Assembly passes bill providing exemption for Jefferson County Correctional Facility

            Assemblywoman Addie J. Russell (D-Theresa) announced that the Assembly passed legislation today to help resolve custodial issues for pre-arraigned suspects held at the Metro-Jefferson Public Safety Building. The bill allows suspects from jurisdictions in Jefferson County other than the sheriff's department to use the jail to house suspects awaiting arraignment (A. 9520).

            “This legislation is one piece of the puzzle for resolving this issue and bringing the city and county into compliance with statewide standards,” Assemblywoman Russell said. “Enabling the continued use of the facility for short amounts of time, coupled with recent measures that provide for more regular night arraignment of suspects, will enable the city and county to move forward as efficiently as possible.”

            The exemption is necessary due to a provision of state corrections law that prohibits municipal arrestees from being held in county facilities prior to going before a judge. As an emergency stopgap measure, pre-arraigned suspects are currently being detained in two hastily refurbished holding cells in the City Court wing of City Hall. The exemption that passed today would help eliminate the need for this arrangement, which requires additional police resources and could lead to increased overtime expenditures.

To ensure that suspects are arraigned in a timely manner in accordance with state law, the state Office of Court Administration has provided for three town justices to act as City Court judges to provide overnight and weekend arraignments of suspects as needed to facilitate following the state’s rules on the matter.

The bill, which has passed the state Senate and will now be sent to the governor, will place Jefferson County among fourteen other counties that have received similar exemptions from the statute under Municipal Home Rule legislation, to allow for cost savings between levels of local government.

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Legislation to increase business opportunities for service-disabled veterans becomes law

             Assemblywoman Addie J. Russell (D-Theresa) announced legislation she sponsored to increase business opportunities for service-disabled veterans was signed by the governor today (Ch. 22 of 2014). The Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Business Act sets a 6 percent participation goal in the awarding of state contracts to service-disabled veteran-owned businesses.

            “Our veterans have a wealth of skills that make them ideal business partners for the state of New York,” Assemblywoman Russell said. “This legislation is a major step forward in our mission to help create economic opportunities for veterans who have made such monumental sacrifices on our behalf.”

            The Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Business Act will establish the Division of Service-Disabled Veterans’ Business Development within the Office of General Services (OGS). OGS would coordinate training of procurement personnel with an emphasis on increased responsiveness to the needs of service-disabled veteran-owned businesses. The Office would also provide advice, technical assistance and promote service-disabled veterans’ owned businesses understanding of state procurement procedures to increase participation.

            There are more than 900,000 veterans in New York State and over 19,000 reside in Jefferson and St. Lawrence counties.^[1]  In addition, New York has the fourth highest number of veteran owned small businesses in the country.

            “It is a privilege to represent so many veterans here in the North Country, and with that privilege comes the responsibility of ensuring we honor their sacrifice by supporting them in their civilian lives,” Assemblywoman Russell said. “This unprecedented legislation supports our vets by providing one of the most critical ingredients to a person’s well-being–gainful employment.”

For a small business to qualify, it must be at least 51 percent owned by a service-disabled veteran who controls the day-to-day operations. Eligible veterans must have at least a 10% compensation rating and have received an honorable or general discharge.

Additional information about the program can be found at veterans.ny.gov/business.  

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[1] http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/36000.html

Assemblywoman Russell helps pass legislation to strengthen campus safety

Assemblywoman Addie J. Russell (D-Theresa) announced the passage of legislation she sponsored to strengthen the 1999 Campus Safety Act by requiring colleges and universities to report violent felonies and missing students to law enforcement within 24 hours of an incident (A.2089-B). Russell noted that this legislation is crucial to dealing with violent felonies, such as sexual assaults, that have remained an intractable problem on college campuses across the nation.

            “Sexual assault on college campuses is an epidemic that has no place in our society and will no longer be tolerated,” Assemblywoman Russell said. “This bill, with clear and specific reporting requirements, ensures our colleges and universities act swiftly to protect students and provide victims with justice.”

