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For Immediate Release | July 22, 2011
Katie Kincaid | kincaid.nysenate@gmail.com | 646-784-0485

Statement From New York State Bipartisan Pro Choice Legislative Caucus on Institute of Medicine’s Recommendation to Include Birth Control as Preventative Care

This week a committee of scientists and medical experts appointed by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) issued a report to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommending that contraceptive and counseling methods to prevent unintended pregnancies be considered preventative health care and thus be provided without costs of any kind to the insured. The NYS Bipartisan Pro Choice Legislative Caucus (BPCLC) firmly supports this stance and applauds the IOM’s recognition of these vital services to women.

Throughout the country, too many women who wish to obtain contraceptive care cannot do so because they cannot afford such services. As a result, one of the undeniable outcomes stemming from the lack of counseling and preventative medications, is that half of the pregnancies in the United States are unintended. While some women chose to carry these pregnancies to term and others decide to abort, the universal reality is that these women are forced to make difficult, and often costly, decisions that could have been averted with proper, yet simple, medical attention.

Full Statement

Topics & excerpts from the Interview

Indian Point:

“I have long argued that Indian Point should be closed.”

Hydro-Fracking:

“Science has yet to prove you can do this safely without causing enormous damage to water.”

“I have yet to be convinced that there is science showing this can be done safely.It shouldn’t be allowed in NY State until such time.”

“Other parts of the country when they have allowed Hydro-Fracking there has been enormous environmental damage.”

Democratic State Senate:

“I believe we will take back the majority in 2012.”

“I knew Pedro Espada 20 years ago I knew he was bad news.”

“I think history will show that if Pedro Espada hadn’t been the Housing Chair hadn’t pulled off a coup hadn’t ended up with black mailing himself into the majority leader title we would have had a very different story. I started a PAC called NO BAD APPLES.”

Listen to Full Interview HERE

By Jimmy Vielkind

Sen. Liz Krueger, a Democrat from the Upper East Side known for advocating reform a tad more vocally than some of her colleagues, is starting a political action committee to assist like-minded candidates.

She has launched the “No Bad Apples” PAC, which she explained by phone will be a “relatively small but very targeted project” to find candidates and “maybe convince them they want to join me in the state Senate.” Noting she was a reluctant candidate when she first ran for office, Krueger said: “Sometimes the best people don’t even know that they should be candidates for office.”

Full Article

Watch Liz on Inside City Hall discussing No Bad Apples

Last Friday, the New York State Senate voted on a package of bills that included issues ranging from rent regulation renewal to a property tax cap (for areas outside of NYC) to mandate relief. While Senator Krueger ultimately voted in favor of the bill, she had – and continues to have – many concerns about the legislation. She detailed some of my concerns while explaining my vote on the floor.

This past Friday, the 24^th, four days after the legislative calendar was scheduled to end, the New York Legislature wrapped up the 2011 legislative session in the late hours of the evening. After days of keeping constituents, and other legislators alike, waiting and guessing on several key issues, the Republican Majority in the Senate finally brought the final bills to the floor, allowing us to pass critical legislation that, among other things, renews and strengthens the rent regulation laws and grants same sex couples the right to marry.

MARRIAGE:  Eleanor Roosevelt was quoted saying “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.”  Since joining the legislature in 2002 I have co-sponsored legislation that would provide marriage equality for same sex couples. For me, this has always been a matter of basic human rights and I have always felt that until we passed a law allowing for same sex marriage, we were legally permitting prejudice in New York.  So it was with great pride and a heart full of happiness, that I joined 32 other Senate colleagues to vote for the legal recognition of same sex marriage in New York.  With this historic vote, New York has become the sixth, and largest, State to legally recognize same sex marriage.

I applaud the tireless effort of the countless advocates who fought with their heart and soul to see this measure passed, without their effort this monumental achievement would not have been reached. I will never forget the moment the final vote was tallied and I will always be proud to have been a part of this movement that was rooted in love, respect for family and a longing for equality.

RENT:   When voting to renew and strengthen rent regulation laws for another four years, we took an important first step in reversing a damaging 18 year trend that has increasingly led to the destabilization of more than 300,000 homes. Now, I will not pretend this legislation accomplished all that we wanted.  In fact, it merely scratches the surface of the improvements we wished to enact.  The unfortunate reality is that we were up against a Republican majority in the Senate, who had deep ties to the real estate industry, and we had to fight tooth and nail for these basic improvements.

Full Statement from Sen Krueger

Several Senate Democrats just spoke with reporters to complain about the lack of progress in the Senate. The Republican conference in the chamber, which has 32 members, was scheduled to meet privately at 9:30 and open session at 10 a.m. The Democrats—Sens. Liz Krueger of Manhattan, Michael Gianaris of Queens and Adriano Espaillat of the Bronx—held their news conference at 10:30 a.m. Session still has not started. There are 30 Democrats in the Senate.

Full Article

Watch Sen Krueger Speaking to Reporters Here

By David King

Senate Democrats have a hot new Twitter hash tag:  “#letusVote” to prod Senate Republicans to bring same-sex marriage legislation to the floor for a vote. Sen. Liz Krueger is credited with creating the tag and she has been trying to get prominent same-sex marriage proponents to use it. “@ladygaga #NYSenate needs your help!” Krueger tweeted. “Can you & ur Little Monsters pls help us trend #letusVOTE We want to vote for #samesexmarriage in NY” Lady Gaga has yet to pick up the tag says,” Krueger spokeswoman Katie Kincaid,” but we’re working on it and in one day this # has picked up some serious steam, so we’ll keep on working at it.”A number of other Democratic senators and activists have picked up the call. Gaga has been calling legislators and lobbying them to bring marriage to a vote.

Senate Republicans spent a good amount of time during their two years in the minority kvetching about the majority’s ability to block any bill they didn’t want to come to a vote and now they are doing the thing they claimed so steadfastly to stand against. Advocates wonder how it is that a deal came together that does not include gay marriage and why when asked Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos continues to claim same-sex marriage was not discussed in meetings.

“The debate over same sex marriage is clearly one which deserves a vote. It would be a huge disservice to all New Yorkers, on both sides of the argument, if we left Albany without voting on the issue. Where’s the democracy in that?” asked Kincaid.

Full Article