Happy Passover & Happy Easter!   Dear Neighbor, Happy Passover and Happy Easter to all who are celebrating this week. April 1st has come and gone, and yet we still do not have a state budget for this fiscal year. Although it is disappointing that the Legislature and the Governor were not able to come to an agreement in time for an "on time" budget, I have always believed that a late budget that actually addresses the needs of New Yorkers is better than an on time budget that fails to address our needs. In the meantime, we have passed a budget extender that will ensure the government continues to function uninterrupted until a final budget is passed. There are several important issues that have become sticking points in negotiations, including proposed changes to our bail laws, but also how best to address the housing affordability crisis, whether to shift public education money into private hands through lifting the charter school cap, and how to implement our climate law (including a recent proposal from the Governor that would gut the climate law and set the state back years in terms of meeting our goals, which she fortunately decided to withdraw after significant pushback). Legislative leaders, including me, will continue to negotiate through this holiday weekend, and I am hopeful that we can reach an agreement sometime next week. Meanwhile, this email contains several upcoming events in the district, as well as useful information, including offsite constituent service hours with my staff. Stay safe and healthy. As always, if you have any questions or need assistance, please email or call my office at [email protected] or 212-490-9535. Best, Liz Krueger State Senator Upcoming Off-Site Constituent Service Hours Over the next few weeks my staff will be available at various locations to meet with constituents in person. Drop by to speak with a staff member in person about issues that my office can help you with. A limited number of free rapid COVID tests and masks will be available for distribution. April 17th, 10am - Noon (with staff from Assm. Alex Bores' office) Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library 455 5th Avenue at 40th Street April 20th, 11am - 1pm (with Senator Krueger) 53rd Street Library 18 W 53rd St, between 5th and 6th Avenues April 26th, 10:30am - 12:30pm (the last Wednesday of every month) Carter Burden Older Adult Center 546 Main Street, Ground Floor Lobby Roosevelt Island Liz Krueger's 2023 Virtual Roundtable for Boomers and Seniors Session IV: “Is Your Home Age Friendly? How to Assess Your Apartment for Safety.” Thursday, April 13th 10 am – 11:30 am Come take a virtual tour of your apartment and learn what modifications you can make to age safely in your home! Most of us want to age in place but we don’t know what to do to prevent falls and ensure that our home environment is safe. Once you understand the changes to make, learn about your rights to get the modifications you need, and determine if you may be eligible for a grant to pay for them. On Thursday, April 13th from 10 am – 11:30 am, hear from leading experts about how to assess your apartment to prevent falls and create a safe environment as you age. The April 13th Roundtable will feature: Rosemary Bakker, Home Therapeutic Modification Coordinator, Health Advocates for Older People (HAFOP) Josh Krasner, Home Safety and Fall Prevention Coordinator, HAFOP Anna Martinez, Director, Equal Access Project, NYC Commission on Human Rights Madhulika Murali, Legal Coordinator, Fair Housing Justice Center Craig Waletzko, Community Engagement Coordinator, Fair Housing Justice Center You will have the option of joining the event online through Zoom, a webinar hosting service. You will also have the option to view the event online through Facebook. Please note that you do not need a Facebook account or profile to view the event through Facebook. If you do not have access to a computer, tablet, or other electronic device, you can listen in by telephone. **If you register for an event, a confirmation email with the Zoom link and the call-in information will be sent at least a week in advance of the event.