George Albro representative for the campaign

Transcription

1 November 2015 Staten Island Democratic Association est as Staten Island s reform Democratic Club At our Next Meeting: George Albro representative for the campaign The campaign has been invited to send a representative Nominating Committee Report Tuesday, November 17, 2015, 8:00 P.M. Charlie Brown's Steakhouse, 1001 Goethals Road North S.I.D.A. November 2015 Page 1

2 Editorial Policy Items for publication must be submitted to the newsletter no later than the last Friday of the month before the meeting. Please send items to: Unless explicitly stated, the views herein are those of the authors and not of S.I.D.A. Chris Bauer, Editor (917) Table of Contents S.I.D.A. President s Statement...3 Bernie Sanders...4 Hillary Clinton...5 October 2015 Minutes...7 Letters...10 Congressman Donovan Votes...12 IDC Resolution...16 Congratulations McMahon!...19 Bulletin Board...20 All Dems Holiday Dinner...21 Nominating Committee...22 Staten Island Women s Political Caucus...23 City & State Staten Island Launch...24 Paid Advertisement...24 Upcoming Meetings...25 Join/Renewal Form...25 I hold it, that a little rebellion, now and then, is a good thing, and as necessary in the political world as storms are in the physical. - Thomas Jefferson 1787 S.I.D.A. Executive Committee President... Joann Olbrich Member at-large... Rosemary Palladino Vice President... Susan Chew Ex Officio...Michelle Akyempong Executive Secretary... Mark Herman Ex Officio... Dennis Brown Corresponding & Ex Officio... Gary Carsel Recording Secretary... Marie Dwyer Ex Officio... Paul Cinquemani Treasurer... Bonita Rothman Ex Officio... Belinda Dixon Social Secretary... Roy Moskowitz Ex Officio... Rosemarie Mangano Member at-large... Carl Chew Ex Officio... John Mastellone Member at-large... Bobby Digi Ex Officio... Richard McMahon Member at-large... Bryan Ellicott Ex Officio... John Sollazzo Member at-large... Mary Kain Ex Officio... Tom Shcherbenko S.I.D.A. November 2015 Page 2

3 S.I.D.A. President s Statement November 2015 P aul Ryan made it a condition of his accepting becoming Speaker of the House of Representatives: time off to spend with his family. But he does not see the value in Paid Family Leave for the average American worker. ( While the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (FMLA) requires covered employers to provide employees job-protected and unpaid leave for qualified medical and family reasons, many workers cannot afford to lose their pay for extended periods of time. They have to balance taking time off for such qualified medical and family reasons as personal or family illness, family military leave, pregnancy, adoption, or foster care placement, and being able to pay their rent, and for other expenses of daily life. Most of the world recognizes the value of Paid Family Leave; from the above article, The United States is one of just three countries -- out of that does not have guaranteed paid maternity leave. The other two are Oman and Papua New Guinea. New parents in the U.S. are allowed to take up to 12 unpaid weeks off after the birth of a child, provided that they have worked at a company with 50 or more employees for a certain period of time. Legislation has been introduced at both the state level and federal to rectify this injustice. The states of New Jersey, California and Rhode Island offer some paid family leave. In New York State, Senator Diane Savino introduced a paid family leave bill, S.6741, on March 5, For the text of the proposed legislation, go to There is no same as bill in the State Assembly, however the Assembly Paid Family Leave and Care bill, A.1793-B, is similar. On the Federal level, The Family Act has been introduced: Sponsored by Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D Conn.) and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D N.Y.), the Family And Medical Insurance Leave (FAMILY) Act (H.R. 1439/S. 786) would ensure people have some income during family or medical leave. This legislation does not have the support of the majority party in the House and Senate, and therefore has not advanced. It is time for the United States to join the rest of the world in providing working people with Paid Family Medical Leave! - Joann Olbrich All Dems Holiday Dinner December 10 (see page 21 for details) S.I.D.A. November 2015 Page 3

