Gowanus Forum, Open House + More

Dear Neighbors & Friends,

I’m back in Albany for the new legislative session, and we are hitting the ground running on several initiatives. I’m participating in events and supporting a variety of policy reforms on climate change, consumer protections, the Tuition Assistance Program, social services, revenue-raising measures, and economic security for workers.

Governor Kathy Hochul gave the annual State of the State address yesterday, and I was very pleased to hear her discuss the literacy initiatives that I have long advocated for. This did not happen overnight. I’ve been hosting dyslexia and literacy events at the Capitol for 8 years and building a coalition of parents, teachers, students, legislators, advocates who have shared their personal stories and advocated for NY to use best practices. I’m elated that we are finally making real change to the status quo. Hochul also discussed affordability, public safety, mental health initiatives for youth and those with serious mental health conditions, housing, a new AI initiative, addressing maternal and infant health inequities, hate crimes, constructively addressing retail theft, and much more.

Next up will be her budget address and Executive budget proposal next week. This is where the rubber meets the road and we’ll be better able to assess precisely how the Governor intends to fund the priorities she has laid out, as well as funding gaps and policy differences. I was disappointed not to hear more about ways the state can equitably raise revenue, and I will be focused on this because revenue is needed to breathe real life into a number of our mutual priorities.

This session, I will also continue to work towards the passage of my legislative priorities:

Fighting climate change by passing my Stop Polluter Handouts Act,
Preventing gun violence and reforming NY’s lockdown drill mandate,
Improving literacy by ensuring that teachers are trained to use evidence-based practices aligned with how the brain processes print,
Increasing student loan aid to public service attorneys (public defenders, civil legal services attorneys and prosecutors), most of whom have significant student debt while also earning substantially less than attorneys in the private sector,
Improving health care access by reforming the rules around hospital closures to ensure community input and public planning,
Ensuring adequate funding for our health care, education, housing and social services,
Reducing the cross species transmission of viruses which cause infectious diseases,
Allowing organizations to be able to hand out water or snacks to voters waiting in long lines at the polls,
Improving access to reproductive services,
Worker protections, including preventing wage theft, and
Ensuring street safety by reducing the permissible level of blood alcohol content needed to establish intoxicated driving.

I will also continue to push for a number of bills that are sponsored by my colleagues.

Sincerely,

Jo Anne Simon

Community Forum on Gowanus Brownfields Program, Jan. 25: Join me and my team for a Community Forum on the Gowanus Brownfields clean-up and air quality monitoring. This forum is a chance for you to learn about the Gowanus clean-up and ask questions. You will hear from representatives of the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation, the NYS Health Department, and the US Environmental Protection Agency.

New York’s Brownfield Cleanup Program was created to encourage private-sector cleanups of brownfields so as to promote their redevelopment as a means to revitalize economically blighted communities. Brownfield sites are land where contaminant(s) are present at levels exceeding the soil cleanup objectives or other health-based or environmental standards, criteria or guidance adopted by the State and anticipated by the expected use of the property.

The event will take place on Thursday, January 25th, from 6-8pm, at the Wyckoff Gardens Community Center, 280 Wyckoff Street. Please RSVP here.

New Year’s Open House at My Office on Thurs. Jan. 11. Please join me and my staff for an open house to welcome in the New Year this Thursday, January 11th from 4-6pm. Stop by for a quick hello or stay a while to get to know my staff and your neighbors. We look forward to seeing you! My office is located at 341 Smith Street in Carroll Gardens. Please RSVP.

Governor Hochul’s Back to Basics Reading Plan: I was proud to join Governor Hochul as she announced a plan to improve reading proficiency and focus on evidence-based best practices in New York State. The Governor will direct $10 million to train 20,000 teachers in the science of reading and structured literacy, with additional funding to expand and support college based micro-credential programs in the science of reading.

This is a great start towards achieving our mutual goal of getting all our kids to read. I look forward to working with Governor Hochul to expand these efforts to teacher preparation programs, including my bill to do the same.

Daily News Op-Ed Supports My Bill on School Lockdown Drills: The Daily News Editorial Board has come to the same conclusion as me: we have too many school lockdown drills in NY State. We need to reform New York’s excessive and ineffective school lockdown drills. These drills cause anxiety and depression in students – some of whom don’t know if there is a real shooter in the school or if it’s a drill – and the drills are not keeping our school communities safe. My bill would reduce the mandate from 4 to 1 (with schools being able to do more if desired), ensure drills are age-appropriate and trauma-informed, and give parents notice of the drills. Read the Daily News article here.

Compost Your Holiday Tree: Still have your holiday tree? Compost it! Unwrapped, bare trees, along with wreaths, can be composted on your curbside compost collection day through January 13. Remember to remove ALL lights, ornaments, and tinsel, and ensure that the tree is not wrapped in ANY plastic.

Provide Public Comments on Congestion Pricing Fees: You can now submit comments on the Traffic Mobility Review Board’s (TMRB) recommended fee and tolling structures for NY’s congestion pricing program. The public comment period will allow for possible tweaks to this program before the final MTA vote in the spring of 2024. Submit feedback online here or by email: [email protected]. You can also make comments at public hearings in February and March (see registration & other details here).

You can read the TMRB report here, including credits for those paying a tunnel toll, and a summary from the Gothamist here. Why is this important? 50% of the vehicles in and around Downtown Brooklyn are pathfinding their way through our neighborhood streets to the free Brooklyn and Manhattan bridges, avoiding the toll on the Brooklyn Battery/Gov. Hugh Carey Tunnel. I support reducing the toll rate through the tunnel so that drivers aren’t asked to pay the regular toll plus a congestion pricing fee because we know that will cause even more people to avoid the tunnel, thus increasing congestion.

