March 2012 State Voter

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STATE VOTER
The League of Women Voters of New York State March 2012
In This Issue
Betsey's Briefs LWVUS Convention Membership Public Relations Voter Services Member Issues and Advocacy Students Inside Albany Travel with the League Health Care Specialist Rpt League Merchandise for Sale Local League News Capitol Beat Blog Gifts to the League Transportation Specialist Rpt Pay Equity Issues Privilege of Being a League

etsey's Briefs - Betsey Swan, President

Vote 411 For 2012, the state League has paid for its Vote411 password and is in the process of entering preliminary information for US Senate and Congressional primary and general election races, with the exception of those in districts located entirely within New York City. It will also cover NYS Senate and Assembly primary and general election races, with the exception of those in districts located entirely within New York City. Read more here.

LWVUS Convention 2012 I have spoken with many League members who are excited about the upcoming LWVUS convention from June 8-12 in Washington, D.C. The listservs are buzzing, and Leagues are signing up for caucuses. LWVUS has proposed that PMP increase annually according to the Social Security COLA, which would bring the 2012-2013 PMP to $31.00. League President Betsey Swan sent a personal letter to the LWVUS board pointing out that the annual PMP increases since the last Social Security COLA had already far exceeded the 3.6% increase of the most recent one. Click here to see letter. The state League board feels a $1.00 LWVUS PMP increase is too high but has tabled further discussion about what action, if any, to take until its May meeting, by which time it should have had time to review the proposed budget. The Connecticut League has conducted a study of PMP in the state Leagues and prepared a position paper in opposition to the LWVUS PMP increase until the LWVUS has review the efficacy of all operations and expenditures. Click here to read letter from CT LWV to US Board. Connecticut will also host a caucus during convention and invites all delegates to attend. Click here to sign up for the US Convention listserve and join in the discussion on budget and issues prior to Convention.

Capitol Beat Blog

The League's Capitol Beat Blog, written by our Legislative Director, Barbara Bartoletti, is updated most weeks by Friday. Barbara provides interesting and informative comments about the current activities in the Legislature and Capitol. In this week's blog, Barbara discusses our Students Inside Albany Conference and the Budget process that just concluded. There is a link to the blog from the state League's website in the upper right corner of the page; just click on the link.

LWVUS Convention - June 2012

LWVUS Biennial Convention will be held in Washington, DC, from June 8-12, 2012. Click here for more information about the Convention. Each local League is entitled to send a specified number of delegates based on its membership numbers. If you are interested in attending Convention, contact your local League President. The LWVUS 2012-2014 Officers and Board of Directors, 2012-2013 Budget, Bylaw Amendments and 2012-2014 Program Agenda is determined at the LWVUS Convention. There are also plenty of workshops and networking with members from around the country. It's a great way to buld enthusiasm and energy for your local League leaders!

League Merchandise for Sale

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March 2012 State Voter

During this time of year, many local Leagues are honoring Sign up on the listserve to join the discussion on issues, retiring board members and officers. The state League has a budgets and more prior to Convention. number of items for sale that are perfect small gifts. We have mugs, crystal pins and note cards for members - and lawn G i f t s t o t h e L e a g u e signs, podium banners and pins for local Leagues. Check it Did you know that you can make a gift to the League, obtain out here. a current tax advantage, and receive income for life? We Help support your state League and honor your hardworking offer a vehicle with which to do this through the League's pooled income fund. Within certain parameters, you can members! choose which level of the League to benefit. For more information, contact Betsey@lwvny.org.

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Pay Equity Issues

Do you think women and people of color should be paid what And, don't forget about joining the 1919 Society, by including the LWVNYS in your will. If you already have included the their job titles would be worth if done by white men? League in your will, just let us know and we'll add you to the LWV Issues Co-Specialists for Pay Equity, Lois Haignere and members of the Society. We will not ask for either proof of Barbara Thomas, invite you to check out the information the bequest or its amount - we just want to honor your future they've posted in the Advocacy page of our website (click support. here). In February, our pay equity specialists, along with Barbara Bartoletti, met with the Assembly sponsor of the Fair You have worked so hard for the League for so many years. Why not help to ensure the future of the League by including Pay Act to talk strategy. support for the League in your will? Your donation can specify the Centennial Fund of the Education Foundation, a Travel with the League perpetually endowed fund, the general fund of the Education Foundation or the League. The process is simple, and we can help you with the correct language. Just contact Laura Do you like to travel? Ladd Bierman, Executive Director, LWVNYS, at Would you like to meet Laura@lwvny.org or by phone at 518-465-4162 for more and discuss political information or to join this new Society. issues with foreign officials when you travel? Then, Travel Concepts may be for you! This travel agency was developed by a League member and organizes tours around the globe with a interest in political issues. Also, your local and state League get a small donation when you travel with Travel Concepts. Check out their upcoming trips here.

