504 Democratic Club: Questionnaires (Candidate for State Assembly William F. Boyland Jr.'s response)

Candidate Name: William F. Boyland Jr.

Campaign Manager: Walter T. Mosley III

Phone: 646-337-4626

Campaign Name: Committee to Re-Elect Assemblyman William F. Boyland Jr.

Campaign Address: 460 Chauncey Street, Brooklyn, N.Y. 11233

Email: wtmosleyiii@hotmail.com

Assembly District: 55

Please describe any experience with disability you have had in your life or career.

Historically, my political career has relied heavily on the assistance of individuals who are disabled. Accordingly, we continue to hire workers who are disabled.
Is your campaign headquarters accessible to persons with disabilities? If you are an incumbent, is your district office accessible to persons with disabilities? If you are in private practice, is your office accessible to persons with disabilities? If not, what have you done to ensure access?

Yes/Yes.
How will you incorporate people with disabilities into your campaign?

Yes.
Are you willing to hire and use flex-time and job-sharing if necessary?

Yes.
Seventy (70%) percent of people with disabilities of working age are unemployed at any given time, no matter how well or poorly the economy is doing. How will you use your office to advance employment opportunities for people with disabilities?

We will continue to work with local job preparedness programs who have a number of participants in their program who are also disabled.
What will you do to reverse the negative impact of recent decisions in Federal Courts which are undercutting the powers of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 to protect the civil rights of people with disabilities in New York State? How would you change the laws of New York State to protect the rights of its citizens with disabilities?

I will continue to work with my congressional representative (Congressman Ed Towns) and our U.S. Senators to keep our constituents informed and abreast of all ongoing matters.
Currently, over 130,000 people reside in nursing homes and other care facilities in New York State. In 1999, the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) found in L.C. v Olmstead that individuals with disabilities have a right to live in the most integrated setting. What will you do to encourage Olmstead implementation in New York?

Continue to work with Assemblyman Vito Lopez - Chair: Housing Committee - to ensure that individuals w/ disabilities do not have their rights violated.
We are in the midst of a housing crisis. Accessible, affordable housing is in short supply. People with disabilities are being priced out of the market. What would you do to develop a housing policy that would lead to the development and maintenance of accessible, affordable and integrated housing stock?

I will continue to work with state and federal institutions to ensure that our current market doesn't ignore the necessary housing demand of our elders and disabled.
Timothy's Law was designed to end health insurance discrimination by enacting parity in coverage for people with biologically-based psychiatric disabilities. To address cost concerns raised by small businesses, the agreement directs the state Superintendent of Insurance to develop a methodology that would hold businesses with 50 or fewer employees harmless from any increase in insurance premiums that result from this measure. It also requires the state Insurance Department and the Office of Mental Health to conduct a two year study to determine the effectiveness and impact of mental health parity legislation in New York and other states. What would you do to help small business?

I will continue to support small businesses. My record before the Assembly should reflect my wholehearted backing of small businesses and health insurance
Under Kendra's Law, a state-funded Medicaid grants program has been established to provide medications for eligible individuals with a psychiatric disability upon release or discharge from institutions. This will help eliminate some of the problems associated with the Medicaid coverage gap. Do you support Medicaid Presumptive Eligibility legislation which would eliminate the standard 45 days without coverage, and thus without access to treatment?

Yes.
By passing the Help America Vote Act of 2002 the U.S. Congress has tried to ensure that people with disabilities will, by 2006, be able to cast an independent, private ballot for the first time. What will you do to ensure successful implementation HAVA?

I will continue to help move and implement HAVA. My opinions and voting record serves as a clear indication that I support HAVA.
Disabled children in grades K-12 are entitled to receive a "free and appropriate public education in the least restrictive environment," but there have been major problems. Most often, schools are not physically accessible and not accommodating their students' needs. What do you propose to correct this problem?

With the anticipated influx of state funding, measures should be established to ensure the necessary transfer of seats for disabled students are met.
Despite Section 504 and the Americans with Disabilities Act, students with disabilities face problems when pursuing higher education. These statutes do not specify how students should request accommodations or assistance in asserting their rights under the law. Will you support a fully funded office of disability services on each SUNY and CUNY campus to assist students with disabilities in securing accommodations?

Yes.
What is your position on expanding DRIE (Disabled Rent Increase Exemption) to be the same as SCRIE (Senior Citizen Rent Increase Exemption) to low-income, eligible persons with disabilities under the age of 62 on the same basis and income level (currently the SCRIE's income cap is $25,000, while DRIE's is $17,000)?

Given the standards established for SCRIE recipients, I believe, and will support, all provisions given to SCRIE members should be awarded to DRIE participants.
Do you support the extension of Elderly Pharmaceutical Insurance Coverage (EPIC) to low-income persons with disabilities regardless of age? What would you do to ensure this?

Yes. It would be my honor, in absence of legislation, propose such an item before the Assembly it pass into law.
What would you do to expand accessible transportation options for people with disabilities in NYS?

Implementation of statewide oversight over agencies which must comply with state and federal disability regulations.

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