIONAL OFFICERS 7 ------------------------------------------------------ 8 Senate Hearing Room 9 250 Broadway, 19th Floor New York, New York 10 Date: October 17, 2019 11 Time: 10:00 a.m. 12 PRESIDING: 13 Senator Jamaal T. Bailey Chair of the Standing Committee on Codes 14 15 SENATE MEMBERS PRESENT: 16 Senator Brian A. Benjamin 17 Senator Leroy Comrie 18 Senator Jim Gaughran 19 Senator Andrew Gounardes 20 Senator Brad Hoylman 21 Senator Robert Jackson 22 Senator Todd Kaminsky 23 Senator Zellnor Myrie 24 Senator Kevin Parker 25 Senator Jessica Ramos 2 1 SENATE MEMBERS PRESENT (continued): 2 Senator Gustavo Rivera 3 Senator Julia Salazar 4 Senator Luis R. Sepulveda 5 6 ASSEMBLYMEMBERS PRESENT: 7 Assemblymember Michael Blake 8 Assemblymember Inez E. Dickens 9 Assemblymember Nathalia Fernandez 10 Assemblymember You-Line Niou 11 Assemblymember Daniel O'Donnell 12 Assemblymember Latrice Walker 13 14 OTHER PARTIES PRESENT: 15 New York City Councilmember Daneek Miller 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 3 1 SPEAKERS: PAGE QUESTIONS 2 Gwen Carr 8 31 3 Mother of Eric Garner 4 Valerie Bell 8 31 Mother of Sean Bell 5 Constance Malcolm 8 31 6 Mother of Delrawn Small 7 Lou Matarazzo 49 60 Representative 8 NY City Detectives, Lieutenants, Captains, and State Assoc. of PBAs 9 Paul DiGiacomo 49 60 10 Vice President Detectives Endowment Association 11 Jumaane D. Williams 114 119 12 Public Advocate of The City of New York 13 Elias Husamudeen 128 135 14 President COBA 15 Gabrielle Seay 179 184 16 Political Director 1199 SEIU, United Healthcare 17 Workers East 18 Alvin Bragg 190 212 Racial Justice Project 19 New York Law School 20 Michael Sisitzky 190 212 Lead Policy Counsel 21 New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU) 22 Rachel Bloom 190 212 Director of Public Policy 23 Citizens Union 24 Joo-Hyun Kang 190 212 Director 25 Communities united for Police Reform 4 1 SPEAKERS (Continued): PAGE QUESTIONS 2 David McCraw 235 241 3 Senior Vice President & Deputy General Counsel 4 The New York Times Company 5 Monifa Bandele 249 263 Senior Vice President 6 MomsRising 7 Quadira Coles 249 263 Policy Manager 8 Girls for Gender Equity 9 Darian X 249 263 Youth Member, testifying on behalf 10 of Isaiah Quinones Make the Road New York 11 Milo Inglehart 249 263 12 Legal Fellow Transgender Law Center 13 Jacqueline Renee Caruana 272 298 14 Senior Staff Attorney Brooklyn Defender Services 15 Christopher Boyle 272 298 16 New York County Defender Services 17 Karen Thompson 272 298 Board Member 18 New York State Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers 19 Molly Griffard 272 298 20 Legal Fellow Cynthia Conti-Cook 21 Staff Attorney New York City Legal Aid Society 22 Oded Oren 272 298 23 Bronx Defenders 24 Franklin Stone 308 Board Chair 25 NYS Committee on Open Government 5 1 SENATOR BAILEY: Good morning, everyone. 2 OFF-CAMERA SPEAKER: Good morning. 3 SENATOR BAILEY: I am state 4 Senator Jamaal Bailey. 5 I represent the 36th Senatorial District in 6 The Bronx, in Mount Vernon, and I am the chairperson 7 of the Senate Standing Committee on Codes. 8 And today's hearing is concerning Bill S3695, 9 relating to Section 50-a of the Civil Rights Law. 10 I am joined by Senator Andrew Gounardes, 11 Senator Todd Kaminsky, and Senator Robert Jackson; 12 The members of the Codes Committee that 13 I chair: 14 Ranking Members: Andrew Lanza, Senators 15 Gounardes and Kaminski, are members of the Codes 16 Committee. 17 Other senators on the committee are 18 Senators Akshar, Benjamin, Biaggi, Boyle, Gallivan, 19 Kavanagh, Myrie, O'Mara, and Savino. 20 And many of our colleagues will be in and out 21 today. 22 I want to thank you all for coming to this 23 very important hearing, the beginning of a 24 conversation, what I believe to be an important 25 piece of legislation. 6 1 And I'm going to deviate from my remarks to 2 some degree that I had prepared, and I want to talk 3 about why these hearings are important. 