4 Bernie Sanders George Albro will speak as a representative of the Bernie Sanders campaign at our November 17 General Membership Meeting. The following biography of Bernie Sanders was taken from his website followed by a biography of Mr. Albro. Meet Bernie B ernie Sanders is a Democratic candidate for President of the United States. In 2006, he was elected to the U.S. Senate after 16 years as Vermont s sole congressman in the House of Representatives. Bernie is now serving his second term in the U.S. Senate after winning reelection in 2012 with 71 percent of the vote. Born in Brooklyn, New York, he attended James Madison High School, Brooklyn College, and the University of Chicago. After graduating, he moved to Vermont where he worked as a carpenter and documentary filmmaker. In 1981, he was elected as mayor of Burlington, the state s largest city, by a mere 10 votes. As mayor, Bernie s leadership helped transform Burlington into one of the most exciting and livable small cities in America. Under his administration, the city made major strides in affordable housing, progressive taxation, environmental protection, child care, women s rights, youth programs and the arts. In Congress, Bernie has fought tirelessly for working families, focusing on the shrinking middle class and growing gap between the rich and everyone else. Bernie has been called a practical and successful legislator and he was dubbed the amendment king in the House of Representatives for passing more amendments than any other member of Congress. As chairman of the Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs, Bernie worked across the aisle to bridge Washington s toxic partisan divide and cut one of the most significant deals in years. In 2015, Democratic leadership tapped Bernie to serve as the caucus ranking member on the Senate Budget Committee. Bernie lives in Burlington, Vermont with his wife Jane. He has four children and seven grandchildren. George Albro George Albro is a product of Bensonhurst, Bklyn, who graduated from Brooklyn College and Brooklyn Law School. In 1977, he started working at Brooklyn legal services representing indigent tenants facing eviction. In 1981, George went to work for the NYC Legal Aid Society in the Brooklyn Trial office. He then transferred to the Criminal Appeals Bureau, where he argued several cases in front of the NYS Court of Appeals. In 1995, George went on leave to work for the Assn of Legal Aid Attorneys after being elected Secretary Treasurer of that Union. For the next 20 years, George continued to work for ALAA, which had affiliated with the United Auto Workers. During that period, he was a founding organizer of the NYS Working Families Party and engaged in campaigns to repeal the Rockefeller Drug Laws, raise the NYS minimum wage, and elect progressives to the state and city offices. S.I.D.A. November 2015 Page 4

5 In 2010, George was elected chair of the UAW s NY Area CAP Council, which is the political action arm of the 10 UAW Locals in NYC and surrounding counties. He has also been involved in several successful UAW organizing campaigns. In May of this year, George helped organize NY Labor for Bernie, an independent, volunteer organization which now has over 200 members form a multitude of unions. NY Labor for Bernie meets every 2 weeks and has organized numerous events. They turned out over 200 Bernie supporters to march in the NYC Central Labor Council Labor Day Parade, while signing up over 500 labor Bernie supporters. They also organized a large contingent to march in the Brooklyn West Indian Parade. Finally, labor supporters regularly go to sites, such as hospitals and union halls, to meet and talk to workers about Bernie s progressive, pro-labor agenda. In addition to his work with labor, George has also been active with Team Bernie NY, the main NY Bernie volunteer organization which has grown to over 3000 members on its listserve. He is currently working to recruit candidates for Bernie delegate to the DNC. Hillary Clinton Hillary Clinton s campaign has been invited to send a representative to our November 17 general membership meeting. The following biography of Hillary Clinton was taken from her campaign website Hillary s Story illary Clinton has served as Secretary of State, Senator from New York, First Lady of the United States, First Lady of Arkansas, a practicing lawyer and law professor, activist, and volunteer, but the first things her friends and family will tell you is that she s never forgotten where she came from or who she s been fighting for throughout her life. Hillary grew up in a middle class home in Park Ridge, a suburb of Chicago, Illinois. Her dad, Hugh, was a World War II Navy veteran and a small business man with a drapery business that designed, printed, and sold his draperies. Hillary, her mom, and her two brothers helped out in the business whenever they could. Hugh was a rock-ribbed Republican, a pay-as-you-go kind of guy who worked hard and wasted nothing. Hillary s mother, Dorothy, had a tough childhood. She was abandoned by her parents as a young child and shipped off to live with relatives who didn t want her. By age 14, Dorothy knew the only way she d get by was to support herself, and she started working as a housekeeper and babysitter while she went through high school. Her mother s experience sparked in Hillary a lifelong commitment to championing the needs of children. Her own childhood was very different. Her parents built a stable middle class life. Hillary attended public schools and was a Brownie and a Girl Scout. She played in a girls' softball league. She was raised a Methodist and her mom taught Sunday school. Her youth minister took Hillary to see Martin Luther King, Jr. speak in Chicago and helped her develop a lifelong passion for social justice. Hillary graduated from Wellesley College and then went to Yale Law School, where she was one of just 27 women in her graduating class. Hillary met her husband Bill at law school. S.I.D.A. November 2015 Page 5

