January Recap

Below are updates on what has been happening in Albany throughout the month of January. We will be asking you to take action on a number of the issues below over the course of the legislative session, so stay tuned.

Governor’s Executive Budget Proposal

Areas of Support:

• Expansion of state child care system by $7.6 billion over four years
• Build more affordable housing
• Expand mental health services
• Enhance disability assistance, including Medicaid buy-in program and inclusive internships
• Investments in alternatives to incarceration and re-entry services
• Expand access to paid parental leave and other initiatives to assist parents and children

Areas of Opposition:

• Elimination of NYC charter school cap without commensurate support for tuition-paying families will further strain Catholic schools and the families that choose them.
• Abortion access at public college campuses (S9444-A)
• Data privacy protections for abortion services
• Over the counter prescription contraception access

Proposed Legislation

Respect Life

• A995 Paulin/S2445 Hoylman-Sigal – Physician-Assisted Suicide
  • NYSCC Position: Oppose
  • Explanation: We believe there is a serious risk that physician-assisted suicide will rise to the level of the most acceptable, and even expected, “treatment” for terminal illness. The mainstreaming of such an option will lead to further disparities in caring for our most vulnerable. Read more
  • Contact your legislators to oppose this bill! Take action, here.
• A1135 Paulin – Defining Human Embryos as "Tissue"
  • NYSCC Position: Oppose
  • Explanation: While protecting human embryos is a laudable goal, one which this bill purports to accomplish by regulating tissue banks, this legislation further dehumanizes nascent human lives by categorizing them as mere “tissue.” Read more
• A1283 Seawright/ S108-A Krueger – Equality Amendment 
  • NYSCC Position: Oppose
  • Explanation: Including “reproductive healthcare and autonomy” in the litany of protected classes in Section 11 of the New York State Constitution is another unnecessary step in the state’s quest to be the abortion capital of the country. Read more
• S348-B Cleare / A361-A Gonzalez-Rojas – Reproductive Freedom and Equity Grant Program
  • NYSCC Position: Oppose
  • Explanation: This would establish a grant program to provide funding to New York abortion providers and non-profit organizations to increase access to abortion. Vulnerable and struggling New Yorkers need help. The legislature should allocate millions of dollars to programs that provide women true choice, which they have when they are supported in trying times. Read more
• S1159 Skoufis – Written Notice for False-Positive Prenatal Testing Results
  • NYSCC Position: Support
  • Explanation: Requiring written notice about the possibility of false-positives, and the rates at which they occur, will ensure women have the information and knowledge necessary to make the best possible decisions for themselves and their babies. Read more
• S1241 Sanders – Medicaid Coverage for Childbirth
  • NYSCC Position: Support
  • Explanation: Social justice and Catholic teaching require that we keep the poor and the vulnerable as a priority in our actions and our policies. We believe that to deny low-income moms dependent on the Medicaid system the same essential benefits afforded to mothers with private insurance is simply unjust. Read more
• S2175 Kennedy – Paid Leave After Stillbirth
  • NYSCC Position: Support
  • Explanation: We believe this legislation would create a compassionate and sensible state policy that will help to provide some assistance and solace to families for the long-term. Read more

Human Services

• S1210 Persaud – Allowances for the Costs of Diapers
  • NYSCC Position: Support
  • Explanation: This bill would amend the Social Services Law to provide eligible parents with an allowance for the purchase of diapers for their infants and toddlers. Read more
• S2038-A Brisport – Increase in Value of Rent Subsidies
  • NYSCC Position: Support
  • Explanation: The bill would amend Section 409-A of the Social Services Law to increase the value of rent subsidies for families whose lack of adequate housing puts their children at risk of entry into the foster care system or delays their reunification. The maximum monthly subsidy would rise from $300 to $725. Read more
•  S1003-A Hinchey – Policy-Based Exclusions
  • NYSCC Position: Oppose
  • Explanation: The bill would require the commissioner of health to collect from each healthcare facility a list of its policy-based exclusions and publish such information on the department’s website. As part of its unceasing quest to expand and promote abortion to the exclusion of all else, the New York Legislature has of late been targeting Catholic hospitals through rhetoric and legislation. This bill, while careful not to name them specifically, seeks to malign these institutions by publicly shaming them and implying that they provide subpar care. Read more

Criminal Justice

• S211 Myrie / A1029 Cruz – Clean Slate Act
  • NYSCC Position: Concern
  • Explanation: While the NYS Catholic Conference is generally supportive of measures to give people convicted of crimes a second chance following the conclusion of their sentence, this bill has one critical flaw in that it would make it impossible for many organizations that work with children or vulnerable adults to adequately assess whether someone who wants to work or volunteer in one of their programs can safely be around children. Read more