Five Items That Should Be Included In New York’s Budget
In the coming days, the New York State Legislature and Gov. Kathy Hochul will finalize and pass the 2023-2024 New York State Budget. New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms (NYCF) calls upon the Legislature and the Governor to include the following five items in the final budget: 1. An Adoption Tax Deduction for Parents Who Adopt…
New Hope Family Services Wins State Settlement
Good news: New Hope Family Services, the Christian adoption agency that the state of New York tried to shut down because it declines to place children with anyone other than opposite-sex married parents, is slated to receive a financial settlement from the state. In December 2018, through its attorneys at Alliance Defending Freedom, New Hope…
New Polling Offers Support For School Choice
A recent poll of New York residents by EdChoice shows solid support for school choice here in the Empire State. The poll revealed the following data: It is telling that parents of school-aged children are more supportive of school choice than the general population. Parents whose children are attending school have a greater stake in…
NYC Mayor Says Faith Influences His Public Service
Stop the presses: The mayor of New York City has come out in support of faith in public life. At a February 28 interfaith breakfast, Mayor Eric Adams asserted that “‘when we took prayers out of schools, guns came into schools.’” The Mayor added, “‘When I walk, I walk with God. When I talk, I…
‘After School Satan’ Clubs Arrive In New York
Parents, would you be alarmed if you received a flyer inviting your children to a Satanic after-school club? As PressConnects.com recently reported, some parents in the Maine-Endwell Central School District (MECSD) in Broome County, New York expressed understandable concern after receiving exactly such a flyer. According to the story, an After School Satan Club is…
Hochul Bends On Armed Security Ban In Houses Of Worship
ALBANY, NY—On February 1, 2023, Gov. Kathy Hochul released a budget proposal that made changes to the Concealed Carry Improvement Act (CCIA) that would affect New York’s houses of worship. Specifically, the proposal would recognize that unpaid security personnel at houses of worship are allowed to carry firearms. The CCIA attempted to limit the right…
Yeshiva University Appeals LGBT Decision
Yeshiva University’s court battle over whether it must provide official recognition and funding to an LGBT pride group continues. Following its refusal to recognize an LGBT pride group on campus, Yeshiva University was sued for discrimination in 2021. In the lawsuit, the students contended that the University had violated a New York City ordinance that…
NYCF Releases 2023-2024 Legislative Agenda
The mission of New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms (NYCF) is to influence legislation and legislators for the Lord Jesus Christ. Legislatively, we work at the state level to protect human life, promote strong families, preserve religious liberty, and proclaim justice and mercy. In each odd-numbered year, NYCF releases a legislative agenda and distributes it to…
So-Called Equality Amendment Moves Toward Second Passage
Last week, the so-called Equality Amendment advanced toward floor votes in both the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly. What this means is that the Democratic leadership in the New York State Legislature is making its extremist pro-abortion, pro-LGBT agenda a top priority at the very beginning of this year’s legislative…
U.S. Supreme Court Keeps Gun Control Law in Effect—For Now
A recent ruling by the Supreme Court of the United States allows most aspects of New York’s recent gun control law to remain in effect while the constitutionality of the law is considered in federal courts. In July 2022, Gov. Kathy Hochul signed the Concealed Carry Improvement Act (CCIA) into law. The CCIA is of…
Biden Signs [Dis]Respect For Marriage Into Law
I Corinthians 13: 4, 6: “Charity…rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth.” For Christian Americans, 2022 has been a roller coaster. Christians experienced a wonderful victory for the cause of life when the Supreme Court overturned the indefensible Roe v. Wade decision in June. More recently, however, we experienced a devastating loss in…
High Court Hears Christian Web Designer’s Case
On December 5, 2022, the Supreme Court of the United States heard oral arguments in 303 Creative v. Elenis. In this key religious liberty case, the high court will decide whether a Colorado law that bans discrimination based upon sexual orientation can compel a Christian web designer to create websites for same-sex “weddings” in spite…
Disappointing House Vote Sends [Dis]Respect To President Biden’s Desk
ALBANY, NY – On December 8, 2022, the U.S. House of Representatives re-passed the so-called Respect for Marriage Act by a vote of 258-169*. The House passed a prior version of the same bill on July 20, 2022, but voted on the bill again after the Senate made changes to it. President Joe Biden supports…
Senate Folds On Marriage; House Vote Expected Next
On November 29, 2022, the U.S. Senate passed the so-called Respect for Marriage Act by a 61-36 vote. The Respect for Marriage Act—which could be more accurately described as the Disrespect for Marriage Act—would require that same-sex “marriage” be recognized throughout the nation even if the Supreme Court were to someday overturn the Supreme Court…
Congress Weighs Religious Liberty Concerns In Marriage Bill
As noted by Albany Update several days ago, the U.S. Senate held a procedural vote to advance the misleadingly-named Respect for Marriage Act on November 16, 2022. The bill advanced by a vote of 62 to 37, with 12 Senate Republicans joining two independents and all 48 Democrats in supporting the bill. If passed, the…
[Dis]Respect For Marriage Clears Critical Senate Vote
This article was updated on November 22, 2022. On November 16, 2022, under the leadership of Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), the U.S. Senate voted 62-37 to advance the so-called Respect for Marriage Act. A dozen Senate Republicans joined all 48 Senate Democrats and two Democrat-affiliated independents in supporting this misguided and destructive legislation, enabling the bill…