December 10th, 2021

To the Good People of New York’s 9th Congressional District,

I hope this edition of Yvette's Gazette finds you well! Before we get into the details of today's newsletter, I want to give you a reminder of my newsletter's new bi-weekly schedule, meaning you can expect to hear from me again on Christmas Eve, Friday, December 24th.

In the meantime, thank you for tuning in to hear from me on the work I have done in Congress. Always remember, I cannot do it alone. Through the support of passionate individuals such as yourself, we bring tangible, meaningful change to our district. 

To reach out to my office, send us an email at clarke.house.gov/contact/email/. If you’d like to call, you can reach my D.C. office at 202-225-6231 or my Brooklyn office at 718-287-1142. Remember to encourage your neighbors to sign up for this newsletter at clarke.house.gov/contact/newsletter/. 

If you’d like daily updates on my work in Congress, visit my website, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram pages. I wish you well, and I look forward to my next opportunity to get in touch with you.

Regards,
Yvette D. Clarke
Member of Congress

It's Time To Compost!

Upcoming Career Fair

Relief for Landlords

Governor Hochul recently announced that New York's landlords can now apply for unpaid rent relief through newly available $125 million in state funding. With priority being given to landlords owning small-to-medium-sized properties, this funding could cover up to 12 months of past-due rent. To learn more on this relief opportunity, please click here.

Excelsior Pass Plus App

New York's recently launched Excelsior Pass Plus app contains a secure, digital record of your COVID-19 vaccination history. With information such as vaccine type, site, and date of vaccination, the app provides New Yorkers with the an easy to use means of accessing their records whenever needed. Learn more about the Excelsior Pass Plus and Excelsior Pass here.

New York's Emergency Rental Assistance Program
New York State's Emergency Rental Assistance Program is now open to applicants. For low and moderate-income households facing instability with their housing, this program will provide invaluable aid in the form of rental arrears, temporary rental assistance and utility arrears assistance. For more information, and to apply, click here. 

Getting Vaccinated

To overcome the COVID-19 virus once and for all, it will take as many of us as possible to do our part and get vaccinated. If you haven’t received your COVID-19 vaccine but are interested in doing so, and New Yorkers ages 12 years and older can receive their vaccine at select sites across our city found here. If you’d like to make an appointment to get vaccinated, please click here to find a location that best suits you. For New Yorkers who are ages 75 and older, an in-home vaccination appointment can be made here, or by calling 1-877-VAX-4-NYC. We are so close to the finish line; let’s cross it together!

Cases Closed: Thus far this month, my staff closed 63 cases from constituents, meaning 63 issues our neighbors in the 9th District brought to my team's attention were resolved. 

Sponsored Legislation: The past two weeks, I introduced the following bill to the House of Representatives:

H.R. 6103

I am proud to introduce this important legislation with Senator Van Hollen that will protect consumers and create greater levels of transparency and accountability when it comes to subscription-based services,” said Congresswoman Clarke. “All too frequently, subscription services are taking advantage of people, particularly our most vulnerable populations, and trapping them into paying for goods and services they never intended to sign up for. Enough is enough. Our legislation will put an end to these deceptive practices and protect consumers from being misled into endless monthly payments without their expressly given consent.

Co-Sponsored Legislation: The past two weeks, I lent my support and commitment to the following bills:

H.R. 6207

No animal should be subject to cruel and inhumane testing for the sake of creating cosmetics. This legislation would substantially restrict the use of animal testing for cosmetics and make good on our commitment to uphold animal rights wherever they are threatened. While this legislation is a significant step towards that goal, additional work remains to comprehensively protect animals from the harms of animal testing.

