Assemblywoman Helene E. Weinstein
A special report to
the Residents of the 41st Assembly District
Fall 2015
Assemblywoman
Helene E. Weinstein


Making a Difference in Brooklyn and Albany
ASSEMBLYWOMAN HELENE WEINSTEIN GETS RESULTS

The 2015 legislative session saw passage of new laws that will no doubt help many New Yorkers. I’ve highlighted some of the most important achievements in this newsletter. I’ve also included information on important community office programs I am sponsoring.

As your Assemblywoman, my most important responsibility is to listen carefully, answer questions and, along with my experienced community office staff, assist you with a variety of important services and help to resolve community problems. Please contact my office if you think I can be of assistance to you.

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Major Investment in Education
Although this year’s state budget was a hard-fought battle with the governor over the future of New York State’s schools, we secured a huge increase in state aid for our public schools—$1.6 billion over last year.

We also negotiated major changes reducing the governor’s ill advised emphasis on testing and instead, allow the Board of Regents, not the governor, to develop the specifics of fair teacher evaluations.

Other highlights of the 2015 State Education Budget include:


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Schoolyard Ribbon Cutting
PS 208 Principal Nakoley Renville welcomed Assemblywoman Weinstein as the school’s ecstatic teachers and students cut the ribbon at their brand new school yard and playground.

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Holocaust Survivors Speak
Assemblywoman Weinstein arranged for members of the New York Association of Holocaust Survivors to speak to children at PS 52 about their experiences and surviving during the holocaust.

ASSEMBLYWOMAN WEINSTEIN IS HERE FOR YOU!

Caring for our Caregivers
The past few years have seen a surge in the population of older adults who have significant needs for long-term services and support. Despite the vast importance of caregivers in the individual’s day-to-day care, many caregivers find that they are often left out of discussions involving a patient’s care while in the hospital and, upon the patient’s discharge, receive little to no instruction on the tasks they are expected to perform.

Assemblywoman Weinstein sponsored legislation (A1323B), awaiting the governor’s signature that would require hospitals to notify and offer to meet with a patient’s designated caregiver to discuss a plan of care prior to the patient’s discharge or transfer to another facility.

Importantly, the bill would require a hospital to offer to adequately train the designated caregiver in certain aftercare tasks upon a patient’s discharge to his or her current residence.


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Midwood Active Adults
The Midwood Senior Center celebrated the tireless effort of their Senior Volunteers. Assemblywoman Weinstein was on hand to applaud their dedication to the center and present them with New York State Assembly Citations.
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Helping Those In Need
Assemblywoman Weinstein assisted volunteers at the Kings Bay YM-YWHA in handing out hundreds of food packages to the needy prior to the Passover holiday.


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Marine Park Active Adults
Members of the Marine Park Active Adults Program at the Carmine Carro Center thanked Assemblywoman Weinstein for the grant she presented to help support programming.
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Metrocard Program
An elderly constituent thanked the Assemblywoman for providing a venue for the MTA’s Metrocard program.


Helping Two-Fare Commuters
The Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) requires some pay-per-ride Metrocard users to pay 2 fares for just one leg of their daily commute, since only one bus or train transfer is allowed.

A bill (A2607), awaiting the Governor’s signature and sponsored by Assemblywoman Weinstein would provide two automatic free transfers for riders using pay-per-ride Metrocards.



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Philip Howard Seniors
Members at the Philip Howard Senior Center accepted a much appreciated grant from Assemblywoman Weinstein to help with the cost of their programming.
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East 43rd Street Community Garden
Council Member Williams joined Assembly Member Helene E. Weinstein, Rochelle Sanders, President of East 43rd Street between I & J Block Association, Aileen Harry, President of East 43 Street between H & I Block Association, Nieuw Amersfort Civic Association President Steve Yamin, representatives of the Brooklyn-Queens Land Trust, GreenThumb from the NYC Parks Department, and community members during a ribbon cutting and grand opening ceremony for the East 43rd Street Community Garden.