2012 Students Inside Albany Conference

From March 25-28, students from across the state came to Albany for the LWVNYS Students Inside Albany Conference. In attendance were 54 high school students from Buffalo to Shelter Island. These students performed lobbying role playing with legislators, heard about the process for running for office, met with the producer and host of a political talk show, heard about education reform and budgeting from education union and lobbyists, and learned about the open meetings and FOIA requirements from Bob Freeman. The highlight of the program, as usual, was shadowing their Assemblymember and Senator for an afternoon each. These talented and informed students gave us great hope for the future of our society. Look for photos and more information on the Youth Page on the state League website.

Voter Services - Susan Multer

With primaries scheduled in April (President), June (Congress), September (NYS Legislature) and general election in November, election inspectors (aka poll workers) are needed. Your county Board of Elections does the training and

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March 2012 State Voter

reimbursement (which is a good source of income for your local League if donated). Contact your county Board of Elections for more information. Click here for a summary of responses from 32 local Leagues to the 2011 Voter Service Survey. Also click here for a list of 2012 Election Dates and Deadlines for registration, absentee ballots, etc.

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Issues and Advocacy - Sally Robinson

Legislative Packet The annual legislative packet was sent out to local League Presidents (by regular mail) and both Presidents and Action Chairs by e-mail. It includes four handouts on League positions from the Legislative Agenda - Campaign Finance Reform, Election Reform, Court Simplification and Hydraulic Fracturing - to possibly raise with your Legislators during lobby visits this term. If you have not already done so, please schedule a meeting with your local Legislators in their home office and then complete and return the attached Lobby Report form to the state League office by June 10. Redistricting Update On March 15th the Legislature passed both new state legislative district lines for 2012 and a proposed constitutional amendment establishing an independent commission for 2022. A joint statement with Citizens Union describing our support for the amendment and a FAQ on the amendment was sent to all members and is attached again to this Report. We supported the constitutional amendment because we believe that it affords an opportunity for structural reform to the process even though it falls short of our ideal, as often happens with legislative reforms in Albany. While we understand some Leagues may be concerned over this support in light of the disappointment many felt over both the gerrymandered 2012 lines and the failure to achieve an independent process for 2012, we believe that it is fully consistent with our position on redistricting. If you have any concerns or questions, please e-mail me at robintwins@gmail.com or call the state office. Congressional lines have been finalized by the federal court following a failure to reach an agreement by the state Legislature. The state legislative lines agreed to on March 15th will stand unless they are successfully challenged under either voting rights grounds or the Senate Democrat's litigation over the addition of a 63rd senate seat.

Transportation Specialist - Gladys Gifford

The NYS budget agreement, announced March 28, keeps faith with transportation needs in the State, including public transit. Special note is the one-year arrangement to distribute the revenue from the Corporate and Utilities Tax equitably across all public transit systems. Previously, these revenues had gone entirely to the NYC transit agency, MTA. However, this tax is collected state-wide, and Gov. Cuomo initiated the effort to distribute its revenues more fairly, i.e., state-wide, proportionate to population size served by public transit agencies. Appropriate action: urge legislative support to make this state-wide distribution permanent. The BRIDGE Act was passed by the Senate but died in Assembly; returned to Senate Finance committee, as S1071B. Reminder: this bill pushes NYS to abide by the law enacted in 1991, a "lock-box" which intended for the gasoline tax to be used for road and bridge repair and maintenance. Appropriate action: to urge support by all Assembly members. The budget agreement did mention the Tappan Zee Bridge. Excellent work is being done by the Westchester League, to insist that the process be transparent even while agreeing that a replacement bridge is necessary. However, the new bridge should include a public transit component in the final design. See the attached statement issued by the Westchester League, below. Well done, Westchester!

