New York is already gearing up for a hot summer, leading New Yorkers to take refuge inside, where the temperatures are cooler. But lower temperatures inside often lead to higher energy costs. To help you save both energy and money, Senator Liz Krueger recommends you take the following steps to make your home more energy-efficient:
View Liz’s Energy Efficiency Tip Sheet HERE!
This Monday, the 20th, Senator Liz Krueger will co-sponsor a march & rally for fair rent hikes, along with City Council members Dan Garodnick and Rosie Mendez, and several other local elected officials.
On the 20th you can MARCH RALLY AND GIVE TESTIMONY at the Rent Guidelines Board (RGB) public hearing. The RGB proposed renewal lease guidelines for rent stabilized apartments to increase rents between 3 – 5.75% for a 1 year lease, 6 to 9% for 2 years, and add a 1% surcharge for buildings with oil heat.
Meet us on the Northeast corner of E. 14th St and 1st Ave and we’ll march to The Great Hall at Cooper Union (7 East 7th St at 3rd Ave).
“To every tenant in a rent regulated apartment and to every New Yorker concerned about the protection of affordable housing in our State, I say this: do not panic. While the rent regulations laws have technically expired, this lapse will surely be short-lived and will likely have no real effect on tenants. In fact, the Commissioner of the HCRC has pointed out that tenants will remain protected until the expiration of their lease.
“I am confident that this will all be settled soon, as Governor Cuomo has once again stated he will ‘not allow the legislature to go out of session and go home until tenants are protected.’ And I do believe that our strong Democratic Governor will follow through on this commitment, which he has expressed both publicly and personally, and will ensure New York’s rent laws are renewed and strengthened.
“My Democratic colleagues and I agree that we must protect tenants, but a straight extension of the current laws is not acceptable. These laws simply do not provide adequate protection for tenants. Over the past 17 years we have lost 300,000 units of affordable housing because of loopholes in the current system, and by Governor Cuomo’s own estimation we are poised to lose another 130,000 units in the near future if these laws continue.
“Therefore, our fight is not simply to extend these laws, but rather to expand and strengthen them. Republicans would love for rent regulation laws to simply go away, but the reality is that they’d be content with them remaining just as they are now, because they know the laws are easy to circumvent.
“So, to tenants, I say again: do not panic. We will not turn our backs on the 2.5 million residents who rely on rent stabilization laws to keep their homes affordable. And we will not leave Albany until we’ve passed stronger rent regulation laws.”
Statement From Senator Liz Krueger Addressing Temporary Lapse of Rent Regulation Laws
The following was penned by Senator Liz Krueger and New York Women’s Agenda & Equal Pay Coalition NYC
The United States has always been a beacon of democracy. And as Americans, we take pride in our basic principles that are rooted in the democratic notions of freedom and equality. Yes, injustices persist, and we continue to fight and break down barriers that prevent access to basic rights. But what happens when these problems are kept well hidden and are not as easy to identify or expose?
Today, we would venture to assume that most women, especially those who are relatively new to the work force, presume that their salaries have everything to do with job performance and responsibility, and nothing to do with gender. However, 48 years after President John F. Kennedy sought to end gender-based pay discrimination and close the wage gap through the Equal Pay Act, pay inequality rooted in gender bias continues to persist. Today, women earn 77 cents to every dollar earned by their male counterparts, up from 59 cents in 1963, meaning the wage gap has narrowed at a dismal rate of less than a half a cent per year.
By Jaclyn Bruntfield
A scorecard released on June 8 by EPL/Environmental Advocates indicates that the vast majority of New York’s senators aren’t doing enough to support legislation that would protect the environment.
The preliminary scorecard tracked state senator’s voting records on bills this session that would have an effect on air, land and water quality, as well as wildlife and public health. A complete Voters’ Guide scorecard, including Assembly member rankings, is set to be released this fall.
The rankings were divided on partisan lines, with Democrats scoring an average of 41 and Republicans at an average of 24.
Four Democrat senators–Thomas Duane, Mike Gianaris, Liz Krueger, and Jose Serrano–received a score of at least 60 percent. With a score of 67, Sen. Serrano scored the highest.
By Jon Campell
While the Senate was in session, a group of New York City senators joined a few dozen protesters outside of the Senate chamber, calling on the majority party to extend and strengthen the state’s rent stabilization laws, which are set to expire tomorrow.
The protesters have been heard throughout the Capitol much of the past two days, with some organizing a sit-in outside of the governor’s office yesterday that led to a dozen arrests.
Democrats in both houses of the Legislature, mostly from the affected downstate area, have pushed for a bolstering of the rent laws, while Senate Republicans has signified repeatedly—as recently as this morning—that they are only in favor of an extension…
…“We have lost hundreds of thousands of affordable units,” Krueger said. “There are whole areas of New York City where tenants literally are on the verge of not being able to afford their housing. This is New York City’s mortgage crisis. This is New York City’s future.”…
This educational forum is for all individuals, young and old, who will have to make medical treatment decisions for themselves or a loved one. Therefore, this forum is for EVERYONE! Among the issues and concerns that will be addressed by our esteemed panel are: “What is palliative care?,” “What is hospice?,” “When is the appropriate time to issue a living will and/or advance directives?,” “How can we make your decisions known?,” and finally, “How do our personal choices impact others in our families and in our community?” And these are just some of the questions that will be answered on June 28th.
Our keynote speaker and panel member will be Dr. Diane Meier, Director of The Center to Advance Palliative Care and the Hertzberg Palliative Care Institute at Mount Sinai Medical Center. Other panel participants include experts throughout the field. The conversation will be moderated by Senator Liz Krueger.
Your Choice, Your Voice Event Flier Here!
Updated, 3:45 p.m. | ALBANY — Three wavering Democratic lawmakers in the State Senate on Monday announced that they now support the legalization of same-sex marriage in New York, marking a potential turning point for the long-debated measure.
Within an hour of the announcement by the three Democrats, a Republican senator said that he, too, is open to supporting same-sex marriage.
“If the bill comes to the floor the way that I would like to see it, I will support it,” Senator James S. Alesi, a Monroe County Republican, said before going into a meeting with Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo. Mr. Alesi did not elaborate.