[BwayDems] News from Assembly Member Daniel O'Donnell

[Assembly Member Daniel O'Donnell]

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May 2014 Monthly Update
Upper West Side ● Morningside Heights ● Manhattan Valley
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Dear Neighbor,

Happy spring! This month I want to highlight a few important legislative developments,
including the expansion of a rent freeze for seniors and my recent efforts on behalf
of criminal justice reform and pedestrian safety. For an in-depth update, especially
on this year's state budget, my spring newsletter is now available on my website
 at: http://assembly.state.ny.us/member_files/069/20140423/index.pdf [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001UcSIKHFQOY7W9el0lW0E5G-Ha0R-cvM_G6uqILY8FVW0rQZAYVykb8TWS6W_mRCgR-Lxg80s88JmYzk7OOjiy1iy_EdmZKuZS42XxGLhA8GPvR_yPQQAW8T-w2OidXUoLZlqU0eynt3eYykz-ep-dxB2mj94zlHxACFUSD4VH-kEk5UsBsevMY8w7SEsgZX9sdU7MMKVOESg55zlwpxbNW3r1-7Sy75ssEI3Stkt3mg=&c=9wbOVU4Sp39bPUBLlBwHugggvHNmCLGbyFUza7XN0FU0-JvF8UIolQ==&ch=HQG1MV5nNtiQwLvBNZ3LQlMnuqbojKJEgJOTbUWcxGKT3pGso8Wklg==]

Very truly yours,

Daniel O'Donnell

Assembly Member

Rent Freeze for Seniors Expanded

In April I helped pass the Senior Citizen Rent Increase Exemption (SCRIE) program
extension as a part of this year's state budget. Under the SCRIE program, seniors
aged 62 or older who are living in rent-regulated apartments and whose rent adds
 up to a third or more of their income can have their rents frozen at their current
rates. The new expansion increases the upper income limit for SCRIE participants
 from $29,000 to $50,000 a year, and was approved by the New York City Council last
Wednesday. Thousands more seniors who have signed new leases as early as February
(for rent-stabilized tenants) are already eligible and can send in their applications.
For more information or for help applying, contact Joyce, my housing specialist,
 at (212) 866-3970.

Criminal Justice Reform:

Protecting Vulnerable Populations from Damaging Solitary Confinement

Two bills limiting the use of solitary confinement in New York's prisons passed 
through the Correction Committee, of which I am the Chair. The first, my bill A9286,
would reduce the use of solitary confinement for youth under 21 years of age. This
applies to prisons and jails across the state, including on Rikers Island here in
NYC. The second, Assembly Member Nily Rozic's A9550, would limit solitary for pregnant
inmates. Both bills would limit the use of solitary confinement for populations 
known to be particularly harmed by the isolation and by the lack of sufficient medical
care, exercise, and educational programming - all things that are reduced if not
 eliminated when an inmate is placed in solitary. Under these new provisions, youth
and pregnant inmates would be guaranteed access to these vital services, even when
placed in a Special Housing Unit (SHU). Both bills await further action in the Assembly;
I'm hopeful they will be passed by the end of the Legislative Session.

Traffic Safety:

Putting Pedestrians First

In January, in response to two heartbreaking pedestrian traffic tragedies in our
 neighborhood on the same day, I introduced a bill to reduce NYC's default speed
 limit to 20mph, a speed at which traffic accidents are much less likely to be fatal.
After weeks of negotiation with the Mayor's Office, City Council, and advocates,
 I have introduced a new bill - A9731 - that reduces the default speed limit to 
25mph, while still providing the City Department of Transportation the authority
 to reduce it to 20, or to raise it, as appropriate. As I have held from the beginning,
NYC should be empowered to adjust its own speed limits without the need to bring
 every small suggestion to the State Legislature for approval. It is imperative 
to take action on this important issue, and pass it into law as quickly as possible.
With such a strong consensus group behind a 25mph bill, I am confident we will move
quickly.

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Assembly Member Daniel O'Donnell | 245 West 104th Street, Suite 1D | New York | NY | 10025
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