Assemblywoman Russell sponsors bill to crack down on predatory lending

             Assemblywoman Addie J. Russell (D-Theresa) announced she is sponsoring new legislation to provide much-needed oversight of companies that offer loan advances on pensions for veterans, seniors and other individuals (A.7332-A). The legislation is aimed at businesses that often engage in deceptive or predatory lending practices that target veterans and seniors who have pensions.

            “Predatory lending is a repulsive and unethical business practice that unfortunately has been on the rise,” said Assemblywoman Russell. “This legislation provides the oversight necessary to ensure our veterans and seniors are not taken advantage of by unscrupulous lenders looking to make a quick buck.”  

            Pension-advance companies target individuals who are in need of cash but have been turned away by banks. These companies, which are not subject to state or federal banking regulations, often advertise directly to veterans, seniors or other vulnerable populations, who are encouraged to sign over their pension checks in exchange for lump sums of cash. In reality, these advances come with outrageously high interest rates, ranging from 27 percent to 106 percent, which trap the recipient in a cycle of long-term debt.   

“Being from a community with large numbers of veterans and seniors, doing right by them is a responsibility I take very seriously,” said Assemblywoman Russell. “We cannot sit back and do nothing while these companies capitalize on their economic hardships.”   

            The bill sponsored by Assemblywoman Russell would authorize the New York State Department of Financial Services to publicly evaluate pension-advance companies and make any needed recommendations regarding their licensure and the fees and interest rates they charge. It would also direct the department to examine these companies’ disclosure practices.

            Pension-advance companies became increasingly common following the 2008 financial crisis, when many retirees lost significant portions of their investments and turned to pension advances to pay their bills. At the same time, the combined debt held by Americans between the ages of 65 and 74 years old is rising faster than the debt held by any other age group. Among households led by individuals above the age of 65, debt levels have increased more than 50 percent from 2000 through 2011.[1] 

             

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[1] nytimes.com/2013/04/28/business/economy/pension-loans-drive-retirees-into-more-debt.html

Assemblywoman Russell calls on Senate to pass Women’s Equality legislation

            In recognition of National Pay Equity Day, Assemblywoman Addie J. Russell (D-Theresa) announced that the Assembly passed a resolution declaring April 8, 2014 Pay Equity Day in the state of New York and renewed her call for the state Senate to take up the Women’s Equality Act.

            Pay Equity Day recognizes gender based wage disparity by marking how far into the new year women must work to earn what men did in the previous one. Women, who make up nearly half of our nation's workforce, earn 23 percent less on average than men for equal work.[1]

            “When working mothers are not paid equally, it means less money going to our grocery stores, child care businesses and local shops,” Assemblywoman Russell said. “Pay equity is not only a civil rights issue, it is an economic issue that affects our entire community. For families struggling with utility bills and gas prices, that gap can mean the difference between getting ahead and falling behind.”

            In January, the Assembly passed the Women’s Equality Act (A.8070). The 10-point agenda, sponsored by Assemblywoman Russell, includes comprehensive reforms that would address pay inequity, end gender based discrimination, increase protections for victims of domestic violence and reinforce women’s health and reproductive rights.

The Women’s Equality Act contains 10 points to accomplish the following:

1. Achieve pay equity
2. Prevent sexual harassment in the workplace
3. Strengthen human trafficking laws
4. Protect domestic violence victims
5. Protect reproductive rights
6. End housing discrimination for victims of domestic violence
7. End family status discrimination
8. Prevent pregnancy discrimination
9. Remove barriers to remedying discrimination
10. Stop source-of-income discrimination

The Act now awaits Senate passage so it can be sent to Governor Cuomo for his signature.

            “Our laws regarding women's rights are in desperate need of an upgrade,” Assemblywoman Russell said. “My daughter and women across New York deserve action on every single one of their rights – not just some of them. How long will the Senate make them wait?”

      In addition to fighting to pass the Women’s Equality Act, Assemblywoman Russell has championed numerous issues affecting women and families, including critical legislation to make high quality childcare more affordable. Russell, who was a member of the Assembly Child Care Work Group, noted that affordable childcare is critical to enabling working mothers to prosper in their careers and have the financial security necessary to meet the demands of being a parent.

     

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[1] http://www.iwpr.org/publications/pubs/the-gender-wage-gap-2012-1/

Budget makes critical investments in health care, services for seniors

            Assemblywoman Addie J. Russell (D-Theresa) announced that the 2014-15 state budget makes significant investments in health care by providing additional funding to services for seniors, protecting local pharmacies from harmful cuts and establishing new protections for patients and caregivers. It also provides a long-overdue cost of living increase of two percent to direct care workers.

Supporting Our Seniors

            The state budget provides $5 million for the Community Services for the Elderly (CSE) program, as well as $4.1 million for the expansion of eligibility for the Elderly Pharmaceutical Insurance Coverage (EPIC) program. The budget expands access to EPIC by increasing the income limit for the deductible plan from $35,000 to $75,000 for those who are single and $50,000 to $100,000 for those who are married.

