State Senator Kevin Parker Issues Priorities for 2016 Legislative Session

BROOKLYN, NY— Today, New York State Senator Kevin Parker (D, WF - SD 21) issued the following statement after unveiling his priorities for the 2016 Legislative Session:

“Events at the national level mean this year is sure to be a turbulent one politically, and as a State, we must stay focused on improving the quality of life for New York State residents by enacting progressive legislation.  

“The first order of business is creating economic opportunity for struggling New Yorkers in marginalized communities across our State. As the Ranking Democrat on the Senate Energy and Telecommunications Committee, I have long advocated to pass legislation that would provide access to employment opportunities in the Green Collar Economy.  My Green Jobs/Green New York package of legislation is a win-win for New Yorkers.  It allows homeowners, businesses, and not-for-profits to retrofit their home and make them more energy efficient, resulting in immediate long-term savings on their energy bills. But the key is that to do the work, the bill has a component that funds job training to prepare New Yorkers to do the retrofits.  Hence you have a new green collar market.  Its commonsense and I hope that the Governor will sign this package of legislation this year or include in his REV initiative as New Yorkers are hurting and they need jobs today. 

“Criminal justice reforms are central to my agenda this session because as the Black Lives Matter movement has made clear, New Yorkers, especially New Yorkers of color, have little confidence in the integrity of our criminal justice system.  I plan to work with my colleagues to pass Conference Leader Stewart Cousin's bill that would create an office of Special Investigation within the Attorney General’s Office so that the inherent conflict between the DA’s Office and the local police department that is under scrutiny will be removed from the administration of justice. I supported Governor Cuomo’s executive order deputizing the Attorney General as Special Prosecutor in instances like the death of Eric Garner, but New Yorkers deserve a permanent solution.  This coupled with Raise the Age and bail reform are issues that I plan to advocate for this session.

“As we hit the ground running in the new legislative session, senate Democrats will work on raising the minimum wage to $15 per hour not just to City and State government employees but to the private sector statewide. We’re talking about 3.5 million people in the state that would be affected if we can work together to pass the bill. The Fight for $15 is a fight for fair wages and I will stand with advocates and employees until we raise wages for all workers across New York State.  The question remains, can we get Senate Majority Leader John Flanagan and his comrades to bring the bill to the floor?

“In addition, this year I will continue to push for the Dream Act for our undocumented students that were brought to our Country and our State as minors, by no fault of their own.  If passed, the legislation will allow undocumented students that have been here for years to become eligible for financial aid to attend college and follow their dreams. Other crucial support and social services, which is extremely important for the diverse district I represent in Central Brooklyn, will also be afforded to Dreamers if we can pass the bill and get it to the Governor.”

Senator Parker’s top legislative priorities in which he sponsored, co-sponsored or will advocate in support of, includes the following:

• GREEN COLLAR JOBS AND UTILITY GREEN PRICING PROGRAMS: Parker whose motto is green jobs not jails, promises to push for an increase in green collar jobs within the environmental sectors of the economy.  In addition, Parker will aggressively support initiatives and policies that will allow customers to support the development of renewable energy sources by paying a small premium on their electric bills. According to a report produced by National Renewable Energy Laboratory, since the introduction of the concept in the United States, the number of unique utility green pricing programs has expanded from just a few programs in 1993 to more than 90 in 2002. About 10% of U.S. utilities offered a green pricing option to about 26 million consumers by the end of 2002.

• CREATION OF THE OFFICE OF SPECIAL INVESTIGATION IN POLICE INVOLVED HOMICIDES OF UNARMED CIVILIANS: BILL NUMBER S2180 -- Provides for the creation of an Office of Special Investigation within the Office of the Attorney General to conduct special investigations where a law enforcement officer kills an unarmed civilian. Currently under New York State law, the potential for conflict is prevalent when a local prosecutor investigates and prosecutes a serious criminal offense alleged to have been committed by a police officer. This conflict arises from the day-to-day interdependency between a prosecutor and police officers as they fulfill their law enforcement duties.

Read more: http://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2015/S2180

• CYBER BULLYING/ E-IMPERSONATION PREVENTION ACT:  BILL NUMBER S5871 -- This bill would establish a crime of false pretense, for knowingly and without consent, impersonating another person online for the purposes of harming, intimidating, threatening, or defrauding such other person. Online predators, con artists, and cyber bullies are creating online profiles and email addresses in order to victimize people. In this age of advanced technology, twenty-four hour connectivity, and social networking there are countless opportunities for bad actors to assume an individual's identity to harass, intimidate, threaten, and defraud.

Predators assume their identity to post scandalous and inflammatory lies for friends and family of the victims as well as the general public to see. As social media and electronic dating becomes widespread it is increasingly easy to hurt people in this way and victims are faced with emotional, mental, and financial damage.  This bill seeks to prevent this harm by criminalizing this heinous behavior.

Read more: https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2015/s5871

• INCREASE THE MINIMUM WAGE – Senator Parker, along with his Senate colleagues and New Yorkers across the State believe it is critical to enact a real increase in the minimum wage, because no New Yorker should be forced to work one or more full-time jobs and still not earn enough to support themselves and their families.  Ensuring the success of the Fight for $15 is of utmost important to Senator Parker this legislative session.    

• DREAM ACT:  BILL NUMBER S1251A -- This bill would create the New York State DREAM Fund commission and a DREAM Fund in order to advance the educational opportunities of the children of immigrants by providing scholarships to college bound undocumented children who are the children of immigrants.  This bill would also eliminate potential financial obstacles to obtaining State financial aid and extend the opportunities for certain immigrant students to attend higher education institutions in this State; providing a benefit consistent with U.S. citizens and nationals.

Read more: https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2015/s1251

“As we start a new year, my colleagues and I in the Senate Democratic Conference will push forward on these legislative initiatives and many others that matter most to New York State residents,” concluded the seven-term lawmaker.

About State Senator Kevin Parker

Senator Kevin S. Parker, a lifelong Brooklyn resident, is intimately familiar with the needs of his ethnically diverse Brooklyn community that consists of 318,000 residents in the Flatbush, East Flatbush, Midwood, Ditmas Park, Kensington, Windsor Terrace, and Park Slope sections of Brooklyn. He is the Ranking Democratic Member of the Senate Committees on Energy and Telecommunications, and Alcoholism and Substance Abuse. He serves on the Senate Committees on Banks, Higher Education, Rules, Insurance, Finance, and Cultural Affairs, Tourism, Parks and Recreation. Senator Parker is the Assistant Democratic Leader for Intergovernmental Affairs for the Senate Democratic Conference, and Chair of the Democratic Task Force on New Americans. 

For more information on Senator Parker, please visit www.nysenate.gov/senators/kevin-s-parker