4 When we pass bills in Albany, us here on this 5 dais, we take that role very seriously. 6 We want to be as informed as possible 7 concerning any legislation -- any legislative 8 actions that we take, and we want to hear from all 9 individuals. 10 And, unfortunately, prior to -- just prior to 11 the hearing, I was advised that the CCRB, nor the 12 NYPD, will be testifying today. 13 And -- and I am disappointed by that, as 14 I pride myself in being somebody who is always 15 willing to have a conversation and have a dialogue, 16 even if our views may not 100 percent align. 17 I am hopeful, and I will remind folks, as we 18 are being streamed live, that today is the first of 19 two hearings, so, you have another shot, another 20 bite at the apple, so to speak. 21 So the 24th, I implore you, I ask you, to 22 please join us in Albany. 23 I would like to thank -- there are other 24 members of law enforcement and PBAs here as well, so 25 I would like to thank you for your attendance, and 7 1 we will hear from you shortly. 2 I appreciate you coming out and making your 3 voices heard. 4 Again, it's critically important that we 5 continue to hear from all sides; all voices matter. 6 We have just been joined by 7 Senator Kevin Parker from Brooklyn. 8 So we are going to begin our testimony with a 9 panel of impact individuals. 10 Gwen Carr, Valerie Bell, and 11 Constance Malcolm are mothers who have sustained 12 losses, and they are going to come testify. 13 I just want to remind everybody of the -- 14 some of the ground rules concerning testimony, 15 though. 16 We want to limit our testimony, we don't want 17 to limit your ideas, but we want to limit the time, 18 because we don't want to be here all day. 19 There will be a 5-minute time limit for each 20 person testifying, followed by a maximum of 21 10 minutes for each of Q&A for each person who has 22 testified. That will be myself and my colleagues in 23 government, we will be asking questions and engaging 24 in dialogue with you. 25 Again, this hearing is being live-fed. 8 1 And the transcript of the hearing, with 2 copies of all testimony, both oral and submitted, 3 will be available in the New York State Senate's 4 website. 5 And your testimony, especially if you have 6 submitted written testimony, I implore you to not 7 read directly from the paper, in order to maximize 8 the time that you've been allotted and given. 9 So with that being said, I want to thank, 10 once again, my colleagues who have joined me today. 11 And I would like to ask Ms. Carr, Ms. Bell, 12 and Ms. Malcolm to come forward and testify. 13 And please use the microphone, as the media 14 services folks have indicated, because we are being 15 live. So we want your -- your -- your comments to 16 be captured accordingly. 17 Just for -- for time-keeping sake, there are 18 a couple of clocks in the area. 19 So, again, when you're testifying, be mindful 20 of the time ticking. 21 We will gently remind you of the time 22 elapsing, but just be mindful of the time as it is 23 elapsing. 24 I'm not certain which one of you ladies would 25 like to begin, but the floor is open. 9 1 VALERIE M. BELL: Good morning, everyone. 2 SENATOR BAILEY: Good morning. 3 VALERIE M. BELL: Thank you for having us. 4 My name is Valerie Bell, and I'm the mother 5 of Sean Bell who was killed on November 25, 2006; 6 50 shots. This year will make 13 years. 7 I'm here to say very clearly to our New York 8 State senators that 50-a must be repealed. 9 This police secrecy law is used time and time 10 again to shield abusive officers, and when there is 11 no transparency or accountability. 12 Just, for example, if that was one of us, 13 everything would be put out in paper of what we have 14 done if we had killed someone. 15 13 years ago, like I said, my son was killed 16 by five officers, NYPD Club Enforcement -- Club 17 Enforcement Initiative in Jamaica, Queens. 18 They boxed my son's car in, shot 50 times. 