            “The cost of prescription drugs can be overwhelming to seniors who live on fixed incomes and face rising costs for things like fuel and food,” Assemblywoman Russell said. “Expanding eligibility for the EPIC program will ensure that seniors can maintain a stable and dignified standard of living.”

Protecting Local Pharmacies

The final budget rejected a proposal in the executive budget that would have made damaging changes to the way the state’s Medicaid program reimburses pharmacies. Governor Cuomo had proposed setting the price of drugs in a manner that would have cut pharmacy revenue by more than $80 million, hurting small local and chain pharmacies, putting many stores at risk for closure.

“Rejecting this new reimbursement scheme is a major victory for North Country pharmacies that would not be able to absorb a cut of this magnitude,” Assemblywoman Russell said. “Had this gone through, pharmacies potentially would have had to cut services like home delivery that are vital in areas like the North Country.”

Safe Patient Handling

To better protect both patients and health care professionals, this year's budget establishes the Safe Patient Handling Act, an initiative that the Assembly has supported for many years. The Act would require healthcare facilities to establish committees that would design a specific program for safe patient handling. The finalized state budget calls for the implementation of the Act by certain healthcare facilities beginning on January 1, 2017.

“Safe patient handling practices seek to replace manual lifting and moving tasks with assistive devices to properly and safely transfer patients without injury to our loved ones or health care workers,” Assemblywoman Russell noted.

COLA for Caregivers of the Elderly and Disabled

            The state budget includes $13 million to support 2 percent salary increases for direct care workers, including those caring for those with disabilities at nonprofits licensed by the state. The first Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) will take place on Jan. 1, 2015, and the second increase will go into effect on April 1, 2015.

            “Direct care workers are entrusted with caring for our most vulnerable loved ones and deserve this increase, a reflection of our appreciation for the enormous responsibility they take on,” Assemblywoman Russell said.  “Providing these long-overdue COLAs will help efforts to adequately staff facilities with well-qualified personnel.”

           

Addressing Opiate Addiction

Further, to address the alarming rise in the use of opiates such as heroin, the state budget includes $2 million in increased funding to enhance services to deal with this crisis, including substance abuse treatment programs.

The North Country has seen a significant rise in opiate-related deaths and hospitalizations over the last several years, Assemblywoman Russell noted.

 “This truly a public health crisis and we need all the resources we can muster – from tougher penalties for drug traffickers to increased funding for treatment – to combat this deadly scourge.”

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Final budget addresses North Country priorities

Includes measures pushed by Assemblywoman Russell

            Assemblywoman Addie J. Russell (D-Theresa) announced that the state budget for SFY 2014-15 included several provisions based on pieces of legislation she authored addressing North Country priorities. The budget contains additional infrastructure funding, language authorizing the transfer of land from the St. Lawrence Psychiatric Center, measures to expand piggybacking on purchasing contracts between local entities and privacy protections for farmers, all of which Assemblywoman Russell fought to have included in the budget.

            The state budget includes $40 million in additional funding for the Consolidated Highway Improvement Program (CHIPS) for the purpose of aiding municipalities impacted by extreme winter weather. Earlier this year, Assemblywoman Russell sent a letter to the Speaker explaining that the exceptionally hard winter this year placed an extraordinary strain on municipal budgets, and that large expenditures on snow and ice mitigation depleted municipal funds, leaving little revenue for the rest of the year.

            “Damage from this year’s extreme winter weather is not only a nuisance but a public safety hazard,” Assemblywoman Russell said. “Without help from the state, local governments simply will not have the resources to make the critical investments in infrastructure that keep our roads safe and commerce moving.”

            To help municipalities reduce costs and operate more efficiently, Assemblywoman Russell fought to have legislation she authored to expand municipalities’ ability to share in purchasing contracts included in the final budget. The legislation builds on previous legislation authored by Assemblywoman Russell by allowing cooperative purchasing between local governments and federal, state or local governments elsewhere in the United States. The measure also allows other types of government entities to participate in purchasing contracts.

            “Local governments in the North Country have been leading the way in working together to increase efficiency and this legislation is just another tool in the toolbox of local officials so they can cut costs and lower taxes,” Assemblywoman Russell said.

            The budget also included language authored by Assemblywoman Russell authorizing the transfer of state land located on the St. Lawrence Psychiatric Center campus to the City of Ogdensburg.

            “There are several pieces of valuable land that can be added back on to the tax rolls and help spur economic development rather than sitting unused,” Assemblywoman Russell said.

“This builds on the hard work and success that the Ogdensburg community achieved in saving the Psych Center and will transform underutilized land into major community assets that can help revitalize the North Country's economy.”

            Additionally the budget included a measure to provide basic protections to farmers who voluntarily provide information to the New York State Cattle Health Assurance Program (NYSCHAP).

The program assists dairy and beef producers in implementing best management practices to help ensure public health and animal health as well as food safety and consumer confidence in the dairy and beef products.

North Country farmers want to adopt best practices that ensure the safety of consumers and their animals but need to be provided privacy protections to avoid potential lawsuits that could cripple their businesses, Assemblywoman Russell noted.

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