Health Care Specialist - Sally Dreslin

The joint legislative Health and Mental Hygiene Article VII budget bill (A9056-D/S6256-D) was released on March 27. Many private, and a few public, meetings and negotiations went into producing the agreed-upon health-related language from the Senate and Assembly. Here are some of the issues that we have been monitoring: The Health Benefit Exchange, which had been included in the Governor's budget proposal as well as the Assembly's budget bill, was not included. There may be an Executive Order to establish the Exchange, but that would impose restrictions on what type of entity the Exchange could be, and it remains to be seen how all of this will impact future federal funding of NY's Exchange. There were restorations to EPIC coverage and a limiting of the co-pay. The elimination of spousal refusal, which had been included in the Governor's budget proposal as well as the Senate's budget bill, was not included. The Safe Prescriptions initiatives related to making prescription drug information/counselling and labeling more accessible to those with limited English proficiency, were not included. (There is modified language that allows the Commissioner of Health and the Commissioner of Education to establish regulations requiring prescription forms have a opportunity to indicate if the patient is of limited English proficiency and if so, what their preferred language is.) The Health Impacts Assessment Study related to the impacts of gas extraction using high-volume hyrdaulic fracturing, which was included in the Assembly budget bill, was not included in the joint legislative budget language. The state take-over from the counties, of the cost of the growth in Medicaid expenses, was included. The process will follow the outline provided in the Governor's proposed budget, rather than the Senate or Assembly's, i.e. over three years (1% per year), beginning in April 2013. The Primary Care Service Corps Practitioner Loan Repayment Program, which was included in the Governor's proposed budget and the Assembly's budget bill, was included in the joint legislative budget language. This will provide loan forgiveness to non-physician practitioners who agree to work in underserved areas of New York.

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The Supportive Housing Development Fund has been included, although we'll have to review the details of the appropriation and the implementation.

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Public Relations - Arlene Hinkemeyer

I am pleased to say that as of mid-March, we now have a listserve up and running on the lwvny.org website for all LWV members who do the PR/publicity function in their local Leagues. Having been a chaperone at Students Inside Albany this March 25-28, I'm sending out a post-event sample news release to help Leagues publicize the program and their students who attended. It was a wonderful experience for all! Other PR information will follow.

Membership News - Georgia DeGregorio

In March, your State membership team, Georgia DeGregorio and Cheryl Feldman, met with leaders of the five Nassau Leagues, its ILO chair, Smithtown and The Hamptons leagues. We were invited in response to our February personal emails to all Presidents and Membership chairs. The essence of the discussion focused on what a Vision for each League could be in the two areas of membership and leadership; and what are the practical steps needed to accomplish this goal. Each attendee began to see that relatively small measures taken can result in major gains. However, it does take an intentional plan and reaching out to members and non-members alike to make it work. We concluded with each leader committing to taking these ideas back to their boards and developing a plan of "first steps" which will be discussed on the regional director's call next month. Cheryl and I welcome further invitations from other leagues and MAL units around the state who would like to address these concerns.

A Privilege of League Membership: Witnessing the Solemn and Joyful Rite of Becoming a U.S. Citizen
How does it feel to touch exuberant joy, to embrace pride? My recent experience is one I'd like to share with you. Every few years it is my privilege to represent the League of Women voters at Naturalization Court, to watch as people from all corners of the globe magically become part of the diverse fabric which makes up the citizenry of the United States. On December 7th, a wet and very windy day which was the 70th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor, Adelaide DiGiorgi and I entered the ceremonial courtroom of the Westchester County courthouse in White Plains and were immediately engulfed by the excitement and anticipation of those occupying almost every seat -- people of all generations several who were about to become citizens, many of whom were accompanied by friends and family. We were joined in our reserved front row seats by representatives of the Daughters of the American Revolution, including Rye LWV member Barbara Brunner, and also by Florence Glazer, representing the Jewish War Veterans. Although some of us had been here before, we all were struck by the impressive milestone which was to occur momentarily. And then the Court opened by proclamation and the ceremony began with Deputy County Clerk Susan Kiernan announcing to Supreme Court Justice Gerald Loehr, "Your Honor, I would like to introduce 121 new citizens who have been examined by the Immigration Services and have been found to comply with all the regulations." We all stood and watched as County Clerk Timothy Idoni administered the Oath of Allegiance, and then we joined the new citizens in the Pledge of Allegiance to our flag -- now also their flag! And it is at this moment that we felt the transcendent joy and pride surrounding everyone in the courtroom and, also, deep inside ourselves. Both Tim Idoni and Judge Loehr spoke movingly to the audience, welcoming them to "our democracy." The Judge referred to the history of the day, and to the responsibility of those who enjoy liberty, freedom and equality and how "we must not take these privileges lightly." The new citizens came to the podium and received their certification, and then the four of us greeted and congratulated each of the 121 new Americans, giving them first voters' guides, flag pins and small U.S. flags. They could now go into the entrance hall and apply for passports and register to vote -- and most did so! They came from every continent, and from so many countries: from Canada and Mexico; from Jamaica, Haiti, Guyana and Latin America; from eastern Europe, Belgium and the U.K.; from Morocco, Pakistan and India; and from the far East and the Phillipines. As Tim Idoni said, "America is the sum total of all her people and the object of our government is the well-being of all the people." An idealistic statement, perhaps, but one that we still believe after 235 years. Representing the LWV at this ceremony was a wonderful experience and I urge you to go if you have a chance. It is here that one can feel the optimism for our future. How precious is this thing called "citizenship," and how special that each of us can use it to make our democracy stronger for everyone! ---- Susan Weisfeld

