NYS legislature – R&R – Reachout and Rebuild

The People PAC: Flipping Statehouses

David Posnett — Wed, 28 Oct 2020 14:18:58 +0000

From Mara Gerstein:

Dear Friends,
with T-6 days until voting ends in 2020, here at The People we are cycling between anxiety and HOPE. We are also filled to the brim with gratitude to our brilliant partners, generous donors, and the network of talented creatives, data geeks, and political wizards who have made our work this year possible.

Together, as part of our Statehouse Media 2020 program, we produced 200 digital ads for 24 inspiring candidates and are running targeted digital distribution programs to flip the State House in Texas and Iowa and to break the Republican supermajority in Kansas. These states and districts were selected for maximum leverage in strengthening our democracy at the state level.

To date in 2020, this $1.5M program has resulted in our candidate videos being viewed by in-district voters IN THEIR ENTIRETY over 10 MILLION TIMES (and counting).

So check out the ads for these talented candidates and share them with folks in our target states!

TEXAS PLAYLIST **** IOWA PLAYLIST **** KANSAS PLAYLIST

Inevitably, some of these races will come down to 100, 10, even ONE SINGLE vote (recall that in Virginia 2017, control of the entire State House came down to a tied race with the winner chosen via hat pick!).

So if you can, please consider a final donation to help get candidates in our closest races over the line.

DONATE TO HELP FLIP STATE HOUSE SEATS

Learn more at thepeoplepac.org.

NY State Senators under Attack

David Posnett — Thu, 01 Oct 2020 15:24:57 +0000

From Sue in Brookhaven:

The attacks from Ron Lauder on Democratic State Senators from Long Island are unconscionable as well as false. They also raise an important strategy question.

These attacks especially infuriate me: at the same time that Lauder has been all over the media during the High Holy Days decrying anti-semitism and hate, he is running attack ads against Monica Martinez (my senator). She herself (as well as her community) has been the victim of so much anti-immigrant anti-Hispanic hate. It seems incomprehensible.

Even before she became a state senator, Monica was working hard with community leaders and law enforcement in her hometown of Brentwood to end the scourge of MS13 and start anti-gang programs in schools. As a senator she’s secured $500,000 for anti-gang efforts. MS13 has been largely closed down because of these joint initiatives.

Sen. Jim Gaughran is one of the loveliest and most thoughtful progressive senators we have in Albany. To add insult to injury as far as the nasty charges in these ads, Monica and Jim tried to act as peacemakers between the bail-reform advocates and law enforcement. And this is the thanks they get!

Lauder’s attacks do raise an important question. With the Supreme Court going conservative, we absolutely MUST win the NY Senate again and continue to build a progressive firewall. Having a super-majority in the NY State Senate just became critical.

The campaign kitties of state senators, even in these swing districts, is pitiful (at the end of July, Monica had around $65,000 in hers) so even small donations can give them a big boost. If people can’t donate but can volunteer for a couple of phonebanks or share candidiate information on Facebook, that would also be great.

Monica Martinez (Suffolk) https://monicaforsenate.com/
Jim Gaughran (Nassau) https://gaughran2020.com/
Andrew Gounardes (Brooklyn) https://www.andrewgounardes.com/
Kevin Thomas (Nassau) https://senatorthomas.com/

Thanks so much. Best, Sue

Albany: Public Campaign Financing and More

David Posnett — Thu, 28 Feb 2019 17:56:06 +0000

Fair Elections NY

There is a lot going on in Albany these days. The New York State budget is due by April and everyone is advocating for their cause.

Fair Elections NY is one advocacy group. “Edie Falco from the Sopranos explains how lobbyist money is blocking passage of progressive issues in New York State.

Wealthy special interests like real estate, heath care industry, and Wall Street can donate mountains of money to their favorite candidates, making sure that laws are rigged in their favor.

If all candidates had the opportunity to run for office with the backing of small donors, not wealthy interests, regular people would be better represented.

