Cuomo Signs Legislation Expanding Health Insurance Access

 

Legislation has been signed to expand health insurance access to pregnant New Yorkers. 

The measure would permit pregnant women to enroll in the state health insurance exchange at any time during their pregnancy – making New York the first state in the nation to make pregnancy a “qualifying life event” in order to obtain health insurance benefits at any time through the health exchange.

“This legislation will help expectant mothers get access to essential pre-natal care and help build a stronger and healthier New York,” Governor Cuomo said. “I thank the bill sponsors for their hard work on this critically important issue that will have a significant impact on future generations of New Yorkers.”  

Previously, pregnancy was not included on the list of qualifying life events. Such life events include a change in residence, birth or adoption of a child, and marriage, divorce, or death of a spouse. As such, enrollment through the exchange is only available during the open enrollment period (October through December). 

The bill (S. 5972/A. 6780B) will make pregnancy a “qualifying life event,” allowing enrollment in an insurance plan at any time during the pregnancy through the state’s health insurance exchange, New York State of Health.

Insurance coverage for the woman would be effective as of the first of the month in which the woman is certified as pregnant.

Senator Liz Krueger said, “Every woman should have access to adequate healthcare during pregnancy, and that’s why I pushed hard for this common-sense legislation. I thank the Governor for his signature, and congratulate Senators Seward and Hannon, Assembly Member Simotas, Comptroller Stringer, and groups around the state including March of Dimes and the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists for making New York the first in the nation to recognize that when a woman becomes pregnant, we should make sure she can get insurance immediately. This law means healthier mothers, stronger babies, and added security for New York's hard-working families."

Assemblymember Aravella Simotas said, “I applaud Governor Cuomo for making New York the first state in the nation to guarantee prenatal care for all women, regardless of income. As a mother, I know firsthand how important prenatal care is and this historic legislation ensures that women and children’s health is not placed at the mercy of an arbitrary date on the calendar.”

Kelli Owens, Vice President of External Affairs, Family Planning Advocates of NY said, “Today, the State of New York took a step as a national leader to recognize the importance of ensuring health coverage during pregnancy. This new law will ensure that vital pre-natal care and other health needs can be met during pregnancy which will lead to better maternal and infant health, which is smart public policy. Family Planning Advocates of New York is proud to have been part of the effort to get this important legislation into New York State Law.” 

Source: Press Office, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo

Sanders Applauds Governor's Decision to Pardon Non-Violent Youth Offenders

 

State Senator James Sanders Jr. (D-Rochdale Village) yesterday expressed his support of Governor Cuomo’s decision to pardon individuals who committed misdemeanors or non-violent felonies as teens, but have since lived law-abiding lives. It is part of the state’s clemency program and some 10,000 people could qualify.
 
“This move by the governor potentially means a new start and a new life for those who have made mistakes as teenagers and have been branded as criminals for the rest of their lives,” Sanders said. 

“A pardon by the state can remove barriers to employment, housing and other services.”
 
In order to qualify for an executive pardon, applicants must have been convicted of a non-violent crime at age 16 or 17 and meet the following requirements as outlined by the state.

At least 10 years have passed since you were either convicted of the crime, or released from a period of incarceration for that crime, if applicable.

1. You have been conviction-free since that time. 

2. You were convicted of a misdemeanor or a non-violent felony. 

3. You were not convicted of a sex offense. 

4. You are currently a New York State resident. 

5. You have paid taxes on any income. 

6. You are a productive member of your community, meaning that you are working, looking for work, in school or legitimately unable to work.

 If a pardon if granted, it would be under the condition that the individual not be re-convicted of a crime. If they are, the pardon would be taken away.
 
“This program does not advocate leniency for all, but rather seeks to assist those who have turned their lives around,” Sanders said. “We should not be subjecting those who have learned from their mistakes and moved on, to a life of endless punishment. That only serves to make them feel hopeless and may trigger the inclination to re-offend.”
 
There are some concerns regarding the Governor’s clemency program that need to be examined moving forward, however, like the fact that a pardon does not mean that a record is expunged, nor does it prevent an individual from having to admit that they have been convicted of a crime when questioned by a potential employer, even though they would have documentation showing that they had been pardoned. 
 