6 After law school, Hillary chose not to go to a big New York or Washington law firm. Instead, she went to work for the Children s Defense Fund, going door to door in New Bedford, Massachusetts, gathering stories about the lack of schooling for children with disabilities, which contributed to the passage of historic legislation to require their education. It s this commitment to public service and fighting for others especially children and families that she s carried all her life. After serving as a lawyer for the Congressional Committee investigating President Nixon, she moved to Arkansas where she taught law and ran legal clinics representing poor people. She co-founded Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families, one of the state s first child advocacy groups. And on October 11, 1975, she married Bill in a small ceremony in Fayetteville, Arkansas. As First Lady of Arkansas, she was a forceful champion for improving educational standards and health care access. And she and Bill started their own family when their daughter, Chelsea, was born in Bill was first elected president in 1992 and re-elected in As First Lady, Hillary tenaciously led the fight to reform our health care system so that all our families have access to the care they need at affordable prices. When the insurance companies and other special interests defeated that effort, Hillary didn t give up. She worked with Republicans and Democrats to help create the successful Children's Health Insurance Program, which provides health coverage to more than 8 million children and has helped cut the uninsured rate for children in half. In 1995, despite being told by some officials not to go, Hillary led the U.S. delegation to Beijing to attend the UN Fourth World Conference on Women and gave a groundbreaking speech, declaring that human rights are women's rights and women's rights are human rights once and for all inspiring women worldwide and helping to galvanize a global movement for women s rights and opportunities. In 2000, Hillary was elected to the U.S. Senate, becoming the first woman senator from New York. After the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, Hillary pushed the Bush administration to secure $20 billion to rebuild New York and fought to provide health care for first responders who were contaminated at Ground Zero. She repeatedly worked across the aisle to get things done, including working alongside Republicans to expand TRICARE so that members of the Reserves and National Guard and their families could get better access to health care. When Congress wouldn't do enough for rural areas and small towns, Hillary didn t back down. She launched an innovative partnership in New York with ebay and local colleges to provide small businesses with tech support, microloans and training programs to sell their goods online. She helped expand broadband to remote areas of the state. And she launched Farm-to- Fork, to help New York farmers and producers sell their products to New York s restaurants, schools, colleges and universities. In 2008, Hillary ran for president. When she came up short, she told her supporters, "Although we weren t able to shatter that highest, hardest glass ceiling this time, thanks to you, it s got about 18 million cracks in it." And when President Obama asked Hillary to serve as his secretary of state, she put aside their hard-fought campaign and answered the call to public service once again. After eight years of Bush foreign policy, Hillary was instrumental in starting to restore America s standing in the world. Even former Republican Secretary of State Henry Kissinger said she ran the State Department in the most effective way that I ve ever seen. She built a coalition for tough new sanctions against Iran that brought them to the negotiating table and she brokered a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas that ended a war and protected S.I.D.A. November 2015 Page 6

7 Israel s security. She was a forceful champion for human rights, internet freedom, and rights and opportunities for women and girls, LGBT people and young people all around the globe. In 2014, Hillary took on a new role grandmother to Charlotte Clinton Mezvinsky and she couldn t be prouder or happier. October 2015 Minutes P General Meeting October 20, 2015 resident Olbrich called the meeting to order at 8:11 p.m. Nominating Committee She reminded members that they would be voting to choose the Nominating Committee and that only members in good standing would be eligible to vote. Mary Kain made a motion to close ballots at 9:15 p.m. The motion carried. Jill Latman, Rosemary Palladino and Paul Scublinsky volunteered to count the ballots. President Olbrich reported that last month s banquet was a success and thanked Roy Moskowitz, Bonnie Rothman, Dennis and Fran Brown and others members of the club s executive committee for helping to make the 54th banquet a success. She also thanked Cindy Lowney for all the journal ads she sold. President Olbrich mentioned that Pearl Minsky was circulating the petition for members to sign requesting improved service for Access-A-Ride. Vice President s Report Vice President Susan Chew presented members with highlights from September s Executive Committee meeting. Minutes Joy Robins made a motion to accept the minutes as published in the newsletter. The motion carried. Treasurer s Report Treasurer Bonnie Rothman reported September s bank balance of $10, and a balance as of October 20 of$12, Bonnie presented a brief report of the expenses paid for the recent banquet as well as some outstanding expenses that she was going to pay. Sally Jones made a motion to purchase a ticket for $150 for President Olbrich to attend the Democratic Gala scheduled for October 22. President Olbrich mentioned that she had already purchased the ticket. Sally said that the club should reimburse President Olbrich for the cost of the ticket. The motion carried with 24 in favor, 5 opposed and 2 abstentions. S.I.D.A. November 2015 Page 7