** The event will feature a question and answer session with Rosemary Bakker, Josh Krasner, Anna Martinez, Madhulika Murali, and Craig Waletzko. If you want to know which age-related changes to make to create a safe living space, what your rights are to get those changes made, and if you may be eligible for grant to pay for them, join us at the April 13th Roundtable. Attendees will be able to submit questions through Zoom and Facebook during the event but are *strongly* encouraged to submit them in advance. Please let us know if you plan to attend the Thursday, April 13th Virtual Roundtable and RSVP to [link removed]. Click Here to RSVP for the April 13th Roundtable Op-Ed on Reproductive Healthcare Training The right to obtain an abortion cannot be fully realized unless individuals actually have access to abortion care. New York was already lacking a sufficient number of abortion providers before Roe was overturned, and now that training opportunities nationwide have been significantly constricted, we run the risk of finding ourselves with a very real shortage. The Reproductive Healthcare Training Fund will ensure that New York State has enough trained medical professionals to provide abortion care to New Yorkers who need it, as well as those traveling here from home states that have taken away their reproductive freedom. Read my recent op-ed in City & State with Assemblymember Harvey Epstein on why it is critical to include funding for this program in the final state budget. Click Here to Read the Op-Ed E-Waste Recycling Event on Roosevelt Island Important Tax Filing Information The tax filing deadline is April 18th. If you need more time to file, you can request an extension from the IRS. To do so, file an electronic Form 4868, Application for Automatic Extension of Time to File U.S. Individual Income Tax Return, by the April 18th filing deadline. Those with an extension will have until Monday, October 16, 2023, to file their 2022 tax return. New online option for notices can help resolve tax issues faster This year taxpayers who receive certain notices in the mail requiring them to send information to the IRS now have the option of submitting their documentation online. This new secure step will allow you or to electronically upload documents rather than mailing them in, helping reduce time and effort resolving tax issues. Tips to protect against identity theft this filing season The IRS won’t call you threatening legal action. If you receive a call like this, hang up; it’s a scam! Don’t respond to or click links in text messages, emails or social media posts claiming to be the IRS. They may contain malware that could compromise your personal information. Protect your personal and financial information. Never provide this information in response to unsolicited text messages, emails or social media posts claiming to be the IRS. Report fraud to law enforcement. Submit Form 3949-A, Information Referral, if you suspect an individual or a business is committing fraud. Get Help If you need help filing your 2022 return, there are many filing resources available to you at no cost, including: Eligible individuals or families can get free help preparing their tax return at Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) or Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) sites. Taxpayers can find the closest free tax return preparation help using the VITA Locator Tool or by calling 800-906-9887. People can find an AARP Tax-Aide site using the AARP Site Locator Tool or by calling 1-888-227-7669. Any individual or family earning $73,000 or less in 2022 can use tax software through IRS Free File at no cost. There are products in English and Spanish. MilTax, a Department of Defense program, offers free return preparation software and electronic filing for federal tax returns and up to three state income tax returns. It's available for all military members and some veterans, with no income limit. IRS Taxpayer Assistance Centers Taxpayer Assistance Centers (TACs) operate by appointment. To visit your local Taxpayer Assistance Center: Find the office you need to visit and make an appointment by calling the appointment number at (844) 545-5640 Services are available Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and the IRS will again offer additional Saturday hours at many TACs across the country. The special openings are from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., on March 11, April 8 and May 13. During these times, people can walk in to receive in-person help without an appointment. The IRS’s Contact Your Local Office site lists all services provided at specific TACs. People can receive help resolving a tax account or other issues. If assistance from IRS employees specializing in these services isn’t available, the individual will receive a referral for these services. Taxpayer Advocate Service employees may also be available to assist with issues that meet certain criteria. Foreign language interpretation will be available in many languages through an over-the-phone translation service. IRS Online Services You can get help with most tax issues online. On IRS.gov you can: Set up a payment plan Get a transcript of your tax return Make a payment Check on your refund Find answers to many of your tax questions File your tax return online View your account information Find out where to file your return Click Here to go to NYC's Free Tax Prep Website Lenox Hill Neighborhood House Community Companion Program Older adults who need a hand with essential appointments and visits in