Senator Sanders also supports legislation to raise the age of criminal responsibility from 16 to 18, a measure that has repeatedly been blocked by Republicans. However in the interim, Governor Cuomo has issued an executive order directing the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision to remove minors from adult prisons and put them in their own special facilities. New York continues to be the only state other than North Carolina that prosecutes all youths as adults when they turn 16 years old.
 
“We have a responsibility to be tough on crime,” Senator Sanders said, “but we also have a responsibility to rehabilitate youth who have made poor choices and set them back on the right path.”

Source: The Office of New York State Senator James Sanders, Jr. 

SUNY SA President's Statement on the SUNY Police Pension Equality Bill

 

The following statement was issued today by SUNY Student Assembly President and SUNY Trustee Thomas D. Mastro. 

“On behalf of the nearly half a million students comprising the State University of New York, I want to thank and commend Governor Cuomo for his signing the SUNY Police Pension Equality Bill. Ensuring that our campuses are kept safe and secure is crucial, and we are proud to have partnered with SUNY and the PBA of New York State in working to get this bill signed.”

About the Student Assembly of the State University of New York

 

The Student Assembly of the State University of New York (SUNY SA) is an organization comprised of student leaders elected by their peers from across SUNY’s 64 campuses.

Empowering students throughout the state, the SUNY SA is committed to student life and ensuring the representation of its members on the state and national level as well as throughout the SUNY system.

Source: The Student Assembly of the State University of New York

Avoiding Guns, Gangs, and Violence

 

Safety Tips from the Violence Prevention Institute (VPI) Doctors:

• Tell a responsible adult (parent, neighbor, police officer) if you feel threatened

• Avoid wearing gang colors, particularly in places where gang members hang out

• Avoid obviously dangerous places where there is criminal activity

• Avoid drug use

• Avoid alcohol use

• Avoid confrontations

• Don't be a bully

• Participate in positive activities and get home at a reasonable hour 

Click here for the full article.

Source: The Violence Prevention Institute

Trailblazers in Black History: Luther Vandross

Today in History: December 23rd

Breaking Barriers: African-American Firsts in 2015

Viola Davis became the first Black woman to win an
Emmy Award for Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series.

By Maya Chung

From gymnastics to NASCAR, from media and entertainment to politics, here are nine African Americans who made history in 2015. 

Click here for the listing.

Source: NBCBLK

Judge Bars Organizers From 'Black Lives Matter' Mall of America Protest

 

By The Associated Press

A judge ruled Tuesday that several local Black Lives Matter organizers cannot demonstrate at the Mall of America on the busy shopping day before Christmas Eve, but she said she couldn't stop others from attending the protest.

Lawyers for the nation's largest mall had requested a temporary restraining order to prevent the Black Lives Matter protest planned for Wednesday, in hopes of avoiding a repeat of the massive demonstration that disrupted business and closed stores in the mall last December.

Hennepin County District Court Judge Karen Janisch barred three protest organizers named as defendants in the mall's lawsuit from attending the demonstration, but she limited her order to them. The mall had sought to block the entire Black Lives Matter group from protesting. 

Click here for the full article.

Source: NBC News

First Read's Morning Clips: Trump's Big Lead

 

OFF TO THE RACES: Trump holds BIG lead in CNN poll

A new CNN/ORC poll shows Trump at 39 percent with Republicans, Cruz at 18 percent, Carson at 10 percent and Rubio at 10 percent.

The New York Times looks back at how the race came together.

 

The AP: "Months of intense focus on the Republican race — and front-runner Donald Trump — have reverberated through the Democratic field, prompting front-runner Hillary Clinton to turn her attention to her would-be GOP challengers and leaving her chief rival, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, gasping for airtime." 

Click here for the full article. 

Source: NBC News

First Read: In 2015, The Normal Rules of Politics Didn't Apply

 

By Chuck Todd, Mark Murray and Carrie Dann

 

First Read is a morning briefing from Meet the Press and the NBC Political Unit on the day's most important political stories and why they matter.