19 They said they thought there was a gun, but, 20 of course, there was no gun. 21 It's been over a decade, but I remember all 22 too well the trauma that me and my family's been 23 going through, still going through, of course, our 24 people of color still being killed by NYPD and all 25 over different states. 10 1 We couldn't get any information from the NYPD 2 or the Queens District Attorney's Office. 3 I knew my son had been at his bachelor's 4 party, and was leaving a club in a car with his 5 friends.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Gazette Tastes of Summer Reading Celebrating Summer Begins with a Jam ‘One Small Step’ Page 12 Page 9 Page 5 VOL
    HERALD________________ GLEN COVE _______________ Gazette Tastes of Summer reading Celebrating summer begins with a jam ‘one small step’ Page 12 Page 9 Page 5 VOL. 28 NO. 29 JULY 18-24, 2019 $1.00 Residents react to state’s new Green Light Bill By NADYA NATALY and MIKE CONN important piece of legislation [email protected], [email protected] for immigrant communities in the state of New York in recent Ever since Nelson Melgar times.” Driving without docu- came to Glen Cove from Hondu- mentation, he explained, is one ras as a 13-year-old undocument- of the most common legal issues ed immigrant, he has worked to that arise in immigrant commu- assimilate into American soci- nities. Immigrants face far more ety, and to help oth- severe consequenc- ers like him. As an es for infractions active member of or accidents than several immigrant- y allowing other drivers, he advocacy groups, said, so many of he says that there Bthese them are simply are many difficul- afraid to drive, Alyssa Seidman/Herald Gazette people to drive ties that immi- despite the reality grants face, but the with proper that driving is all They’ll keep Long Island on their left inability to drive but a basic necessi- Next week, the 43rd annual Around Long Island Regatta will begin in New York Harbor and wend legally is one of documentation, ty on Long Island. its way counterclockwise to the North Shore, where the three-day-long race will end in Glen the biggest. you are in “By allowing Cove’s Hempstead Harbor.
    [Show full text]
  • State Senate District Town/City/Counties NYSNA
    NYSNA-Endorsed State Senate District Town/City/Counties Candidates There are no NYSNA-endorsed 1 Brookhaven candidates in this district There are no NYSNA-endorsed 2 East Northport candidates in this district There are no NYSNA-endorsed 3 Suffolk candidates in this district 4 Suffolk Phil Boyle (Rep) 5 Nassau, Suffolk Jim Gaughran (Dem) 6 Nassau County Kevin Thomas (Dem) 7 Nassau County Anna Kaplan (Dem) 8 Seaford John Brooks (Dem) 9 Long Beach, Hempstead Todd Kaminsky (Dem) 10 Queens James Sanders, Jr. (Dem) 11 Queens John Liu (Dem) 12 Queens Michael Gianaris (Dem) 13 Queens Jessica Ramos (Dem) 14 Queens Leroy Comrie (Dem) 15 Queens Joe Addabbo (Dem) 16 Queens Toby Ann Stavisky (Dem) There are no NYSNA-endorsed 17 Kings candidates in this district 18 NYC Julia Salazar (Dem) 19 Kings Roxanne Persaud (Dem) 20 Kings Zellnor Myrie (Dem) 21 Kings Kevin Parker (Dem) 22 Kings Andrew Gounardes (Dem) 23 Kings Diane Savino (Dem) 24 Kings Andrew Lanza (Rep) 25 Kings Velmanette Montgomery (Dem) 26 Kings Brian Kavanagh (Dem) 27 NYC Brad Hoylman (Dem) 28 NYC Liz Krueger (Dem) 29 NYC José M. Serrano (Dem) 30 NYC Brian Benjamin (Dem) 31 Bronx Robert Jackson (Dem) 32 Bronx Luis Sepúlveda (Dem) 33 Bronx Gustavo Rivera (Dem) 34 Bronx Alessandra Biaggi (Dem) Yonkers, Greenburgh, Andrea Stewart-Cousins (Dem) WhIte PlaIns, SCarsdale & 35 New RoChelle 36 Bronx/Mt. Vernon Jamaal Bailey (Dem) 37 Rye City Shelley Mayer (Dem) 38 WestCheter David Carlucci (Dem) 39 Orange/RoCkland/Ulster James Skoufis (Dem) 40 WestCheter Terrence Murphy (Rep) 41 Hyde Park Sue Serino (Rep) 42 Middletown Jen Metzger (Dem) 43 Halfmoon Aaron Gladd (Dem) 44 Albany, Rensselaer Neil Breslin (Dem) ClInton, Essex, FranklIn, There are no NYSNA-endorsed St.
