504 Democratic Club: Questionnaires (Candidate for State Senator Jeff Klein's response)

Candidate Name: Jeff Klein

Campaign Name: New Yorkers for Klein

Campaign Address: 1614 Williamsbridge Road, Bronx, N.Y. 10461

Contact Person: David Mansur, Finance Director

Phone: 914-886-2926

Fax: 718-239-0716

Email: jdklein@senate.state.ny.us

Website: www.nyssenate34.com

State Senate District: 34

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

My office assists constituents living with disabilities in accessing government services and benefits. I also work with advocacy groups to promote legislation such as Timothy's Law and S3081, my bill to expand EPIC coverage to disabled New Yorkers. In 2000, I conducted a study showing that New York City gas stations offering both full and self-service were not following a 1990 state law requiring them to provide full-service refueling at the self-service pumps to motorists with disabled license plates. That study led to a state law I authored requiring labeling on the self-service pumps to let motorists know that employee assistance was available to customers with disabilities and DMV notice of the law to motorists registering or renewing disabled plates.
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?

My district office, my Albany office, my campaign headquarters and my private law office are all accessible to persons with disabilities.
How will you incorporate people with disabilities into your campaign?

I will continue to work closely with the disabled residents of my district and local organizations that advocated for individuals with disabilities to make my campaign as inclusive as possible.
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?

I will advocate for state policies creating more job opportunities for people with disabilities, including tax incentives for employers. I will also work to ensure that people with disabilities can accept employment without fear of losing their health insurance and other important benefits. I will continue to work to improve access to reliable public transportation for disabled individuals.
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 have voted for legislation in the Assembly to restore the right of New Yorkers with disabilities to sue the state for violations of the ADA and I will continue to support its passage in the State Senate. I have also voted to improve state enforcement of the Human Rights Law and broaden its protections for the disabled.
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?

I support the establishment of a Medicaid waiver program to allow individuals of any age with disabilities to be served in the most integrated settings that are appropriate to their needs. I would also encourage the state to adopt the recommendations of the Coalition to Implement Olmstead in New York.
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 urge a repeal of the Urstadt Law so New York City can pass its own laws to protect its residents of rent-controlled and rent-stabilized housing. I supported legislation to expand eligibility for SCRIE benefits to people with disabilities and I will support new state funding to encourage the development of additional sources of affordable housing.
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 support tax breaks and other financial assistance to help small businesses pay for any additional employee health coverage they need to comply with Timothy's Law.
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. Access to uninterrupted treatment is critical to the success of psychiatric patients making the difficult transition back into their communities.
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 support efforts to ensure that New York adopts voting machines that maximize voting accuracy, leave an auditable paper trail and I support measures to require polling places to provide a means by which persons with disabilities can cast their votes privately and independently.
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?

I have supported large increases in school building aid to help modernize our school facilities and make them accessible to all students and teachers with disabilities. I would support additional targeted assistance to ensure that state aid is used for this purpose.
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. Public colleges and universities have an obligation to set a high standard for accessibility and accommodation of students with disabilities, and part of that obligation is ensuring that all students have the resources they need to take advantage of their rights.
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)?

I fully support expanding DRIE eligibility by raising its income cap to match the income cap for SCRIE participation.
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?

I have introduced Senate bill 3081 to extend EPIC to low-income disabled persons of any age.
What would you do to expand accessible transportation options for people with disabilities in NYS?

I will continue to lobby New York City to improve the reliability of its access-a-ride program and fight efforts by the MTA to cut costs at the expense of disabled riders by replacing its employees with unstaffed turnstiles at smaller stations. I will also continue to advocate for greater access and improved reliability of public transportation statewide for persons with disabilities.

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