Legislators in Albany are considering a proposal to limit big money and match every small donation 6-to-1 up to $175. That means a $10 donation would turn into $70, powering grassroots campaigns that represent the people and won’t be bought by special interests.”

This legislation is highly recommended by the Brennan Law Center.

You can write your legislators in Albany today and tell them to pass small donor public financing to ensure fair elections in New York!

Here is a podcast you can listen to (or read) on this subject:

Capitol Lobbying Heats Up As NYS Budget Deadline Nears

By Karen Dewitt • 20 hours ago

It’s a busy time at the New York state Capitol, with just over one month to go until the state budget is due. Groups are bringing advocates by the hundreds to try to get their favored items placed into the spending plan. Meanwhile, there are lingering recriminations over the failed Amazon deal.

Among the groups vying for attention at a crowded state Capitol, are advocates for public campaign financing.

Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo has put into his budget a plan that would use state funds to match small donor contributions in a seven to one ratio. If a donor gave $10, the candidate would get $70.

Jessica Wisneski, with the government reform group Citizen Action, says a report released this week by NYU’s Brennan Center illustrates why the change is needed.

“In New York State, the top 100 donors gave more to candidates than all of the estimated 137,000 small donors combined,” said Wisneski, who said small donations represented only five percent of total contributions in the 2018 election cycle.

“That is a shame,” she said.

The Assembly sponsor of a public campaign finance bill, Linda Rosenthal, says it’s a way to allow people who aren’t already wealthy to run for office, and could lessen the influence of big money donors on issues like housing.

“Landlords and big real estate have had legislators in their pockets, because they have contributed to legislator’s pockets, to their campaigns,” Rosenthal said. “And they have had the run of show here.”

Advocates are hopeful of passage. The Senate is controlled by Democrats for the first time in a decade, and several freshmen senators won their campaigns without large donations from individuals or corporations.

But some advocates say they don’t want their item to be part of the budget. They say with one party now ruling state government the items can be considered separately instead.

Criminal justice reform advocates are seeking an end to cash bail, faster court processing, and a change in discovery laws to give defendants earlier access to any evidence, or lack of evidence a prosecutor may have against them.

Nick Encalada-Malinowski, with VOCAL-NY, says in the past, policy items needed to be horse traded between the governor, Democrats in the Assembly and Republicans in the Senate. He says with Democrats leading all three offices, there’s room for more thoughtful consideration of important legislation outside of the budget.

“The details are very important. Every ‘and’, every ‘or’, makes a huge difference to the number of people who are going to be left incarcerated in New York State,” Encalada-Malinowski said. “We don’t want these bills to be in the budget where they can be traded against issues that are unrelated to them like property taxes or legislative salaries.”

Encalada-Malinowski says the measures should advance the “old-fashioned” way, with the legislature considering and approving a measure for a governor to sign or veto.

Even though the governor and members of the Senate majority are in the same party, there have been some disagreements that might make budget negotiations more difficult. Cuomo and Senate Democrats are feuding over the failure of the Amazon project in Long Island City, Queens. Amazon ended a deal to receive $3 billion worth of public funded subsidies in exchange for creating an estimated 25,000 jobs.

Senate Republicans, whose numbers are down to just 23 members out of a 63-member chamber, seized the opportunity to drive a further wedge between the Democrats. Senate Minority Leader John Flanagan says when the GOP was in power, they were better at leading and minimizing public arguments.

“What’s being played out right now, it is all their entire fault,” Flanagan said. “They blew at least 25,000 jobs.”

Flanagan says Republicans may not control the chamber, but they will use their influence to try to get a state property tax cap made permanent, a measure backed by Cuomo and some Senate Democrats, including the Senate Majority Leader. Flanagan says he’d also like to see a permanent state spending cap.

