Subject: April 2011 Community Update
From: "Assemblyman Jonathan Bing" <[email-masked]>
To: <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 21 Apr 2011 11:41:28 -0400 (EDT)

In this Issue:
• Personal Statement on the Passage of an On-Time,
Fiscally Responsible Budget
• Assemblyman Bing to Host Social Networking
and Internet Safety Forum for Seniors
• Weekend Service Restored to the
M50 Bus Line
• Bing Introduces Patient Protection Legislation
•
Kindergarten Waitlists at East Side Public Schools
• DOE and UFT Extend
Agreement on Teaching Assistants
• Bing to Serve as Honorary Co-Chair of
Design Sustainability Awards
• Assemblyman Bing to Co-Sponsor Forum on
Medicare
• Sales Tax Exemption for Clothing Purchases Under $55
•
Important E-Waste Law Takes Effect
************

A Personal Statement
on the Passage of an On-Time, Fiscally Responsible Budget
As a result of
the economic downturn affecting the entire nation, New York State was
faced with a $10 billion deficit requiring Governor Andrew Cuomo and the
Legislature to make difficult decisions on the path to a balanced budget.
This session, my Assembly Majority colleagues and I worked successfully
with Governor Cuomo to close a record deficit, cut spending by $3 billion
over last year's budget, and preserve vital programs for New Yorkers. I am
proud to have taken part in an effort to effectively address New York
State's fiscal crisis while simultaneously protecting senior centers,
public education and many social service programs.

In an effort to
ensure senior centers receive adequate funding, I strongly advocated for
the Legislature to restore proposed cuts to Title XX funding. These cuts
would have closed over one hundred senior centers in New York City,
including Lenox Hill Neighborhood House's program on the Upper East Side.
The final budget fully restores Title XX funding, securing $36 million for
New York City senior centers. I will continue to monitor this issue to
ensure that this funding is dedicated to saving senior centers in New York
City's budget for the next fiscal year.

The budget process also
reaffirmed the Assembly Majority's commitment to public education. The
final budget increases public education funding by $272 million over the
Executive budget proposal -- for a total of $19.6 billion in school
funding for the 2011-2012 school year --and includes a two-year
appropriation for school aid. The 2011-12 budget makes key investments to
ensure quality public education at all levels, including maintaining $384
million in funding for Universal Pre-Kindergarten for the 2011-12 and
2012-13 school years, increasing funding for the School Lunch and
Breakfast Program to $33.1 million, restoring $57 million to the Summer
School Special Education program, and maintaining funding for
state-supported schools for the blind and deaf.

As the former chairman
of the Assembly Libraries and Education Technology Committee, I am pleased
that the final budget added $3 million to statewide library funding over
the Executive budget proposal. Further, the adopted budget fully restored
funding for Early Intervention programs to assist children who have or may
develop disabilities.

While the final budget preserved our duty to
protect the most vulnerable New Yorkers, it is an honest testament to
economic reality and has set New York on a path of fiscal responsibility.
The budget includes historic reforms that cap automatic spending increases
for the largest components of the state budget, streamline and consolidate
state government and transform the future budgeting process. The 2011-12
budget reduced spending overall by more than two percent from the previous
year and will cut the 2012-13 projected budget deficit from $15 billion to
$2 billion.

It was imperative that state government address New York's
structural budget problems which had previously served as roadblocks to
true fiscal reform. As I wrote in a January 28 op-ed in the New York Daily
News (available here:
http://www.nydailynews.com/opinions/2011/01/28/2011-01-28_dont_cook_the_go
lden_goose_taxing_stock_transfers_will_kill_new_yorks_economy.html ),
these structural economic problems were too great, and the state budget
previously too embedded in unrealistic economic projections, to ignore.
Not addressing the underlying reasons for why spending was out-of-control
would have hampered our economic recovery, stifled job growth and forced
businesses out of New York. Yet, despite the largest budget deficit in
the state's history and the difficult decisions that were made in this
budget, the Assembly Majority rose to the fiscal challenge of setting the
State on a course of fiscal solvency while protecting vital services.
There remain significant issues not addressed by the budget that must be
resolved before the end of the legislative session in June, including the
extension of rent regulations, property tax relief, the "millionaire's
tax," and the role of seniority in teacher layoffs, otherwise known as
"last in, first out." In addition, there are sources of revenue which New
York does not currently utilize, such as licensing mixed martial arts
competitions and allowing for the sale of wine in grocery stores, which
would add millions of dollars to our economy. I look forward to working
with Governor Cuomo on these and other issues in the remaining months of
the 2011 legislative session.
************

