2014 Legislative Agenda

2014 Lobby Day - Last Chance to Sign Up! 

Want to come learn more about the League's positions and what we expect for action this legislative session? Lobby Day (or more accurately, Advocacy Training Day) will be held on MONDAY, FEB. 3, 2014. The date of Lobby Day has changed from Tuesday, Feb. 4 to Monday, Feb. 3rd - please note the change in date! All members are encouraged to attend. Explanation of the state League's positions and projected action will be discussed. The state League Issue Specialists will present information on the current status of legislation in their areas. Attendees will be able to observe either the Senate or Assembly from the Galleries and attend committee meetings scheduled for that day (schedules won't be available until the week prior to Lobby Day). If members wish, they can schedule meetings with their own legislators. We are still accepting registrations but please sign up NOW! Call Katrina (518-465-4162) to reserve your spot! We are charging $10 per person to attend - but it will include lunch this year!

As chair of Youth program services, I was delighted when Debbie Reisner, President of LWV of Rye, Ryebrook and Port Chester invited me to demonstrate Vote 18 at a workshop for LWV board members and community leaders in Westchester County.   I have been presenting Vote 18 to high school classes since 2008 and have found that it provides an excellent interactive lesson plan to engage students in not only learning the history of voting , but gives them an opportunity to discuss hot political issues which are relevant to them, and shows them the power and importance of their vote.    

The newest studies shows that ¼ of eligible voters are between 18 and 30 years old and this continues to be the age group with the lowest turnout at the polls. Even in the presidential election , when turnout is the highest, only 45% of this age group voted in 2012 as compared to 57 % of all age groups. The Commission on Youth Voting and Civic Knowledge Report, which I mentioned in last month's report, stresses the need for civic education and political engagement in schools, particularly in disadvantaged neighborhoods.  

This year, LWVUSEF has provided Leagues with a pass through grant to register youth. Several local Leagues have received this grant and have participated in webinars where they were learned of practices for registering young voters; ie, doing the voter registration in classrooms rather than auditoriums and having students interact rather than just be passive listeners.  

Vote 18 uses these best practices. Over the years, the lesson plan has been modified to include some of the most recent statistics and the disenfranchisement of voters in some parts of the country. The lesson plan can easily be done in 45 min. including the time it takes to register the student to vote. The participants in the workshop that Debbie Reisner arranged included not only League members, but community leaders and students from a Hispanic community. They all found the workshop worthwhile and plan on bringing it to their schools. This is not a difficult or time consuming program for your youth committees or voter service committees to do. Anyone wishing to get the amended lesson plan can contact me at judiel728@aol.com.   However, each school is different, each class is different, and each presenter can and will need to make modifications of their own. The goal is always the same: engage the students and motivate them to become educated voters and of course to vote.  

Online Donation Match A Success - Thank You to All! 

Create a Lasting Legacy for the League

The League has been around for almost 100 years, in part because of the vitality of our members and mission, and also because members who have gone before have remembered the League in their wills. Bequests are the most popular way donors make deferred gifts. By making a bequest to the League, you can maintain control of your assets during your lifetime and still support the League for the next generation of members. You can make a bequest that is a percentage of your estate or stipulate a specific dollar amount. To find out more about naming the League in your will, contact Kate Jankowski, Communications and Development Coordinator, at (518) 465-4162 or via e-mail at kate@lwvny.org.

In Scarsdale, Ben Boykin, White Plains Common Council member and County Legislator-Elect for District 5, will meet with LWV of Scarsdale members to discuss issues he expects to address in his first term on the County Board of Legislators, followed by Q & A. In the beginning of January, the LWV of Somers hosted County Legislators, Peter Harckham and Mike Kaplowitz who discussed the changes that are taking place in County government and how they affect the citizens. LWV of Mid-Hudson is holding a meeting with Ulster County's Election Commissioners, Tom Turco (R) and Vic Work (D), who will speak on and answer questions about Ballot Access.  

LWV of the Syracuse Metro Area will host an open panel discussion on Immigration Then and Now: The Current Debate on Immigration Issues in February. They have also recently hosted forums with the Syracuse School Board candidates and a panel discussing human trafficking.

LWV of Syracuse also held a meeting to give their members an update on the Moreland Commission. Barbara Bartoletti, state League Legislative Director and Moreland Commission Special Advisor, and Commission Co-Chair, Onondaga County DA William Fitzpatrick, presented the preliminary findings of the Committee.