Free Tax Prep: NYC offers free tax prep service for families who earned $85,000 or less in 2023, as well as for single filers who earned $59,000 or less. You can connect to a free IRS certified VITA/TCE volunteer in person, virtually, and at drop-in locations. For more information, contact 311 or visit nyc.gov/TaxPrep.

Still Time to Enroll in Health Care for 2024: New York’s Healthcare Marketplace, NY State of Health, is a way for individuals, families, and small businesses to find quality health insurance, including stand-alone dental plans (Note: the Marketplace is not for people who have Medicare). All health plans offered through NY State of Health cover preventive care, such as routine doctor visits and screenings, at no additional cost.

Enrollment in a Qualified Health Plan is open through spring of 2024 so NYers who are no longer eligible for Medicaid, CHIP or the Essential Plan can remain covered under another plan. But, apply as soon as possible so your health care can kick in.
Need Financial Help? Financial aid to buy insurance is available for most consumers.
How Do I Apply? Apply online at www.nystateofhealth.ny.gov, or call the Marketplace at 1-855-355-5777.
Need Free Help Applying? Trained assistors, or navigators, are available to help you apply. To find a navigator near you, call the Marketplace or click here for a list.
Apply any time of year for Medicaid, Essential Plan, and Child Health Plus.
You may also apply outside the open enrollment period if you have a qualifying life event, like divorce or marriage, pregnancy, etc.

Small Businesses Affected by Sept. 29, 2023 Floods Can Apply for Federal Low-Interest Disaster Loans. Eligible New York City residents and businesses in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island affected by the significant flash flooding event on September 29, 2023, may now apply for low-interest disaster loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration. These loans are made available for those whose homes and/or businesses were damaged due to flooding. The filing deadline to submit applications is February 2, 2024 for physical damage, and September 4, 2024 for economic injury.

Pick up a COVID TEST KIT & KN95 masks! NYC is seeing an uptick in the number of flu, RSV, and Covid-19 cases. The city’s public hospitals (including health clinics and nursing homes) have reinstated a mask mandate. The best ways to protect yourself and your loved ones is by getting the latest vaccines you are eligible for and staying home if you have symptoms. Use the City’s vaccine finder tool to find a vaccination site near you.

New Yorkers who test positive for COVID-19 can access Paxlovid prescriptions and home delivery through Virtual ExpressCare by calling 212-COVID-19 (212-268-4319). Virtual ExpressCare provider assessments are billed to insurance. All applicable co-payments and co-insurances will be applied according to your insurance plan.

Stop by our office (341 Smith St in Carroll Gardens) weekdays from 9am-5pm to pick up a free Covid-19 rapid test kit. We also have a limited number of N-95 masks.

Community Events & Announcements

Free Leaf Bags! Stop by our office at 341 Smith St. for free leaf and yard waste bags, Monday - Friday, 9am-5pm.
NYS Education Department (NYSED) Mayoral Control Hearing, January 11. NYSED will hear testimony from students, parents, teachers, school administrators and staff, and other stakeholders on NYC mayoral control this Thursday, Jan. 11, 6pm-9pm, at the Boys and Girls High School, 1700 Fulton St, Brooklyn. In-person speaking slots are filled, but you may attend or tune into a livestream. NYSED will accept written testimony through January 31. For details, please visit here.
Emergency HEAP. Applications will be accepted through Friday, March 15, 2024, or until funding is exhausted, whichever comes first. Emergency benefits can assist eligible households with a heating emergency or a heat-related domestic emergency. Only one Emergency Benefit of each type is available per HEAP household for the 2023-2024 program year. Regular component benefits must be used first to resolve heating emergencies. Temporary relocation for housing emergencies and propane tank deposits to obtain new propane vendors are also available under the Emergency benefit component. To apply, call 718-557-1399 or visit a HEAP office.
Subway Service Changes: Sat 1/6/24 - Mon 1/29/24 - Due to track replacement work, there will be no Q service between Prospect Park and 96 St overnight on weekends in January. N trains replace the Q between Atlantic Ave/Barclays Ctr and 96 St in Manhattan. A fare-free shuttle bus will make stops between Prospect Park and Atlantic Ave-Barclays Ctr. Sign up for MTA’s The Weekender for service change alerts for the subways & trains.
Pay Tribute to Martin Luther King Jr. Honor Dr. King's radical spirit at BAM's annual tribute next Monday, January 15. Beginning at 10:30AM, enjoy uplifting performances by Sing Harlem and a keynote presentation by Freedom Reads founder and CEO Reginald Wayne Betts. RSVP.
IMPACCT Brooklyn’s Financial Workshops: Thursdays in January. These workshops are dedicated to empowering low to moderate-income individuals and families with essential financial insights. The virtual sessions offer practical strategies and tools to take control of your finances effectively, including how to reduce debt, repair credit, and build assets. Learn about housing search tools, fair housing, and equal opportunity rights, the importance of knowing your credit history, and how to use NYC Housing Connect. RSVP here.
- How to make credit work for you, January 11 from 6-8pm.
- How to build financial wellness through budgeting, January 18, 6-8pm.
- Understanding the lottery process and Housing Connect 2.0, January 25 from 6-8pm.
Webinar on The Basics of Commercial Leases, Wed. January 17th, 2024, 6pm. If you are a new business owner or need legal assistance for your commercial space, please join this webinar. You will learn how to negotiate your lease, what to look out for when you sign a lease and how to set up your space for success. The presenters are experienced business attorneys from Brooklyn Legal Services Corporation A. Register here.