I voted against the National Defense Authorization Act because I cannot vote for a $768 billion defense authorization bill that goes $25 billion above what was requested by the Biden Administration while key priorities in our efforts to recover from the pandemic remain unfunded. Our bloated Pentagon budget cannot come at the cost of American lives, Additionally, I am disappointed that the NDAA does not include cyber incident reporting legislation. While this legislation does include important provisions such as my amendment to provide additional funding for the Department of Homeland Security’s CyberSentry Program, which allows us to more rapidly detect vulnerabilities and identify malicious activity on the networks of industrial control systems and strengthens our defenses against the increasing number of cyber-attacks, it fails to meaningfully respond to repeated requests from our partners in the federal government related to improving situational awareness on cyber-attacks in order to better understand trends in adversary behavior. One year after the initial public reports of the SolarWinds supply chain attack, it is inexcusable that dysfunctional Senate Republican leadership delayed and ultimately prevented the inclusion of critical infrastructure cyber incident reporting language that could arm us with information essential to preventing the next SolarWinds-level attack. Without cyber incident reporting provisions, we are leaving ourselves ill-equipped to prevent and respond to future cyber-attacks. Further, legislation, especially of this magnitude, must reflect our values. This NDAA falls short in promoting justice and equality. Though negotiators were able to find bipartisan support for the authorization of billions of additional dollars to further enrich the military industrial complex, provisions to address racial disparities in military law and growing extremism in the ranks were callously tossed aside. This NDAA represents a lost opportunity to meaningfully address persistent racial inequity and the increasing threat of extremism.

CLARKE STATEMENT ON SENATE CONFIRMATION OF JESSICA ROSENWORCEL AS FCC CHAIRWOMAN

The newly confirmed FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel is the right person, at the right time, for the right leadership role as we embark upon a more inclusive era that considers the needs of all people in the digital landscape, and not just stakeholders. As a senior Member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee I have had the distinct honor of working with Chairwoman Rosenworcel. Through our mutual advocacy and interest in consumer protection, especially as we go full speed ahead into the technological age, she will undoubtedly work to improve the agency. Chairwoman Rosenworcel knows what’s at stake when it comes to net neutrality and critical protections for broadband access and users, and its importance to small businesses, rural and tribal communities, students and marginalized people still struggling to keep up with a technological world. Chairwoman Rosenworcel understands the importance of not leaving anyone behind as we forge ahead and live our lives in a digital landscape. I have full faith in the Chairwoman of the Federal Communications Commission. Congratulations Chairwoman Rosenworcel, I look forward to our continued collaboration on broadband deployment, increasing equitable access to the internet, closing the digital divide, and working to improve this essential utility that impacts everyone in the world.

CLARKE, MENG, TORRES, ISSUE JOINT STATEMENT URGING SECRETARY ANTONY BLINKEN TO AMEND THE DIVERSITY VISA PROGRAM

The Diversity Visa Program was originally created, within the State Department, to grant visas to countries with low immigration rates to the United States. The Trump Administration made many unsuccessful attempts to end the program all together, however, they were successful to include more restrictions and hurdles for applicants. By way of the unnecessary requirements of the Passport Rule, applicants from developing countries are too restricted and overburdened to participate in the Diversity Visa Program. This has significantly undermined access to the Diversity Visa Program, as well as tarnished the symbolism and spirit in which the program was enacted; to encourage “new seed” immigration from regions and nations that did not send many immigrants under our family or employment-based systems. That is why, I am urging Secretary Blinken to rescind or amend the 2019 Interim Final “Passport Rule” that requires applicants to invest in a passport before they are able to apply for the program. Because the chances of winning the lottery are very low and the financial burden is disproportionately high, this rule affects millions of applicants discouraged from applying due to the costs associated with obtaining a passport they may never get to use. We are a nation of immigrants and diversity is not just our strength, it is our superpower. It is a fundamental understanding of our commitment to human rights. And so, we must make it easier to accept newcomers, not harder.

CLARKE ISSUES STATEMENT ON THE COMMONWEALTH OF BARBADOS BECOMING A NEW REPUBLIC ON ITS 55TH ANNIVERSARY

The Caribbean island of Barbados becoming a new Republic is the hope the entire world can believe in and I am deeply inspired by this new era of change and transformation. We are finally making measurable and significant progress toward building a world respectful of a people’s God-given right of self determination and sovereignty. This moment is a symbolic one that, I hope, will serve as a bellwether for all those determined to build a more just and equitable world for all people. Barbados, the first British commonwealth country in nearly 30 years to declare itself a republic on its 55th anniversary, is setting the course for a historic transformation. And how fitting that this change is being ushered in with the newly elected president of Barbados, Dame Sandra Mason and Prime Minister Mia Mottley. This Caribbean nation has taken a giant step away from its colonial history to pursue a fruitful and prosperous destiny in its own right. These are indeed historic times. I congratulate President Mason and Prime Minister Mottley and wish them all the success in leading their countrymen into a bright and strong independent future, that will undoubtedly build upon the partnership with America and continued leadership in promoting democracy, human rights, and security throughout the Caribbean.

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