Good morning. Today is Friday. Today we are going to look at some of the major bills that were passed by the State Legislature during a time of confusion at the end of session. And we’ll see why Harvey Weinstein, perhaps the original #MeToo abuser, will be in jail.
It seems surprising that when the legislative session ended, New York lawmakers focused on strengthening the state’s gun control measures and protecting abortion. New York already has some of the strictest gun restrictions in the United States, and Roe v. Wade’s rights are enshrined in state law. since 2019.
But Democrats, who control both the state Senate and Congress, feel pressure to take additional steps as Republican-controlled legislatures elsewhere work to relax loosening gun restrictions, banning abortion and eroding the right to vote, my colleagues Luis Ferré-Sadurni and Grace Ashford report.
“Obviously at the federal level, they’re in a state of paralysis,” said Representative Linda B. Rosenthal, a Democrat from Manhattan. “But there’s still a lot of work to be done to make sure against any weird ideas that every other state might have.”
However, Council speaker Carl Heastie said “a real call to action by the federal government must also happen”.
Other Democratic Party priorities, such as strengthen protections against deportation, stalled. And Heastie herself has come under pressure from her fellow Democrats as time goes on to pass a number of bills in another area where New York is seeking to lead the country: climate and the environment. Final efforts to push them through were still underway early Friday. f
Guns: New license required and armor ban for most civilians
New York became the first state to enact gun-related laws after mass shootings in Buffalo and Texas left a total of 31 people dead.
One bill minimum age increase to buy a semi-automatic rifle to 21 (Buffalo gunner is 18). Other measures would ban most civilians from buying bulletproof vests (The Buffalo shooter wore one) and modified the so-called state’s red flag law.
Another measure paves the way for “micro-stamping” of boxes with a unique alphanumeric code to help authorities identify the gun as the bullet.
New York, already ban military-style assault rifles, will also require a license for those new to longguns. That means a background check and safety course is required before purchasing a semi-automatic rifle.
Prepare for the wave of women from other states seeking abortions
Faced with a Supreme Court ruling that could knock out Roe and Wade, Democratic leaders have united in support a package of bills meant to protect abortion providers.
A bill that would significantly limit the ability of New York law enforcement agencies to cooperate in criminal or civil cases in states where abortion is already restricted. Others aim to make sure doctors have access to malpractice insurance and aren’t hit with professional misconduct charges when serving patients from states where abortion is a crime.
A climate bill returned from the dead. Other down the line.
A growing segment of state Democrats say that New York is slow down when passing new rule needed to avert the worst effects of climate change and achieve the ambitious goals set out in the 2019 climate law to phase out fossil fuels. Increased public pressure late Thursday helped spur the passage of a first-of-its-kind national bill to slow the development of crypto hubs, which had previously stalled in the Senate. And after midnight in Congress, advocates are still pushing a similar campaign to force a vote on a bill to allow the state power body to build publicly owned renewable energy projects in addition to private companies. But Heastie, the speaker, was adamant in blocking a bill that would block fossil fuel hook-up in new buildings, which gas companies oppose.
Strengthening of voting rights protections that have fallen across the country
John Lewis Voting Rights Act passed on Thursday resulted in a similarly named federal bill that would restore portions of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which had gutted by the Supreme Court.
New York measure restores court oversight of election processes in areas with discriminatory records, requires more translation of election materials into languages other than English and protect voters from obstruction or intimidation.
An attempt to catch up on the repairs backlog in public housing
Lawmakers passed a bill to unlock several billion dollars for the New York City Housing Authority, which, my colleague, Mihir Zaveri report, required a staggering $40 billion to repair and renovate the nation’s largest public housing system. This measure allows the government to lease 25,000 apartments to a new unit so that it can borrow money, protecting the interests of tenants.
Weather
More showers and areas of fog are forecast early in the morning, but clouds will separate for a sunny day near 80. Partly cloudy in the evening, with temperatures dropping to around 60 as low as possible.
PARKING OUTSIDE
Valid until Monday (Shavuot).
Latest New York News
In one of the original #MeToo cases, Weinstein’s conviction was
Even as the verdict is disputed in the civil case of Johnny Depp and Amber Heard, which some see as a blow to the movement to increase accountability for sexual harassment and abusers. , a New York appeals court upheld the criminal conviction that, perhaps more than any other, it was seen as a symbol of the #MeToo era.
On Thursday, the court upheld Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 conviction on sex charges. Here is my colleague, Jonah E. Bromwich reportraises the possibility that Weinstein, a disgraced film producer, will receive a substantial portion of his 23-year prison sentence.
The court rejected Weinstein’s main argument: The jury should not have heard three women testify that the producer assaulted them in cases in which he was never charged.
But Judge Angela M. Mazzarelli unanimously wrote that the women provided “helpful information” into Weinstein’s conduct. The judge said they had demonstrated that Weinstein did not consider his victims “romantic partners or friends” and that “his goal was always to position women in a way that he could. have sex with them, and whether the woman consents or not has nothing to do with him. “
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg said the appeals court upheld “a major verdict that has changed the way prosecutors and courts approach complex prosecutions of sexual predators.” .
However, an attorney for Weinstein, Barry Kamins, said he would appeal the decision to New York’s highest court, the Court of Appeals. It is not automatic that the court will handle it.
Report on Weinstein’s sexual abuse of women appeared in The New York Times in the fall of 2017, led dozens of others to talk about their own experiences and eventually ignited what became known as the #MeToo movement, a global denial of sexual misconduct by people powerful men.
In 2020, the jury found Weinstein guilty of two felonies: first-degree sex offense and third-degree rape. He was acquitted of two counts of predatory sexual assault. He is awaiting trial in Los Angeles for crimes including forcible rape and forced oral intercourse.
METROPOLITAN . Diary
Quiet city
Dear Diary:
The city is quiet now
The husky voices of the day are quiet
A car is speeding on the highway
The last reveler returns home
This magical time is before dawn
The click of a shoe on the sidewalk
A sound is rarely heard and only then
Market stalls pack and put away
Coffee brewed at Starbucks all night
Please put the cappuccino in a real cup
A window seat to watch
Citizens’ vanguard
The subway web is starting to tingle now
Outsiders are coming
The key holders open their shops
When the eastern sky shows red-tinted clouds
People see movement behind the storefront
Prepare for the coming flood
The city wakes up, stretches and yawns
Soon the train will bring you love
There’s still time to breathe fresher air
Walking slowly on empty sidewalks
And fascinated by this new side
Of the magical city by the sea.
– Ted Bishop
Illustrated by Agnes Lee. Send submissions here and Read more Metropolitan Diary here.
