More Books for Boro Park

Senator Felder's grant to the 43rd Street Library in Boro Park, Brooklyn, resulted in a generous collection of new books, says Sarah Weiss, the New York Public Library branch's Neighborhood Library Supervisor.

Victory in Albany and the Future of the Bag Tax

By Senator Simcha Felder

Wednesday, June 15, 2016 at 5:45 pm | ט' סיון תשע"ו

A man walks out of a store in New York City with plastic bags. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

Contrary to the old saying, you can fight City Hall. But when you do, City Hall will certainly fight back — and they often fight dirty.

The recent construction and deconstruction of the unpopular Bag Tax is a case in point. The Bloomberg administration tried to push through a similar measure when I was on the City Council but we were successful in stopping it at that time. This time, under the guise of an environmental mandate, the Council put together a small majority and voted to enact a 5-cent tax on plastic carry-out bags, which the mayor signed off on. Then the Council celebrated the new tax as if a holy mission had been fulfilled.

But New York City residents were feeling anything but festive. My phone began to ring the next day as news of the new tax spread. And I wasn’t the only elected official inundated with calls. My colleagues in both the Senate and the Assembly who represent City residents could hardly believe how many calls they received, nor the level of ire that this tax had prompted. The Bag Tax’s champion on the City Council admitted that his goal was to irritate New Yorkers. Mission accomplished.

But what I saw was more than irritation. The Council had overstepped its reach on several counts. Minimally, the City has no right to levy a tax on New Yorkers. The jurisdiction to assess and collect taxes belongs to the State Legislature.

Of equal importance, the City Council — a subset of our Government for the people, by the people—had proven to New Yorkers yet again that it wasn’t representing the will of its constituents. Instead, it was dictating its own will to them. “We don’t like plastic bags anymore,” said the Council, “so we’ll make sureyou don’t, either.”

Government decides people are too fat, so no more big sodas. Environmentalists decide that foam cups are no good, so ban them. Traditional circumcision seems a little dangerous so outlaw a 3,300-year-old custom… Where do we draw the line?

This is not how government is supposed to work. Elected officials are supposed to represent the interests of their constituents, not the other way around. So I did my job. I listened to my constituents, who are overwhelmingly opposed to the new Bag Tax. Moreover, I entered into discussions with my colleagues in Albany and asked what their constituents were saying. Most concurred with what I had found at home in Brooklyn: The Bag Tax was an unjust burden.

So I decided to fight City Hall.

Last month I introduced a bill that would prohibit the imposition of any tax, fee or local charge on carry-out merchandise bags. My bill was co-sponsored by nearly a dozen of my colleagues in the Senate representing a bi-partisan effort to quash the foolish Bag Tax. Assemblyman Michael Cusick introduced a similar bill, which saw equivalent bi-partisan enthusiasm. His bill quickly passed through the Assembly’s Cities Committee, while mine passed through the Senate’s Cities Committee unanimously. And then, on June 7, my bill passed in the Senate by a strong, bi-partisan majority — a far greater majority than the Council’s Bag Tax enjoyed.

I must pause to thank all of you for supporting these efforts. Together, we fought City Hall. People complained that no one was fighting for them so we stood up and, together, our efforts led to thousands upon thousands of New Yorkers becoming actively engaged in this issue. Our online petition saw impressive activity, many of you spread the word on social media, and together we made great progress.

Unfortunately, the Assembly let us down. Following the Senate’s passage of my bill, I was disappointed that the Assembly didn’t bring the bill to a vote (no surprise — the Assembly failed us on EITC [Earned Income Tax Credit], too). Instead, the Assembly accepted an offer from the City Council to revisit the Bag Tax. The nickel-per-bag that would be collected beginning in October would now be postponed until February, allowing the Council and the Assembly to “work together on a solution,” according to a statement from the Assembly Speakers’ spokesman.

What does this mean to all of us? It means the Council’s Bag Tax cannot become law before we are back in session in Albany. It means we’ll get a second shot at this issue in February before anyone is nickel-and-dimed at the grocery store. It means that together, we told the City Council that people are more important than bags, and that measures can’t be forced on people for “their own good” when the majority of us disagree with the agenda.

We’ve seen measurable progress. The foolish Bag Tax — a new darling of liberal progressives — can’t become a reality until Council revises the law to the Legislature’s satisfaction. Rest assured that Assemblyman Cusick and I will be watching closely. We’ll continue to do our jobs.

And you have to continue to do yours, too. You have to continue to tell your elected representatives on the City Council and in the Assembly that New Yorkers don’t want a tax on their carry-out bags. If the environment is really the concern, let’s do something positive rather than impose a regressive tax on families.