Assemblyman Bing to Host
Social Networking and Internet Safety Forum for Seniors
Assemblyman
Bing, in conjunction with Facebook and Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus
Vance, will host a forum on social networking and internet safety for
seniors. The forum will feature discussions regarding the use of social
networking sites to enhance communication with family and friends, and
internet safety issues such as posting personal information online,
avoiding online identity fraud, and recognizing advertising scams. The
event will be held on Friday, May 13, from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. at St.
Peter's Senior Center located at 619 Lexington Avenue between 53rd and
54th Streets.  To view and print out the flyer for this event, please
visit www.JonathanBing.com/facebookforseniors.

Assemblyman Bing has
been a leader in the effort to combat identity theft. This session, he
has worked closely with the Manhattan District Attorney's Office to
author A. 3838, a comprehensive piece of identity theft legislation which
streamlines and modernizes the identity theft statutes to give law
enforcement the tools they need to effectively prosecute perpetrators of
identity theft.
************

Weekend Service Restored to the M50 Bus
Line
On April 18, Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney, State Senator Liz
Krueger, and Assemblyman Bing announced that weekend service on the M50
bus line, which runs cross-town along 49th and 50th Streets, will be
restored pending approval of the MTA Board. Weekend service on the M50,
which was used by thousands of customers, was discontinued as part of the
June 2010 Service Reductions. The MTA decided to restore service after
meeting with East Side elected officials and community organizations led
by the Turtle Bay Association and Community Board 6. Over 4,000
neighborhood residents also signed a petition in support of reinstating
M50 service on weekends.

Under the restoration plan, the M50 line will
be slightly shortened along the southern end of the route. The agreement
was made without any additional cost to New Yorkers and without any
transportation disruptions, as the eliminated parts of the M50 route will
continue to be covered by the M15 and M42.

As a resident of Turtle Bay
who lives just one block away from the M50 bus line, Assemblyman Bing
knows firsthand how this service route is a critical lifeline for the
East Midtown residential community. Without the M50 available on
weekends, a fifteen block stretch of the East Side had no cross-town bus
service. Restoration of the weekend M50 route will allow Turtle Bay
residents full access to the City's transportation system.

To read Our
Town's coverage of this announcement, click here:
http://ourtownny.com/2011/04/18/m50-weekend-bus-service-to-be-restored/
************

Bing Introduces Patient Protection Legislation
Assemblyman Bing recently introduced A. 6049, legislation which would
protect patients by prohibiting "fail first" accident or health insurance
policies that require a patient to exhaust the least expensive drug
options before insurers will cover more expensive treatment options. This
bill also prohibits unauthorized therapeutic substitution, a practice by
which an insurance company directs a pharmacist to dispense a chemically
different drug in place of the drug originally prescribed by the
patient's physician or other prescribing health care professional. A.
6049 would enhance the safeguards, transparency and medical oversight
that is necessary to ensure patient health and safety.

Many health
insurance policies currently contain "fail first" protocols which insist
that the least expensive drug in any class be prescribed to a patient
first. If the treatment is ineffective, insurers will cover the more
expensive treatment options. This practice can have serious negative
consequences for patients and the public health system, may delay patient
recoveries and can be more expensive than the utilization of the
originally prescribed treatment. Unauthorized therapeutic substitution
policies are implemented based solely on the insurer's financial
considerations, and do not account for the opinion of the prescribing
healthcare professional or what is best for the patient's health.

For
more information about the national effort to end fail first insurance
policies, visit www.failfirsthurts.org.
************

Kindergarten
Waitlists at East Side Public Schools
The Department of Education (DOE)
recently notified some families in District 2 that their children have
been placed on their zoned school's kindergarten waitlist for the
upcoming school year. Assemblyman Bing and his staff are working with
parents and the DOE to ensure that every student is offered a seat as
soon as possible.

