Empire Justice Center 2012 Legislative and Executive Agenda

January 10, 2012

Author: Kristin Brown Lilley

Budget Items:

1.  Continue funding the Managed Care Consumer Assistance Program (MCCAP) at $1.767 million to help low income seniors access their prescription drugs and to maximize New York’s use of the federal Medicare Part D program.  More Information
 
2.  Help low income disabled New Yorkers achieve financial stability and draw down federal dollars to be spent in local communities by funding the Disability Advocacy Program at $5.74 million.  More Information

3.  Maintain New York’s commitment to access to justice: support funding for civil legal services in the OCA budget and continue state legislative funding at last year’s level.

4.  Ensure that homeowners at risk of foreclosure have somewhere to turn to help them save their homes: fully fund the Foreclosure Prevention Services Program.  More Information

5.  Provide critical work support and child development resources for low income working New Yorkers by funding child care assistance: hold the New York State Block Grant harmless at last year’s level - replace any loss of TANF contingency funding with state funds; increase the total of all child care funding by 10% and take the first steps in setting consistent statewide standards for eligibility, co-pays and provider reimbursement rates;  and prioritize child care dollars for parents with jobs by waiving the federal work requirement for parents of children under 2 years old.  More Information

6.  Improve accountability and transparency in hospital indigent care payments by linking payments to hospital costs for patients receiving financial assistance.  More Information

7.  Develop a Health Exchange design that integrates public program eligibility with subsidies for private insurance and maximizes assistance to low-income New Yorkers not eligible for public health insurance or the Exchange.  More Information 

8.  Work to ensure that the critical Safety Net programs struggling New Yorkers rely on are not eroded.

Substantive Items:

1.  Instill transparency in the foreclosure process by requiring verification of standing to sue at the commencement of a foreclosure action.  S.697A/A.629B  More Information

2.  Eliminate the finger imaging requirement for all Food Stamp applicants through Executive Order.  More Information

3.  Streamline administration of public assistance applications and address inequities for disabled applicants by setting a uniform auto resource limit for all.  A.2956/S.410  More Information

4.  Develop and implement ways to identify and provide protections for disabled New Yorkers to enable them to better navigate the welfare eligibility and work rules processes.

5.  Provide notice and transparency to Public Assistance applicants by providing a yearly accounting showing how much they owe on the mortgage lien taken on their homes in return for receipt of assistance.  More Information

6.  Address shortcomings in the state laws intended to protect children from lead poisoning by enacting legislation that would assure that communities have the tools and authority to inspect housing for lead hazards; public funds are not used to pay rent in housing that contains lead hazards; landlords are able to obtain insurance to protect themselves from liability when their housing has been made lead-safe; and families buying or renting housing in New York State are fairly advised of any history of prior lead hazards.

7.  Ensure that all parties understand their rights and responsibilities by providing translation of orders of protection for petitioners and respondents in Article VII proceedings. A.6113/S.1870

8.  Bar insurers from sending medical information to a domestic violence victim’s abuser when they hold the policy. 1031B/A.3387B  More Information

9.  Ensure access to a comprehensive health benefit package for low-income New Yorkers: This would include the Basic Health Plan, Medicaid Redesign Team (MRT) recommendations for evidence-based review of existing services, MRT initiative to expand Medicaid Managed Care, and advocacy to revise charity care funding to create better incentives for hospitals to provide charity care.  More Information