NYCF Seeks Clarification Regarding Drive-In Services During Pandemic
May 20, 2020 UPDATE: Under Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s New York Forward plan, the Governor intends to lift COVID-19-related restrictions on business and other activities through a four-phase, region-by-region process. On May 19, 2020, New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms joined pastors across the State of New York in calling upon Gov. Cuomo to (a) lift restrictions on worship services in regions…
Mr. Mayor, The Constitution Doesn’t Let You Permanently Close Churches
By Kristen Waggoner One could forgive any mayor for being frustrated with those putting the health of others in jeopardy by refusing to engage in social distancing during this global pandemic. But, at a press conference Friday, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio singled out churches and synagogues, threatening to “permanently” close them if they…
For Progressives, No Good Deed Goes Unpunished
Samaritan’s Purse, the international Christian relief organization founded by Rev. Franklin Graham, has opened a 68-bed emergency tent hospital in New York City’s Central Park to help the city’s beleaguered health care system care for patients infected by the coronavirus. More than 80 disaster relief staffers, including medical personnel, are working at the hospital. The…
Tell Cuomo To Focus On Finance, Keep Controversy Out Of The Budget
The 2020-2021 New York State Budget is due to be passed no later than April 1, 2020. Obviously, the coronavirus outbreak has complicated the effort to negotiate and pass the budget in a timely manner. To date, four Members of the State Legislature have tested positive for the coronavirus. The workplace restrictions and social distancing…
State-Ordered Church Closures: Are They Constitutional?
May 20, 2020 UPDATE: Under Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s New York Forward plan, the Governor intends to lift COVID-19-related restrictions on business and other activities through a four-phase, region-by-region process. On May 19, 2020, New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms joined pastors across the State of New York in calling upon Gov. Cuomo to (a) lift restrictions on worship services in regions…
Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s Coronavirus Regulations Affect Churches
In response to the coronavirus outbreak, Gov. Andrew Cuomo has issued new regulations affecting mass gatherings. These regulations affect churches. Dated March 12, 2020, Gov. Cuomo’s Executive Order No. 202.1 includes the following provisions: A gathering or event that is expected to be attended by more than 500 people must either be cancelled or be postponed…
Ten Bad Bills Pending in Albany
At the New York State Capitol in Albany, thousands of bills are introduced for consideration every year. Many of those bills are inconsequential, many are ill-advised, and a few are good. New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms spends a significant chunk of its resources on a fourth category of Albany bills: Bills that are morally unacceptable…
Pregnancy Center Bill Withdrawn From Senate Consideration
On February 10, 2020, the New York State Senate Women’s Issues Committee was scheduled to meet in Albany. The committee calendar indicated that the pregnancy center disclosure bill, Bill S.2264-Hoylman/A.2352-Glick, would be considered that day. As Albany Update has previously reported, the pregnancy center disclosure bill would compel pro-life pregnancy centers, “upon first communication or…
State Ed Gets Schooled On Private School Regs
Christian New Yorkers and parents of various faiths were outraged last year when the New York State Education Department (NYSED) proposed a massive regulatory power grab that threatened the continued existence of some nonpublic schools. Under the guise of ensuring that nonpublic schools provide their students with an education that is “substantially equivalent” to the…
Private Schools Shouldn’t Fall Prey To Political Correctness
On September 13, 2010, Gov. David Paterson signed the Dignity for All Students Act (DASA) into law as Chapter 482 of the Laws of 2010. Often described as an anti-bullying law, [1] DASA banned discrimination and harassment against public school students on the basis of a variety of criteria. Those criteria included the nebulous and…
Trump Administration Warns California About Extreme Abortion Policy
On January 24, 2020, the Trump administration warned the State of California to reverse course on its requirement that abortion be covered by private health insurers. If the state refuses to back down on its coercive policy, it may lose some federal funds. According to Politico, the California policy “violates a federal ban on discriminating against…
Pro-Abortion Jaffee Prepares For Judicial Defeat
On November 8, 2019, Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed the Boss Bill into law. As many New York Christians will recall, the Boss Law: Bars employers from “accessing an employee’s personal information regarding the employee’s or the employee’s dependent’s reproductive health decision making”; Bans employment discrimination based on “reproductive health decision making, including, but not limited…
Summarizing Cuomo’s 2020 State Of The State
On January 8, 2020, Gov. Andrew Cuomo delivered this year’s State of the State Address. The speech consisted of a warmed-over smorgasbord of largely uninspiring policy proposals coupled with a few very bad ideas (paid surrogacy and recreational pot, to name two) and the usual empty, hypocritical calls for unity from the same governor who…
Legislative Day 2020: Ever Upward
Friends, New Yorker’s Family Research Foundation and New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms cordially invite you to attend Ever Upward: Legislative Day 2020. This year’s Legislative Day event is scheduled for Tuesday, March 17, 2020 in Albany, New York. The title of this year’s event is drawn from New York’s official state motto: Excelsior. This Latin…
Wappingers Falls District Denies Christian Student Group
Wappingers Central School District in Wappingers Falls, Dutchess County is in hot water for denying a ninth grader’s request for permission to form a Christian students’ club at school. Freshman Daniela Barca asked her school’s administration for permission to form the “OMG! Christian Club” at Roy C. Ketcham High School. The purpose of the club…
Democrat Attorneys General Association Demands Abortion Litmus Test
In her first year as New York Attorney General, Letitia James (D-Brooklyn) has developed a reputation as an activist attorney general who is not shy about going after corporations and nonprofits alike. So far, Attorney General James has launched an investigation regarding potential antitrust law violations at Facebook; an investigation into the finances of the…