policy statements and testimony

Testimony to the New York State Legislature Joint Hearings of the Senate Finance and Assembly Ways & Means Committees
Thank you, Chair Krueger and Chair Weinstein, for the opportunity to submit this testimony to the
Joint Legislative Budget Hearing on Public Protection. We present this written testimony on behalf
of Karen Nicolson, CEO of the Center for Elder Law & Justice. The Center for Elder Law &
Justice (“CELJ”) has been serving the Western New York region for over 40 years, providing free
civil legal services to older adults, persons with disabilities, and low- income families. CELJ’s
primary goal is to use the legal system to assure that individuals may live independently and with
dignity. CELJ also advocates for policy and systems change, particularly in the areas of housing,
elder abuse prevention, nursing home reform, and consumer protection. Currently CELJ provides
full legal representation in ten counties of Western New York. CELJ’s Free Senior Legal Advice
Helpline is open to all of New York State. CELJ operates a central office in downtown Buffalo,
with three additional offices in Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, and Niagara counties.

Written Testimony: JOINT LEGISLATIVE BUDGET HEARING ON PUBLIC PROTECTION
Simply put, entry level pay for attorneys is 30% to 45% lower than their government counterparts. Those inequities grow as careers advance – at ten years of service, the gaps in pay between civil legal services attorneys and AAGs are as much as 75% in some areas of the state. We are therefore calling for pay equity to justly compensate our workforce. It is the only way that we will ever make great strides in closing the justice gap.

Written Testimony: Chief Judge’s Statewide 2023 Civil Legal Services Hearing
CELJ provided written testimony to the Permanent Commission on Access to Justice to highlight the unmet civil legal services need for older adults, particularly those in nursing homes.

The Prescription Drug Price and Supply Chain Transparency Act of 2023 - Letter Of Support
The Center for Elder Law & Justice is pleased to sign on to the following letter of support, joining AARP New York and other organizations, encouraging New York State Legislators to support budget legislation proposed by Governor Kathy Hochul aimed at drug price transparency.

Testimony: 2023-2024 Executive Budget Health Review
The purpose of our testimony today is to provide comment on the Fiscal Year 2023-2024 New York State Executive Budget. Specifically on the topic of health, to provide a review based on our area expertise in Nursing Home, Adult Care Facility, and Home Care.

Testimony: State of the Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program
The purpose of our testimony today is to provide examples of what The Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program (LTCOP) has been able to do on a severely limited budget, and what LTCOP could do to improve the quality of care and lives of older adults and persons with disabilities who are living in nursing homes, if NYS fully invests in the program.

Testimony: Statewide Right To Counsel For Tenants
We urge you to support the full funding and passage of Right to Counsel in the budget this year. As a society, we cannot stand by any longer while New Yorkers are forced into a confusing, overwhelming and traumatizing court system without counsel by their side. No one should have to face something as devastating as eviction without even the most basic right to representation.