BRONX TIMES REPORTER, J BTR AN. 1-7, 2021 29
BY COUNCILMAN
MARK GJONAJ
Although I typically write about
events and initiatives my district offi
ce undertakes for the constituents
of District 13, I have two key updates
from the legislative end of my offi ce.
Throughout the pandemic I have introduced,
supported and voted to pass
several legislative items to ease the
plight of the COVID-19 pandemic on
New Yorkers. Examples include my
bill package that dictates an equitable
relationship between restaurants and
app delivery services, outdoor dining
legislation, prohibition against age
discrimination, and others in issue
areas like education, general welfare,
public safety and more.At the previous
Council Stated meeting, where we
vote on legislation and introduce new
legislation, I voted to pass Intro 2151-
2020, which once signed by the Mayor,
will extend the gas piping inspection
compliance deadline for buildings
owners in Community District 10 to
the Summer of 2021. This gives building
owners considerably more time to
get their required inspections taken
care of and avoid hefty fi nes, at a time
when they, like many others, are under
immense fi nancial constraint.
This bill will join a whole roster of
other bills the council has passed to
extend deadlines for all sorts of city
requirements.I also introduced a bill
that would commission a study of
the potential for above-ground power
lines to be relocated underground.
The Bronx, like many of the outer boroughs,
is dominated by above-ground
power that are vulnerable to outages
amidst storms, even posing safety concerns
when wires are downed. This is
yet another illustration of the lack of
parity between Manhattan and the
outer boroughs. This bill, once passed,
would provide the city administration
with options for power line relocation
and offer recommendations.
For additional information about legislation,
policy, or any other concern,
please contact my offi ce at either (718)
931-1721 or at MGjonaj@council.nyc.
gov. Stay safe, stay healthy and enjoy
your holiday season.
BY FRANK VERNUCCIO
The Citizens Against Government
Waste (CAGW) organization
has issued its 2020 Congressional
Pig Book that itemizes the most blatant
examples of pork.
It notes that “For the third year
in a row, members of Congress have
set a record for the cost of earmarks
during the supposed earmark moratorium.
This year’s Congressional
Pig Book exposes 274 earmarks, a
decrease of 2.8 percent from the 282
in FY 2019. While the number of earmarks
declined slightly, their cost
went in the opposite direction. Legislators
added $15.9 billion in earmarks
in FY 2020, an increase of
3.9 percent from the $15.3 billion in
FY 2019. The cost of the FY 2020 earmarks
is only 3.6 percent less than
the $16.5 billion in FY 2010, the last
year prior to the moratorium. Since
FY 1991, CAGW has identifi ed 111,417
earmarks costing $375.7 billion.”
The fi ght against earmarks,
notes CAGW, gained traction due to
the tireless work of members of Congress
such as then-Rep. Jeff Flake
(R-Ariz.) and the late Sen. John Mc-
Cain (R-Ariz.); high-profi le boondoggles
like the Bridge to Nowhere; and
a decade of scandals that resulted in
jail terms.
As Sen. McCain explained regarding
those making the case for
a return to earmarks, “The problem
with all their arguments is: the more
powerful you are, the more likely it
is you get the earmark in. Therefore,
it is a corrupt system.”
Earmarks are not just excess
generosity bestowed on the general
public. They are, in essence, a
means with which powerful members
of Congress buy votes to guarantee
their re-election. As CAGW
notes, “Earmarks provide the most
benefi t to those with spots on prime
congressional committees. In the
111th Congress, when the names of
members of Congress who obtained
earmarks were included in the appropriations
bills, the 81 House and
Senate appropriators, making up 15
percent of Congress, were responsible
for 51 percent of the earmarks
and 61 percent of the money.” Prior
attempts to restrain spending have
been unsuccessful, in large part
because they failed to discriminate
against worthwhile spending
and nonessential outlays. Business
Insider reported in 2017 that
the debt at the end of 2008 — just
before Obama took offi ce — stood
at roughly $10,699,805,000,000. The
debt as Obama left offi ce stood at
$19,573,445,000,000. Despite that
near-doubling of the debt, it is diffi
cult to fi nd any gains in key areas
during his administration.
CIVIC CENTER
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