 

What a crazy year in politics 2015 has been

No matter who eventually wins the Republican nomination or the White House next year, 2015 is going to go down as one of the craziest years in politics we can remember -- when the normal rules of politics didn't seem to apply. Here are three examples:

 

Despite controversy after controversy, Trump has only gotten stronger with Republicans: According to the normal rules, when new and negative information about a politician is introduced, his or her poll numbers are supposed to go down. But Donald Trump's numbers have only gone up among Republicans. Consider: In the March NBC/WSJ poll before Trump officially launched his presidential campaign, only 22% of GOP voters said they could see themselves supporting Trump (versus 74% who couldn't). Now? The most recent December NBC/WSJ poll found 61% of Republicans saying they COULD support him (versus 36% who couldn't). Still, Trump's numbers are in terrible shape with the overall electorate -- only 31% of all voters say they could see themselves supporting him, per our December poll. But that's certainly not the case with Republicans. At least not yet. 

 

Click here for the full article.

 

Source: NBC News

Iranian Hackers Claim Cyber Attack on New York Dam

 

SOBH Cyber Jihad logo

 

By Stephanie Gosk, Tom Winter and Tracy Connor

An Iranian hactivist group has claimed responsibility for a cyberattack that gave it access to the control system for a dam in the suburbs of New York — and intrusion that one official said may be "just the tip of the iceberg."

The group, SOBH Cyber Jihad, sent a message through another Iran-linked hacker outfit, Parastoo, promising that it would release the technical information that proves it was behind the 2013 breach, according to Flashpoint Intelligence. 

Click here for the full article.

Source: NBC News

U.N. Security Council Alarmed by Yemen Ceasefire Violations

Reuters, 23/12 18:38 CET

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) – The United Nations Security Council on Wednesday voiced alarm at breaches of a ceasefire in Yemen that was introduced alongside U.N.-brokered peace talks aimed at ending a civil war between the exiled government and Iranian-allied Houthi rebels.

The 15-nation council issued a statement noting its “deep concern at the number of violations of the cessation of hostilities committed during the talks.”

The unanimously approved declaration came out of Tuesday’s council meeting on Yemen, the first public session on the conflict since it began nine months ago.

Click here for the full article. 

Source: Euronews

Israel’s U.S. Ambassador Makes Political Point with Settlement-Made Gifts

 

Ron Dermer

Reuters, 23/12 18:10 CET

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Israel’s ambassador to the United States used the embassy’s annual holiday gift to make a political point this year, sending items made in the occupied West Bank and Golan Heights to counter a divestiture movement aimed at Israel.

“This holiday season, I decided to send a gift that would also help combat the latest effort by Israel’s enemies to destroy the one and only Jewish state,” Ambassador Ron Dermer wrote in a letter to gift recipients.

Dermer was referring to the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, sponsored by pro-Palestinian intellectuals and bloggers, which campaigns for a boycott of all Israeli goods and questions Israel’s legitimacy. 

Click here for the full article.

Source: Euronews

Libya’s U.N. Envoy Says No Plan to Ask for Western Airstrikes Soon

 

Reuters, 23/12 17:53 CET

By Louis Charbonneau

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) – Libya has no intention of requesting Western air strikes against Islamic State militants in the country anytime soon but would like the United Nations to lift the arms embargo against it, Libya’s U.N. Ambassador Ibrahim Dabbashi said on Wednesday.

Dabbashi dismissed media reports citing him as saying that a U.N. Security Council resolution endorsing a Libyan peace deal, expected to be put to a vote at 3 p.m. ET (2000 GMT) on Wednesday, would open the door to a swift Libyan request for Western strikes on his country’s territory.

“No one is thinking about requesting foreign intervention at the moment,” Dabbashi told Reuters. “We are willing to fight ISIS (Islamic State) ourselves.” 

Click here for the full article.

Source: Euronews

Africa: ‘Catastrophic’ Malnutrition Amid Boko Haram Violence

Source: Euronews

Darkness in 2015, Year of ISIL Bloodshed, Refugee Desperation

By Adrian Lancashire

Source: Euronews

Ukraine: Leave It or Freeze It

 

Resolving the Ukrainian conflict is at a stalemate, trapped somewhere between sporadic fighting and diplomatic cheap shots, despite a reduction of the military operations along the contact line.

