On Nov. 30, Governor Andrew Cuomo signed into law new legislation aimed at protecting against commercial exploitation or unauthorized use of a dead person’s name, picture, voice or signature, giving only the families of such people the right to use them. The law also introduces new penalties for publishing revenge […]

In 2002, 8-year-old Jashawn Parker died in a Bronx apartment fire. The building accumulated nearly 400 code violations that went unaddressed by the landlord. Almost two decades and 17 attempts later, a law to prevent another incident like this was passed by both the Assembly and Senate and signed by […]

In the days following the largest voter turnout in a presidential election in our nation’s history, Muslim Advocates, a Washington, D.C.-based group that strives to “halt bigotry in courts and halls of power,” held a virtual press conference to discuss the current state of our democracy, and to deliver the […]

To mark World AIDS Day — Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2020 — Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that New York state has “bent the curve” on the HIV epidemic.  Data collected for 2019 shows the number of infections, as well as HIV-related incidences, that occurred statewide hit an all-time low of 1,700 […]

Gov. Andrew Cuomo was joined by infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci on Monday morning to discuss New York’s plans and strategies for containing the spread of COVID-19 this winter. Both men agree that the middle of January 2021 has the potential to be particularly bad if people ignore warnings […]

Assemblyman Angelo Santabarbara and Senator Daphne Jordan have introduced a bill to give mom and pop, locally owned restaurants one full week of state sales tax exemptions to give them a financial boost heading into the winter. The bipartisan “Save Our NYS Restaurants Act” would establish a one-week sales tax […]

The Restoration of Honor Act went into effect on Nov. 12, 2020, a year after being signed by Governor Andrew Cuomo to commemorate Veteran’s Day. The law restores eligibility for state veterans benefits for anyone who was dishonorably discharged from the Armed Forces due to their sexual orientation, gender identity […]

Governor Andrew Cuomo has signed a new law (S.4190 /A.6976) requiring mortgage servicers to provide contact information so local governments can easily reach those responsible for maintaining vacant properties in their communities. It is common for vacant properties to become engulfed in overgrown lawns and broken glass while the home […]