    [Show full text]
  • Democrats Capture State Senate with Biggest Majority Since 1912 11/7/18, 904 AM
    Democrats capture state Senate with biggest majority since 1912 11/7/18, 904 AM If the current Democratic seats hold, Democrats will have 39 members in a chamber in which 32 is needed for a majority. | AP Photo/Hans Pennink Democrats capture state Senate with biggest majority since 1912 By BILL MAHONEY | 11/07/2018 01:15 AM EST ALBANY — Democrats took control of the state Senate in a convincing fashion on Tuesday night, flipping as many as eight Republican seats and losing no members in a year in which they needed a net gain of just one seat. Democrats Monica Martinez, Jim Gaughran, Anna Kaplan and Kevin Thomas all seem to have flipped districts on Long Island, and Pete Harckham won a seat in Westchester. James Skoufis and Jen Metzger had modest leads in Hudson Valley seats that Democrats are confident will hold. And Andrew Gounardes had a roughly 1,000-vote lead over Sen. Marty Golden in Brooklyn that will likely make him a favorite in any recounts in the coming weeks. The victory also means a long-standing glass ceiling in New York has been shattered. There have been 165 people who have been among the “three men in a room” — the fabled triumvirate of the https://www.politico.com/states/new-york/albany/story/2018/11/07/democrats-capture-state-senate-with-biggest-majority-since-1912-685748 Page 2 of 6 Democrats capture state Senate with biggest majority since 1912 11/7/18, 904 AM governor and legislative leaders that has an outsized influence on state government.
    [Show full text]
  • Senate Majority to Advance Legislation to Improve Oversight and Care at Nursing Homes
    For Immediate Release: February 22, 2021 Contact: Jonathan Heppner | [email protected] | 518-455-2415 Senate Majority To Advance Legislation To Improve Oversight And Care At Nursing Homes (Albany, NY) The Senate Democratic Majority today will advance legislation to better support and protect nursing home residents. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the Senate Majority has taken action to pass legislation to support New Yorkers' health and safety. This legislative package will establish a direct patient care spending ratio for nursing homes, create a taskforce to reimagine the delivery of long-term care, allow personal and compassionate care visitors, mandate disclosure of nursing home ratings, and require more infection control policies by nursing homes and require state health officials to conduct more thorough inspections. “The tragic situation in our nursing homes remains a heartbreaking reminder of the toll this pandemic has taken and has made it clear that real reforms are needed,” Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins said. “The Senate Majority is taking action to deliver meaningful results by increasing transparency and raising the standard of care provided at these facilities. I commend the bill sponsors for their work, and I am proud that we are passing these reforms.” The legislation being passed by the Senate Majority includes: ● Patient Care Ratio Reporting: This bill, S.4336A sponsored by Senator Gusatvo Rivera, directs the Commissioner of Health to establish a "Direct Patient Care Ratio" that would require all nursing homes to spend at least 70% of a facility's revenue on direct patient care. ● Publication of Nursing Home Ratings: This bill, S.553 sponsored by Senator James Sanders Jr., requires that the most recent Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) rating of every nursing home be prominently displayed on the home page of the Department of Health's website and at each nursing home facility's website and displayed at the facility for view by the general public.
    [Show full text]
  • NYSUT's Guide to Union-Endorsed Candidates in the Nov. 6 Mid-Term
    2018 Voter Guide NYSUT’s guide to union-endorsed candidates in the Nov. 6 mid-term elections Thomas DiNapoli Letitia James Christine Pellegrino John Mannion Keith Batman Patrick Burke Monica Wallace Letter from the officers Andrew Pallotta Jolene T. DiBrango Paul Pecorale J. Philippe Abraham President Executive Vice President Second Vice President Secretary-Treasurer Dear NYSUT member: Up and down the ballot, there are candidates who will support students and public education, who will stand We are pleased to provide this Voter Guide so with working families, and who will fight for the issues and YOU and your VOTE on Nov. 6 can help guide values that we share. This guide provides the complete list the state and the nation. of NYSUT-endorsed candidates. Please take the time to read Your VOTE is Our Voice for and consider this information before you cast your ballot Nov. 6. Our Union and Our Values. In addition to statewide candidates Tom DiNapoli, comp- troller, and Tish James, attorney general, we are proud to feature NYSUT members who are running for office: state Senate hopeful John Mannion; Assembly incumbents Christine Pellegrino and Monica Wallace; and Assembly challengers Patrick Burke and Keith Batman. It is up to each of us to exercise the awesome power of our vote ... and to support those candidates who will support us. Make a plan to vote, and make sure that your friends, family, and colleagues remember to vote, When Republican voters are most enthusiastic, as well. Republicans win elections. When Democrat voters are most enthusiastic, Democrats win elections. But this fall, VOTE Nov.