Heavy armaments have not been withdrawn but are rarely used

Troops are redeploying but not attempting to move the frontline

Cooperation around civilian utility networks is taking place

Little progress on the original Ukraine-EU issues and the future status of the breakaway regions

Low-level fighting 

“The number of ceasefire violations have been clearly reduced since the middle of August […] when the peak of violations was the most kinetic activity in the summer,” Alexander Hug, Deputy Chief Monitor of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine, told euronews in an exclusive interview. 

Click here for the full article.

Source: Euronews

Khodorkovsky: International Arrest Warrant Issued

Source: Euronews

Iraqi Forces Move Street-by-Street to Recapture Ramadi

Source: Euronews

Greece Votes for Same-Sex Civil Partnerships

Source: Euronews

Malaysia’s First Islamic Airline Takes to the Skies

Source: Euronews

French Police Foil Plot to Attack Police and Soldiers in City of Orleans

By Seamus Kearney

Source: Euronews

India Toughens Up Rape Laws for Youths

By Everton Gayle | With REUTERS

Source: Euronews

Egyptian Women Demonstrate Against Violence

Source: Euronews

Britain’s Growth Revised Downwards Suggesting Recovery Losing Momentum

The British economy grew at a slower rate than previously estimated during at least half of 2015, according to official data.

Weaker growth in the large services sector, the UK’s engine, may give analysts cause for concern.

The Bank of England has more food for thought as it ponders when to raise interest rates. 

Click here for summary and video.

Source: Euronews

New York: Executive Order Separates Teens from Adult Prisoners

 

An Executive Order has been issued in the state of New York directing the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision, in collaboration with the Office of Children and Family Services, to implement a plan to remove minors from adult prisons in the state. The plan, which was developed over the past several months, will transfer all female youths and all medium and minimum security classified male youths sentenced to state prison from adult facilities where they are currently housed to a juvenile facility. This facility will provide specialized programs of treatment geared for younger offenders while also ensuring the safety of staff, inmates and the surrounding community.

“By housing 16 and 17 year-olds in an age-appropriate correctional facility, we can offer them a better chance at turning their lives around and becoming productive members of society,” said Governor Cuomo. “This action will help reduce the recidivism rate, increase public safety, and save taxpayer dollars over the long run. No matter how you look at it – whether it’s the economic benefits, the security benefits, or the human benefits – this action is the right thing to do, and I am proud to continue bringing much-needed reform to the justice system.” 

New York is one of only two states that automatically processes all 16 and 17 year-olds in the adult criminal justice system, no matter the offense. To meet the goal of the Governor’s Executive Order, the Hudson Correctional Facility in Columbia County, which is currently a medium security general confinement facility, will be transformed by a collaboration between DOCCS and the Office of General Services to appropriately serve this special population. By August of 2016, the first group of youth will be transferred into the facility as follows:

All medium and minimum security general confinement male youth;

All female youth; and

The facility will also serve as a reception and classification center for all youth entering DOCCS custody. 

By the end of November of 2016, additional infrastructure work will be completed to create a Juvenile Separation Unit that will allow for those inmates who receive a disciplinary confinement sanction of 30 days or less to also be housed at the Hudson Correctional Facility. The work release and industrial training programs, currently operating on the grounds of the Hudson Correctional Facility will remain operational as the adult inmates are housed outside of the secure perimeter and will not access the area where the youth will be held. Maximum security classified male youth will remain housed in a separate Juvenile Unit at the Coxsackie Correctional Facility.

In addition, OCFS will assist DOCCS in implementing the specialized youth facility by facilitating specialized trainings, reviewing DOCCS policies and procedures for this youth population, and consulting on difficult cases. Applicable OCFS staff will participate with DOCCS in video conferences, site visits, shared training sessions, and case consultations. It is anticipated that the case consultations will include both agencies’ clinical teams and case managers, and will involve the youth and their families at some point in the process. Services will also be provided by staff from the Office of Mental Health for those youth who present mental health needs.

