Policy Bulletin

Latest Policy Actions and Developments


Immigration:

  • The National Immigrant Justice Center cited the Her Justice EAD policy research report in the complaint for a litigation it filed on behalf of a group of noncitizens who have waited years for an initial review of their U visa applications.  The group is suing the U.S. government for failing to properly implement congressionally mandated processes which were created to alleviate the most acute harms faced by people trapped in growing backlogs. | February 9, 2024
  • Her Justice participated in the annual NYIC Member Congress with other immigrants’ rights advocates learning about NYIC policy goals and attending meetings with New York State elected officials to support legislation benefitting immigrant New Yorkers.  | January 27-28, 2024
  • Her Justice joined other groups that advocate for the rights of immigrant survivors of crimes and gender-based violence in submitting public comments to USCIS in response to “Agency Information Collection Activities; Revision of a Currently Approved Collection: Petition For U Nonimmigrant Status,” with recommendations regarding proposed revisions to forms I-918/I-918A, and I-918B. | January 8, 2024
  • Her Justice sent advocacy emails to Senator Gillibrand’s and Senator Schumer’s offices opposing potential restrictions on asylum laws in the context of negotiations around the U.S. Congressional spending package. | December 14, 2023
  • Her Justice signed on to a letter to U.S. Congress expressing concern over proposals to eliminate or reduce access to asylum or parole as a condition for moving funding for Ukraine.  | November 30, 2023
  • Her Justice submitted public comments to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) regarding changes to improve the clarity of the instructions for the T nonimmigrant status application for trafficking survivors. | November 15, 2023
  • Her Justice signed on to a letter to the White House to urge the administration to withdraw support for the Haitian government of Ariel Henry and end all immigration policies that persecute and deport Haitian refugees. | October 25, 2023

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Intimate Partner Violence:

  • Her Justice signed on to a letter by NYSCADV supporting the release under the New York Domestic Violence Survivors Justice Act of two domestic violence survivors from Niagara County, Ashley Berger and Chamia Johnson, who are currently serving long prison sentences for crimes that were directly related to their victimization. | November 1, 2023
  • Her Justice participated in a conference – Justice for Survivors of Intimate Partner Violence: Transforming an Inequitable Family Law System – held on October 13 and 14, 2022, along with others from leading nonprofit agencies that serve and advocate for survivors of IPV, members of the NYS judiciary and other system actors, and survivors.  Her Justice and the other advocates contributed to a report summarizing the conference that was published in the Columbia Law School Journal of Gender and Law. | August 27, 2023
  • Her Justice participated in a statewide policy listening session hosted by the NYS Office for the Prevention of Domestic Violence and the NYS Office of Victim Services and attended by advocates, court administration representatives, and others. | July 25, 2023
  • Her Justice joined other organizations working with survivors of domestic violence/intimate partner violence in a letter Governor Kathy Hochul to grant clemency for Nicole Addimando, a survivor who is incarcerated for crimes stemming from the abuse she suffered. | December 13, 2022
  • Her Justice submitted testimony for a City Council hearing led by the Committees on Women and Gender Equity and Civil and Human Rights concerning the expansion of protections for victims of domestic violence to include economic abuse through Int. 0148-2022, which would amend the City’s human rights law definition of domestic violence, and the issue of coerced debt. | December 12, 2022

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Child Support

  • Her Justice was joined by law firm partners and coalition partners in two letters to Governor Hochul urging support for developing and resourcing an expedited settlement process for child support in the Family Courts as an effective and achievable solution to improving access for families. | January 2023
  • Her Justice was joined by pro bono partner firms Fried Frank and Orrick in a letter to Governor Hochul advocating for reform to the New York child support system and the Family Courts.  The letter urged the Governor to develop and resource an option for parents seeking agreement on undisputed child support to engage in an expedited settlement conference process in the Family Courts, rather than spending months or years litigating cases and clogging the courts unnecessarily. | January 2023
  • Her Justice met with counsel and others in the New York State Governor’s office to discuss our legislative proposal to pilot an administrative conference process for straightforward, undisputed child support and the need for child support reform generally in the State.  Her Justice continues to strategize about this advocacy and engage with coalition partners who have been supporters on the need for reform. | October 31, 2022
  • Her Justice submitted our legislation piloting an administrative conference for agreed upon child support (S.8554, Persaud/A.9104, Reyes) for inclusion in the NYS Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic and Asian Legislative Caucus 2023 People’s Budget.  (The proposal was included in the 2022 People’s Budget list of priorities.)  | August 17, 2022
  • Her Justice held a Virtual Lobby Day to lobby for legislation that could provide parents in New York with better and additional options for accessing fair and timely child support awards more efficiently.  The day kicked-off with remarks from bill sponsor Senator Roxanne Persaud and Her Justice client Humu Yansane. | May 5, 2022