    [Show full text]
  • August 5Th, 2020 Dear Members of the New York Congressional Delegation in the MTA Region, We Write As Representatives of Your Co
    LEROY G. COMRIE CHAIR 14TH SENATE DISTRICT CORPORATIONS, AUTHORITIES & COMMISSIONS ALBANY OFFICE ROOM 612 COMMITTEES: LEGISLATIVE OFFICE BUILDING ALBANY, NEW YORK 12247 CITIES PHONE: 518-455-2701 CONSUMER PROTECTION FAX: 518-455-2816 FINANCE DISTRICT OFFICE RACING, GAMING & WAGERING 113-43 FARMERS BLVD THE SENATE ST. ALBANS, NY 11412 RULES PHONE: 718-454-0162 STATE OF NEW YORK FAX: 718-454-0186 ALBANY EMAIL: [email protected] WEBSITE: COMRIE.NYSENATE.GOV August 5th, 2020 Dear Members of the New York Congressional Delegation in the MTA Region, We write as representatives of your constituents. As New York State Senators, we are responsible for overseeing the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which includes New York City Subways and Buses, the Long Island Rail Road, and Metro-North Railroad. The largest public transit authority in the United States, the MTA’s daily ridership reached a pre-COVID-19 high of nearly nine million people. We are also reaching out to our fellow colleagues in our neighboring states of New Jersey and Connecticut to build a coalition and urge them to write similar letters to their congressional delegations. It is critical we work together to build momentum to include emergency relief funding for transit in the next COVID relief bill, given the vital economic, social, and environmental importance of the public transportation industry. In recent years, we have voted repeatedly to create new funding streams at the state level to support the operations and growth of MTA services, without which the region would collapse. Now, however, those resources are outmatched by the devastation of the ongoing pandemic.
    [Show full text]
  • Download Slide Deck
    Please Take 2 Minutes to Complete Pre-Survey bit.ly/2020supre Overview of AI The Advocacy Institute is committed to transforming the legislative landscape in New York for Justice and Dignity. The AI Team MARISSA MARTIN CHI ANUNWA WESLEY BASTARDI DAVID NG BLANCA VILLANUEVA Approach Deliver trainings & tools, build networks, and develop leadership to win legislative campaigns and to build more power and organizing infrastructure along the way. Statewide Membership Membership Member Webinar Series: Thursdays at 2 pm towards the end of each month! Find them here: http://advocacy-institute.org/tools Previous: State Legislative and Budget Cycles State Power & Authority Key Players & Power Dynamics Campaign Milestones Meet our AI Insiders NYC Budget: The Homestretch NY State: Last Chance for Legislation All About Implementation Today: 2020 Session Updates 8 Goals • Review of 2019 session wins, strategy, and challenges • Share insights about implementation in relation to winning campaigns • Discuss opportunities for 2020 We Request That You ... • Participate & Engage in our interactive exercises and activities including the breakout groups. • Be Respectful of Other People. Speak from your own experience AND be generous with others. • Respect Confidentiality. Please don’t share anything here that you would not be comfortable sharing publicly. Note: We are recording this webinar, conversations in breakout rooms are not recorded. Some Tips about Zoom ... • Mute yourself when you’re not speaking. • Use Video if at all possible so we can see you and you can be seen by other members of the community. • Use the Chat Function to post questions and ask for technical support. Please be patient and continue listening to the presentation if it takes a bit of time to get to you.
