PO Box 7163 NYS Capitol Bldg. Albany, NY 12224info@interfaithimpactnys.org Website: www.iinys.org

NOTES FOR CHANGE: FEBRUARY 15, 2020, NEWSLETTER

Susan B. Anthony, the NYS Legislature and YouEditorial by IINYS President Richard S. Gilbert

I am writing a book about Susan B. Anthony’s religion: No Consorting with Angels: The Spiritual Life of Susan B. Anthony. Apart from discussing her Quaker roots and Unitarian affiliation, my task is to discern what spiritual qualities sustained her in her long quest for women’s suffrage on this, the 200th anniversary of her birth and the 100th anniversary of the 19th amendment. Having read the long biography by Ida Husted Harper, I am beginning to come to some conclusions. While Harper’s book is more unabashed praise

than critical biography, one is struck by the sheer perseverance of this woman in her life-long commitment.

Her incessant traveling with its logistical difficulties, taking the insults of men and criticism of women, and suffering the recalcitrance of politicians boggle the mind. They are more than an inspiration. They are an activist’s gut check. When I can email a public official or letter to the editor with a few taps on my computer; when I can simply drive downtown for a rally; when it is relatively painless to be an activist, her life seems to put my meager efforts into perspective. Her mission was her life; my efforts seem like an extra-curricular activity – a spare-time endeavor.

All of which is not to put myself or others to shame, but to strengthen our resolve in a difficult political climate. On the national scene, every day seems to bring some terrible injustice which makes our blood boil. One writer suggests it is this drumbeat of unjust policies which are designed to beat activists into numb submission. I see what the author means. There are days when I feel that at my age – 83 – it is time to stop marching and smell the roses in the years left to me. Then I think of Susan B. Anthony who died at age 86, working to the very end of her life. It gives me pause.

On the state scene, we have a different responsibility. Susan B., as we Rochesterians affectionately call her, likewise advocated in Albany for women’s rights early in her career, first for temperance reform and then for women’s suffrage when she learned the former depended on the latter. It is tempting to run a victory lap now that the 2019 legislature passed so much progressive legislation. However, we quickly have learned of the backlash to be countered and the unfinished business to be done. 2020 is critical in many ways.

A word about the picture above. It is from November 8, 2016, Election Day, with “I just voted” stickers on Susan B.’s monument. I had planned to give mine to my granddaughter, telling her about the first woman to be elected president! Susan B. persisted. So must we.

Susan B. Anthony monument in Mt. Hope Cemetery, Rochester

A BUDGET THAT AFFECTS YOUR WALLET AND YOUR VALUES

On January 22 Governor Cuomo released his 2020-21 budget. The Assembly and the Senate will follow suit, submitting their own proposals with a deadline for budget approval by April 1. Let’s look at that budget: $178 billion - closing a $6 billion deficit by reducing growth in Medicaid spending, limiting aid to localities and expecting tax revenue to grow by $2 billion. State spending would be $105.8 billion – up 1.9%. Overall spending would grow 6%.

“New York is one of the wealthiest states in the nation, home to Wall Street and some of the richest individuals, corporations and industries, including 112 billionaires with total wealth over $525 billion. At the same time, over 92,000 New Yorkers are homeless and 600,000 are unstably housed. Recent figures estimate that NY City Housing Authority is owed upwards of $40 billion; the Buffalo Municipal Housing Authority is among the neediest in the nation. Our public schools are still waiting for $4 billion in court-ordered funding. Proposed changes to Medicaid funding could lead to healthcare cuts and further impoverish struggling cities and counties. We need to fund a solution to the climate disaster. With the opioid crisis, cities and towns across the state need supportive housing, mental health and substance abuse services to serve New Yorkers.” From a statement by the NYS Council of Churches

For further information and analysis from the Fiscal Policy Institute’s “Vision 2020: Building a Better New York” go to http://fiscalpolicy.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Vision-2020-final-to-print.pdf . If you go on their web site, you can find quotes in their most recent press release http://fiscalpolicy.org/the-new-york-state-budget-must-support-all-new-yorkers. There will be more discussion of the budget in the next issue of Notes for Change, March 15.