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Divorce

Stay tuned for updates and developments in this area of our policy agenda!

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Courts and Other Allyship:

  • Her Justice joined other legal services organizations across the state to advocate against a proposal by Governor Hochul to “sweep” $100 million from the IOLA Fund, proceeds of which support free civil legal aid provided by 81 nonprofits benefiting over 639,000 New Yorkers in need just last year. On February 16, Governor Hochul announced that she was rolling back the proposed “sweep.” | February 16, 2024
  • Her Justice and other advocates participated in a press conference to support a call for an historic investment in the New York State budget for the New York Family Court led by Senators Hoylman-Sigal and Brisport, along with Assemblymembers Lavine and Hevesi. | February 12, 2024
  • Her Justice and other civil and human rights groups signed on to a letter led by A Better Balance urging New York State Governor Hochul to modernize the state’s paid medical leave system and ensure adequate funds for the system in the FY2025 state budget. | December 12, 2023
  • Her Justice submitted a memorandum to Governor Hochul expressing support for S.5162/A.5772, a NYS bill that would allow litigants in civil cases to swear to a statement under penalty of perjury without having to notarize the document and would remove significant barriers to access to justice for low-income New Yorkers, especially in housing, civil and family court matters. | October 13, 2023
  • Her Justice is proud to have advocated for Senate Bill 5162/Assembly Bill 5772; this policy change will remove significant barriers for low-income New Yorkers — especially in housing, civil, and family court matters — and create a more fair playing field for litigants like our clients. | June 6, 2023
  • Her Justice submitted testimony for New York State Human Services and Public Protection budget hearings highlighting the needs of the communities we serve and the multifaceted services we provide. | February 7 and 13, 2023
  • Her Justice submitted testimony for a City Council hearing on the expansion of the CityFHEPS rental assistance program, which focused on the interconnectedness of housing stability and our clients’ ability to participate in the civil justice system. | January 18, 2023
  • Her Justice supported proposed New York State legislation that would create a Women’s Commission on Reentry to bring stakeholders in government along with advocates and service providers to study the needs of women returning from New York’s jails and prisons, including trauma, housing, domestic violence, and access to legal assistance and legal barriers to reentry, and focus on gender-responsive solutions to these challenges. | December 14, 2022
  • Her Justice (by Naomi Young) along with other organizations authored a report titled “Reinvesting in Economic Justice, Equity, & Solidarity for Survivors in New York City,” with survivor-centered policy proposals relating to coerced debt, public benefits, and solidarity economy.
  • Her Justice and other advocates participated in a roundtable discussion with Director Chopra of the Federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau on the issues impacting consumers in our communities, particularly as they relate to the intersection of intimate partner violence and consumer protection. | October 6, 2022
  • Her Justice engaged a team of graduate students in the NYU Wagner Capstone program to study policies around reporting of court system data in New York and beyond to support our advocacy for greater transparency of New York’s court data to support solutions for civil justice reform. | October 3, 2022
  • Her Justice, by Naomi Young who is a co-chair of the New York City Domestic Violence and Consumer Law Working Group, submitted testimony for the Hearing on Civil Legal Services in New York held by the New York State Permanent Commission on Access to Justice.  The Working Group’s testimony highlighted the civil legal services needs of domestic violence survivors who experience economic abuse, consumer debt, and credit reporting issues. | September 19, 2022

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