    [Show full text]
  • Senate Majority to Pass Legislation to Improve Hospital and Nursing Home Staffing Levels
    For Immediate Release: May 4th, 2021 Contact: Jonathan Heppner | [email protected] | 518-455-2415 Senate Majority to Pass Legislation to Improve Hospital and Nursing Home Staffing Levels (Albany, NY) Today, the Senate Democratic Majority, under the Leadership of Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, will advance a legislative package that outlines hospital and nursing home staffing standards and protocols. Sponsored by Senator Gustavo Rivera, Chair of the Committee on Health, these bills will require every hospital to establish Clinical Staffing Committees to develop and oversee the implementation of annual clinical staffing plans for nurses and non-nurse support staff at each hospital in the state. Additionally, the legislation will mandate the Commissioner of Health to publicize the new regulations that will require every nursing home to meet specific hours per resident day of care for certified nurse aides, registered nurses, and licensed practical nurses. This legislative package builds on legislation passed in March by the Senate Democratic Majority to better support and protect nursing home residents. In the 2021-2022 State Budget, the Senate Majority required nursing homes to spend at least 70% of their revenue on direct patient care and 40% on resident-facing staffing, and included $64 million for increased staffing. The Senate Majority also held joint statewide public hearings this past year on residential health care facilities and COVID-19 to discuss various issues and concerns directly with the public. Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins said, “The pandemic stretched New York’s health care system and highlighted the long-existing inequities in the provision of care to our most vulnerable New Yorkers.
    [Show full text]
  • 15246 Conduit NL Septoct 16.Indd
    SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016 HE T IT NDU CO # # # SPECIAL ELECTION ISSUE # # # THE IBEW CELEBRATES ITS 125TH ANNIVERSARY AT THE 39TH INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION IN ST. LOUIS, MO Pictured with International President Lonnie Stephenson (center) is Local 25’s delegation to the Convention. (L to R) Sean Plant, Jim Wisdom, Jim Malley, John Guadagno, President Stephenson, Kevin Harvey, Kevin Casey and Jack Majkut. As stated in Article II, Section 1; “The IBEW shall also marked its original birthplace – St. Louis, Missouri. meet in regular convention every 5 years on the third After all it was in 1891, when lineman Henry Miller and Monday in September at such places as determined 9 other Founding Fathers gathered together to hold by the IEC”. A few weeks ago from September 19th their 1st Convention with a total of 283 original del- through the 23rd, your delegation, as selected by the egates representing the NEBW (National Brotherhood membership at our last Local Union elections, attended of Electric Workers). If they only knew then that the the 39th International Convention in St. Louis. The date organization they founded 125 years ago would grow marked not only the 125th Anniversary of the IBEW, it (Continued on page 4) BUSINESS THE MANAGER’S REPORT CONDUIT BY KEVIN M. HARVEY As I sit here writing my last Conduit as your Business THE CONDUIT (Publication No. USPS 984-520) Manager I can’t help but refl ect on not only my six years is published bi-monthly as a service to its as Business Manager but my entire 45-year career in the members by Local Union 25, IBEW, P.O.
    [Show full text]
  • The Voters Have Spoken: HOW CRIMINAL JUSTICE REFORM WON in NEW YORK the VOTERS HAVE SPOKEN: HOW CRIMINAL JUSTICE REFORM WON in NEW YORK 2
    The Voters Have Spoken: HOW CRIMINAL JUSTICE REFORM WON IN NEW YORK THE VOTERS HAVE SPOKEN: HOW CRIMINAL JUSTICE REFORM WON IN NEW YORK 2 Background New York Republicans promised to retake the State Senate in 2020 by attacking bail reform, spending millions of dollars along the way, but in the end their tactics failed. Over the course of the election cycle, a group of Super PACs supported candidates challenging incumbent Democratic Senators who voted in favor of the bail reforms passed by the state legislature in 2019. These PACs ran TV ads, sent direct mail, and called voters to spread fear, falsehoods, and misinformation about bail reform. These reforms, which mandated that most people charged with misdemeanors and non-violent felonies be released to await trial at home, reduced New York State’s jail population by more than 40%, ensuring that fewer people were crowded in unsanitary jails during the COVID-19 pandemic. Like many pretrial reforms before them, New York’s recent bail reforms have not led to an uptick in crime, and early data from the pre-COVID months of 2020 show that people are still returning to court at very high rates. Despite these facts, many law enforcement officials and conservative groups adamantly oppose the reforms. Before the new laws even took effect, District Attorneys, police officials and unions, and other elected leaders took aim at the reforms, falsely claiming that the people set to be released were dangerous and would wreak havoc on their communities, often using racist dog whistles and outright lies. Their fearmongering reached a fever pitch during the 2020 legislative session, leading to a reactionary partial rollback of the reforms driving an indefensible and tragic increase in the pretrial jail population in the midst of the deadly COVID-19 pandemic.