UPDATE ON PAST LEGISLATIVE ISSUES

Minimum Wage: “Minimum Wage Increases Are Great. But Only If Workers Actually Get Them” is the title of an article on “wage theft,” the practice of denying minimum wage payment. In 2017 the Economic Policy Institute estimated employers steal $15 billion annually from workers by paying less than the minimum wage. A Politico investigation included ten New York City delivery workers winning $700,000 from the Indus Valley restaurant. The National Center for Law and Economic Justice found at least $125 million in unpaid wage theft judgments and orders within New York City. Undocumented workers are particularly vulnerable, as employers may threaten to report them to ICE. Governor Cuomo vetoed the SWEAT Act on January 2, legislation which would have allowed workers to plan a lien on their employers’ assets while wage theft litigation was ongoing. Talk Poverty, January 30, 2020

CLIMATE CHANGE

The Capitol District - Albany

IINYS Board Member Rev. Sam Trumbore at Living Wage Rally

On behalf of the IINYS Board, Dick Gilbert sent a letter urging the Governor to “green” state buildings to reduce greenhouse emissions. See www.iinys.org under IINYS News and Opinions.

NYRenews asks us to contact our legislators on Feb. 28th to push for the Climate and Community Investment Act, and $1 billion for Climate and Community Investment Fund. Some will visit legislators but calls or

letters help also. The CLCPA must be funded.

LET NEW YORK VOTE

Faith Leaders Letter on Automatic Voter Registration

“Dear Governor Cuomo, Majority Leader Stewart-Cousins, and Speaker Heastie:

“We thank you for again prioritizing voting reforms by beginning this year with a renewed commitment to enacting automatic voter registration legislation in 2020. “We were pleased to see the Senate move this bill so early this session and appreciate that both the Governor and the Assembly have committed to prioritizing this early this year. Now we strongly encourage legislative leaders and the Governor to keep their eye on the prize and work to pass this critical legislation as soon as possible. That is why we are joining forces to ensure this issue gets the attention it deserves.”

IINYS President Richard Gilbert signed on to this letter on behalf of the Board. For a full text of the letter, go to www.iinys.org under IINYS News and Opinions.

State Senator Kevin Parker (21st district in Brooklyn) has introduced legislation enabling incarcerated persons to vote in state elections (S.681), the residence prior to the term of confinement as the voting address for incarcerated individuals. Voter bans of prisoners were passed in the 19th century as a part of Jim Crow laws and mainly affect Black and Latinx people from marginalized communities.

IINYS Executive Director Robb Smith wrote: “People committed to psychiatric centers already have the right to vote, so why not incarcerated persons in correctional

facilities? I see that the legislation would make their vote count in the community where they were living when they were incarcerated. I wonder if that might be read as support for their being counted by the census in their home community and not the community where the prison is located. That would have a big impact on upstate voting district lines.” https://www.nysenate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/kevin-s-parker/senator-parker-introduces- legislation-afford-people-prison.

IINYS Executive Director Rabb Smith (right)on Advocacy Day

IINYS Chair Dick Gilbert addressing the Assembly Health Committee

Automatic Voter Registration (AVR) was close to passage at the end of the 2019 legislative session, but the Legislature adjourned with a promise to pass it early in 2020. See the update at https://www.nysenate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/senate-strengthens-and-expands-new-yorkers-voting-rights . Contact your Assembly Member to urge them to bring an amended Automatic Voter Registration bill to a vote. You can call 914-888-2083 to be patched through.

BAIL REFORM

IINYS President Dick Gilbert signed on to a faith leaders’ letter on bail reform.

“Dear Governor Cuomo, Senate Majority Leader Stewart-Cousins, and Assembly Speaker Heastie: We write as a diverse body of New York faith leaders to thank you for your strong leadership in passing powerful bail and discovery reform, and to ask you to stand strong against efforts to roll back these critical laws. We believe that each New Yorker is made in the image of God and deserves justice whether rich or poor.” See the full letter at www.iinys.org in the IINYS News and Opinions section. See also https://www.cityandstateny.com/articles/opinion/commentary/did-bail-reform-really-cause-a-crime-wave.html

Greg Baum, IINYS member from Webster (Rochester suburb) wrote his assemblyman: “The recent changes in the criminal justice laws of NYS have finally created a fairer and more equitable playing field for blacks and minorities unable to afford to lose their jobs, and possibly their housing, due to an antiquated bail/bond system. This system often keeps defendants incarcerated for inordinate periods of time. It is likewise past the time for D.A. offices to provide, in a more expedient manor, attorneys and public defenders with the written charges and complaints being lodged against their clients. Fifteen days should be the maximum period of time to do this. Remember, ‘justice delayed is justice denied!’ States such as Alaska and New Jersey have adopted similar changes without the "public safety" issues naysayers would tell the general public are inherent with the new laws. No system is perfect, but we can strive for better and fairer representative judicial statutes!”

