1st Edition July 2022

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Contents

(in no particular order)

Devocalization of Pets (NY) Recall a District Attorney (NY) Discrimination in Housing (NY) Jail the Adulterer? (NY) Free College Credit for those 65+ (NY) Quiz Yourself - US Constitution Government to remove people with communicable diseases from the general population (NY) Did you know private bills can exempt people from citizenship requirements (Congress) Reduce Stillborns in the US (Congress)

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About me, mag & contact info

Based on my background in government, teaching and communications I believe in 3 pillars as the foundation for any discussion (1) Educate yourself, (2) Communicate with others, and (3) Reciprocate respectfully. If we follow these pillars - if we educate ourselves, let our voices be heard in an environment of mutual respect for those in office, those seeking office or those with differing opinions, then we can make a more perfect union.

A couple of notes . . . In this magazine I intentionally leave off the name/ Party affiliation of the person who introduced the bill as we are more than our Party – we are Americans looking for responsible government that represents us. Too often when we hear legislation has been proposed by the opposite Party we close our ears or immediately discount it. I do not want that to happen. Only during my podcast will this information be revealed. Here is to the power of people to have the knowledge to know how hard their representatives work to represent them in government.

Email: KnowTheIssuesWithLisaVallone@gmail.com Podcast on Most Platforms: Know The Issues With Lisa Vallone Website: KnowTheIssues.com

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I’m Lisa Vallone. I have been involved with politics & government since my pre-teen years. The majority of my involvement centered around my role as a consultant to help various Party Chairs learn how to run more effective campaigns based on issues as well as training candidates on how to communicate constructively with those in their district. This led me to running for office myself, winning and proudly becoming the voice of my constituents. All of my experience has led me to this platform as I believe it is time we all more extensively educate ourselves on what bills are being considered for law on the State and Federal level. Afterall, we Americans need more than broad stroke concepts with no real meat of the issue for us to digest. We value the efforts of those elected officials and candidates who reach out with Town meetings and other measures to let us know what they are doing or plan to do in office. And we believe they are in the majority.

But, we must seek out every avenue to let our Representatives hear our voice so they can better represent us in government.

How Much Do You Know About the Constitution? (answers on pgs 17-18) 1.

Constitution Day is celebrated on: a. July 4th b. Sept 17th

2. Jacob Shallus penned the document with a few spelling errors.

The below is one of the most notable errors a.

The word “Jefferson” was spelled “Jeffersen”

b.

The word “Pennsylvania” was spelled “Pensylvania”

3. The US Constitution contains 4400 words this makes it the a.

shortest constitution of any major govt

b.

The longest constitution of any major govt

4. The Constitution did not include requirements for the right to vote. Which of these groups were the first to vote a.

Native Americans

b.

African Americans

c.

Women

d. White male property owners e. White male non-property owners 4

5. Some delegates felt the Constitution needed to have a Bill of Rights and so they refused to sign the document.

They are Edmund Randolph, Elbridge Gerry and a.

George Mason

b.

George Washington

6. The Words “United States of America” were first used in the US Constitution a.

True

b.

False

7. If Delegate James Wilson had his way there would not have been an Electoral College as the President would be chosen by popular vote a.

True

b.

False

8. The word “democracy” is found 18 times in the Constitution a.

True

b.

False

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Devocalization of Pets Pet lovers take note: Currently there is Bill S1125 which, if passed, will restrict the performance of surgical devocalization procedures on dogs and cats to medical necessity.

The bill reads “Dogs and cats vocalize for a number of reasons.

They use their voices to communicate to other animals and humans feelings of happiness, fear, playfulness, boredom, pain, or aggression. Vocalizing is also used to greet or warn others, or to get attention. A person does an animal great physical and psychological pain. Devocalization, also known as ventriculocordectomy, debarking, devoicing, or bark softening, is a surgical procedure which resects

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or removes tissues in the vocal cords of an animal.

There are two approaches to the procedure; one which seeks to alter the vocal cords through the oral cavity, and another that does so directly into the larynx. Each procedure imposes postoperative pain and potential complications, and can cause future respiratory issues in the animal. Often the procedures result in only altering the voice or pitch of an animal's voice, instead of softening or eliminating it altogether. The animal may even resume a near-normal voice within several months of the procedure. Devocalization has been restricted to medically necessary circumstances by statute in Massachusetts and NJ and been similarly outlawed in many other countries including the United Kingdom, Greece, and Sweden.

