Subject: September 2010 Community Update
From: "Assemblyman Jonathan Bing" <[email-masked]>
To: <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 22 Sep 2010 14:33:39 -0400 (EDT)

In this Issue:
• Bing Hosts Annual Senior Health Fair on October 13
•
Bing's No-Fault Divorce Legislation Becomes Law
• Governor Signs Bing
Legislation to Assist Cultural and Educational Institutions
• Two Bing
Bills to Streamline Business Regulations Become Law
• Mammogram Van to
Visit Stanley Isaacs Center on October 25
• Carnegie Hill Neighbors Hosts
Electronics Recycling Event on September 28
• Neighborhood Grants
Available from Citizens Committee for New York City

Bing Hosts Annual
Senior Health Fair on October 13
On Wednesday, October 13, Assemblyman
Bing will host his eighth annual Senior Health Fair. The Health Fair will
run from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Community Room of Knickerbocker Plaza,
located at 1751 Second Avenue, between 91st and 92nd Street. Over twenty
community organizations, including Beth Israel, Lenox Hill, and New
York-Presbyterian Hospitals; the Hospital for Special Surgery; E-Care
Diary; the Yorkville Public Library; Visions; and, the New York Foundation
for Senior Citizens are scheduled to participate. Services such as
osteoporosis and blood pressure screenings and other helpful information
will be available. Refreshments will be provided through the generous
sponsorship of TD Bank.

In addition, seniors may receive a free
seasonal flu shot during the Health Fair, courtesy of the Visiting Nurse
Service. Appointments are available beginning at 10 a.m., and will
continue throughout the day. If you are interested in receiving a flu
shot, you must call (212) 605-0937 in advance of the Health Fair to make
an appointment.

Bing's No-Fault Divorce Legislation Becomes Law
On
August 16, the Governor signed Assemblyman Bing's legislation (Ch. 384) to
allow for "no-fault" divorce in New York State. New York had been the only
state in the nation without this provision.

Currently, parties to a
divorce are required to allege fault, such as cruel and inhuman treatment,
adultery, or abandonment by one spouse in order to end the union. This
fault requirement has made a difficult situation even more contentious,
forcing some individuals to remain in abusive relationships longer than
necessary. Requiring fault grounds has also had particularly negative
effects when children were involved. Studies have found that domestic
violence and female suicide rates have dropped significantly in other
states after no-fault has been adopted.

The legislation was sponsored
by a bipartisan coalition of 65 of Assemblyman Bing's colleagues, and
endorsed by many legal advocacy groups including the New York City and
State Bar Associations, the Women's Bar Association of New York, and the
Capital District Women's Bar Association. Newspapers from across the State
including the New York Times, The Economist, Times Union, Journal News and
Post-Standard also wrote editorials in support of the bill.

Governor
Signs Bing Legislation to Assist Cultural and Educational Institutions
On
September 20, Governor Paterson signed Assemblyman Bing's legislation (Ch.
490) which will give universities, museums, and other not-for-profit
organizations more flexibility in handling their endowments during times
of economic downturn. The legislation updates a 32-year old law and allows
these cultural institutions to preserve programs and keep staff employed
when portions of the institutions' endowment are "underwater," or less
valuable than when originally received. The legislation is commonly
referred to as Uniform Prudent Management of Institutional Funds (UPMIFA).
The new law comes at a time when most investments, including the
endowments of cultural institutions, have lost significant value. Many
educational institutions and other non-profits are in danger of having to
cut programming or lay off staff because they have little ability to
leverage these gifts. UPMIFA will allow these institutions to continue
providing programming, and retain employees. The legislation was supported
by over 60 New York educational and cultural institutions and other
non-profits, including New York University, the Metropolitan Museum of
Art, and Yeshiva University.

Two Bing Bills to Streamline Business
Regulations Become Law
The Governor recently signed two of Assemblyman
Bing's bills which will assist the insurance and real estate industries.
One new law (Ch. 441) simplifies the operations of the New York State
Insurance Department. Without ceding authority over insurance companies
operating in New York State, the law will remove an unnecessary barrier to
re-approving amended policies. The law will decrease the amount of time it
take an insurance company to deliver amended forms to the insurance
marketplace, and create savings that will be passed along to consumers
.
The other law (Ch. 443) will streamline the procedure for real estate
transactions in New York State. The legislation removes unnecessary
administrative steps and costs, specifically in situations where the buyer
and seller of the property are represented by the same brokerage firm.
Assemblyman Bing's bill allows consumers to provide advance consent of the
"dual agency" relationship, thereby removing an extra step of paperwork
and eliminating administrative fees.

Mammogram Van to Visit Stanley
Isaacs Center on October 25
On October 25, Assemblyman Bing will again be
sponsoring the American-Italian Cancer Foundation's Mobile Mammography Van
at the Stanley Isaacs Neighborhood Center, located at 415 East 93rd
Street. Women over the age of 40 who have not had a mammogram in the past
year are eligible to sign up for the free procedure. To do so, you must
make an appointment in advance with the American-Italian Cancer Foundation
by calling 1-800-453-8378, extension 1. This is the eighth consecutive
year that Assemblyman Bing has brought the Mobile Mammography Van to the
Isaacs Center.

Carnegie Hill Neighbors Hosts Electronics Recycling
Event on September 28
Carnegie Hill Neighbors will be sponsoring an
electronics recycling event on September 28, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the
Church of Heavenly Rest, located at 2 East 90th Street. If you have old
computers, monitors, printers, fax machines, televisions, or VCR- or
DVD-players, these materials can be safely recycled by dropping them off
at this location during the event.

According to the Environment
Protection Agency, electronic waste contributes 70% of the toxins in
landfills while accounting for only 1% of waste volume. Electronic waste
contains many toxins, including lead, mercury, and cadmium. Recycling
these items decreases energy and water use, reduces pollution, and keeps
hazardous chemicals out of the air and water. A recently passed New York
City law makes it illegal for residents to dispose of these materials
improperly after July 1, 2010. For more information, please visit
www.lesecologycenter.org, or call Carnegie Hill Neighbors at (212)
996-5520.

Neighborhood Grants Available from Citizens Committee for New
York City
The Citizens Committee for New York City recently announced the
availability of grants for volunteer-led neighborhood groups. "Love Your
Block" grants ranging from $500 to $1,000 will be available for
neighborhood and block beautification projects, such as cleaning vacant
lots, planting trees in empty beds, and removing graffiti. The application
deadline is November 15, and applications for grants can be downloaded
from www.citizensnyc.org. For further information and details on applying,
please contact Saleen Shah, Associate Director of Neighborhood Resources
at the Citizens Committee, at (212) 822-9566, or [email-masked].
Assemblyman Jonathan Bing
360 East 57th Street, Mezzanine
New York, NY
10022
(212) 605-0937
(212) 605-9948 (fax)
[email-masked]
www.assembly.state.ny.us

 

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