“I commend the Governor for ensuring that New York State remains a progressive leader in criminal justice reform,” said DOCCS Acting Commissioner Anthony Annucci. “This Executive Order will help change the lives of teens who have made a mistake early in life and give them a path to return to the community as productive citizens.”

“The Office of Children and Family Services applauds the Governor's commitment to removing young people from state prisons and placing them in a setting where they can receive age appropriate services and interventions," said OCFS Acting Commissioner Sheila J. Poole. "OCFS looks forward to working with DOCCS in this important first step toward offering incarcerated youth the opportunity for a brighter future." 

The agency will implement an evidence-based programming model, referred to as the youth program model, to assist in rehabilitation and reducing recidivism for youth. The youth program model, which requires youth prevention, intervention, and reentry programs, will utilize evidence-based services through the provision of cognitive behavioral interventions specifically designed to increase awareness of the connection between thoughts and actions of the adolescent inmate. It is based on an inmate-centered, youth oriented model which identifies individual needs and provides a guideline for the provision of activities. The model focuses on assisting inmates in their development of pro-social skill development, substance abuse prevention skills, and meaningful transition plans consistent with the philosophy and practices of youth programming.

DOCCS administration, security and program staff will function as a team to accomplish the youth program objectives. The youth program provides multiple staff contacts with each inmate on a daily basis through therapeutic programming, organized physical education, vocational and academic education and individual sessions.

The Executive Order allows the Commissioner of DOCCS to consider a request from a local correctional facility to house a youth inmate who has received a definite sentence of imprisonment in excess of 90 days in such facility.

The Executive Order also makes clear that the movement of youth to this newly developed facility will be an interim step pending the passage of the Raise the Age legislation. The Governor has taken a bold step to ensure that the needs of 16 and 17 youth are being met but will continue to call on the legislature to pass vital legislation that will include a comprehensive initiatives and programs to assist these youth. 

Source: Press Office, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo

Amy Harder on U.S. Oil Exports

 

Wall Street Journal Energy Reporter Amy Harder discusses Congress' decision to lift the ban on U.S. crude oil exports and how this could affect the U.S. economy. 

Click here for video.

Source: C-Span

Sabrina Corlette on Pending Health Insurance Mergers

Georgetown University’s Sabrina Corlette discusses how pending health insurance provider mergers could affect consumers and what approvals are needed for the mergers to move forward. 

Click here for the video.

Source: C-Span

Washington Journal: John Whitehead on Civil Liberties and National Security

 

Author John Whitehead discusses his book, Battlefield America: The War on the American People, in which he argues the U.S. is on the verge of becoming what he calls a “police state.” 

Click here for video.

Source: C-Span

Islamophobia, Donald Trump, and Racializing the War on Terror

 

Multi-platform journalist and producer Nida Khan discusses recent incidents of violence against Muslims as backlash over the San Bernardino shootings and Paris attacks.

Click here for the audio.

Source: Newsworks

Statement on the Third Estimate of GDP for the Third Quarter of 2015

Jason Furman

WASHINGTON, DC – Jason Furman, Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers, issued the following statement today on the third estimate of GDP for the third quarter of 2015.

Third-quarter economic growth continued at a solid pace as domestic demand grew robustly. Slowing foreign growth continues to weigh on output in the United States, underscoring the importance of policies that promote continued strong and consistent domestic demand. Last week’s omnibus budget and tax agreement will help encourage these positive domestic trends. But there is more work to do, and the President remains committed to policies that will boost our long-run growth and wages: including opening our exports to new markets through high-standards free trade agreements like the Trans-Pacific Partnership and raising the minimum wage. 

FIVE KEY POINTS IN TODAY'S REPORT FROM THE BUREAU OF ECONOMIC ANALYSIS (BEA)

1. Real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) rose 2.0 percent at an annual rate in the third quarter, according to BEA’s third estimate. GDP grew at a slower pace than the 3.9 percent rate in the second quarter. Third-quarter GDP growth was boosted by consumer spending (which rose 3.0 percent), business fixed investment (which rose 2.6 percent) and residential investment (which rose 8.2 percent). However, inventory investment—one of the most volatile components of economic output—subtracted 0.7 percentage point from overall growth. Net exports continued to weigh on output, subtracting 0.3 percentage point amid slowing global demand. Export growth remains well below the pace observed earlier in the recovery. Overall, real GDP rose 2.1 percent over the past four quarters.

