Abraham Accords envoy bill out of committee

The Special Envoy for the Abraham Accords Act passed the House Foreign Affairs Committee in mid-May.

U.S. Reps. Ritchie Torres and Mike Lawler, co-sponsors of the legislation, hope to see the bill on the House floor in the near future.

The legislation would establish a new special envoy position within the U.S. Department of State dedicated to advancing the Abraham Accords. The accords are U.S.-sanctioned 2020 normalization agreements between Israel and Arab countries in the Middle East. The legislation calls for the envoy to be appointed by the President, confirmed by the Senate, and report directly to the secretary of state.

“The Abraham Accords have given birth to a new Middle East, where we’ve seen a transformative breakthrough between Israel and Arab nations that’s expanded the circle of peace and prosperity for Christians, Jewish people, and Muslims,” Torres said in a statement. “The U.S. has a moral and strategic obligation to build on the momentum and progress of the Abraham Accords and not allow these landmark normalization agreements to fall victim to bureaucratic neglect.”

Commission seeks inaugural administrator

Following the appointment of 10 commissioners, the New York state Commission on Prosecutorial Conduct has reached an official quorum and a search for an inaugural administrator has begun. They are searching for an experienced attorney who is admitted to the New York bar and has not served as a district attorney nor assistant district attorney in New York.

The administrator will serve as the chief executive of the Commission, responsible for creating a staffing plan, overseeing day-to-day operations, including oversight of the CPC’s investigative processes, managing the CPC’s $1.75 million budget, and preparing an annual report of the CPC’s activities.

“The commission is eager to begin its work. To do that, we must first hire an Administrator as required by the new law. We are working diligently to fill this important position with the right person. Once hired, the administrator will oversee the hiring of commission staff and the launching of the commission’s operations,” the commission said in a statement.

It began reviewing applications on June 1 and has encouraged all interested applicants to submit their cover letters and resumes by June 15 to jobs@cpc.ny.gov. The salary listed on LinkedIn is $175,000 to $195,000.

Dem committee OKs resolutions

The New York state Democratic Committee approved several resolutions at its May 11 meeting in Albany. One was a resolution calling for an LGBTQIA+ inclusive curriculum for New York schools.

Members voted to approve the Democratic selection plan for the 2024 Presidential primary on April 2, 2024. The decision is subject to legislative approval. Democratic Committee member Michael Heller and Democratic Executive Committee member Helen Morik both voted to endorse the plan.

Other resolutions included a call for increased transparency at State Committee meetings, posting of attendance records and voting records, a resolution on housing and tenant protections, and a resolution on mental health and substance abuse support.

The LGBTIA+ curriculum resolution comes on the heels of anti-gay bills like Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” and seeks to ensure public schools are learning about LGBT history.

Democratic State Committee member Morgan Evers of the 81st Assembly District told The Riverdale Press she wants New York to be a place to protect LGBTQIA+ students and show them they belong here.