How do you feel about this - want to be my podcast guest?

Email me at KnowTheIssuesWithLisaVallone@gmail.com and I will book you on the podcast. It’s free!

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If I were an Elected Official I would . . . introduce a bill to keep the cap on individuals contributing to campaigns but eliminate the ability for businesses and organizations to contribute.

- Tommy, Age 60 Albany, NY (If you would like your idea in this mag just email KnowTheIssuesWithLisa Vallone@gmail.com) 8

Reduce America’s Stillborn Rate

HR7011 would, if passed, support stillbirth prevention and research. The CDC states that 1 in 169 births are affected by stillbirth each year in the US. In fact, the number of stillbirths per year is 10 times higher than the number of deaths due to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). And. a study by Wall-Wieler found “the risk of severe maternal morbidity among stillbirth deliveries was more than fourfold higher and is significantly associated with maternal mortality. Although so much progress has been made in the medical field of late, there has been no real decline in stillbirths in recent years.

This bill would provide for evidence-based programs and activities and outcome research to reduce the incidence of stillbirth. It does not reflect how much funding would be needed to make this bill successful, if passed, but hopefully that information will be shared soon.

How do you feel about this - want to be my podcast guest?

Email me at KnowTheIssuesWithLisaVallone@gmail.com and I will book you on the podcast. It’s free!

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Senate Bill S3686 If passed will permits persons 65 years of age or older to enroll in a limited number

65+ Earn College Credit for Free

of state university and city university courses for credit without tuition. That means if you are 65 or over you can receive up to a maximum of nine credit hours per semester for courses taken at the State University of New York at no charge,

How do you feel about this bill - let me know on fb at facebook.com/ KnowTheIssues 10

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on a space available basis.

How do you feel about S9484 to provide for the recall of a district attorney Quoted directly from the bill: “This Constitutional amendment would provide a process by which electors can remove a district attorney from office.

Soft on crime district attorneys across the country have put criminals interests before law-a-biding citizens. This is no

District Attorney sent a memo days after taking office instructing prosecutors to avoid seeking jail time for all but the most serious crimes.

This amendment seeks to hold a district attorney accountable for their policies once they take office and provides the electorate with a mechanism to remove a district attorney that has lost the public's trust or provided a dereliction of duty.

Under current law, the Governor has the power to remove a district attorney from office. This amendment would put that power back in the hands of the people.”

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more evident than in New York County where the sitting

A loophole in Immigration Status?

“In Congress public bills can be introduced that pertain to matters that affect the general public and private bills can be introduced that affect certain individuals and organizations.

There are only 2 types of private bills - (1) those dealing with claims against the United States and (2) those exempting individuals from certain immigration and naturalization requirements where there is an extraordinary circumstance.

mean in terms of immigration?

Well to give you an example in 1934 there was a Memorandum regarding the constitutionality of legislation to confer citizenship upon Albert Einstein and it was found that in The Constitution, Article I, Section 8, Clause 4 provides that: The Congress shall have Power . . . to establish a uniform Rule of Naturalization . . . . as defined by the Supreme Court as the act of adopting a foreigner, and clothing him with the privileges of a native citizen. And from that they found that only someone of Albert Einstein’s qualifications would fit the definition of extraordinary.

So how has this definition been used of late?

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What does the phrase extraordinary circumstance

Well, as a reference point, HR 1548 was a private bill that was introduced for the expressed purpose of allowing two people to become lawful permanent residents. Both are illegal aliens having come over to the United States illegally from Mexico – one having been deported back and is now once again in America. According to this bill the husband is an employed union worker. Neither has any known criminal record. They have 2 children with health issues – one with asthma and the other has epilepsy. It is based on their character and the medical needs of their children that they are being considered

Do you believe these people fall under extraordinary circumstances based on their children’s medical condition or do you think it is a way to get around immigration laws? And before you answer please know that there are about 3.4 million people with epilepsy nationwide and 1 in 12 children has asthma.

Of note, the bill it mentions that it could increase direct spending and reduce revenues because lawful permanent residents are eligible for certain federal benefits, such as Medicaid and premium tax credits for health insurance purchased through the marketplaces established by the Affordable Care Act. 13

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for citizenship under the extraordinary circumstances clause.

Detained in NY for the Good of the General Public?

