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Cuomo signs Kim’s bill repealing nursing home immunity
Meng urges houses of worship to apply for security grants
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
Congresswoman Grace
Meng is once again encouraging
houses of worship and
nonprofit organizations in
Queens to apply for funding to
improve the safety and security
of their properties following
a rise in hate crimes and
attacks across the city.
This year’s deadline to
apply for the grants is April
15. According to Meng, each
house of worship and nonprofit
organization is now eligible
for up to $150,000 per year, up
from $100,000.
“It is critical for houses of
worship and nonprofit entities
here in Queens and across
New York and the nation to
take the necessary steps to ensure
that their properties are
as safe and secure as possible,
and the Nonprofit Security
Grant Program can provide
needed funding to help accomplish
that crucial goal,” Meng
said. “As I have said, safety
and security must always be
the number one priority. Like
I did last year, I again encourage
all houses or worship and
high-risk nonprofits to apply
for these important grants.”
Meng, a member of the
House Appropriations Committee
that funds all of the
federal government’s agencies,
programs and projects,
recently held a virtual workshop
that provided information
and assistance on applying
for federal funds under
the Nonprofit Security Grant
Program.
It’s an initiative under the
U.S. Department of Homeland
Security (DHS) that provides
synagogues, churches,
mosques, temples and nonprofit
institutions such as
community centers, schools
and other facilities with funds
to protect their properties
against threats and attacks.
The workshop helped houses
of worship and nonprofits
in the borough learn about the
program and how they can successfully
apply for funding for
TIMESLEDGER | QNS.12 COM | APRIL 16-APRIL 22, 2021
the 2021 fiscal year. The DHS
grants, allocated through the
Federal Emergency Management
Agency (FEMA), cover
target-hardening and other
physical security enhancements
and activities such as
barriers, gates, safety gear,
surveillance equipment and
other safety measures.
Meng’s workshop also featured
a presentation by the
Community Security Initiative,
a joint program of the UJAFederation
of New York and the
Jewish Community Relations
Council of New York (JCRCNY).
A presentation was also
provided by the New York State
Division of Homeland Security
and Emergency Services.
In July, Meng announced
that facilities throughout
her congressional district in
Queens received more than
$1.7 million from the Nonprofit
Security Grant Program. In
December, Meng secured a record
breaking $180 million for
the Nonprofit Security Grant
Program for fiscal year 2021.
This boost came after Meng
increased funding to a record
$90 million in fiscal year
2020. The congresswoman has
worked to increase funding
for previous years as well.
Those that submit applications
from Meng’s congressional
district are encouraged to
contact the Congresswoman’s
office for assistance and letters
of support. The phone
number for Meng’s office is
718-358-MENG (6364).
Reach reporter Carlotta
Mohamed by e-mail at
cmohamed@schnepsmedia.
com or by phone at (718) 260–
4526.
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
State Assemblyman Ron
Kim’s legislation to repeal an
immunity law shielding nursing
homes from lawsuits amid
the COVID-19 outbreak was
signed into law by Gov. Andrew
Cuomo on Tuesday, April 6.
Kim’s bill, which passed by
a vote of 149-1 in the Assembly
and 63-0 in the Senate, repeals
Article 30-D of the Public Health
Law (Emergency of Disaster
Treatment Protection Act),
that was granted by Cuomo at
the height of the pandemic in
March 2020. The law instituted
severe liability standards that
essentially insulated nursing
homes and their executive leadership
from criminal or civil
liability. Specifically, liability
would only pertain to cases in
which gross negligence, reckless
misconduct or instances
where intentional malfeasance
has occurred.
“Finally, after a year of
grief, setbacks, frustration and
gaslighting by this administration,
thousands of families who
lost loved ones begin to seek
some form of real closure,” Kim
said in a statement to QNS. “Although
this can never fill the
void of losing a family member,
it will create a path towards
finally holding these for-profit
operators accountable for their
actions.”
The Enacted Fiscal Year
2022 Budget includes comprehensive
nursing home reform
legislation to help ensure facilities
prioritize patients over
profits; establishing minimum
thresholds for nursing home
spending on direct resident
care and staffing; and investing
$32 million annually to
implement the reforms, while
capping profits and performing
related party transactions
to drive funding to where it
matters most, the patients. Excess
revenues recouped by the
state will be deposited into the
existing nursing home quality
pool for further investments
for nursing homes to meet high
quality standards.
According to the governor’s
office, now, more than ever,
it is important that nursing
homes are staffed to provide
high-quality care and safety
for their residents. These initiatives
will have a positive
impact on nursing home residents
and staff, delivering the
quality of care needed for the
most vulnerable New Yorkers
in a safe environment.
For Kim and his community
in particular, the discovery
of 29 or more deaths at a
Flushing nursing home last
year — which he exposed and
confronted the city and state on
after meeting the daughter of
a resident — has been a strong
catalyst for taking meaningful
action.
Following the passage of the
bill, Kim said the fight is not
over.
“It is now clear — even as
Governor Cuomo is being investigated
by the Justice Department,
the FBI, and New
York Attorney General — that
he and his office altered nursing
home death statistics, profited
from this coverup in the
middle of the pandemic, and
continues to deny any culpability
for his fatal decisions,” Kim
said. “I and many others will
not stop until the full truth is
uncovered.”
State Assemblyman Ron Kim Photo by Dean Moses
Photo via Getty Images
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