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Well, here’s one sign that there’s some work going on in Albany, despite the lack of action on rent reform and gay marriange. State Sen. Gustavo Rivera’s office just tweeted that the freshman lawmaker just passed his first bill, which enables nonprofit organizations to post bail for defendants that can’t afford to do it for themselves. In a press release, Rivera states: “Thousands of New Yorkers are held in jail each year because they simply cannot afford to post a few hundred dollars bail,” said Senator Rivera. “Every day, people plead guilty to crimes, regardless of guilt, because they can’t afford bail and just want to return home to their families and avoid time spent in jail. For individuals like the residents of the 33rd Senate District that I represent, even just a few days of incarceration can have devastating consequences: job loss, eviction, and for non-citizens, deportation.”
The measure passed the Assembly, where it was sponsored by Jeff Aubrey, and now awaits the governor’s signature.