    [Show full text]
  • 2020 Election Guide Long Island Contractors’ Association Political Action Committee
    2020 Election Guide Long Island Contractors’ Association Political Action Committee The Voice of Long Island’s Highway & Infrastructure Professionals e U.S. House of Representatives - D1 U.S. House of Representatives - D2 U.S. House of Representatives - D3 c Nancy Lee Jackie Andrew Thomas George Devolder- a Goroff (D) Z e l d in (R) Gordon (D) G a r b a r ino (R) S uozzi (D) S a n t o s (R) F - o t - e c a U.S. House of Representatives - D4 New York Senate - District 1 F Kathleen Douglas Laura Anthony s Rice (D) T u m an (R) Ahearn (D) P a l u m bo (R) New York State e Senate & Assembly t Races for a Long Island d Districts i 4 d n New York Senate - District 2 New York Senate - District 3 New York Senate - District 4 a Mike Siderakis Mario Mattera Monica Alexis Christine Phil Boyle C (D) (R) Martinez (D) W e i k (R) P ellegrino (D) ( R ) : s e c a R New York Senate - District 5 New York Senate - District 6 New York Senate - District 7 n James Edmund Kevin Dennis Anna David o i Gaughran (D) S m y t h (R) Thomas (D) D u n n e , Sr. (R) K a plan (D) F r a n k lin (R) t c e l E 0 2 New York Senate - District 8 New York Senate - District 9 New York Assembly - District 1 0 John E. None Todd Victoria Fred Heather Brooks (D) ( R ) Kaminsky (D) J o h n s o n (R) T h iele, Jr.
    [Show full text]
  • 08-03-2020 Senate Health-Care Facilities and COVID-19 Transcript
    1 BEFORE THE NEW YORK STATE LEGISLATURE: SENATE STANDING COMMITTEE ON HEALTH, 2 SENATE STANDING COMMITTEE ON AGING, SENATE STANDING COMMITTEE ON INVESTIGATIONS & 3 GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS, ASSEMBLY STANDING COMMITTEE ON HEALTH, 4 ASSEMBLY STANDING COMMITTEE ON AGING, and ASSEMBLY STANDING COMMITTEE ON OVERSIGHT, ANALYSIS & 5 INVESTIGATION ----------------------------------------------------- 6 VIRTUAL JOINT PUBLIC HEARING: 7 RESIDENTIAL HEALTH CARE FACILITIES AND COVID-19 8 NEW YORK CITY, LONG ISLAND, AND WESTCHESTER 9 ----------------------------------------------------- 10 Date: August 3, 2020 Time: 10:00 a.m. 11 12 PRESIDING: 13 Senator Gustavo Rivera Chair, Senate Standing Committee on Health 14 Senator Rachel May 15 Chair, Senate Standing Committee on Aging 16 Senator James Skoufis Chair, Senate Standing Committee on Investigations & 17 Government Operations 18 Assemblymember Richard N. Gottfried Chair, Assembly Standing Committee on Health 19 Assemblymember Harry B. Bronson 20 Chair, Assembly Standing Committee on Aging 21 Assemblymember John T. McDonald III Chair, Assembly Standing Committee on Oversight, 22 Analysis & Investigation 23 24 25 2 1 SENATE MEMBERS PRESENT: 2 Senator Allesandra Biaggi 3 Senator George M. Borrello 4 Senator Phil Boyle 5 Senator David Carlucci 6 Senator Patrick M. Gallivan 7 Senator James Gaughran 8 Senator Andrew Gounardes 9 Senator Pamela Helming 10 Senator Brad Hoylman 11 Senator Todd Kaminsky 12 Senator Andrew J. Lanza 13 Senator Betty Little 14 Senator John C. Liu 15 Senator Jen Metzger 16 Senator Monica R. Martinez 17 Senator Thomas F. O'Mara 18 Senator Patty Ritchie 19 Senator Luis R. Sepulveda 20 Senator Sue Serino 21 Senator Toby Ann Stavisky 22 Senator James Tedisco 23 Senator Kevin Thomas 24 25 3 1 ASSEMBLYMEMBERS PRESENT: 2 Assemblymember Thomas J.
    [Show full text]