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June 6, 2008
GENDA PASSES IN ASSEMBLY
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Transgender advocates Melissa Sklarz and Joann Prinzivalli celebrate post-vote |
After five years of stalling, on Tuesday the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act (A-6584A) passed in the Assembly by a bipartisan vote of 108-34. The Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act (GENDA) would bar bias based on gender identity and expression in employment, housing, public accommodations, and access to credit. For a full roll-call vote, click here. To thank your Assembly member for voting "yes," click here.
"This bill protects a group of people particularly and viciously singled out for violence and hurtful discrimination," said Dick Gottfried, the bill's chief sponsor before the spirited hour long discussion. "The time is overdue for New York as a state to come for a vote on GENDA." Gottfried credited advocates for pushing to bring this bill forward. Members of the Empire State Pride Agenda, Housing Works and the Transgender Rights Organization have been working this year to get GENDA passed in the Assembly and were on hand to watch the debate unfold and celebrate the victory...
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ACTION ALERT: TELL CONGRESS TO KEEP MORATORIUM ON ALL CMS REGULATIONS!
case management
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Rep. Obey needs to make sure Medicaid case management funding continues |
Earlier this spring, both the House and Senate voted by veto-proof margins to delay seven harmful Center for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS) rules until April 2009. But now in an attempt to save a few dollars, Congress—led by House appropriations chair Rep Dave Obey (D-WI)—is considering changes that would only impose the delay of implementation of some, not all, of the regulations, and targeted case management would be on the chopping block. One of the many negative effects of this is that COBRA case management would be completely gutted. Since COBRA, which provide crucial psychosocial case management for low-income people living with AIDS and HIV, hasn't seen a rate increase in more than a decade, most COBRA programs are already in deficit.
Contact our representatives today and tell them to make sure CMS keeps all Medicaid regulations in place. Along with case management on the chopping block are certain essential services provided in outpatient settings, such as vision screening, administration of vaccinations and rehabilitation services, as well as the state's ability to levy taxes on health care providers as a way to finance Medicaid programs...
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NONCONSENSUAL
universal testing principles
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Offering HIV tests should be a part of every doctor's routine |
Advocates are working furiously to make sure that when the state Assembly health committee votes to overhaul Article 27-f this session that written informed consent and pre-and post-test counseling remain an integral part of HIV testing. Article 27-f is the HIV testing and consent law in New York that protects the confidentiality and privacy of anyone who has been tested for or exposed to HIV.
Two competing bills will be up for a vote on Tuesday, June 10—bill A.11461 created by the New York State Department of Health, and introduced by health committee chair Dick Gottfried, and bill A.4813, introduced by Assembly member Nettie Mayersohn...
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ACTION ALERT: TELL CONGRESS TO LIFT NEX BAN!
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Tell Congress syringe exchange saves lives! |
It's been almost a year since Congress lifted the ban on the use of local tax dollars for syringe exchange in Washington, D.C., and now is the time for Congress to take the next logical (and ethical) step and end the ban on federally funding syringe exchange programs.
Rep. José Serrano (D-N.Y.) plans to introduce a bill to end the federal ban this session, marking the first time in more than a decade that Congress has made a real effort to lift this cruel and deadly ban once and for all. But Congress needs to show as much support as possible. So far Serrano, Jerrold Nadler, Edolphus Towns and Yvette Clark are the only members of the New York delegation to sign on. Let's increase participation! Call your representatives, and ask them to demonstrate their support by signing a letter to House leadership...
Read the rest: "ACTION ALERT: TELL CONGRESS TO LIFT NEX BAN!"