Real Gross Domestic Output (GDO)—the average of product-side and income-side measures of output—rose 2.3 percent in the third quarter, a faster pace than GDP alone. CEA research suggests that GDO is potentially more accurate than GDP (though not typically stronger or weaker) over the long term. GDO is estimated to have grown 2.1 percent over the past four quarters, the same pace as GDP.

Click on graphs to increase their size.

2. Third-quarter real GDP growth was revised down 0.1 percentage point at an annual rate. The downward revision was entirely accounted for by a somewhat larger decline in inventory investment than previously estimated. The change in inventory investment during the third quarter is now estimated to have subtracted 0.7 percentage point from annualized GDP growth. Inventory investment is an especially volatile component of economic output, and growth in Private Domestic Final Purchases (PDFP, see point 5)—which captures the most persistent and stable components of GDP—was revised up 0.1 percentage point. Revisions to other components were small and mostly offsetting.

3. After decreasing sharply during the financial crisis, residential investment has risen throughout this recovery—but upside potential for growth remains. Residential investment rose from a trough of 2.4 percent of GDP in the third quarter of 2010 to 3.4 percent in the third quarter of 2015. But in the years before the onset of the housing bubble, residential investment was a considerably larger share of the economy—around 5 percent in 2000. Over the past four quarters, residential investment has grown 9.4 percent—the strongest four-quarter growth rate since the bounce-back from the financial crisis in 2012 and 2013.

One important structural challenge facing the supply of housing is the rise in excessive or unnecessary land use regulations. While land use regulations sometimes serve reasonable and legitimate purposes, they can also give extra-normal returns to entrenched interests at the expense of others. I recently discussed these trends—and their links to both aggregate growth and rising inequality—at the Urban Institute.

 

4. Prices of health care services have risen just 0.7 percent over the past four quarters, extending the recent period of exceptionally slow health care price inflation, while expanding coverage has driven faster growth in aggregate utilization of health care services. Prior to 2015, an increase in health care services prices as low as the 0.7 percent increase over the most recent four quarters had not been seen since 1961. Continuing an unusual pattern in recent years, the increase in the prices of health care services over the last year was only slightly above the overall increase in consumer prices. From 1960:Q1 through 2010:Q1, the inflation rate for health care services exceeded the inflation rate for all consumer goods and services by an average of 2.1 percentage points.

The continued slow increase in health care prices is a major reason that overall per-enrollee health care spending—the metric of health costs most relevant to individuals and families—continues to grow exceptionally slowly in both the public and private sectors. However, aggregate health care spending—reflecting aggregate utilization of health care services—has grown at an elevated rate in recent quarters. The 4.6 percent increase over the most recent four quarters remains well above the 1.9 percent average rate from 2010 to 2013. This recent acceleration appears to largely reflect increased access to care by the millions of people who have gained health insurance coverage under the Affordable Care Act since the end of 2013. Upward pressure on aggregate utilization growth from expanding coverage is neither a surprise nor a cause for concern and will be temporary, lasting only until coverage stabilizes at its new, higher level in the coming years.

5. Real private domestic final purchases (PDFP)—the sum of consumption and fixed investment—rose 3.2 percent at an annual rate in the third quarter and is growing at a faster four-quarter pace than overall GDP. Real PDFP—which excludes noisier components like net exports, inventories, and government spending—is generally a more reliable indicator of next-quarter GDP growth than current GDP. Overall, PDFP rose 3.2 percent over the past four quarters, compared with 2.1 percent GDP growth over the same period. The especially large gap between PDFP growth and GDP growth is mostly attributable to net exports, reflecting slowing growth abroad. To the extent that systematic patterns emerge in global growth, the information contained in exports may contain an important signal about the headwinds we face from abroad.

As the Administration stresses every quarter, GDP figures can be volatile and are subject to substantial revision. Therefore, it is important not to read too much into any single report, and it is informative to consider each report in the context of other data that are becoming available.

Source: The White House, Office of the Press Secretary