In the wake of a snowballing campaign against its passage, a bill that would limit access to prepaid cell phones in Suffolk County was defeated in the county legislature tonight by a decisive margin.
Seven legislators voted in favor of the proposal, which was sponsored by Legis. Kate Browning (WFP-Shirley), while eleven voted against it.
The bill would have required that anyone purchasing a prepaid cell phone in Suffolk present two forms of identification to a retailer, and would have authorized the creation of a consumer database maintained by retailers and available to police.
The phones serve as a lifeline for low-income residents, undocumented immigrants, tourists, and domestic violence survivors, all of whom would have likely had a more difficult time acquiring such a phone if the legislation was passed.
In recent weeks, the number of groups opposing the bill has grown, with SEPA Mujer, the Suffolk County chapter of the New York Civil Liberties Union, 1199 SEIU, and the Long Island Immigrant Alliance leading the charge.
For more information about the bill, IR 1266, click here. Scroll down for a list of the organizations that fought against the passage of this legislation.
We’ll likely have more analysis tomorrow, but for now, here’s how the legislators voted:
N-Romaine
Y-Schneiderman
Y-Browning
Y-Muriorti
Y-Anker
Y-Eddington
N-Montano
N-Climi
Y-Lindsay
N-Viloria-Fisher
N-Barraga
Y-Kennedy
N-Nowick
N-Horsley
N-Gregory
N-Stern
N -D’Amaro
N-Cooper
Here’s a list of some of the organizations that helped push for the defeat of IR 1266:
New York Civil Liberties Union – Suffolk County Chapter
Long Island Immigrant Alliance
SEPA Mujer
LatinoJustice PRLDEF
Central American Refugee Center (CARECEN)
The Law Offices of Eric Horn
Eastern Long Island NAACP
1199 SEIU
Neighbors in Support of Immigrants 6
Long Island Progressive Coalition
Make the Road NY
Long Island Organizing Network (LION)
Long Island Wins
Long Island Jobs With Justice
The Workplace Project
Long Island Immigrant Solidarity
Pax Christi Long Island
Masjid Darul Qur’an, The Muslim Center of Bay Shore
National Association of Puerto Rican Hispanic Social Workers, Inc. (NAPRHSW)
SEIU 32BJ
Founder, Suffolk County Coalition Against Domestic Violence
National Association of Social Workers – Suffolk Division
OLA of Eastern Long Island 7
Long Island Teachers for Human Rights
President, Hispanic American Association
Long Island Civic Participation Project (LICPP)
Health & Welfare Council of Long Island
Law Office of the Public Advocacy Center
Empire Justice Center
New York Communities for Change
New York Chapter of the American Immigration Lawyers Association