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Local League News

The B.E.T. League and Rivertowns LWV co-sponsored a program on landmarking with Yonkers Committee for Smart Development entitled "Saving Our History: When, Where and Why to Landmark."The presentation featured speakers from the NYS Historic Preservation Office, NYC Historic District Council and a community activist and former B.E.T. League member who has been an applicant on five landmarks applications for historic areas of Yonkers. All three speakers emphasized that it is people who impact the decision to landmark. LWV of Brookhaven will host their Annual Luncheon, Saturday, April 28, at the Pita House, on Route 25A in Setauket. They will host speaker Carol Kessler, Chairman of Nuclear Non-Proliferation and National Security at Brookhaven National Laboratory. She will speak about the Lab's nuclear program, the problems with Fukashima from the earthquake, and efforts at non-proliferation. On March 14, LWV of The Hamptons presented the workshop, Running & Winning. This year's topic, Getting Out the Vote, resonated with students, elected officials, and League members in attendance. More than 40 juniors and seniors from Bridgehampton, East Hampton, Pierson, Southampton, and Westhampton high schools participated in the day's activities. The girls were introduced to and interviewed elected women officials from the towns of East Hampton (EH) and Southampton. During the workshop, students met in groups, choosing tasks among themselves including that of candidate, campaign manager, communications chair, fundraiser, speech writer, to create a brief presentation. Their two-minute presentations on how to encourage young people to vote were thoughtful and inspiring.

The LWV of Rye, Rye Brook and Port Chester is holding a forum on April 26 on State Mandates and Mandate Relief with LWVNYS Barbara Bartoletti moderating a panel of experts including Rob Astorino, Westchester County Executive; Sandy Galef, New York State Assemblywoman, District 90; Joan Feinstein, Mayor, Village of Rye Brook; Peter Mustich, Superintendent, Rye Neck School District; Stephen Acquario, Executive Director, NY Association of Counties; Harry Wilson, Advocate for Pension Reform. After a 15-month campaign, LWV Chautauqua has been successful in getting its County Legislature to establish a fairly independent redistricting committee--two legislators and six community members, including someone from the League. This is not perfect, but a great improvement over the original committee of 5 legislators (3R, 2D) whose plan the League helped defeat The White Plains LWV will hold their Running & Winning program on April 17th. The keynote speaker will be Madeline Kunin, former Governor of Vermont. The League is very excited that young people will be exposed to this worthy project and exposed to the League as well. On March 22, in honor of Women's History month, Smithtown LWV presented "Women's Rights...Struggle for the Right to Vote!" Presenter Bruce Kagan took the audience on a journey back in time to learn how early women's rights pioneers won basic rights for women in America. LWV of Tompkins County celebrated Women's History Month by presenting a screening of the HBO movie, IRON JAWED ANGELS, at Tompkins County Public Library, on Saturday, March 24, 2012. The movie tells the true story of activists, Alice Paul and Lucy Burns, who took the women's suffrage movement by storm risking their lives, marriages and friendships in support of the 19th Amendment. On March 22, LWV of Port Washington-Manhasset, held a panel on hydrofracking and all its many aspects. Panelists were gathered to discuss both the "pro's" and "con's," of this controversial issue. On Monday, February 27, representatives from all Leagues in Nassau County converged on the County Legislature at 1550 Franklin Ave, Mineola to present a petition calling on the Legislators to follow their own Charter, Section 113 that calls for the appointment of a Temporary Advisory Commission. LWV of Port Washington-Manhasset and other groups, asked for an independent, non-partisan commission to be convened that is transparent, geographically diverse and representative of the population of Nassau County. LWV of Broome and Tioga Counties presented A Picture of Health Care in New York: What's Developing? This discussion of current issues facing access to health care and long term care was held March 27th The presentation included panelists; Robin Carroll and Peggy Schadt, Southern Tier Independence Center, Greg Catarella, Levene Gouldin & Thompson, LLP, President of the Broome County Bar Association, Lenore Boris, Associate Dean, SUNY Upstate Medical University, Binghamton Campus Dr Garabed A. Fattal, Administrator, Community Free Clinic. The Saratoga LWV will hold a program on Increasing Voter Participation Monday, April 30th The program will discuss why New York has one of the lowest voter participation in the nation, and address some of the reforms that have been enacted in other states and whether they would be useful to implement in NYS. The Smithtown LWV will be holding a presentation on Increasing Voter Participation on April 12th.

