“We send our deepest condolences to the family of Joseph Charles, the co-founder of Sesame Flyers, upon his recent passing. Mr. Charles was a truly great community leader and advocate for our youth, whose generosity and altruism we will not soon forget. As Flatbush says goodbye to this great leader, we strive to honor his memory by reaffirming our dedication to improving our communities and serving our youth.”

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

The movement to improve our communities starts with you. Over the past few weeks, I have met with many of you as we work together for that purpose.

I am particularly excited for my new role as the Chairman of Assemblywoman Rhoda Jacobs' Community Advisory Council, an avenue through which local residents and activists can make their voices and concerns heard by decision makers in Albany. After nearly 70 people from Flatbush, East Flatbush and Midwood attended the first of many Community Advisory Council meetings, we divided into subcommittees and got to work addressing issues involving quality-of-life, housing, social services, and the economy/job development. I invite you to contact Assemblywoman Jacobs' office at718-434-0446 if you are interested in joining the team. 

I am inspired by the diverse group of leaders who came together to share their visions for our neighborhoods, and I am optimistic about the tasks we can accomplish if we continue to work together for the good of our communities.

In the meantime, I've put together this online newsletter to help keep you informed about what's going on in our communities. I hope this information is helpful to you and your families, and I look forward to continuing to partner with you as we work to make our communities better.

Sincerely,
L. Rickie Tulloch



B44 Select Bus Update: Avenue L and Nostrand Avenue Select Bus Stop Installation is Expected to be Completed on April 21st

L. Rickie Tulloch is pleased to announce that the MTA tentatively expects to complete the installation of a Select Bus Stop along the B44 Bus Line at Avenue L and Nostrand Avenue by Monday, April 21st.

The MTA’s addition of this stop to the B44 Select Bus Line comes in response to community advocacy earlier this year, in particular, a petition developed by Tulloch and Assemblywoman Rhoda Jacobs, which garnered over 400 signatures from around the community.

"The addition of the Avenue L Select Bus Stop is a great victory for our neighborhood and goes to show that community voices can make a difference," Tulloch said, noting that "Assemblywoman Jacobs and I will continue to monitor the situation as these changes are implemented."

The New York State Budget Passes

The New York State budget was passed late Monday night marking the fourth year in a row New York passed an on-time budget. Please see below for key components of the budget: 

EDUCATION AND HIGHER EDUCATION

Statewide Universal Full-Day Pre-Kindergarten: The Budget builds upon the success of the first-ever State-funded full-day pre-kindergarten program by committing to invest $1.5 billion over five years to support the phase-in of a Statewide Universal Full-Day Pre-Kindergarten program. “While this is a great accomplishment,”Tulloch emphasized, “It is important to continue working to ensure that funding for universal pre-kindergarten is sustainable beyond five years.” 

New York City Schools: The 2014-15 state budget allocates more than $8.6 billion to New York City schools, an increase of over $435 million more than last year and more than $203.2 million over the executive budget proposal.

SUNY/CUNY: The budget will provide $10.4 billion for SUNY and $4.3 billion for CUNY.

Tuition Assistance Program and Educational Opportunity Programs: The budgets increase the Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) award by $165 per eligible student and the budget includes $102 million for EOP, an increase of $4.2 million.

HEALTH

Protecting Consumers from Surprise Medical Bills: The Budget includes landmark changes designed to protect consumers against the financial nightmare of surprise medical bills from out-of-network physicians. Most importantly, it takes the consumer out of the middle of billing disputes between out-of-network medical physicians and health insurers, and holds the consumer harmless from out-of-network costs in the case of emergencies and surprise bills. 

Salary Increase for Direct Care Workers: The Budget includes $13 million growing to $122 million to support a 2% salary increase for direct care workers on January 1, 2015 and another 2% salary increase on April 1, 2015 to the lowest paid direct care workers.

CHILDREN AND FAMILIES

Early Intervention: The Legislature ensured $3.9 million was added to the budget to reimburse Early Intervention providers who were not compensated for services last year due to problems related to the transition to a central billing system overseen by the New York State Department of Health.

Increase Access to Quality, Affordable Child Care: $34 million was provided for more than 4,500 additional subsidized child care slots; earned income of teenagers under 18 is disregarded in the household for the purposes of determining a family’s child care subsidy eligibility; and child care providers are required to post their most recent inspection report in a prominent place.

HOUSING

Tenants' Programs: Restores $742,000 in funding for the New York City Housing Authority Tenant Watch Program. In addition, the budget increases the income limit for the Senior Citizen Rent Increase Exemption (SCRIE) from $29,000 to $50,000 for a two-year period.

SENIORS

Senior Citizen Rent Increase Exemption (SCRIE) Program: $1.2 million to increase the income limit from $29,000 to $50,000 for a two year period.

EPIC: A $4.1 million increase for the Elderly Pharmaceutical Insurance Coverage Program (EPIC) to pay for and increase in the income eligibility for EPIC. The new income eligibility expands from $35,000 to $75,000 for individuals and $50,000 to $100,000 for couples.

For additional information on the enacted 2014-15 New York State budget, please log on to: http://assembly.state.ny.us/Reports/WAM/20140331/.

The 70th Precinct Welcomes a New Commanding Officer

After serving more than 2 years as the Commanding Officer of the 70th Precinct, Inspector Eric Rodriguez has been given a new assignment to the Applicant Processing Division. Replacing Inspector Rodriguez will be Deputy Inspector Richard DiBlasio (pictured left).

Deputy Inspector DiBlasio was appointed to the New York City Police Department in April 1987. Deputy Inspector DiBlasio has served in the 63, 84, 61 and 68 Precincts; as well as Patrol Borough Brooklyn South. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management from Brooklyn College.

L. Rickie Tulloch is pleased to announce that the MTA tentatively expects to complete the installation of a Select Bus Stop along the B44 Bus Line at Avenue L and Nostrand Avenue by Monday, April 21st.

The MTA’s addition of this stop to the B44 Select Bus Line comes in response to community advocacy earlier this year, in particular, a petition developed by Tulloch and Assemblywoman Rhoda Jacobs, which garnered over 400 signatures from around the community.

"The addition of the Avenue L Select Bus Stop is a great victory for our neighborhood and goes to show that community voices can make a difference," Tulloch said, noting that "Assemblywoman Jacobs and I will continue to monitor the situation as these changes are implemented."

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE SEE THE FOLLOWING NEWS ARTICLES ABOUT TULLOCH'S EFFORTS IN PARTNERSHIP WITH ASSEMBLYWOMAN JACOBS AND THE SURROUNDING COMMUNITY:

http://www.homereporternews.com/news/general/traffic-cams-to-be-installed-along-b-route/article_8345ec90-b6c3-11e3-8001-001a4bcf887a.html

http://www.homereporternews.com/news/general/mta-responds-to-community-concerns-about-the-b/article_80aacc0e-95ca-11e3-adfe-001a4bcf887a.html

http://www.homereporternews.com/news/general/b-select-bus-service-is-too-selective-say-residents/article_30dec31c-8f6f-11e3-b3cd-001a4bcf887a.html