Tom Duane Speaks!
Duane pushing for 30 percent rent cap legislation, the future of which is stalled
With Albany in flux this week, rumors abounded about the AIDS community’s biggest ally Sen. Tom Duane. On Thursday, Duane spoke to the Update about the question marks surrounding GENDA and the 30 percent rent cap legislation. Duane told the Update that he planned to bring the Gender Expression Nondiscrimination Act (GENDA) to the floor this week, but the “plans got derailed” by the Senate coup.
“I had seen the published vote count and time was running short. I decided to get it on the floor and get it on the vote,” Duane said. “It’s unfortunate my plans were derailed by steps beyond my control. I just don’t know what the future holds.” GENDA would outlaw discrimination on the basis of gender identity and expression statewide.
Duane also said despite conjecturing otherwise, that he’s sticking with the Democrats. “Today I am a Democrat and Malcolm Smith is my leader,” Duane said. “Just because I don’t attend one press conference doesn’t mean I’m leaving the conference.”
Some AIDS advocates said they’ll follow Duane wherever he may go.
“He’s still going to carry our bills,” said New York City AIDS Housing Network member Robert Tolbert. “I support him, no matter his party affiliation.”
Tolbert was on the steps of the Capitol Wednesday promoting one of the other bills sponsored by Duane, the 30 percent rent cap legislation. But this bill (S02664 and A02565) is facing another hurdle, apart from Senate mayhem. The Human Resources Administration and the Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance created a last minute analysis claiming that only 72 HASA clients are evicted per year and that the bill would cost the City and State $28 million.
This analysis sharply contradicts an in-depth analysis by Ginny Shubert at Shubert Botein Associates, which shows a cost savings of $19 million.
The City and State analysis includes numerous errors. For example, HASA’s estimate of the amount of arrears paid every year for HASA clients is nearly 60 percent less than actual rent arrears payments revealed by a FOIL request response in 2008.
The bill was one of the few that passed through the Senate Social Services Committee because an analysis by Shubert Botein Associates showed an actual cost savings to the legislation.
Duane said he will look into the City and State’s analysis but is skeptical of its outcome. “I believe that Ginny Shubert’s analysis is extremely accurate and objective,” Duane said.
What about the City?
And with Albany not working, what will happen to the potential AIDS cuts in New York City? The short answer is they could get worse. If Albany remains paralyzed, the State can’t vote to approve new City sales and business taxes. If this revenue is unavailable, the City will be forced to make further cuts to the budget—which is bad news for AIDS services.
Despite the already heinous cuts to AIDS housing and nutrition, the majority of dollars for HIV services comes from City Council’s discretionary funding, which has yet to be allocated.
Posted on June 12, 2009 at 1:39 am
Share
Donate Today
Join our healing community by becoming a member today
