Sanders Hosts Free Albany Bus Trip; Delivers State of the District Address

State Senator James Sanders Jr. (D-Rochdale Village, Far Rockaway) hosted a free bus trip to Albany for his constituents on February 18, 2017 so they could join him during the 46th Annual Legislative Conference of the New York State Association of Black and Puerto Rican Legislators.

“I am so glad to see all of you up here, I can’t even put it in words,” Sanders said.

More than 150 people from the community participated and were Sanders' guests at his State of the District Address.  They were also able to take advantage of the numerous workshops being offered by several elected officials and had time to walk the concourse and interact with the many vendors and advocates who were stationed there during the caucus.

During his State of the District Address, Senator Sanders spoke about his new leadership positions. He has been selected to head the Senate Democratic Conference’s MWBE Task Force, which will work to find innovative ways, both legislatively and otherwise, to help empower these businesses and grow New York’s economy. He has also been selected as the ranking Democrat on the Senate’s Committee on Banks and the Labor Committee.
 
On the issue of banking, Sanders said he will aim to tackle critical financial issues including fighting the possible reversal of Dodd-Frank, a financial shield that ensures “too big to fail” banks adhere to strict regulations in order to prevent another foreclosure meltdown.

With regard to labor, Sanders pledged to help build a stronger middle class by continuing to be a fierce advocate for fair wages and pensions.
 
Sanders reaffirmed that a key priority moving forward would be economic development. He stressed the importance of home and business ownership as a way to combat gentrification, which he said is taking over many parts of the city and perpetuating an unequal distribution of wealth. 
 
“We are tired of communities where we own nothing,” Sanders said. “We should own a store. We should own four or five of them.”
 
“This is something we need to think about,” Sanders continued. “If you can’t see it, you can’t be it. We have been taught not to dream about owning anything. We need to undo this.”
 
Sanders said his office would soon be launching a program to help people repair their credit, build their savings and get on the road to home and business ownership. He said he would push adherence to the Community Reinvestment Act, which states that banks are supposed to lend money in the communities where they do business.
 
There were a number of youth in attendance at the address. To them, he offered a three-pronged approach to success – conceive, believe, achieve.
 
“Make sure to be around people who have dreams, because people who don’t have dreams are miserable and misery loves company,” Sanders said. “When things get tough, go to the mirror, look at that mirror, and say ‘I have value. I have worth. I can achieve these things.’”
 
He also told the youth of his New York Promise Program legislation, which would provide free college tuition to qualifying students.
 
In addition to his State of the District Address, Senator Sanders led a panel discussion on Minority and Women-Owned Businesses Enterprises, co-sponsored a financial literacy workshop with Senator Jesse Hamilton and Assemblywoman Kimberly Jean Pierre, had a meeting with Mayor Bill deBlasio, spoke at the Annual Labor Luncheon and was a guest at a caucus reception hosted by Democratic Leader Andrea-Stewart Cousins.

We would like to thank our Albany trip sponsors AARP and Panera Bread.