New York State Legislators Must Get Back to the Work of Legislating — NOW!

Doing mutual aid work is fulfilling, builds community, and is urgently needed. But it also fills me with anxiety because there is so much need and despair. Each week families get less food, we have to turn more and more people away and we hear how scared people are.

We often hear that the situation “normal” was bad pre-pandemic and there was little help. Now things are worse — a return normal does not mean things will get better. There is fear that help will stop, vulnerable communities will be left even further behind, and more people will need aid.

It is impossible for me to understand how any New York State elected leader doing the work on ground in district, witnessing firsthand the despair and fear, are not demanding loudly that they must return to the work legislating immediately.

It is impossible for me to understand why I as a constituent and challenger candidate have to pressure our state legislators to do their job, to do their job of making laws to help, to do their job we elected them to do — during this crisis or at any time. They work for us.

Over 20,000 people have died in New York from COVID19, more than 1.5 million New Yorkers have filed for unemployment, there is not enough food to feed the growing number who are food insecure, rent is due again in three weeks, Governor Cuomo will release major budget cuts in a matter of days.

These are all urgencies (and there are many more) that our New York State legislature can help fix by being in session, by passing laws. This is their job — something no one else can do. New Yorkers’ lives depend on them getting back to legislating.

It has been suggested that New York State Legislature wait and see what the federal government does. A better approach would be for our state lawmakers to work directly with our congressional delegation to let them know what is needed, where the gaps are and to make a comprehensive plan.

The New York State Assembly and Senate must get back to the work of legislating NOW. New Yorkers are depending on it.

My expectation is that the legislature get back to work to

➡️STOP our governor’s budget cuts

➡️PASS ultra millionaires tax or revenue drivers to make ultra wealthy pay their share

➡️CANCEL rent

➡️PASS the New York Heath Act

➡️PROTECT New Yorkers the federal stimulus does not help

➡️PROVIDE funds to the New York Board if Elections to educate on June 23 primary voting options

➡️IMPLEMENT a safe plan for voting in the November 3 general election

➡️WORK with our congressional delegation for a comprehensive recovery plan

➡️PASS constitutional amendment bill to make the New York budget process balanced between the executive and legislative branches of government as it should be

➡️REJECT austerity

➡️PASS all pending bills such as Good Cause Eviction and HALT Solitary and so many more.

➡️DEVELOP a state recovery plan — a New York State new deal including all needs pre and post pandemic

and much much more…