Please join us this week (November 16 – 20) for a Week of Action to demand that Governor Cuomo sign critical bills including the Protect Our Courts Act, the Drivers License Suspension Reform Act, the Contact Tracing Confidentiality Act, and the Proximity Bill. Each of these bills would play an important role in protecting Black, brown, poor, and immigrant New Yorkers during an unprecedented public health and economic crisis. More information on each bill is below.

 

The Drivers License Suspension Reform Act would end New York’s cruel and counterproductive practice of suspending a person’s driver’s license when they don’t pay a traffic fine or answer a traffic ticket, a practice that disproportionately impacts Black and brown communities and the communities hardest hit by COVID-19.  The DLSRA will allow people to get back to work and keep them and their communities safe.

The Contact Tracing Confidentiality Act would prohibit police or immigration enforcement from having access to contact tracing data, protecting the confidentiality of contact tracing data and limiting its use to public health purposes.

The Proximity Bill would require the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS) to move incarcerated parents to the NY State prison closest to their children after security level, health, and programming needs are met. 80,000 children have a parent incarcerated in one of New York’s 52 prisons. Since prisons are located all over the state, distance is a major barrier for families to visit, particularly during the pandemic. Maintaining family ties through visits has benefits for those incarcerated, their children and families, corrections, and communities.

The Protect Our Courts Act would ensure equal access for immigrants to courts by preventing ICE from arresting people attending court without a warrant. Since 2016, there has been a 1700% increase in ICE operations at courthouses across the state creating a chilling effect that prevented immigrant New Yorkers from accessing court resources.  By signing POCA into law, the Governor can provide some relief to immigrant communities that have been greatly affected by COVID19.

Hope to see you Wednesday at the press conference and every day this week on Twitter!