COURIER L M BR B G IFE, JULY 5–11, 2019 25
his legislative session was
arguably the most productive
in modern New York
history. We showed that despite
federal dysfunction, our
state can make meaningful
progress on behalf of working
people.
Here are my top 10 highlights
from the legislative
session:
School zone speed camera
expansion: My legislation
to increase the number school
zone speed cameras throughout
the City from 140 to 750
became law, expanding a program
that has been proven
to save lives. No parent, senior,
or pedestrian of any age
should live in fear of crossing
the street because of speeding
traffic.
Climate change action:
We passed the Climate Leadership
and Community Protection
Act, putting New York
at the forefront of the global
solution to prevent more extreme
and devastating weather
events like Superstorm Sandy.
This bill mandates an 85 percent
reduction in greenhouse
gases by 2050 and 70 percent renewables
by 2030. Those of us
in coastal communities know
firsthand how urgent action is
to meet this historic challenge.
MTA accountability and
reform: We reformed our
mass transit system by reorganizing
the MTA, increasing accountability
by guaranteeing a
full forensic audit and creating
dedicated funding streams for
desperately needed improvements.
There’s much more to
do, and this is one of my biggest
priorities for next session.
Historic tenant protections:
The Housing Stability
and Tenant Protection Act represents
the strongest protections
for tenants in New York’s
history. The legislation introduces
new consequences for
unlawful evictions, limits security
deposits to one month’s
rent, prevents landlords from
blacklisting tenants based on
their housing court history
and strengthens rent protections.
For the tens of thousands
of working-class and
middle-class families in our
district who are renters, these
laws will provide much-needed
relief.
Services for 9/11 First
Responders: I sponsored a
package of three 9/11 heroes
bills to support our first responders
designed to close
gaps in services by guaranteeing
sick leave, protecting benefits
for FDNY retirees with
cancer and making the NYCERS
board function better. For
many who ran into the debris
to serve their fellow New Yorkers
that day, their struggles
continue, and it is our responsibility
to be there for them as
they were for us.
Anti-sexual harassment
legislation: We successfully
changed rules that protected
perpetrators and denied survivors
justice for far too long,
including eliminating New
York’s outdated, arbitrary
and subjective ‘severe or pervasive’
standard for sexual
harassment. I particularly
want to recognize advocates
and survivors who fought tirelessly
to put their lived experiences
into action to transform
the law and protect millions of
New Yorkers.
Billion-dollar increase in
funding for public schools:
Public schools are at the heart
of our community and neighborhoods,
and I’m proud that
our budget increased funding
for public schools by $1 billion.
Passed the Child Victims
Act: We passed the Child Victims
Act, a long-stalled piece of
legislation allowing victims of
child abuse to seek civil justice
against their abusers regardless
of how long ago the crimes
occurred.
Election reforms: We expanded
access to voting by approving
much-needed reforms
to our electoral system. New
Yorkers gained access to an
early vote, and we mandated
that state and federal primaries
be held on the same day to
increase turnout.
Gun safety: New York
passed the first substantial
gun safety reforms since
Sandy Hook, banning bump
stocks, increasing the waiting
period for those who do
not pass a background check,
banning teachers from carrying
guns in schools and
implementing the “red flag”
rule to prevent those deemed
in danger of hurting themselves
or others from using a
firearm.
I’m honored for the opportunity
to serve my community,
and appreciate you taking the
time to read my top 10! I’d love
to hear from you about yours.
Please be in touch with my office
at gounardes@nysenate.
gov or (718) 238-6044.
State Sen. Andrew
Gounardes
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