8 President Olbrich urged members to purchase ads in the newsletter because the revenue helps defray the cost of producing the newsletter. She also gave kudos to Chris Bauer for the wonderful job he does as newsletter editor. Issues Committee Issues Committee Chair Richard Reichard reported that he postponed the rally celebrating the anniversaries of Medicare and Social Security due to the pending hurricane. He also mentioned that he is working with Gary Carsel on the Resolution of the Progressive Caucus of the New York State Independent Democratic Caucus (IDC). Richard also asked for volunteers to review Gary s Issue paper on Campaign Finance Reform. Guest Speaker Assemblymember Matt Titone told members he came to speak to them about his legislative package which consists of three bills which would work to combat the detrimental health effects that sugar has on people. He explained that he wants to educate members about the legislation and clear up any misconceptions they may have. Assemblyman Titone claimed that the recent legislation is a starting point and not a silver bullet. Assemblyman Titone appealed to the members for their support of his recent legislation. Assemblyman Titone announced that he is scheduled to do an editorial board with the Staten Island Advance and he told members that his legislation is brand new and stay tuned. After his presentation, he took questions from many members in attendance. Public Advocate President Olbrich introduced New York City Public Advocate Letitia James, who was not a scheduled speaker but was coming from a Staten Island Clergy Council Education Forum she had hosted. Letitia said she wanted to provide members with an update about what her office is doing. She spoke about the Educational forum she had come from and the need for two school districts, the IEP Process, and the fact that there will now be a Monitor to oversee foster care. She also reported that she uncovered one million dollars to go back to New York City agencies and the fact that there needs to be transparency in government. The Advocate also mentioned plans for an Interagency meeting with the Boro President to discuss issues such as the drug epidemic, and the fact that the arts and culture and afterschool programs are not sufficient, common core and the need for additional services for special education students. Executive Secretary s Report Dennis Brown reported for Executive Secretary Mark Herman. Dennis sent greetings from Mark and said that Mark wants us to get representatives from the major Presidential campaigns to speak at a forum. President Olbrich reported that representatives are scheduled to speak at the November meeting. Social Secretary s Report Social Secretary Roy Moskowitz reported that 120 people attended the recent banquet and he thinks it was a success. He also reported that he is working with the other Democratic clubs to make plans for the annual Holiday party. Roy added that he is also working on plans for the Prisco Essay Contest. S.I.D.A. November 2015 Page 8

9 Gary Carsel reported that he presented a resolution at last month s meeting and he took it to the Executive Committee which felt it should be handled through the Issues Committee. He added that he has modified the resolution and added a timeline which will be published in next month s newsletter. New Business President Olbrich told members to look at the Political Calendar on pages of the October newsletter regarding information for anyone interested in becoming a delegate for one of the Presidential campaigns. President Olbrich reminded members about County s Gala on October 22. She also mentioned that Pearl Minsky filled up three pages for the Petition to improve Access-A-Ride service. Pearl said she is trying to collect 1,000 signatures and anyone who makes up their own petition should send it to Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis. President Olbrich mentioned that she recently visited Oran Brown who has been homebound and sends greetings to the members. Nominating Committee Election Results There were 40 ballots cast with the top nine vote getters being elected to the Nominating Committee. Joann Olbrich * Rosemary Palladino * Dennis Brown...24 Bonnie Rothman...24 Rich Reichard...23 Carl Chew...23 Susan Chew...23 Mary Kain...23 Marie Dwyer...21 * The person with the highest number of votes is the chair. Since there was a tie, Joann and Rosemary will co-chair the committee. The meeting was adjourned at 10:07 p.m. Respectfully submitted Marie Dwyer Corresponding & Recording Secretary All Dems Holiday Dinner December 10 (see page 21 for details) S.I.D.A. November 2015 Page 9

10 Letters We in S.I.D.A. like to make our views known. The following are some of the letters written by S.I.D.A. members that have appeared in print. Unless otherwise indicated, all letters were in the Staten Island Advance and/or posted on the Advance s website Unless explicitly stated, the views herein are those of the authors and are not the views of S.I.D.A. Online October 7, 2015 Printed October 18, 2015 Don't Vote for GOP Foes of Zadroga Act hen Congress failed to pass the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation W Reauthorization Act (H.R. 1786) by Oct. 1, the World Trade Center (WTC) Health Program Fund expired. The health fund provides first responders and survivors of the 9/11 attack with monitoring and treatment for illness related to their exposure. The reauthorization of the Zadroga Act is necessary because in 2010 Senate Republicans used the filibuster to amend the Act to add the October 2015 expiration date for the Health Program Fund. After the Senate amended and passed the Zadroga Act, Democrats in the House were able to pass it even though only 31 Republicans voted for it, while 59 voted against it and 89 failed to vote. While it was difficult to pass the Zadroga Act in 2010, it will be much more difficult to pass the reauthorization this year. In 2010, the Democrats controlled both houses of Congress. Therefore, the Democrats had the power to schedule the Zadroga Act for a vote. This year the Republicans control both houses of Congress. In the House, the reauthorization bill has 176 cosponsors but only 38 are Republicans, which is 15 percent of House Republicans. In the Senate, the bill has 48 cosponsors but only seven are Republicans, which is 13 percent of the Senate Republicans. No member of the Republican leadership in the House or Senate and no Republican presidential candidate who is a member of Congress is a cosponsor. When you vote to elect a senator and member of Congress in 2016, you are not only voting for the candidate, you are voting to decide which party controls the congressional agenda. In all honesty, if you support passage of the reauthorization bill, why would you support and reward the party that hasn't supported and continues not to support the Zadroga Act? - Richard Reichard Online November 3, 2015 Democrats (not the GOP) OK'd Sandy Aid Less than a month after Sandy hit New York, Governor Cuomo submitted New York's aid request to Washington. A month later, the Senate passed the aid bill even though only 12 of 44 Republicans voted for it. Since the Republicans, who controlled the House, decided not to schedule the aid bill for a vote, the bill died and had to be reintroduced in January S.I.D.A. November 2015 Page 10

