Maloney to head House Oversight Committee
U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney was elected by her fellow members of the House Democratic Caucus to serve as the new chairperson of the Committee on Oversight and Reform.
Maloney, whose congressional district includes Greenpoint and other areas of North Brooklyn, succeeds the late U.S. Rep. Elijah Cummings of Maryland, who died last month.
Out of 219 ballots cast, Maloney earned 133 votes. The second place finisher, U.S. Rep. Gerald Connolly of Virginia, had 86 votes.
“I am deeply humbled that my colleagues in the House of Representatives voted for me to head this incredibly important committee. When I came to Congress many years ago, I wanted to be on it. It’s the investigative committee. It provides so much support to the goals of individual members and to other committees to achieve their goals. I have the great honor of walking in the steps of an incredible individual and an incredible chairman, Elijah Cummings, and to have the honor of continuing to work on his priorities and to push his legacy even further with accomplishments that are going to help the American people,” Maloney said.
Rose wants media companies held accountable
U.S. Rep. Max Rose, chairperson of the Homeland Security Subcommittee on Intelligence and Counterterrorism, has introduced a bill that he said will help hold social media companies accountable in the effort to stop the spread of terrorist content.
Rose’s bill, the Raising the Bar Act, would establish an exercise program in which online terrorist content would be flagged for social media companies. During each exercise, flaggers identify terrorist content to help test the efficiency of the companies’ practices to address the situation within 24 hours. Social media companies would then be rated on their performances.
“Social media companies have become institutions in our society and have a responsibility to stop the spread of terrorist content on their platforms,” said Rose, a Democrat representing Southwest Brooklyn and Staten Island. “While we’ve made progress in pushing them to do more, the reality is we all need to work together — private companies, nonprofit and research institutions and the federal government.”
Persaud to co-host coding event
State Sen. Roxanne Persaud will host a special event, called a Holiday Tynker-ing Workshop, in partnership with Digital Girl, Inc. next month to encourage girls to practice their computer coding skills.
The Holiday Tynker-ing Workshop will take place on Saturday, Dec. 14, at the Mill Basin Branch of the Brooklyn Public Library, 2385 Ralph Ave., from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.
The event will give girls from third grade and up the chance to create their own virtual maze games with holiday props and characters. Participants will be taught the basics of computer coding, according to Persaud, a Democrat representing Canarsie, East New York, Brownsville, Flatlands, Marine Park and Mill Basin.
To register for the coding event, call 718-649-7653.
Treyger helps cut ribbon for veterans housing
Councilmember Mark Treyger was among the officials on hand to cut the ribbon to celebrate new housing in Coney Island for military veterans and low-income families.
Surf Vets Place, located at Surf Avenue and West 21st Street, contains 135 units of affordable housing for homeless veterans and low-income families.
“This is the most beautiful affordable housing development in Coney Island, and this sets an important tone for the rest of the development that is coming to our community. We can point to this beautiful residence and say this is the standard, and that all of our residents deserve nothing less,” said Treyger, a Democrat representing Coney Island, Gravesend and parts of Bensonhurst.
Treyger called the new housing a game changer for the community.
“We must recognize that this isn’t just about cutting the ribbon on affordable housing, but also cutting the ribbon on the dignity and respect we eternally owe our veterans. No veteran should be homeless, hungry or without access to the medical care and resources they need,” he said.