            The legislation updates the Act by requiring all colleges and universities to report all violent felonies and missing persons to local law enforcement no more than 24 hours after the incident is reported to the college or university itself. To protect confidentiality, the bill incorporates applicable components of the federal Campus Sexual Assault Victims Bill of Rights, which gives victim of a sexual offense the right to decide whether or not to report such an offense to local law enforcement.

           

Research indicates that sexual assault on college campuses is chronically underreported. Studies show that one in five women are sexually assaulted while they are in college, however, just 12 percent of such attacks are reported.[1] In most cases, the victim’s attacker is an acquaintance, classmate or former boyfriend.[2]

             “As parents, we work to instill values in our children that compel them to stand up to these horrible crimes and do the right thing,” Assemblywoman Russell said. “It is our responsibility to put laws in place that provide a meaningful response when claims are made and ensure that perpetrators are brought to justice.”

In recognition of the need to reduce sexual assault on college campuses, the White House and federal legislators have recently made efforts to raise awareness of this often underreported crime. A PSA was recently released in which male celebrities encouraged men to be a part of the solution to the problem. To view the video and find additional resources regarding enforcement data and other sexual assault resources visit www.NotAlone.gov.

           

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We have provided a low resolution file (MP4) for previewing or non-broadcast use and a high resolution file (MPEG 2) to download for broadcast.  Each link will direct you to a web page with instructions for previewing or downloading the files.  Please note you probably won't be able to play the broadcast file within your web browser.

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For technical questions regarding the video file, please contact NYS Assembly Radio TV at 518-455-4557.

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[1] nytimes.com/2014/04/29/us/tougher-battle-on-sex-assault-on-campus-urged.html

[2] ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/221153.pdf

Assemblywoman Russell introduces legislation to resolve Jefferson County Correctional Facility issue

           “I have introduced a bill in the Assembly to accompany legislation in the Senate to help resolve the issue and have been assured it will be taken up by the Corrections Committee in the coming weeks. This legislation is one piece of the solution that, along with other measures undertaken by the city and county, will help to put this issue behind them.

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Russell helps pass bill to protect North Country waters

             Assemblywoman Addie J. Russell (D-Theresa) announced that she helped pass legislation to protect precious North Country waterways from harmful plastic microbeads used in cosmetic and personal care products that have been found in alarming concentrations in the Great Lakes (A.8744).

            “The North Country relies on natural resources like the St. Lawrence River and Lake Ontario to drive tourism and economic development,” Assemblywoman Russell said. “This sensible legislation nips the problem in the bud before it does serious harm to wildlife and becomes increasingly expensive to fix.”

Assemblywoman Russell noted that several companies including Johnson & Johnson and Proctor & Gamble have already committed to voluntarily cease the use of plastic microbeads in their products.  Other companies, such as Burt’s Bees, use nonplastic alternatives like powdered pecan shells.

            Products like facial scrubs, soaps and some toothpastes contain thousands of polyethylene and polypropylene micro-plastic particles, ranging from 50-500 microns, or ½ mm in diameter. Many sewage treatment facilities do not capture synthetic, floating particles the size of microbeads.

Studies have shown that pollutants like PCBs, DDT, and PBDEs (flame retardants) are likely to be absorbed by plastics like microbeads. When microbeads are eaten by fish, these pollutants enter the food supply, endangering human health.

During the summer of 2012, the 5 Gyres Institute, in collaboration with SUNY Fredonia, collected 21 samples of the lake surface in three of the Great Lakes: Huron, Superior and Erie. These downstream samples contained more plastic particles than any of the over 400 ocean samples the Institute collected. The highest concentrations of micro-plastics were observed in Lake Erie, and accounted for about 90% of the total plastics found.

“There are numerous natural replacements that can be used in these products without jeopardizing the natural resources that are so vital to our community,” Assemblywoman Russell said. “By taking action now, we can preserve the health and vitality of our waters and prevent costly cleanup efforts down the road.”

            The legislation prohibits the sale of products containing plastic microbeads beginning January 1, 2016. Products containing microbeads that are regulated by the United States Food and Drug Administration can be sold until January 1, 2017.

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