Manhattan may access free transportation and volunteer assistance through LHNH's new Community Companion program. They will pair you with a volunteer for safe and socially assisted transportation to medical appointments, grocery errands and more. Call 212-218-0508 for eligibility and information. Weill Cornell's "Do More Feel Better" Program Do More Feel Better is a community-based research program for adults aged 60 and over who are experiencing symptoms of depression. The program uses a therapy called behavioral activation which aims to help individuals re-engage in pleasant and rewarding activities. Clients who are eligible and agree to be in the program are randomly assigned (like the flip of a coin) to work with either a clinician or a peer coach for nine weekly virtual sessions on Zoom (video call). In addition to sessions with the provider, participants must complete follow up interviews with a research assistant. Participants are also compensated for their time. To learn more, contact Kiana Seresinhe or Caroline Galo at 844-999-8746 ext 720/714 or email [email protected]. Upper East Side Free Store April 8th There’s an Upper East Side Free Store coming up on Saturday, April 8th from 10am-12pm! The store will be located at the Manhattan Church of Christ (48 E. 80th St, between Park and Madison Aves). The store will be offering spring clothing and a community meal. Everyone is welcome, and all items are free! Want to donate items? Please donate gently used or new: Seasonally appropriate clothing (for spring!) for all ages and genders Toiletries and personal items Items may be dropped off at the Manhattan Church of Christ (48 E. 80th St) -- please contact Carl Garrison ahead of time to schedule a drop-off to ensure he can buzz you in at that time. You can contact Carl at [email protected] or by text at 917-714-4026. Want to volunteer at the Free Store? Volunteers are needed on Saturday, April 8th from 10am-12pm to help out at the Free Store and with the community meal. To sign up to volunteer, please email Carl Garrison at [email protected]. Grow NYC Stop'n'Swap Community Assessment Survey of Older Adults The New York State Office of the Aging is performing a Community Assessment Survey of Older Adults. If you are 60+, you are encouraged to take NYSOFA's anonymous survey. The survey takes about 10 minutes to complete and your feedback will directly influence age-friendly policies and programs. Click Here to Complete the Community Assessment Survey Goddard Riverside's Good Neighbor Awards Do you know someone who has done extraordinary volunteer work in the communities that Goddard Riverside and The Isaacs Center serve (upper Manhattan)? Goddard Riverside’s Good Neighbor Awards celebrates uncompensated community members’ outstanding efforts to help improve the community. The purpose of the Good Neighbor Award is to recognize people who voluntarily build a better community. Nominations for 2023 awards must be submitted by April 30, 2023. The "Neighbor to Neighbor" committee of community members will meet and decide the award recipients in May with a celebratory event in June. For more information, including the nomination form, go to: [link removed]. Click Here for the Good Neighbor Award Nomination Form THE CITY's "Missing Them" Project New Yorkers have until May 31 to submit the names of loved ones to MISSING THEM, THE CITY’s COVID-19 memorial project; send a note to [email protected]. May 31 is also the last day to see the MISSING THEM photo exhibit in The Bronx and Queens. Central Park Conservancy Drives Survey Since Central Park became car-free in 2018 and the COVID pandemic increased overall use, its drives have experienced unprecedented use at all times of day by pedestrians, cyclists, joggers, increasingly popular electric modes of transportation, caregivers, school groups, and bird enthusiasts, to name a few. The Central Park Conservancy, in partnership with the NYC Dept. of Transportation and NYC Parks, is leading a community-informed, multi-year plan of the Park’s drives to increase safety and mobility for the park's 42 million annual visitors. Take this survey to help improve Central Park’s drives and make them more equitable to a variety of users. Your participation can help improve their safety and make them more user-friendly. Click Here to take the Central Park Drives Survey District Office: 211 East 43rd Street, Suite 1201 | New York, NY 10017 | (212) 490-9535 | Fax: (212) 499-2558 Albany Office: Legislative Office Building, Room 808 | Albany, NY 12247 | (518) 455-2297 | Fax: (518) 426-6874 Email: [email protected] | On the Web: krueger.nysenate.gov   Senator Liz Krueger | 211 E 43rd St, #1201, New York, NY 10017 Unsubscribe [email protected] Update Profile | Constant Contact Data Notice Sent by [email protected] in collaboration with Try email marketing for free today!