I am assisting getting the first Monroe and Wayne Counties meeting together so we can choose a leader for our counties.  Alexandra  is the leader for our area  Since this meeting covers 2 counties I selected a location that we do not need reservations for and is open 24/7 that we should all be familiar with.  The date will be Friday May 8th 2015.  Location is:
Wegmans 6600 Pittsford Palmyra Rd Fairport, NY 14450
Please RSVP  at flahertybm@gmail.com so I know how many to expect.
Thank you
Brian    


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YOUR ACTION IS URGENTLY NEEDED! There is a set of bills in the NYS Legislature that would allow patients to die from lack of treatment even if patient or their families want treatment! Don't wait until you or your loved one is being denied desperately needed treatment: Take a stand today, before it's too late!

CONTACT YOUR SENATOR TODAY to oppose S 4796, S 4794, S 4795, and S 4791. Your Senator can be reached through the Senate switchboard at 518.455.2800 or email http://www.nysenate.gov/ Please request a WRITTEN response from them stating their position! 

S 4796(Hannon)/A 6966(Gottfried), related to Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) orders
The language of S 4796 would allow physicians to disregard the patients/family wishes in seeking to impose a DNR order. A physician could impose a DNR Further, the standard for physicians is subjective (not objective like a medical malpractice standard.) If two doctors simply claim they have made their judgment a reasonable degree of medical certainty, that claim cannot be successfully challenged by anyone, no matter how clearly inaccurate it is. In this instance, the language used is unacceptably broad and chips away at the rights of the patient and their surrogate.

S 4794(Hannon)/A 674(Rosenthal), related to starvation and dehydration of a patient
Current law protects patients who have completed a health care proxy document appointing a health care agent from being starved or dehydrated to death unless they have specifically authorized it. S 4794 would allow health care agents to decide to starve and dehydrate patients based on judgments by the health care agent even if the agent does not know the patient’s wishes. Removing this protection will lead to patients being starved and dehydrated to death, having had no opportunity to express their wishes in that circumstance.

S 4795(Hannon)/A 2775(Pretlow), related to overriding family direction for treatment
Currently, when a surrogate directs provision of life-preserving treatment, the health care provider must give it pending transfer or judicial review. This bill would allow the provider to deny treatment while the surrogate seeks judicial review. Very possibly, therefore, the patient could die before the surrogate can even get to court. Moreover, the health care provider need only make diligent efforts to notify the surrogate prior to implementing the decision to deny treatment- so the surrogate may not even know of the denial in time to challenge it. A health care provider who contends that the patient had rejected the treatment the surrogate directed may present that evidence to the court, which, if persuaded, can then override the surrogate’s direction. A surrogate may well have evidence to offer that the health care provider misinterpreted the patient’s direction, or that the patient later expressed a contrary desire for the treatment the surrogate directed.

The new language would require only that the physician seeking to deny treatment recall the patient expressing orally (in front of the physician and another witness) or in writing a decision regarding life-sustaining treatment. There is no requirement that a notation be made in the patients file at the time of the conversation.

A competent patient who in fact wishes to reject life-saving treatment can do so in a written advance directive, which under NY law has a variety of safeguards such as warning statements and a requirement of witnesses. Health care providers certainly could advise their patients of this option at the time they allegedly state they want to reject treatment. But under the law, any writing rejecting treatment, lacking witnesses or informed consent safeguards is sufficient to let a health care provider override a family health care decision to provide treatment.

S 4791(Hannon)/A 6936(Clark), related to parental notice before a minor child is denied treatment
S 4791 would add language to existing law to require only that a hospital a diligent efforts to notify a parent of an emancipated minor patient before withholding or withdrawing life-sustaining treatment. Even when a difficult family situation or a child who is a minor should not be abetted in throwing away his or her young life without the opportunity, at least, for parental input.


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The PROPERTY TAX CAP law expires July 1, 2015 and needs be renewed. In 2011 the Assembly and the NYS Senate linked NYC Rent control to the Upstate, Long Island 2 percent property tax cap and combined them into one law; it was the only to get the votes needed to pass it. There are bills to renew rent control, but NOT the tax cap. Currently under the tax cap max increase of 2 percent or inflation whichever is greater (Note pension costs and court judgments are not included in the cap) School districts must hold an election in May and get a 3/5 vote of those voting to override their tax cap. Cities, Towns, Villages and Counties only must hold a public hearing in November/December and get 3/5 vote of their town board, city council, County legislative body, or board of supervisors.
Email your Senator http://www.nysenate.gov/ and Assemblyperson http://assembly.state.ny.us/ and ask them to renew the property tax cap by linking it again with rent control and allow voters to vote on Election Day on City, Town, Village, and County tax cap overrides as they currently vote on any school district tax cap overrides in May.
The tax cap will be gone, if the NYS State legislature session ends in a few weeks without renewing renew it. We should expect major property tax increases if the cap is allowed to expire!
-------------------------Sample Email----------------------------------------------------
Hon Senator/Assemblyman  (their name)
   As voter in your district I request you renew the property tax cap by linking it once again with rent control's renewal and change it to allow voters to vote on Election Day on City, Town, Village, and County tax cap overrides as they currently vote on any school district tax cap overrides in May.
Sincerely,
Your name
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The initial meeting of the Albany, Columbia, Greene, Fulton, Montgomery, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Schenectady, Schoharie, and Washington counties Divide NYS Caucus will be held Tues Apr 14 7PM. Please join us at VFW 8692 at 140 VFW Drive (just off Rte 155, New Karner Rd), Colonie, NY Albany zip 12205 The first meeting will be a simple meet and greet for volunteers and coordinators to meet and discuss our basic platform. We will have our first official business meeting during which county leaders for leaderless counties will be selected.


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The initial meeting of the Genesee & Wyoming counties Divide NYS Caucus will be held on Saturday April 18th @6p.m at coffee culture in batavia n.y the address is 6 court street, batavia n.y. 14020. All are welcome, the first meeting will be a simple meet and greet for volunteers and coordinators to meet and discuss our basic platform. We will have our first official business meeting during which county leaders will be chosen and basic literature will be distributed. Please s...hare this and spread the word. I have heard countless people complain since last election about how senseless it is for upstate and nyc to be combined. Their rants have gone on and on about how unfair it is.... well now it's time to WAKE UP and TAKE ACTION! I want to see every nys citizen who complains about Cuomo at coffee culture on the 18th. If you're SICK and TIRED of paying for nyc, tired of high taxes and cost of living, sick of supporting the welfare state of nyc, sick of watching the power produced in western ny via wind and water shipped directly downstate, sick of Cuomo and common core and the safe act....????? Your not alone! come on the 18th and lets band together stop complaining and start changing. Alone we are just 1 person, but standing together united we are an unstoppable force of change which will start to move upstate in a progressive, positive direction and leave nyc in its stagnant non sustainable patterns. Please share