www.qns.com APRIL 8, 2022 6RIDGEWOOD TIMES
Meng’s proposed bill aims to improve interactions
between first responders, people with disabilities
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
CMOHAMED@SCHNEPSMEDIA.COM
@QNS
Queens Congresswoman Grace Meng
on Tuesday, March 29, introduced
new legislation that would improve
interactions between first responders and
people with disabilities.
The Disability ID Act of 2022 would
establish a new grant program for states
to facilitate the placement of a discrete
and voluntary disability identifier symbol
on driver’s licenses and other forms
of state-issued identification, in order
to improve interactions between first
responders and people with disabilities.
The legislation would also provide
funding for training first responders
to recognize the disability identifiers
and interact appropriately with such
individuals.
According to Meng, people with
disabilities should not be subjected to
unfair and sometimes violent treatment
because of circumstances out of their
control.
“Situations where first responders
are needed often cause severe anxiety
and fear, but by providing identifier
symbols on different forms of ID, first
responders will be better suited to use
the training this bill also provides to
handle complex situations with people
Photo courtesy of Rep. Meng’s office
who have disabilities. I look forward
to my bill moving through the House,”
Meng said.
Some states, like Alaska and Colorado,
have already pioneered state laws that
provide an option for a person with a
disability to request a discreet disability
identifier symbol on their form of
identification. Meng’s bill would help
provide these same choices to people
with disabilities and provide training
for first responders across the country.
Jess Stainbrook, executive director of
the Invisible Disabilities Association, is
partnering with Meng to help states provide
a designated disability ID symbol
on government IDs and driver’s licenses.
“We are seeing this important initiative
protect and support people living
with invisible disabilities and the interactions
with law enforcement, first
responders, educators and businesses
all over the globe. The new ID symbol
helps specify that an invisible disability
is present and may need some type of
accommodations,” Stainbrook said.
Rachel Morgan, founder and president
of the Adam Morgan Foundation,
said Meng’s bill will “facilitate a proactive
program for first responders that
will allow them to build trusting relationships
with the disabled community
in order to be more effective in their
future interactions.”
Rozic’s price gouging bill passes Consumer Affairs and Protection Committee
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
CMOHAMED@SCHNEPSMEDIA.COM
@QNS
A legislative package addressing
pandemic-related price gouging
sponsored by Assemblywoman
Nily Rozic passed the Committee on Consumer
Affairs and Protection on Tuesday,
March 29.
Rozic’s bill, A9193A, would triple
penalties for instances of fraud in
order to deter bad actors. It focuses on
fraudulent conduct during an abnormal
disruption of the market such as the
coronavirus pandemic. Another bill,
A5860, sponsored by Rozic’s colleague,
Assemblywoman Karines Reyes, would
add medications facing supply shortages
to the list of goods prohibited from being
sold at high prices under the state’s price
gouging statute.
The legislative package was reported
to the Assembly Codes Committee.
The Federal Trade Commission
estimates that New Yorkers have lost
approximately $22 million to COVIDrelated
fraud. Rozic’s bill aims to protect
New Yorkers subject to such practices
and offers them legal recourse.
“No New Yorker should have to deal
with fraud and deception — especially
during the most vulnerable times,” said
Rozic, chair of the Consumer Affairs and
Protection Committee. “This legislation
would ensure that penalties against bad
actors are a sufficient deterrent and will
go a long way to protect consumers during
this pandemic and beyond.”
Read more on PoliticsNY.com. Assemblywoman Nily Rozic QNS file photo
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