Rep. Ritchie Torres announces plan to build 30 charging stations in Bronx

New York Health Act bill reintroduced

State Sen. Gustavo Rivera and Assemblywoman Amy Paulin of Assembly District 88 announced July 7 they are reintroducing the New York Health Act. The bill would lower the costs of health care for a large portion of New York residents in an effort to provide comprehensive healthcare to all of its residents.

“Health care is fundamental to our lives yet too many cannot access or afford care, so I am committed to making sure that every resident in this state gets the care they need and deserve,” Rivera said.

“We also need a simplified system. New Yorkers are overly burdened by rising premiums, changing deductibles, co-pays, restrictive provider networks, out-of-network charges, coverage gaps, and denials of coverage,” Paulin said.

The bill would expand healthcare coverage to include mental health, maternal care, long term care and more.

Rivera and Paulin, both Health Committee chairs have made amendments to the original bill in response to stakeholders input.

Dinowitz encourages climate change bill

In the aftermath of last month’s worst air pollution in the city’s history and this month’s hottest day on Earth in recorded history, Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz is putting pressure on legislators to pass the Climate Change Superfund Act.

The bill, in which he is a co-sponsor of with Manhattan state Sen. Liz Krueger, would make it so that companies responsible for some of the biggest buildup of climate-warming gasses in the atmosphere would have to shoulder some of the costs in dealing with climate change.

“It is clear who is most responsible for the imminent climate change threat we face — fossil fuel companies. For decades they have been knowingly polluting our atmosphere to maximize their profits, and they continue to do so.

In the first quarter of this year, Saudi Aramco made almost $32 billion in profits, with U.S.-based Exxon Mobil, Shell, and Chevron racking up over $27 billion combined,” Dinowitz said in a recent prepared statement.