2-1-1 Handling Hurricane Sandy Calls

Hudson Valley Call summary: (covers LI, Hudson Valley, Capital Region and Adirondacks)

October 30 (through 7:30pm) 1407 calls (they will be live for the rest of the day and night so this total will change)

October 29 – 965 calls

October 28 – 264 calls

 

 

 

New York State Activates 2-1-1 for Hurricane Sandy Response

New York State Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Services Commissioner Jerome Hauer has sent a letter formally activating 2-1-1 services to support local and state government response to Hurricane Sandy. Click here to read the text of this communication.

2-1-1 call centers have been preparing for the storm for several days and are ready.  Click here to see a list of call centers and  web sites where people seeking help can also obtain information.

Governor Cuomo’s Administration Appointments

Governor Cuomo has made three new appointments to his Administration, drawing on talent from Washington, Pennsylvania and New York.

• De’Shawn Wright, formerly Deputy Mayor of Education in Washington, D.C. will serve as Deputy Secretary for Education.
• Ian Rosenblum, formerly Secretary of Policy & Planning in Pennsylvania Governor Rendell’s administration, will serve as Director of Policy Coordination.
• David Lobl, formerly Director of Public and Government Affairs at Human Care Services for Families and Children, Inc., will serve as Community Representative , with responsiblity for outreach to the Jewish community.

Click here to read the press release and learn more about the new appointees.

Updated – OAG Announces New Guidelines for Charitable Cause Related Marketing

NYS Attorney General Eric Schneiderman has announced new guidelines to protect consumers and legitimate charities from promotions for product purchase. The announcement came as the nation’s two largest breast cancer charities which engage in this activity signed onto the new guidelines, which require greater disclosure to the consumer about how much of the purchase goes towards the charitable purpose and other important information.

Click here to read his press release which includes a description and greater detail about each of the five guidelines. These include:

A clear description of the promotion and the ability to easily calculate how much of the purchase goes to the cause, being fully transparent about important details, and ensuring that social media promotions of the cause are equally transparent, and informing the public how much is raised as a result.

Click here for the AP story in the Times-Union on October 19.

Tax Foundation Ranks NYS Last for Business Tax Climate

The national not for profit Tax Foundation has a new report out–sure to stir controversy – which ranks New York State last in terms of the state’s business tax climate.  From the report:

“Despite moderate corporate taxes, New York scores at the bottom this year by having the worst individual income tax, the sixth-worst unemployment insurance taxes, and the sixth-worst property taxes. The states in the bottom 10 suffer from the same afflictions: complex, non-neutral taxes with comparatively high rates.”

Click here for a link to the foundation’s web site  which includes a link to the report, a map of the country to see how other state’s are ranked and to see the list of worst and best states.