Fair Elections for New York

David Posnett — Tue, 18 Dec 2018 14:39:49 +0000

New Yorkers deserve a responsive, accountable government. Voter turnout in New York is among the lowest in the nation, due in part to antiquated procedures for registration and voting that discourage participation. And our campaign finance system favors the wealthy over everyday, working New Yorkers. To tackle the crises we face in housing, living wage jobs, criminal justice, affordable health care, transportation, climate, fair taxes, and more, we must transform a campaign finance system that advantages the interests of the few over those of the many.

The shift in power in the New York State Senate—and a Governor and an Assembly prioritizing democratic reforms—presents an unprecedented opportunity to unrig the rules, strengthen our democracy, and incentivize elected officials to represent the values of the people of the state. A broad coalition of individuals and groups across New York is coming together to ensure that an overhaul of New York’s voting and campaign finance systems is the first order of business in the 2019 New York Legislature. This Fair Elections reform package would:

Increase the power of small donations. It is critical we implement a small donor matching system for state elections, including District Attorneys, like the successful programs in New York City and Connecticut. This gives everyday people the means to run for office and represent their communities relying on small donations instead of large checks. After the Supreme Court allowed unlimited, secret money to flow into our elections, small donor matching funds remains the most powerful way to combat the influence of big money. By matching small dollar donations 6-to-1, we can amplify the voices of women; of people of color; of the working and middle classes; and of any and all under-represented New Yorkers in the political process. Adequate enforcement as well as robust candidate support services would ensure the matching funds program runs smoothly.
Limit the influence of big money. The very wealthy and corporations shouldn’t be allowed to buy elections. We can put a check on their outsize influence by closing the “LLC loophole,” which allows mega donors to funnel limitless amounts to candidates, and by reducing New York’s unusually high contribution limits, among other improvements.
Make it easier, not harder, to vote. Including but not limited to automatic voter registration, early voting, same day registration, online voter registration, no excuse absentee voting, new party enrollment deadlines, pre-registration for 16- and 17-year-olds, full voting access for people with disabilities, and codify into law New York’s new policy to extend voting rights to all New Yorkers with past convictions.