In the mean time, let’s take this victory for what it is: A victory.

(reprinted from Hamodia)

FELDER’S BILL EXTENDS HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMAS TO VOCATIONAL (CTE) STUDENTS

The New York State Senate has unanimously passed a bill introduced by Senator Simcha Felder (Brooklyn) that would amend the education law and establish an alternative pathway to a diploma and graduation for students seeking a career technical education (CTE). Armed with this diploma, graduates would not only receive official recognition and credentials for their schooling and skills, but also have greater opportunities, principally among employers who require a high school level diploma.

“Regardless of their academic or vocational inclination, students in New York only have one path to graduation now,” explained Senator Felder. “This is through the regents with an education that’s geared towards college preparation. Recently, with the implementation of the Common Core Standards, the college-ready agenda is placed heavily upon all students, while at the same time stressing increased test scores and graduation rates. Consequently, New York's current education system ignores part of the student population that is inclined to other types of education and learning experiences.

“Despite how effective our current college-ready education system is, in many cases it ignores the needs of students who choose another path, such as students interested in a trade. Many of our children excel in these types of skills but are denied this path to a diploma. It’s time for New York to correct that, to recognize the importance of vocational training, and to give all students equal opportunities and acknowledgment.”

Felder Responds to Krueger

Senator Felder responds to Senator Liz Krueger's questions on the Bag Tax. Following the questioning, the Senate voted to pass Senator Felder's bill (36-22).

NY STATE SENATE NIXES THE BAG TAX

FELDER-CUSICK BILL FOILS CITY COUNCIL EFFORTS

TO FORCE ADDITIONAL TAXES ON NEW YORKERS

Following a lively debate this afternoon, the New York State Senate, led by Majority Leader John Flanagan, voted to overturn the NY City Council’s recent passage of a plastic bag tax.

Championed by Senator Simcha Felder (Brooklyn) and Assemblyman Michael Cusick (Staten Island), the Senate bill S.7336 will amend the general city law in relation to prohibiting the imposition of any tax, fee or local charge on carry-out merchandise bags. The bill was introduced by Felder after what the Senator considered an unjust effort by the City Council to impose its will on a majority of New Yorkers who disagreed with the measure.

“The last thing New Yorkers need is another regressive tax,” said Felder when he introduced his bill. Standing with Assemblyman Cusick and flanked by his colleagues in the Senate, including Senators Marty Golden (Brooklyn), Roxanne Persaud (Brooklyn) and Diane Savino (Staten Island), Felder introduced his bill at a press conference last month and initiated an on-line Stop the Bag Tax petition, which allowed his constituents and other New Yorkers to weigh in on the issue. Felder and the Senate’s Cities Committee also chaired a Public Hearing in Manhattan. The Senate’s Cities Committee voted unanimously in favor of moving the bill forward.

Felder began fighting the bag tax as a member of the NY City Council, when the measure was introduced in 2008. “I’ve been disgusted every time I’ve heard the absurd plastic bag tax legislation introduced,” he said. “New York City has to stop nickel and diming New Yorkers. This tax placed an undue financial burden on countless low- and middle-income residents who already struggle.”

Following today’s vote, Felder thanked his colleagues in the Senate for passing his bill. “I appreciate the support that we had today, but I wasn’t surprised by the outcome because my colleagues have followed this issue closely and heard the concerns of New Yorkers far and wide,” he said. The Senator noted that Assemblyman Cusick is now leading the charge in the Assembly where the bill has already passed the Cities Committee. “I’m hopeful that the bill will now pass in the Assembly,” he said.

The Bag Tax Debate

The Senate will debate the Bag Tax at today’s session, which begins @ 1:30pm. The actual debate is expected to begin at ~ 2:30. You can watch it at: https://www.nysenate.gov/calendar/sessions/june-07-2016/session-6-7-16

STATEMENT FROM SENATE MAJORITY LEADER JOHN J. FLANAGAN ON BDS LEGISLATION

I applaud Governor Cuomo for taking action to prohibit the state from doing business with companies that seek to harm Israel, our trusted friend and greatest ally. Led by the Senate Republican Conference, our chamber approved legislation in January to accomplish this worthy goal.

The bill (S6378A), sponsored by Senator Jack Martins and Senator Simcha Felder, expands existing state law to prevent New York from entering into a state contract or investment with those seeking to economically harm American allies.

While I always believe that the Legislature and Executive should work together through the normal legislative process to get things done, it had become increasingly clear that the Assembly wasn't ready to join us on this critical issue. By signing this Executive order today, the Governor sends a strong message to the entire country--New York will continue to stand with the state of Israel and the Jewish people, and protect our shared national interests.”