11 On Jan. 15, 2013, the House voted on the aid bill. There were two significant votes that day. The first was to increase the amount of the aid package from $33.7 billion to $50.5 billion. While 95 percent of the Democrats voted to increase funding, only 16 percent of the 232 Republicans did. In the vote to approve the aid bill, only 21 percent of the Republicans voted for the bill; 96 percent of the Democrats voted for the aid bill. The Senate passed Sandy aid bill 62 to 36. While 100 percent of Senate Democrats voted for the bill only 8 of the 44 Republicans did. No Republican presidential candidate who is a member of Congress voted for the aid bill. If it weren't for Democrats, there would not have been any federal aid for Sandy victims. It is not only that the Republicans opposed the Sandy aid bill: 58 Republicans in the House who voted against Sandy aid voted for Katrina aid, including Congresswoman Cathy McMorris-Rodgers, the number three Republican in the House, and 16 of the 21 Republicans who chair House committees, and House Speaker Paul Ryan. On Oct. 29, the third anniversary of Sandy, Congressman Donovan praised and voted for Ryan to be House Speaker. When you vote in 2016 to elect a member of Congress, you are not only voting for the candidate, you are voting for House Speaker, the leadership and the committee chairs. - Richard Reichard Online November 4, 2015 Printed November 8, 2015 Native Staten Islanders Appeal to Voters After the obvious fact that both candidates wanted to be our next D.A., Sunday's Advance noted that both Illuzzi and McMahon are "native Staten Islanders." Earlier in their endorsement of Illuzzi, the Advance touted Illuzzi as a "native Staten Islander" with years of prosecutorial experience. During his 2014 campaign, Senator Lanza held little dearer than the myth that he is a native Staten Islander. If the rest of the nation felt the same, we would never have had Founding Father Alexander Hamilton who served as a N.Y. delegate to the Confederation Congress, though he was from the British West Indies. We would never have had the Kentucky-born Illinois congressman Abraham Lincoln. We never would have had the Illinois-transplant governor of California, Ronald Reagan. Most famously, we would never have had the Illinois senator from Hawaii. If I am sick, I want to see the best doctor. If I am before a judge, I want the wisest judge. If I am in court, I want the best attorney. Yet when it comes to someone to represent us, it comes down to if they are from Staten Island. Could this be why we are the forgotten borough? - Gary Carsel The following appeared in the U.F.T. s NY Teacher. Online November 5, 2015 Untruth in Advertising I shouldn t be shocked by the amount of money charter schools are investing in commercials. We were warned about this more than 10 years ago when we saw that hedge fund managers were moving lots of cash into charter schools. S.I.D.A. November 2015 Page 11

12 The majority of the criticism against Mayor de Blasio is coming from this same source. Charter schools had the run of the house prior to his administration, and they want nothing more than to have him removed. Charter schools have been dividing up communities and schools all over. My beloved classroom was turned over to a charter school. It can happen to anybody. - Tom Shcherbenko, retired Congressman Donovan Votes S.I.D.A. member Richard Reichard compiled the following voting record of Congressman Donovan. O Congressman Donovan Votes n May 12, 2015, Congressman Donovan voted yea on the Regulatory Integrity Protection Act, H.R (roll call vote 219). This legislation would require the EPA and the Army Corp of Engineers to withdraw a proposed rule that would expand the number of bodies of water covered under the Clean Water Act. This new rule would require a permit by the Corps to dispose of dredged or fill material from development projects near regulated waters. On May 13, 2015, Congressman Donovan voted yea on the Pain Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, H.R. 36 (roll call vote 223). This legislation would outlaw abortions after 20 weeks unless the life of the mother is in jeopardy or the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest. On WNYC s Brian Lehrer show on April 30, 2015 when asked whether he (Donovan) would vote to put more federal restrictions on abortion he said No. On May 14, 2015, Congressman Donovan voted yea on the Brooks amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2016, H.R (roll call vote 229). This amendment would eliminate language from the defense authorization establishing a sense of Congress calling for the secretary of Defense to consider allowing recipients of President Obama s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program to serve in the military. On June 9, 2015, Congressman Donovan voted yea on the Commodity End-User Relief Act, H.R (roll call vote 309). This legislation will weaken Dodd-Frank by making it more burdensome for the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) to regulate derivatives and swaps (Two financial instruments at the center of the 2008 financial meltdown). This legislation will also open every proposed CFTC rule to lawsuit and would also prohibit regulation of transactions booked by foreign subsidiaries of U.S. banks, including transactions that have a direct and significant connection to the U.S. economy On June 10, 2015, Congressman Donovan voted yea on the Country of Origin Labeling Amendments Act of 2015, H.R (roll call vote 333). This Act repeals the country of origin labeling requirements for beef, pork, and chicken. On June 18, 2015, Congressman Donovan voted yea on the Protect Medical Innovation Act, H.R. 160 (roll call vote 375) which repealed the 2.3% excise tax on the sale of medical devices. Repealing the excise tax will increase the national debt by 24.4 billion by About half of medical devices are exempt from the tax including eyeglasses, contact lenses, hearing aids, wheelchairs, or any other medical device that the public generally buys at retail for individual S.I.D.A. November 2015 Page 12