Fair Elections Supporters

32BJ SEIU
50 West 93 Street Tenant Association
ACT18 Indivisible
Action Potluck
Advocates for Justice Chartered Attorneys
ALIGN
Alliance for Quality Education
American Pakistani Public Affairs Committee
The Arena
Association of Tenants of Lincoln Towers
Bend the Arc
The Black Institute
Brennan Center for Justice
Briarcliff – Ossining Indivisible
Bronx Progressives
Buffalo Democratic Socialists of America
Campaign for New York Health
Campaign Legal Center
Capital District Democratic Socialists of America
CCoHOPE Indivisible
Central Park Gardens Tenants Association
Chinese American Planning Council
Churches United For Fair Housing
Citizen Action New York
The Civics Center
Color of Change
Common Cause New York
Communities United for Police Reform Action Fund
Community Voices Heard
Concerned Citizens For Change
Cooper Square Committee
The Creative Resistance
Crown Heights Tenants Union
CWA District 1
Democracy Initiative
Democracy Matters
Demos
Downtown Women for Change
Dutchess County Progressive Action Alliance
Empire State Indivisible
Empire State Progressives
End Citizens United
Equal Citizens
Ethical Humanist Society of Long Island
Every Voice
Four Freedoms Democratic Club
The Gathering for Justice
Generation Citizen NY
Grassroots Action NY
Greater NYC for Change
Housing Works, Inc.
Human Services Council
Humanists of Long Island
Indivisible Beekman
Indivisible CD19 NY
Indivisible Harlem
Indivisible Nation BK
Indivisible Scarsdale
Indivisible the Fight Is On
Indivisible We Stand Upper West Side
Indivisible Westchester
Jews for Racial & Economic Justice
Labor-Religion Coalition of NYS
Long Island Activists
Long Island Civic Engagement Table
Long Island Jobs with Justice
Long Island Network for Change
Long Island Progressive Coalition
Long Island Together
Lower Hudson Valley Progressive Action Network
Make the Road New York
MAYDAY America
Metropolitan Council on Housing
Metro New York Health Care for All
Mid Suffolk Chapter of the National Organization for Women
Move Forward Staten Island
MoveOn.org
MPower Change
Muslims For Progress
Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC)
New York City Loft Tenants
New York Civic Engagement Table
New York Communities for Change
New York Immigration Coalition
New York Lawyers for the Public Interest
New York Progressive Action Network
New York State Council of Churches
New York Public Interest Research Group (NYPIRG)
Nobody Leaves Mid-Hudson
No IDC NY
North American Climate, Conservation and Environment (NACCE)
Northeast NY Coalition for Occupational Safety & Health
Northwest Bronx Indivisible
NY19Votes
NYCAIC’s #HALTsolitary campaign
NYCD16 Indivisible
NYC Democratic Socialists of America
NYS NAACP Conference of Branches
NYS Nurses Association (NYSNA)
Our Revolution
Partnership for the Public Good
People For the American Way
The People’s Empowerment Project/Democracy Coffee
People Power Patchogue
Persist81
Progressive Action of Lower Manhattan
Progressive East End Reformers (PEER)
Progressive Power Inwood Heights
Progressive Schenectady
Progressive Turnout Project
Public Citizen
Putnam Progressives
Rally+Rise
Reinvent Albany
RepresentUs
Resist and Replace, Suffolk County
Riverside Edgecombe Neighborhood Association
Rockland United
RWDSU
Sierra Club Atlantic Chapter
Small Planet Institute
Solidarity Committee/Capital District
Stand Up America
St Nicks Alliance
Strong Economy For All Coalition
Suffolk Progressives
Sunrise NYC
Tenants and Neighbors
Tenants Political Action Committee
True Blue New York
Ulster People for Justice & Democracy
Union Vale Indivisible
Up2Us
Uptown Progressive Action
Washington County Progressives
We of Action New York
Westchester Citizen Therapists
Westchester for Change
Working Families Party

Eight Turncoat NY State Senators

David Posnett — Fri, 10 Nov 2017 20:54:12 +0000

Want to know why New York can’t fix the MTA, have same day voter registration, and enact real campaign finance reform? There’s one big reason: The Independent “Democratic” Conference, also known as the IDC.

The IDC is a group of eight New York State Senators who run for office as Democrats, but work with the Republicans to block progressive legislation. Along with “Democrat” Senator Felder, who caucuses with the Republicans, these Senators hand control to the Republican minority. This is fundamentally corrupt and must change.

Many of the IDC’s constituents vote for them thinking they’re sending good Democrats to Albany, not realizing their Senators are keeping Republicans in control. We want to change that – and we need your help.

In the next two months, we’re educating constituents across New York state about the unethical IDC.

Contribute $3 now and help us boost this Facebook ad to let constituents living in IDC districts know who is really representing them.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nTS2VCaxsXo

Zephyr Teachout, Anti-Corruption League

Trump’s DACA decision could strip thousands in New York of Medicaid coverage

David Posnett — Wed, 06 Sep 2017 14:57:01 +0000

When President Barack Obama created the DACA program in 2012, thousands of New Yorkers who were brought to the United States at a young age were suddenly eligible for Medicaid. | Alex Wong/Getty Images

The Trump administration’s decision to rescind the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program could strip thousands of New Yorkers of their health insurance, a consequence unique to New York that could focus the debate in Albany when the Legislature returns in January.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced Tuesday that the Obama-era program, which granted legal status to approximately 800,000 children brought to the United States by their parents, would begin to unwind in six months.

That provides Congress a brief window to solve one of the nation’s most divisive issues. Should Congress fail, New York could face its own difficult choice: whether to continue providing Medicaid to the DACA population.

There are approximately 42,000 DACA recipients in New York. The vast majority are at risk for losing their job-based health insurance if they lose their legal right to work. The Department of Health could not say how many DACA recipients currently rely on Medicaid but estimates are between 5,000 and 10,000.

