URGING FEDERAL FUNDING FOR NEW YORK STATE & LOCAL GOVERNMENTS AND TO SUPPORT LOWER & HIGHER EDUCATION

New York State is in desperate need of federal assistance to help pay for essential state government services, including assistance to local governments, lower & higher education, food banks, hospitals and health care providers to help during this loss of anticipated revenues. I support Governor Cuomo’s fight to ensure the next federal stimulus bill includes direct funding to help our state and our local governments make it through this unprecedented pandemic and its impact on our revenues. I am also urging Congress to include direct aid for lower and higher education in the next federal stimulus package. 

To this end, on April 21st, I collaborated on a letter with Senator John Liu, Chair of the NYC Education Committee, and Senator Toby Stavisky, Chair of Higher Education to New York's Congressional Delegation, urging the delegation to secure additional funding for lower & higher education as well as local & state governments, and to ensure that the funding is apportioned to reflect the pandemic's inordinate impact on New York.

The letter states:

We need you as our warriors on Capitol Hill to fight for the $500 billion aid package to state governments advocated by our Governor along with the bipartisan National Governors Association. Extraordinary federal aid has been secured for major industries and small businesses; similar aid without stipulated restrictions is needed by state and local governments to ensure that vital public sector workers who run our hospital, transportation, school, and public safety systems can continue their indispensable efforts for all New Yorkers. Furthermore, the federal funds must be apportioned to states based on need and COVID-19 prevalence, and not based on overall population headcounts as earlier rounds of COVID-19 aid had been allocated. New York is the epicenter of the public health disaster in our nation and we should be receiving federal aid proportionate to that reality.

In addition, we urge you to add substantially to the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund in the next bill, so that New York’s public school students will have sufficient resources to recover from school closures and COVID- related challenges - and so our districts get the funds in order to meet those needs. 

Click here to read the full letter. The letter was supported by a bipartisan group of my Senate colleagues.

SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL FOOD PANTRY

Many members of our community are struggling to meet basic needs during this time due to unemployment or loss of income. More and more families are relying on their local food pantry to get by. If you are able, please contribute by donating goods or monetary donations to your local food pantry.

The Feeding Westchester website is a great resource to locate a food pantry in your area if you or your family need assistance or if you would like to contribute. You can also donate directly to Feeding Westchester by clicking here . Thank you to all of those who are working or volunteering to help feed our neighbors during this time of great need.

VOTE BY MAIL:

PRIMARY ELECTION DATE ON JUNE 23RD

On April 24th, Governor Andrew Cuomo issued Executive Order 202.23 requiring the Board of Elections to post-mail an Absentee Ballot Application to all registered voters eligible to vote in the June 23rd Primary Election.

The application for an absentee ballot will arrive along with a pre-stamped envelope for voters to return to the County Board of Elections. You can also email your Absentee Ballot Application to the Westchester County Board of Elections at [email protected]. To download the Absentee Ballot Application, click here.

After the Absentee Ballot Application is processed by the County Board of Elections, the ballot for the June 23rd Primary Election will be sent to the voter in the mail. Your vote is your voice, make sure to send back your ballot!

VIRTUAL UPDATE WITH

NONPROFIT WESTCHESTER

Nonprofit Westchester Virtual Update with

State Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins

& State Senator Shelley B. Mayer

Monday, May 11, 2020 — 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Click here to RSVP.

(Those who RSVP will receive a link to join in advance.)

This will be an important meeting to discuss:

FREE E-TUTORING FOR YONKERS PUBLIC SCHOOLS STUDENTS

Are you interested in tutoring a student of the Yonkers Public Schools during this time of distance learning? Or do you need a tutor to help your child in Yonkers? JCY-Westchester Community Partners (JCY) has mobilized its arsenal of trained volunteers to offer free e-tutoring for Yonkers Public Schools students.

If you are interested in becoming an e-tutor,  apply here.

If you are seeking a tutor for a child, register here.

SHOWING APPRECIATION FOR DIRECT CARE WORKERS

Direct care workers serve some of the most vulnerable members of our society at group homes throughout the 37th Senate District. I am deeply appreciative to the direct care workers of Westchester Jewish Community Services (WJCS), ARC of Westchester, CPWestchester and all of our not-for-profit agencies for their continued service and sacrifice as “essential workers” in the face of this pandemic. To show my gratitude, I have been donating lunch to group homes throughout the district from local restaurants that are still open & offering take-out/delivery—like Deanna’s Pizzeria in New Rochelle, Sal’s Pizza in Mamaroneck, and Pizza 2000 in Harrison.

DONATING MASKS

On Wednesday, April 29th, donating masks to ECAP with members of the NY National Guard.

I am deeply grateful for all that staff members and volunteers at food pantries in our communities are doing to help and feed our neighbors. I donated over 1,000 masks to be distributed by Hagua Port Chester, the Eastchester Community Action Partnership (ECAP) in Tuckahoe and the Ridgeway Alliance Food Pantry in White Plains.

On Saturday, April 26th, donating masks to the volunteers at the Ridgeway Alliance Food Pantry in White Plains.