13 use. A January 2015 report by the Congressional Research Service determined that the effect of the tax on the price of healthcare is negligible and that there would be fairly minor effects on the U.S. medical device industry and on jobs. The legislation adds to the national debt because it does not contain any revenue offset. On June 23, 2015, Congressman Donovan voted yea on the Protecting Seniors Access to Medicare Act of 2015, H.R (roll call vote 376). This Act repeals the provisions of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) that established the Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB). If the projected per capita growth rate for Medicare exceeds the target growth rate, IPAB must develop a proposal to reduce Medicare spending. Under the law "the proposal shall not include any recommendation to ration health care, raise revenues or Medicare beneficiary premiums, increase Medicare beneficiary cost sharing (including deductibles, coinsurance, and copayments), or otherwise restrict benefits or modify eligibility criteria." The IPAB proposal could only be overridden with a three-fifths majority of both houses of Congress, or Congress could institute its own reductions of an equal amount to what the IPAB proposed. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that H.R would increase direct spending by $7.1 billion over the period. The Act also cuts $8.25 billion from the Prevention and Public Health Fund. The Fund was established to provide for expanded and sustained national investment in prevention and public health programs to improve health and help restrain the rate of growth in private and public health care costs. On June 24, 2015, Congressman Donovan voted yea on the Ratepayer Protection Act of 2015, H.R (roll call vote 384). This legislation undermines the public health protections of the Clean Air Act (CAA) by threatening to slow or stop U.S. progress in cutting dangerous carbon pollution from power plants. On June 25, 2015, Congressman Donovan voted yea on a motion by Congressman McCarthy, House Resolution 341 (roll call vote 385) to refer to the Committee on House Administration the privileged resolution by Congressman Thompson of Mississippi directing the Speaker of the House to remove any state flag containing any portion of the Confederate battle flag, other than a flag displayed by the office of a Member of the House, from any area within the House wing of the Capital or any House office building, and shall donate any such flag to the Library of Congress. Every Republican but one voted yea, all Democrats voted nay. On July 9, 2015, Congressman Donovan voted yea to table House Resolution 355 (roll call vote 426) and refer it to Committee. Resolved, That the Speaker of the House of Representatives shall remove any State flag containing any portion of the Confederate battle flag, other than a flag displayed by the office of a Member of the House, from any area within the House wing of the Capitol or any House office building, and shall donate any such flag to the Library of Congress. Every Republican but one voted yea. All Democrats voted nay. On July 23, 2015, Congressman Donovan voted yea on the Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act of 2015, H.R (roll call vote 462). This Act preempts states from requiring labeling of GMO foods. Opponents are referring to this as the Dark Act, Deny Americans the Right-To Know Act. On July 28, 2015, Congressman Donovan voted yea on the Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny Act of 2015 (REINS Act) H.R.427 (roll call vote 428). This Act amends Chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code. At present Congress can vote to stop a regulation from being implemented. Since a President will always veto a bill to stop a regulation, two-thirds of both Houses would be needed to override a veto. The REINS Act would require both Houses of Congress to approve all regulations with an economic impact of $100 million or more. In reality S.I.D.A. November 2015 Page 13