New York is one of the few states that provides health insurance to non-citizens, or people residing under the color of law (PRUCOL). That’s because of a 2001 Court of Appeals ruling that said denying Medicaid to any legal resident violated the equal protection clauses of the New York and U.S. constitutions. As a result, immigrants in New York who are not citizens, but are living in the state lawfully, are entitled to Medicaid.

When President Barack Obama created the DACA program in 2012, thousands of New Yorkers who were brought to the United States at a young age were suddenly eligible for Medicaid. It also allowed them to pay taxes.

Because the federal government does not recognize the state court’s decision, New York, which usually receives a 50 percent match for Medicaid expenses, pays the full cost for insuring these immigrants.

If they lose their DACA status and revert to being undocumented immigrants in the eyes of the law, they may also lose their right to Medicaid.

Elisabeth Benjamin, vice president of health initiatives for the Community Service Society and a co-founder of Health Care For All New York, said the status of these immigrants is unclear.

She pointed to Trump’s statement, which said these DACA recipients would not be a priority for Immigration and Customs Enforcement. That may mean they are still residing under the color of law because they are not under immediate threat of deportation.

It’s a bit of a legal stretch, but even if the law isn’t on her side, she said, Gov. Andrew Cuomo should continue to have the state Medicaid program cover DACA recipients.

“I would advocate they be covered under state-only Medicaid,” she said.

Will they?

“That’s the $64,000 question,” she said.

Cuomo’s office did not immediately say whether the state would extend coverage to DACA recipients who lost their protected status. The Department of Health did release a statement, saying Trump’s decision “not only displaces roughly 42,000 innocent New Yorkers whose young lives are intertwined in the very fabric of our communities, it jeopardizes access to affordable health care for hundreds of thousands of immigrants who call America home. New York State believes it has a legal and moral obligation to exhaust every available avenue to protect immigrants and their families by providing comprehensive access to health care, regardless of circumstance.”

Assemblyman Richard Gottfried, a Democrat from Manhattan and chair of the health committee, said the Assembly “will do whatever is necessary to fill gaps caused by federal action.”

“New York has for years provided health coverage for many undocumented immigrants using State-only dollars, including Child Health Plus coverage for children regardless of immigration status,” Gottfried said in an email. “We will not change this regardless of Federal policy.”

Presumably, this would mean helping to insure those who lose their employer-sponsored coverage and need Medicaid. In New York that would mean the state could potentially fund Medicaid for all 42,000 DACA-status immigrants.

Rep. Tom Reed, a Republican from western New York, said Trump was “very wise” to recognize that DACA is not something that can be done by executive order.

“That which is done by the pen can be undone by the pen,” said Reed, who favors a legislative solution that protects children brought here by their parents.

But if that effort fails, Reed had reservations about the state picking up the Medicaid tab, given its already sizable Medicaid budget, which Reed called “mind boggling.”

The problem, he said, is how to draw the line. How can the state award Medicaid to some undocumented immigrants but not all? And if it is offered to all, then how can the state afford to cover them?

“From my perspective, if Albany wants to do that, I’ll defer to the state,” Reed said. “But they really should let folks know what they are doing in terms of expanding the program.”

While the state might have to cover more people, Benjamin drew a distinction between the DACA population and other undocumented immigrants. The DACA group, she said, has already made themselves known to ICE, further bolstering the argument the state could make that they are residing under color of law, while other undocumented immigrants are not.

“It is the state who decides who is PRUCOL and who is not,” she said.

Voting Rights in NY State need Reform

David Posnett — Thu, 16 Mar 2017 04:22:14 +0000

By Max Plesset MD.