Representing LWV of Albany County, Aimee Allaud provided testimony at a public meeting of the Albany County's Charter Review Commission. This testimony represents a milestone in the work of a League study team co-chaired by Ann Brandon and Judy Wing. The recommendations have evolved from positions developed by the League over a period of more than 40 years. They represent examples of means to creating greater accountability and efficiency in county government.

Assemblywoman, and League member, Patricia Fahy was the guest speaker at the LWV of Albany's holiday luncheon. She gave a personal account of her first year in the New York State Assembly with highlights about her work on coalition building around the Women's Equality Act Agenda.   

League members were or will be honored around the state recently for their hard work in their communities. The LWV of White Plains will honor Bobbi Baker and Roberta Lazarus for their many years of dedicated service during their annual Winter Party this month. LWV of Broome and Tioga Counties will honor Mary Diegert at their Women of Achievement event on March 19th. Mary has been an active member of the League for over 50 years. This past month New York City League of Women Voters Co-President, Mary Lou Urban was awarded a Galaxy Award by the New York Women's Agenda.  Mary Lou was awarded for her many years of service to both the New York City League and the New York State League of Women Voters.   

The Natural Resources Committee of LWV or Tompkins County will provide a public program on January 27, entitled: The Adirondack Park and Our Regional Forests: Our Treasures to Enjoy and Protect. The speakers will be: Dick Booth, member of the New York State Governing Board for the Adirondack Park, and Andy Zepp, Executive Director of the Finger Lakes Land Trust.

The New York City League hosted their January Lunch with the League meeting featuring guest speaker RuthAnne Visnauskas, Commissioner of the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development to discuss the issue of affordable housing in NYC.  Click here for photos and more info. LWV of NYC's next "Lunch with the League" is scheduled for Thursday, February 6th ; State League Legislative Director Barbara Bartoletti will be the featured guest speaker to discuss Campaign Finance Reform. For more info, click here.  

The LWV of Buffalo/Niagara is sponsoring a program on human trafficking during February. "Challenges and Strategies to Combat Human Trafficking" will feature Deputy Elizabeth Fildes. Deputy Fildes is the Program Director of Human Trafficking for the Erie County Sheriff's Office. She is a world-renowned and sought after speaker on human trafficking issues. LWV of Rochester offered a program on Sexually Exploited Children:Right Here in Monroe County! Who are They? The panelists included Sgt. Mark Freese, Major Crimes Bureau, Rochester Police Department; Nolica Murray-Fields, Safe Harbor Coordinator, Center for Youth Services; and Robert Way, Senior Caseworker, Child Protective Service, Monroe County Department of Human Services.  

The LWV of Chautauqua County is hosting a program called "Water Purity of the Chautauqua Watershed." The speaker for the program will be John Jablonski, executive director of the Chautauqua Watershed Conservancy. The LWV of Cortland is orgagnizaing an educational forum in February to provide a foundation for residents who seek to engage in upcoming decisions regarding the future of the landfill.  

In December, the League of Women Voters of Southwest Nassau held a well-attended meeting on "Hidden Hunger on Long Island." Speakers from each of two organizations, "The Island Harvest and the Interfaith Nutrition Network" (The INN), presented some hard facts about the people in need right in their community.  "Poverty" is the theme of the Schenectady League this year. The speaker at their Holiday Luncheon was Michael Saccocio, Executive Director of the City Mission, who described "The Culture of Poverty." Mr. Saccocio has been at the City Mission, working with people in extreme poverty, for close to 25 years. He came with a depth of understanding of the issues underlying poverty.  

The Education Committee of the LWV of the Hamptons held a video contest called, "Promote the Vote." It was designed to inspire young people to promote getting out to vote. The kids, ages 10-18, sent 60-second videos and the winners received $100 gift cards. The quality and creativity of the videos was terrific and this inspired the plan for a spring event at which professional filmmakers will teach a small group of selected high school students to produce voting videos. LWV of Smithtown received a $1,000 grant from LWVUS Education Foundation to help them target a greater number of students as they become first-time voters. Specifically, they will be focusing on reaching out to students in under-represented communities of Suffolk County.

Is your local League sending its bulletin or newsletter to the state listserve? If you send it to the listserve (www.localleaguebulletineditors@lwvny.org), it will be posted on the state website and information will be used for the State Voter here!