Bronx, NY – Following sweeping changes in the composition of the New York State Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives, many residents of the Northwest Bronx are shifting their focus to legislation that has long been left to stagnate in legislative chambers. Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz, along with fellow local elected officials, wants to hear exactly what the people of the Northwest Bronx are looking to accomplish over the next two years. He will begin by hosting two town halls as part of a new series, “Democracy in Action”, where constituents of the 81^st Assembly District can make their voices heard on neighborhood priorities and legislative priorities.

Over the past decade, both the New York State Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives have stifled progressive legislation that repeatedly passed the New York State Assembly. In New York, legislation such as the Reproductive Health Act, Comprehensive Contraception Coverage Act, Climate and Community Protection Act, extreme risk protection orders, electoral reforms, pro-tenant rent laws, and many others which have perennially passed the Assembly are now on the table with a clear path to enactment. Federally, a shift in control of the House means that committees will be chaired by Representatives who are likely to conduct oversight hearings among other legislative priorities.

The town halls will be held on Thursday, November 29 at Vladeck Hall beginning at 7pm which focuses on Neighborhood Priorities, and Thursday, December 6 at Riverdale Temple also beginning at 7pm which focuses on Legislative Priorities. Both town halls will feature Assemblyman Dinowitz, Council Member Cohen, and State Senator-elect Biaggi while Congressman Espaillat will be at Vladeck Hall and Congressman Engel will be at Riverdale Temple.

Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz (D-Bronx) said: “One of my favorite parts of this job is hearing what people think so that I can go and represent their views in Albany. Advocating for my constituents is the number one function of my job as an elected official, and in order to do so I need to know how people feel about important issues. I’m optimistic that much of the legislation which I have been voting for over the better part of a decade will now find a much more sympathetic audience in the new State Senate and I look forward to working hard to make sure we can get everything done that we want to get accomplished.”