Bills to Watch
Assemblywoman Weinstein has sponsored and supported legislation that would provide much needed reforms, including the following, which:


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Scaffolding Removed
Mayor Bill de Blasio, Assemblywoman Helene Weinstein, Borough President Eric Adams, Councilman Alan Maisel, and Sheepshead/Nostrand Tenant Association Presidents Linda Wade and Barbara McFadden celebrated removal of miles of unnecessary scaffolding that had compromised quality of life for years.
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Avenue R Select Bus Service
Assemblywoman Weinstein, Councilmembers Chaim Deutsch and Alan Maisel joined commuters in their renewed call for a Select Bus Service Stop on Nostrand Avenue at Avenue R.


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PS 109 “Flatbush Heroes” Mural
Last year, students from PS 109 came together to paint murals on the graffitied walls of the Long Island Railroad Track underpass at Glenwood Road and East 45th Street, as a means to spread an anti-gun violence message. This year’s murals paid tribute to Flatbush heroes including, Jackie Robinson, Congress Member Shirley Chisholm, Rosa Parks and our very own Assemblywoman Weinstein.
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Masbia Soup Kitchen
Thousands of those less fortunate have come to rely on the Masbia Soup Kitchen Network for quality and discrete daily dinner service. Assemblywoman Weinstein recently stopped in to assist in vegetable prep.


Supporting Private Schools
To make sure this year’s budget helped all students, including those attending Parochial schools and Yeshivas, the budget and end of session actions provide:

Assemblywoman Weinstein will continue to fight for all schools and teachers, so they can continue to provide a quality education to students throughout New York.



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Good Shepherd Sports
At the Opening Ceremony of the Good Shepherd Sports Baseball season, Assemblywoman Helene Weinstein threw out a first pitch to a young Little Leaguer.
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Helping Non-Public Schools
Long a champion for Public and Private School Funding Parity, Assemblywoman Weinstein met with representatives of the Orthodox Union’s TEACH NYS initiative and Agudath Israel of America to strategize on ways to help parents with the burden of tuition.


Protecting Consumers
Consumers in New York have been long been without a voice and real representation when it comes to utility services. Assemblywoman Weinstein is trying to change this by instituting the office of the State Utility Consumer Advocate.

The advocate would serve as an independent supporter and appear on behalf of New York consumers in state and federal regulatory proceedings, as well as judicial review proceedings concerning rates and conditions of public service utilities.

In other states where such an office exists residential consumers have seen drastic savings in comparison to the actual amount of funding that goes to these offices. The creation of an advocate with the powers allotted in this bill would give New York utility customers a voice at the table and hopefully save them a considerable amount of money.



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Rain Barrel Give-Away
Assemblywoman Weinstein joined forces with the Department of Environmental Protection to distribute rain barrels to residents in her district. A rain barrel captures runoff from your roof and stores it for future activities like watering a lawn or washing a car.


Holding Our Elected Officials to Higher Standards
Holding public office is a privilege that carries a great deal of responsibility and those who are fortunate enough to have this opportunity should be held to the highest ethical standards. This year’s state budget took giant strides in increasing transparency and cracking down on corruption.

Assemblywoman Weinstein proudly supported the Budget, which included some of the strongest and comprehensive ethics laws for public officials of any state; including increased disclosure of outside income, improved transparency and accountability, and strengthening the ban on campaign funds for personal use.

Additionally, the Assemblywoman voted in favor of legislation (A7704) that would strip taxpayer-funded pensions from public officials convicted of corruption.



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Protest Expulsion of Dominico Haitians
Earlier this year, Assemblywoman Weinstein joined her colleagues in support of Resolution K376, condemning the denationalization and planned deportation of Dominicans of Haitian descent. The resolution passed the Assembly with strong support in May.
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Passover Pickup
Assemblywoman Helene Weinstein, Assemblywoman Roxanne Persaud, and Councilman Alan Maisel met with Department of Sanitation and 63rd Precinct representatives; Mr. Shea Rubenstein, Vice President of the JCC of Marine Park; Yosef Segal, JCCMP Assistant Executive Director; 63rd Precinct Clergy Liaisons, Mr. Rafi Treitel, representing Rabbi Shimshon Sherer, and Mr. Avrumi Brown, representing Rabbi Tzvi Elimelech Rokeach, to discuss this year’s special holiday Sanitation plan.