For a bail fund reform video go to https://justicenotfear.org/"

A More Progressive New York IINYS ANNUAL LEGISLATIVE ADVOCACY DAY

Monday, May 4, 20209:30 am – 3:30 pm

Legislative Office BuildingEmpire State Plaza, Albany NY

THE ACTION AGENDA - (Specific issues to be announced)Doors open at 9:30, program starts at 10:00. After an introduction to the issues and brief remarks by issue experts, we will break up into small groups, each facilitated

by an experienced advocate, and meet with elected representatives, selected committee chairs, committee staff and program and counsel staff.Look for our schedule of pre-advocacy day webinars on our website, http://iinys.org, and in your email. When you arrive, you will get a final schedule and folder of materials. Registration is free, but please let us know you’re coming so we can organize teams. To register, email your name and contact information to info@iinys.org.

HALT: SOLITARY CONFINEMENT MAKES US ALL LESS HUMAN

Faith Leaders in New York State signed a letter urging enactment of the HALT Solitary Confinement bill to Senate Majority Leader Stewart-Cousins, Assembly Speaker Heastie, and Governor Cuomo: “As faith leaders across New York State, we - the undersigned - are writing to denounce the moral crisis of solitary confinement plaguing New York State, and to respectfully urge you to immediately pass the HALT Solitary Confinement Act, S. 1623/A.2500.

“The current practices of solitary confinement are barbaric, unconscionable, and counter to our faith traditions, and it is critical that New York State end this torture by enacting HALT…. Representatives of Catholic, evangelical Christian, mainline Protestant, Unitarian Universalist, Quaker, Orthodox Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Baha’i, Buddhist, and Sikh communities have spoken out against solitary confinement in New York and across the country. These people of faith have recognized that solitary confinement is both a moral and a religious issue.” IINYS has signed on to this letter. For the complete letter go to www.iinys.org IINYS News and Opinions. For more information, write Claire DeRoche at CDeroche@uucsr.org .

ELECTION 2020: WHAT RELIGIOUS COMMUNITIES CAN AND CANNOT DO

As Election 2020 approaches, there are important guidelines to be followed by religious organizations. One helpful resource is The Real Rules on the Unitarian Universalist Association website – www.uua.org/justice-programs/realrules. Others are https:interfaithalliance.org/2020-house-of-worship-booklet/ and the IRS https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p1828.pdf

The following resources will help clarify the law:(1) The Brennan Center:  https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/analysis-opinion/new-yorks-upcoming-bail-reform-changes-explained : (2) The Vera Institute report: https://www.vera.org/publications/new-york-new-york-2019-bail-reform-law-highlights ;

Rev. Lori Staubitz (right) on Advocacy Day

(3) The Institute on Court Innovation: www.Bail_Reform_NY_Summary.pdf

SOCIAL JUSTICE CALENDAR FOR 2020

Sunday, March 8: Rochester Legislative Briefing: Sexuality Education (see flyer below)

Monday, May 4: INTERFAITH IMPACT ADVOCACY DAY - www.iinys.orgTuesday, May 5: Concerned Clergy for Choice (upstate)

Facts to Note: A report by New York State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli finds that New Yorkers gave $26.6 billion more in tax money to the federal government than they got back, ranking it 50th among the 50 states.

SEXUALITY EDUCATION IN NEW YORKHOW MUCH SHOULD BE TAUGHT?

Sunday, March 8, 2020 – 2:00 – 4:00 pmFirst Unitarian Church at 220 S. Winton Road, Rochester

Performance by IN CONTROLTeen Pregnancy Prevention Program of Planned Parenthood

PANELISTSDebora McDell-Hernandez, Senior Director of Public & Community Affairs, Planned Parenthood of Central and Western NY; Absara Haile Supervisor of Health Education &

Outreach, Planned Parenthood of Central and Western NY; Lori Cramer Education Coordinator, Out Alliance Rochester LGBTQ+ Resource & Community Center

Jamie Romeo, Monroe County clerk and former NYS Assemblymember, 136th District Free and open to the public. Reception to follow. Questions please call 585.442.5111