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On March 26th the Syracuse LWV, held their 2nd forum on public education, Creating an Equitable Funding System for Our Students and Our Taxpayers. The panel of experts included Professor John Yinger, Department of Public Administration and Economics, Maxwell School - SU, Dr. Richard Timbs, Executive Director, Statewide School Finance Consortium Sylvia Matusek, NYSUT Board Member, Former Teacher, President North Syracuse Teachers Association, Suzanne Slack, Chief Financial Officer, Syracuse City School District, Tanika Jones, Syracuse Lead Organizer, Alliance for Quality Education. The forum was moderated by Professor Grant Reeher, Director, Campbell Institute of Public Affairs, SU. Ahmad Yusufi, Schenectady Fair Housing Program coordinator; a representative of Key Bank, and Schenectady Mayor Gary McCarthy talked to the League of Women Voters of Schenectady County (LWVSC) about Schenectady's current efforts to encourage medium and upper income people to purchase and rehabilitate homes in low to moderate income neighborhoods as part of a community development effort. Saratoga LWVwill be holding their Annual Breakfast meeting June 2nd. The guest speaker will be Tracey Brooks, Esq., President and CEO of Family Planning Advocates; the topic will be Political Influences on Women's Health. Discussion will be on the federal Affordable Care Act, and the NYS health insurance exchange. On March 1, the Rochester Metro LWV presented a program featuring Brett Davidsen, of WHEC 10 and Sean Carroll of 13 WHAM. These notable investigative reporters shared their experiences and the impact of the "Sunshine Laws" on their work. The "Sunshine Laws" guarantee the right of the public to obtain government-held information and the right of the public to attend government meetings. It was an interesting evening! On April 18th, the LWV of NYC is sponsoring a discussion on "CHECKBOOK POLITICS" Is Democracy for sale? Have the Super Pacs taken control of the electoral process? Can the onslaught of monies that have come to dominate elections since the Supreme Court's decision in Citizens United be reversed? The 12th Annual Students Inside Albany conference was a great success! Fifty-four students from thirty-four local Leagues attended the three day conference. The students toured the Capitol, shadowed their legislators and heard from many interesting speakers.

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Don't forget to send your newsletter, photos and event announcements to the state League office (by email or regular mail); we want to include information from all leagues!

Susan B. Anthony Musical Tribute

"Only the Message Matters" Music and Lyrics honoring Susan B. Anthony
CDs available with a portion of sales donated to the LWVNYS The song cycle/narrative, written by Bob Warren, focuses of Susan's early influences, her arrest for voting in the election of 1872 and subsequent trial. Bob Warren delivers a poignant musical exploration into the life and spirit of Susan B. Anthony with "Only the Message Mattered." Mr. Warren takes listeners on a journey that is as significant spiritually as it is socially. With its breathtaking harmonies and hauntingly beautiful melodies, the music is seamlessly interwoven with historical dialogue that leaves audiences of all ages and genders informed and enlightened. (click here for purchase info)

QUICK LINKS State League Website Join the League Find Your Elected Official Donate to LWVNYS Donate to League's Education Foundation State League Facebook Page Travel with the League

League of Women Voters of New York State 62 Grand Street, Albany, NY 12207 Tel: 518-465-4162 FAX: 518-465-0812 Email: lwvny@lwvny.org Website: www.lwvny.org
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League of W om en Vot s ofNYS | 62 Gr er and St eet| Al r bany |NY |12207

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