14 this would prevent almost every rule and regulation from being implemented. This accomplishes a goal of the Republican Party to prevent new rules and regulations. On July 28, 2015, Congressman Donovan voted nay on the Capps amendment (House Amendment 687) to the REINS Act (roll call vote 476). The Capps amendment would ensure that any rule intended to ensure the safety of natural gas or hazardous materials pipelines or prevent, mitigate, or reduce the impact of spills from such pipelines is not considered a "major rule" under the bill. On July 28, 2015, Congressman Donovan voted nay on the Cicilline amendment (House Amendment 688) to the REINS Act (roll call vote 477). The Cicilline amendment would exempt rules pertaining to the protection of the public health or safety from the requirements of the Act. On July 28, 2015, Congressman Donovan voted nay on the Cicilline amendment (House Amendment 689) to the REINS Act (roll call vote 478). The Cicilline amendment would exempt rules pertaining to the safety of any products specifically designed to be used or consumed by a child under the age of 2 years (including cribs, car seats, and infant formula). On July 28, 2015, Congressman Donovan voted nay on the Nadler amendment (House Amendment 690) to the REINS Act (roll call vote 479). The Nadler amendment would exempt any rule pertaining to nuclear reactor safety standards in order to prevent nuclear meltdowns like the one in Fukushima. On July 28, 2015, Congressman Donovan voted nay on the Pocan amendment (House Amendment 691) to the REINS Act (roll call vote 480). The Pocan amendment would exempt any rule pertaining to the availability of affordable medication and effective healthcare management for veterans. On September 11, 2015, Congressman Donovan voted nay on H.R (roll call vote 493) to approve the P5+1 agreement. On September 11, 2015, Congressman Donovan voted yea on H.R (roll call vote 494) to prevent President Obama to waive, suspend, reduce, provide relief from, or otherwise limit the application of sanctions against Iran pursuant to the P5+1 agreement On September 18, 2015, Congressman Donovan voted yea on the Defund Planned Parenthood Act, H.R (roll call vote 505). The Act prohibits, for a one-year period, the availability of federal funds for any purpose to Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc., or any of its affiliates or clinics, unless they certify that the affiliates and clinics will not perform, and will not provide any funds to any other entity that performs, an abortion during such period. The restriction will not apply in cases of rape or incest or where a physical condition endangers a woman's life unless an abortion is performed. On WNYC s Brian Lehrer show on April 30, 2015 when asked whether he (Donovan) would vote to put more federal restrictions on abortion he said No. On October 7, 2015, Congressman Donovan voted yea (roll call vote 536) to allow the Select Committee in Benghazi to continue to operate. The Yea vote tabled a motion by Congresswoman Slaughter to disband the Committee. On October 7, 2015, Congressman Donovan voted yea on the Homebuyers Assistance Act, H.R (roll call vote 540). This legislation delays from October 3, 2015 to February 1, 2016 the The Know Before You Owe regulation of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. This regulation requires mortgage lenders and settlement agents to provide homebuyers with simpler forms that explain the true cost of buying their home at least three days before closing. S.I.D.A. November 2015 Page 14

15 On October 9, 2015, Congressman Donovan voted yea on the To adapt to changing crude oil market conditions bill, H.R. 702 (roll call vote 549). Since the oil embargo of the 1970s U.S. law has prohibited, with limited exemptions, the export of domestically-produced crude oil. The rational for this prohibition is to help insulate the U.S. economy from supply disruptions and oil embargoes. There is no restriction on exporting petroleum products, such as gasoline, derived from domestically-produced crude oil. A yea vote was a vote to lift the prohibition against exporting domestically-produced crude oil. On October 21, 2015, Congressman Donovan voted yea on The Default Prevention Act, H.R. 692 (roll call vote 557). Douglas Holtz-Eakin, an economics adviser to Republicans and the former director of the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, called the Act political cover [for Republicans] but not a solution [to prevent the government from defaulting] of any type. The Act would require, if the debt ceiling is not raised, that the Treasury prioritize which of the 80 million debt payments to pay each month. Tony Fratto, a former Treasury official and spokesman in George W. Bush s administration, has said prioritizing payments would be more difficult than it sounds since the receipts that Treasury brings in day to day can vary wildly. Steve Bell, a former Republican staffer with the Senate Budget Committee has said that the economic impact of the United States government not honoring literally billions of dollars worth of domestic commitments, bills, beneficiaries, I think it would change the nature of the United States. On October 23, 2015, Congressman Donovan voted yea on the Restoring Americans Healthcare Freedom Reconciliation Act of 2015, H. R (roll call 568). The Act prohibits, for one year, any State from using Medicaid funds to pay an entity such as Planned Parenthood that performs elective abortions. This is the third time since being elected that Congressman Donovan has gone back on his campaign promise not to vote to put more federal restrictions on abortions. The Act also defunds the Prevention and Public Health Fund, which was created to help prevent, detect early, and manage medical conditions before they become severe, weakens the Medicare Part A trust fund, likely making it insolvent earlier, and rolls back coverage gains and would cost millions of hard-working middle-class families the security of affordable health coverage. On October 27, 2015, Congressman Donovan voted yea on the Retail Investor Protection Act, H.R (roll call vote 575). The Act indefinitely delays the Department of Labor rule requiring retirement advisers to abide by a "fiduciary" standard by putting their clients' best interest before their own profits. Loopholes in the current retirement advice rules have allowed conflicts of interest where some brokers and other advisers recommend products that put their own profits ahead of their clients' best interest. These conflicts of interest have resulted in annual losses to retirement accounts of about 1 percentage point a year about $17 billion per year in total. By voting yea Congressman Donovan supported keeping the loopholes open. S.I.D.A. November 2015 Page 15

16 IDC Resolution Gary Carsel will present the following resolution to be endorsed by the club at the November 17 General Membership Meeting. This resolution is followed on pages 16 and 17 with explanatory information S.I.D.A. November 2015 Page 16

17 S.I.D.A. November 2015 Page 17

18 S.I.D.A. November 2015 Page 18

19 Congratulations McMahon! Congratulations to S.I.D.A.'s endorsed candidate, Michael McMahon, on his election to the office of District Attorney of Richmond County. Thank you to the many members of S.I.D.A. who volunteered and donated to his campaign, helping to achieve this historic election. - Joann Olbrich President S.I.D.A. November 2015 Page 19