Parents experience significant stress while
undergoing the kindergarten waitlist process. Based on a review of
available seats at East Side schools and trend data from last year's
kindergarten enrollment process, however, it is likely that every student
on the East Side will be accommodated. Throughout April and May, the DOE,
in partnership with school principals, will work to develop alternative
options for students including opening additional kindergarten sections.
East Side families can expect to receive their one and only alternative
kindergarten offer by the middle of May. The pre-registration deadline
for the alternative offer is June 6th. Regardless of accepting or
declining their alternative kindergarten placement offer, families will
remain on their zoned school's waitlist. Once a seat at the zoned school
becomes available for the waitlisted student, the family will be notified
and can then choose to attend the zoned school, the alternative offer
school, or proceed with other educational arrangements. It is important
to note that families can expect to see significant movement on the
school waitlists in June due to eligible students accepting Gifted and
Talented and private school placements.

If you have any questions
about the enrollment and waitlist processes, you can contact the District
Family Advocate for District 2, Jennifer Greenblatt, at (212) 356-3789.
For further information, contact Assemblyman Bing's office at (212)
605-0937.
************

DOE and UFT Extend Agreement on Teaching
Assistants
Assemblyman Bing announced that the Department of Education
(DOE) and the United Federation of Teachers have agreed to a one-year
extension of the agreement that allows for non-departmental supplemental
staff to be hired by local Parent-Teacher Associations (PTA). In 2009,
public school principals were informed that any aides hired would have to
be DOE employees, ending an existing practice which had allowed PTAs to
hire staff through independent fundraising. Responding to feedback from
East Side parents, Assemblyman Bing approached the DOE about a compromise
which would allow PTAs to continue to hire supplemental staff.

The
extension of this agreement will allow parents to continue to raise funds
and hire staff for the 2011-2012 school year under the title of "Parent
Association School Aides." The school aides will undergo the same vetting
process as DOE employees, but will be chosen by local school principals
and PTAs. This will allow for the DOE and PTAs to continue to work toward
their educational goals and provide the best possible education for their
students.
************

Bing to Serve as Honorary Co-Chair of Design
Sustainability Awards
Assemblyman Bing is serving as an honorary
co-chair of the New York School of Interior Design's (NYSID) Green Design
Awards being held on May 4. The Green Design Award is given to
individuals and businesses which have made outstanding contributions
toward advancing the cause of sustainable design.

Assemblyman Bing has
sponsored several pieces of legislation promoting "green" technology and
sustainable and renewable energy sources. He is the author of a bill (A.
1123) to encourage investment in and continued use of alternative energy
systems through tax credits which will assist in offsetting the initial
costs of constructing and installing solar and wind energy system
equipment. Further, Assemblyman Bing has been a leader in the Legislature
concerning the interior design community, authoring legislation helping
to advance the goals of this important industry which generates millions
for New York City's economy.
************

Assemblyman Bing to
Co-Sponsor Forum on Medicare
On Thursday, May 5, from 2:00 p.m. to 3:30
p.m. Assemblyman Bing will join Councilmember Jessica Lappin, the Lenox
Hill Neighborhood House, and the Medicare Rights Center in co-sponsoring
a forum to help seniors learn about recent changes to Medicare as a
result of the federal Affordable Care Act. The forum will take place at
the Lenox Hill Neighborhood House Auditorium, located at 331 East 70th
Street. Space is limited and reservations are requested. To RSVP, please
call Cullen Barrie at 212-980-1808.
************

Tax Exemption for
Clothing Purchases Under $55
From April 1, 2011 through March 31, 2012,
all shoes and clothing items under $55 will be exempt from both New York
City and New York State sales tax. Items under $110 will continue to be
exempt from New York City sales tax but are subject to New York State's
4% sales tax and the Metropolitan Commuter Transportation District tax of
three-eighths of one percent.

For more information sales tax
exemptions visit the following website:
http://www.nyc.gov/html/dof/html/business/business_tax_nys_sales.shtml#ta
xrates.
************

Important E-Waste Law Takes Effect
The
Electronic Equipment Recycling and Reuse Act of 2010 concerning the
proper disposal of electronic waste (e-waste) has taken effect. As of
April 1, manufacturers are required to set up free collection, handling
and recycling of electronic waste. E-waste is unwanted, used electronic
equipment, which includes computers, electronic keyboards, televisions,
printers and monitors. Currently, e-waste contributes an estimated five
percent of total landfill volume and can contain hazardous materials,
such as lead, mercury, cadmium and brominated flame retardants. These
hazardous materials can be toxic if released into our environment, but
cause no harm if disposed of or recycled properly.

For more
information, please visit http://www.dec.ny.gov/chemical/66872.html.
************

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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