Last month, Assemblyman Andrew Hevesi, Chair of the Assembly Social Services Committee, participated in a Joint Senate Committees Hearing of Social Services and Children and Families, chaired by State Senators Tony Avella and David Carlucci. The hearing allowed the panel to evaluate the current state of support services for children and families in New York City. After receiving testimony from various experts, the legislators focused specifically on social services that are brought to our community and the obstacles people face when attempting to utilize these resources. This hearing helped the legislators find several effective ways to improve access to these services for New York’s vulnerable families.

Assemblyman Andrew Hevesi joined together with Metropolitan Expeditionary Learning School (MELS) and the Lower East Side Ecology Center, to host their 5th annual electronic recycling event in Forest Hills last month. Due to the rapid development of technology, more and more electronic waste continues to be generated each year. These discarded devices often end up in landfills which can cause environmental problems. However, recycling events such as this one allows communities to participate in the safe disposal of a variety of electronic goods. Over 6,000 pounds of electronics were obtained by the Lower East Side Ecology Center at this event, with the outdated technology scheduled to be recycled in an environmentally sound manner.