LEGAL ACTION CENTER

Need-to-Know News: Nov. 4, 2011

November 04, 2011

The National H.I.R.E. Network is teaming up with the National Employment Law Project (NELP), and the Sentencing Project to offer the webinar "Model State Legislation to Reduce Employment Barriers for People with Criminal Records" on Nov. 22. Follow this link to register now.

State

With revenues declining and the deficit growing, Governor Andrew Cuomo has warned state agencies of spending cuts of 2.5 % in his executive budget proposal for the next fiscal year.
The governor's full Medicaid Redesign Team met this week and voted to approve the recommendations of four workgroups, including Behavioral Health Reform. Follow this link for video of the meeting.
In a Huffington Post article, the New York City Department of Education defended its new sex ed mandate in the face of recent criticism.

National

New federal sentencing guidelines for crack cocaine took effect this week, making some inmates eligible for release right away.
The editorial boards of The New York Times and The Washington Post urged Congress to support the National Criminal Justice Commission Act, which was recently blocked in the Senate.
The Times editorial board also criticized states who require applicants for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families to submit to drug testing.
The American Academy of Pediatrics has recommended that doctors ask adolescents about their drug and alcohol use at every visit and screen for any signs of dependence or addiction. It also advised physicians to screen all sexually active teenagers for HIV.
Neuroscientists at the University of California, Berkeley, have pinpointed the locations in the brain where calculations are made that can result in addictive behaviors.
In a report to Congress, the U.S. Sentencing Commission calls some federal mandatory minimum penalties too severe, especially when applied too broadly and inconsistently.

The Opportunity Nation Summit, happening today, will be streaming live online from Columbia University in New York. Follow this link to read more about the event, focused on creating more opportunity in America, or to stream the video live.
On Nov. 10, the Prisoner Reentry Institute at John Jay College of Criminal Justice will be hosting "Recidivism: What Does Prison Have to Do With It?" Learn more by following this link.
The National Minority AIDS Council is holding its annual United States Conference on AIDS on Nov. 10-13 in Chicago. Registration information can be found here.
The New York Reentry Rountable will be meeting Nov. 16 at the Community Service Society in Manhattan. The program, titled "Policing the Police: The need for Sweeping Reform Now?" will feature Robert Gangi, director of the Police Reform Organizing Project. Follow this link for more information.