20 Bulletin Board Bulletin Board Policy Items posted on the Bulletin Board are done so at the request of an S.I.D.A. member and are for informational purposes only. A posting on the Bulletin Board does not imply endorsement by S.I.D.A. S.I.D.A. November 2015 Page 20

21 S.I.D.A. November 2015 Page 21

22 Nominating Committee Below are excerpts from the S.I.D.A. by-laws pertaining to the election of the Executive Committee. ARTICLE VII Elections Section 1: Time Officers and members-at-large of the Executive Committee shall be elected at the annual meeting. (Article IV, Section 1: Annual Meeting The annual meeting of the club shall be in January, on a date to be fixed by the Executive Committee.) Section 2: Nominations a) Nominating Committee At the October meeting there shall be elected by ballot a Nomination Committee of nine members of the club. Balloting for members of the Nominating Committee shall conform, as nearly as may be, to the procedure for election of members-at-large of the Executive Committee as set forth in Section 4b of this Article. The Nominating Committee shall select nominees for each of the offices and for members-at-large of the Executive Committee, which selection shall be made by majority vote of the Nominating Committee. At the November meeting, the Nominating Committee shall submit to the members of the club a written report setting forth the nominees for various positions. If requested by two members of the Nominating Committee, the report shall include a minority report in which additional nominations may be made for any position or positions and such nominees shall be deemed to have been nominated in addition to the nominees of the majority. The report shall also set forth the procedure for nomination by petition. b) Nomination by Petition Additional nomination may be made by petition signed by 15% of those members in good standing or 15 members, whichever is fewer, as of the final date for the submission of such petitions namely the December meeting at which all candidates shall be presented to the membership as an order of business. Nominating petitions shall be submitted to the Corresponding and Recording Secretary, or in his or her absence to an officer designated by the President or Acting President. c) Nomination from the Floor Nominations from the floor may be made only in the event that no eligible candidate has been otherwise nominated for an office. d) Notice All names of persons nominated will be included in the mailed notice of the annual meeting. Traditionally the way the above by-laws have been implemented is that at the October meeting members in good standing in attendance are given a ballot listing all the club's members in good standing. (One must have been a member for at least 45 days in order to vote.) Members then mark up to nine people on the ballot, and the top nine vote-getters form the Nominating Committee, with the person getting the most votes being the chair. If there is a tie for the ninth place, all those in the tie get on. S.I.D.A. November 2015 Page 22

23 Staten Island Women s Political Caucus S.I.D.A. November 2015 Page 23

24 City & State Staten Island Launch Staten Island Special Issue Launch Reception Wednesday, November 18, 6:30 9:00 p.m. Staten Island Museum, 75 Stuyvesant Place Join City & State as they premiere their inaugural State Island Special Issue, focusing on all things Staten Island, including top political hang outs, briefs on issues such as economic development and transportation, and perspectives from top Staten Island leaders. The event will include cocktails, exciting giveaways from supporters, and remarks from prominent speakers. Here is a link to the Events page of the web site: PAID ADVERTISEMENT PAID ADVERTISEMENT PAID ADVERTISEMENT S.I.D.A. member Joy Robins has written a book! She tells the story of four generations of the women of her family and their struggle with the effects of abuse and divorce. She uses her "facebook voice" and her sly sense of humor, as well as her thoughtful commentary on contemporary culture; to weave a tale that is exciting, amusing and, hopefully, helpful. Call Joy if you want a copy S.I.D.A. November 2015 Page 24

25 November 17, 2015 General Meeting 8:00p.m. Charlie Brown s Steakhouse 1001 Goethals Road North George Albro from Bernie Sanders Campaign Speaker from Hillary Clinton Campaign has been invited Nominating Committee Report December 15, 2015 General Meeting 8:00p.m. Charlie Brown s Steakhouse 1001 Goethals Road North Speaker TBD Presentations by Candidates for Executive Committee It s Time to Join or Renew Your S.I.D.A. Membership! To become a member, renew membership, or make a donation, call Bonita Rothman at (917) , or complete and return the coupon. Voting privileges begin 45 days after joining DUES DONATION $15 - Family $5 $10 - Individual $50 $5 - Senior, Student, or Unemployed $100 Other Check (payable to: S.I.D.A.) Cash I understand SIDA is a Democratic Party club. I (or we, if this is a Family Membership) am (are) at least 17 years of age and an enrolled Democrat, or intend to enroll as a Democrat upon becoming eligible. Signature Name(s) Address Apt # City State Zip Phone Make checks payable S.I.D.A. to S.I.D.A. and send to: P.O. Box Staten Island, NY For internal use only: Comp: Received $: Deposited $: Entered Sht: Computer: S.I.D.A. November 2015 Page 25