Sitting on NY Governor’s desk is A416 an act for removing cases, contacts and carriers of communicable diseases that are potentially dangerous to the public health. The bill reads this action will only take if the Governor declares a State of Emergency due to an epidemic of any communicable disease where the Governor and his/her Commissioner deem you to be an “imminent and significant threat to the public health resulting in severe morbidity or high morbidity.” But upon reading the bill further, it doesn’t just limit itself to diseases as the bill summary chemicals or radioactive material. And upon further reading the person(s) has no rebuttal or legal recourse until after the person(s) is detained.

Are you in support or against this legislation? Please let me know if you would like to be on the podcast to discuss it by emailing KnowTheIssuesWithLisaVallone@gmail.com. Below are excerpts from that bill: • “ Such person or group of persons shall be detained in a medical facility or other appropriate facility or premises designated by the Governor or his or her delegee” • “ A notice advising the person or group being detained that they have the right to request release from detention and including instructions on how such request shall be made”

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states it also applies to people who have been contaminated with

• “A notice advising the person or group being detained that they have a right to be represented by legal counsel and access to counsel will be facilitated to the extent feasible under the circumstances” • “A notice advising the person or group being detained that they may supply the addresses and our telephone numbers of friends and relatives to receive notification that they are being detained, to the extent feasible.”

• Person or persons “shall not leave or attempt to leave such facility or premises until he or she is discharged pursuant to this section”

may have been exposed or infected by a contagious disease or who may have been exposed to or contaminated with dangerous amounts of radioactive materials or toxic chemicals” • “To require an individual who has been exposed to or infected by a contagious disease to complete an appropriate, prescribed course of treatment, preventive medication or vaccination.

Require an individual who has been contaminated with dangerous amounts of radioactive materials or toxic chemicals such that said individual may present a danger to others, to undergo decontamination procedures deemed necessary by the department.”

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• “Require the testing or medical examination of persons who

Should adultery be a criminal offense?

NYS Assembly Bill A11073, is an act to repeal section 255.17 of the penal law relating to the crime of adultery. The bill made it to the Governor to sign but as of today NYS is still one of only 17 states that still makes it a crime punishable by a fine or imprisonment for committing a sexual act with one that is not your spouse. Adultery in NYS is classified as a Class B misdemeanor and is punishable with up to three months in jail or one year of probation.

While adultery in most cases will not effect alimony or child

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support it at times can have an affect on property distribution if the judge finds one party has spent considerably on a lover outside the marriage.

How do you feel about this bill?

Want to talk about it on my podcast? Email KnowTheIssuesWithLisaVallone@gmail.com.

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Answers to “How Well Do You Know” 1.

Constitution Day is celebrated on: b. September 17th the day it was signed

2. It was Jacob Shallus who penned . . . . b. The word “Pennsylvania” was spelled wrong

3. The US Constitution contains 4400 words this . . . a. The shortest written constitution

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4. The Constitution did not include requirements . . . d. White Male Property Owners Of note: • White male non-property owners were given the right to vote in the majority of states by the 1828 Presidential election.

• African Americans were granted the right to vote through the 14th Amendment in 1868 but still faced problems at the polls for many years to come.

• Women were given the right to vote through the 19th Amendment on August 18, 1920.

• Native Americans were not considered full US citizens until the passing of the Snyder Act in 1924 and therefore could not vote

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5. Not every delegate was in favor of . . . a. George Mason

6. The Words “United States of America” were first . . b. False. On Sept 9, 1776, the Second Continental Congress adopted the words “United States of America” 7. If Delegate James Wilson . . . a.

True

b.

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8. The word “democracy” is . . .

False

Of note the word democracy does not show up even once in the US Constitution

Scoring 10 correct - you are a Framer of the Constitution 7- 9 correct - you are a Colonist 0 - 6 correct - you might be visiting from England and still catching up on our ways

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Equal Protection Under the Law

Attention Lawmakers According to New York State Civil Rights Law Article 2-A Section 18-19 owners of publicly-aided housing , cannot refuse to rent or lease or otherwise to deny or withhold from any person(s) such housing accommodation because of the race, color, religion, national origin or ancestry of such person(s).

Wait – what is this missing?!?

Should this Article include gender, disability, veteran status, and familial status at a minimum. NJ for example says landlords can’t discriminate based on a person’s race, creed, national origin, ancestry, nationality, marital or domestic partnership or civil union status, sex, gender identity or expression, disability, affectional or sexual orientation, family status or source of lawful income or source of lawful rent payment or age except in certain qualified housing developments intended for older persons. Until NYS updates this policy is there real fair housing in this state?

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