Latest news with #NYStateSenate
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Erin's Angels re-introduces a bill to help protect children
PHOENIX, N.Y. (WSYR-TV) — April is Child Abuse Awareness Month, and the Phoenix non-profit Erin's Angels is re-introducing a bill in remembrance of Erin Maxwell. The 11-year-old was murdered by her step-brother in their Palermo home in 2008. Erin's Angels advisory committee is urging lawmakers to pass the Children's Bill of Rights this time around. NY State Senate Bill 2009-S1510, also known as Erin's Law, was first introduced by Senator DeFrancisco in 2009. The bill never passed and has since been renamed to the Children's Bill of Rights. 'Right now, the minimum standards for care for children in New York State is abysmally low,' said Sheila Dion, founder and director of Erin's Angels. The bill aims to raise those standards — ensuring that children have access to clean water, sufficient food, proper bedding, hygiene, and other basic necessities. 'If you look at the statistics in Oswego County, our abuse, neglect, and maltreatment rate is three times the state rate. I don't see that changing without the introduction or the passage of this bill,' said Jackie Flint, president of the board of directors for Erin's Angels. The bill would also strengthen penalties for crimes against children under 14, including heavier sentences for people like Erin Maxwell's step-brother, Alan Jones. Jones served nearly nine years in prison for killing Erin. He was released in 2018 and now walks free. 'Meanwhile she's not here anymore, and that's atrocious. Shame on us as a community,' said Dion. If passed, the bill would make the aggravated murder of a child a Class A-1 felony, carrying a sentence of life imprisonment without parole. 'Our advisory committee doesn't want life to go on anymore. We want to stop it right here and say, 'No, these minimum standards of care need to be increased. They need to be raised. We need to protect these kids with this law.' And so we're asking for support from the community to sign our petition,' said Dion. Dion said about 1,500 people have signed the petition so far. She's hoping to get 10,000 signatures by September. There are also many concerns if the bill doesn't pass. 'I think we're going to see a lot of the same outcomes. As you look, just since Erin Maxwell's death, we've had three more tragedies just in Oswego County alone,' said Flint. The petition can be found here. NewsChannel 9 reached out to Senator Chris Ryan's office for an update on the bill. We're still waiting to hear back. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
12-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Senate Dems slammed for trying to ‘water down' Gov. Hochul's school smartphone ban: ‘Almost meaningless'
Backers of Gov. Kathy Hochul's proposed 'bell-to-bell' ban on the use of smartphones in schools are calling out Democrats in the state Senate for pushing to 'water down' the proposal. Hochul's plan would forbid students from using smartphones during the entire school day, but the Senate's proposed budget resolution would only ban cell phone usage during classroom or 'instructional time.' The Senate's proposal would leave it to school districts to determine whether or not they want to outlaw cell phone usage outside the classroom or during non-instructional periods. 'We are very disappointed by the NY State Senate watering down the Governor's cell phone proposal to make it almost meaningless,' said Phone Free NY founder Raj Goyle. 'The kids of New York desperately need protection from screens to protect their mental health and learning at school. We will work tirelessly to advocate for a bell to bell ban that is the only way to truly help our kids.' Many schools in the state already have a policy forbidding cell phone use during class time only, according to those who support the more extensive all day school ban. Supporters of a bell-to-bell ban on mobile phone usage plan to ramp up their advocacy to persuade senators to get on board, sources said. Hochul, too, said Tuesday she is 'committed to fighting for a bell-to-bell' smartphone ban. 'This is what the experts say, this is what the parents want, this is what the teachers want,' Hochul said during a press event in Albany. Allowing students to use their phones outside class will cause disruptions in the classroom, the governor said. 'If the student had it banned during the class, then they have it during recess, and then they come back and the next teacher has to be the enforcer. And then the next teacher after gym class has to be the enforcer,' Hochul said. 'It'll be wildly, wildly distracting,' she said, 'even more so for the teachers.' But Sen. John Liu, who chairs the committee overseeing New York City schools, defended the Senate proposal requiring only a ban for classroom instruction as reasonable and fair. He noted that some schools have already established their cell phone policy that stops short of a bell-to-ban, and they should have the 'flexibility' to continue it. Liu said it was 'only fair' to give other school districts the same flexibility on whether to extend the phone ban beyond classroom instruction. Based on conversations, he anticipates the New York City public school system will impose a broader bell-to-bell ban. Hochul and state lawmakers are expected to hash out their differences before the state budget is adopted, anticipated by April 1. There's a real difference of opinion. State Education Commissioner Betty Rosa recently said she favors local control and advised lawmakers to seek input from parents and students in each district before implementing a ban. Rosa's opposition to an Albany-dictated phone policy coupled with the Senate resistance shows there's 'a real fight' over the issue, a source who backs a more extensive ban said.