NEED FOR NEW YORK STATE ELECTORAL REFORM

Decreasing voter participation — only 19.7% turnout in 2016 presidential primary — second lowest in the country
NYS has one of the lowest overall turnouts nationwide for all elections —46th in voter turnout
NYS has one of the highest percentages of unregistered voters — somewhere between 4 – 5 million out of 15.5 million eligible voters

BARRIERS TO INCREASING VOTER PARTICIPATION

One must register to vote at least 25 days before the next election
No in-person early voting in NYS — one of only 13 states without it
Limited places to register to vote
No opt-out automatic voter registration (AVR) —6 states already have it
Only online registration is on DMV site — excludes many New York City voters who don’t have cars
Absence of a “no excuse” option on absentee balloting form
Paper registration forms contain many entry errors and are recorded improperly
Long lines at polling places
Voter fatigue due to multiple separate elections (primaries, state and local)
Interesting facts: many who want to register as Independents mistakenly register for the Independence Party. As many as 80% in one poll. NYS is the only state in US that requires a change in party registration at least 1 year prior to a general election.
Required documentation for a driver license: SSN, birth certificate, Department of Homeland Security naturalization document, previous NYS Driver License with less than 2 years lapse

“VOTER EMPOWERMENT ACT” IS ALREADY IN COMMITTEES

Early voting
Automatic voter registration with opt-out
Same-day voter registration
Expansion of state agencies for registration — social service agencies, SUNY,CUNY,Public Housing Authorities,Departments of Corrections, Division of Military Affairs and others.
Lower voter age to 16 — many already have a driver license and pay taxes
Allowing felons to vote after prison release instead of after parole
Open primaries — 3 million out of 10.7 million active voters have no Democratic or Republican Party registration — they can’t vote in primaries
Ballot improvement — many ballots are discarded due to entry errors
Consolidating elections to reduce voter fatigue

GOVERNOR CUOMO HAS PROPOSED TO MODERNIZE VOTING IN HIS 2017 STATE OF THE STATE MESSAGE

Early voting
Automatic voter registration with opt-out (AVR)
Same-day voter registration
Streamlined registration process to decrease errors on paper forms
(No Excuse Absentee Ballot is not one of the proposed actions)

CONCLUSIONS

Early voting and AVR can be accomplished through Legislative action. Legislative electoral reform has repeatedly failed, due to a highly politicized legislature. NYS Senate Republicans regularly stymie bills involving AVR and early voting
Changing the voter registration process to same-day registration may require an amendment to the Constitution.
A No Excuse Absentee Ballot does require amendments to the NYS Constitution which is a long and difficult process
Turning Republican Senate seats to Democratic Senate seats would improve the likelihood of electoral reform. Incidentally, out of 32 current Democratic Senate seats 9 are in the Independent Democratic Conference that usually votes with the 31 Republicans.

CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION

Last held in 1967
Every 20 years it must be on the ballot for a vote stating — “Shall there be a convention to revise the Constitution and amend the same” — it will be on the ballot this Nov. 7, 2017
If approved, there is a ballot vote for delegates in Nov. 2018
A vote to accept or reject amendments would occur in Nov. 2019
Multiple topics can be included for amendment consideration — legislative apportionment, issues of governance and judiciary, election law and ethics, reproductive choice (not currently in the NYS Constitution), etc.
Only 2 electoral reform issues are noted in Article ll of the NYS Constitution. The 2 are Absentee Voting Only with an Excuse and the Deadline for Registration which is being debated.

BOTTOM LINE

ConCon (Constitutional Convention) process is lengthy, cumbersome and costly — approximately 300 million dollars
The legislative process, which is also difficult, may give us more hope for electoral reform

LINKS FOR MORE INFORMATION

http://on.ny.gov/2jrgOC2

http://www.gothamgazette.com/state/6295-there-is-a-long-list-of-voting-reforms-new-york-can-pass

http://www.gothamgazette.com/state/6724-cuomo-embraces-voting-reform-agenda-but-implementation-poses-challenges

http://lwvny.org/programs-studies/concon/2016/Powerpoint-Presentation-on-Constitutional-Convention.pdf