No matter what country you call home, the State of New York as the world's financial capital impacts every town and country in the world - and no matter where we live - New York impacts our lives and livelihoods. In fact, Jubilee legislation that's moving in the New York Assembly and Senate can win hundreds of billions in global debt relief and pandemic aid, stop our economic shocks and inflation and reduce the price of eggs, flour, fuel and coffee that all countries face.

Please write New York Governor Kathy Hochul to pass and sign our Jubilee New York Taxpayer and International Debt Crises Protection Act (A2970, S4747). Tell the Governor that all of New York's biggest unions and major religious groups, the United Nations and the world's most prominent development organizations want this legislation passed by June 1st. Tell Hochul that the legislation will relieve the debts of countries dealing with the pandemic and food crises. Tell Hochul the legislation immediately stops predatory vulture funds and that the legislation represents the most powerful and comprehensive solution to deal with global debt and the shocks that we face in the United States, New York and Puerto Rico.

As you write the Governor, New York's largest religious bodies and unions are demanding passage of the legislation. All of the major global debt and development groups are calling for the legislation to move forward. Puerto Rico's Archbishop and major religious leaders want this legislation. AND - a hundred young people from Africa are inundating New York Senators and Assemblymembers to co-sponsor the legislation. This is on top of thousands of people in New York taking action and the largest Jubilee mobilization of our grassroots in every single region of New York. On May 2nd and 3rd, from across New York State, New Yorkers are descending on Albany to move our legislation.

Read about the bill in Reuters and the New York Times here. Watch our video produced by our good friends from Jubilee Germany that explains how the New York Taxpayer and International Debt Crises Protection Act works. You can read the legislation, talking points and all materials on the legislation here.

E-mail and call New York Governor Kathy Hochul and tell her to support the New York Taxpayer and International Debt Crises Protection Act to protect our long term investments, our pensions and poor communities. The debt relief that poor countries win will allow them to address climate change, get vaccinations and respond to the pandemic. As these countries get relief on regional scales - it can reduce the costs of food, fuel and commodities in the US. Plus this legislation can make good, legitimate investments even more profitable.

Hundreds of New York, national and global groups are supporting the legislation. Oxfam America is deploying team members and resources so we can get the legislation passed before June 1st.

Just some of the groups that wrote the legislature and Governor and support the legislation: The New York AFL-CIO; the New York State Catholic Conference and Catholic Bishops, the New York State Council of Churches; New York AFSCME; the New York State Public Employees Federation; Oxfam America; Bread for the World; the ONE Campaign; Puerto Rico's Speaker of the House; the Catholic Climate Covenant; The Hudson Mohawk Conference of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Upstate New York Synod; Presbyterian Church (USA); Rivers & Mountains GreenFaith Circle; the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, Jubilee USA Network, Jubilee Germany, Debt Justice UK, Afrodad, Eurodad, Latindadd and Jubilee Asia Pacific all are urging immediate passage of the New York Taxpayer and International Debt Crises Protection Act (S4747, A2970).

WOW - and On April 21st, the United Nations Expert on Foreign Debt and Human Rights issued a letter to the entire New York State Legislature, urging them to immediately pass the New York Taxpayer and International Debt Crises Protection Act (S4747, A2970).

60% of developing country debt is held by private creditors. New York law governs 52% of this global debt. Private creditors are not participating in debt relief for developing countries, even though the US government and G20 are demanding that vulture funds and commercial banks participate. New York and US taxpayer money bails out private creditors when private creditors refuse to offer the same level of debt relief that the US government offers.

Introduced by Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal and Assemblymember Patricia Fahy, The New York Taxpayer and International Debt Crises Protection Act (S4747, A2970) ensures that private creditors participate in debt relief at the same level as the US Government, other governments and development banks. This will quickly cut and reduce unsustainable and unpayable debt so that developing countries can spend more money on essential public services, reducing poverty and address climate change.

Please write, call and send e-mails to New York Governor Kathy Hochul and tell her to move passage and immediately sign into law The New York Taxpayer and International Debt Crises Protection Act (S4747, A2970). Tell her this one page legislation is a rare breed as it is pro-people, pro-business, pro-labor, pro- United States, pro-investment, pro-relief and pro-planet.

25 years ago we, together, embarked on a global journey to end poverty, address inequality and protect our planet. We work on debt, tax, trade, corruption and climate issues because these are the root causes of issues that deal with people and planet. After we won successive global agreements on debt relief, transparency and new forms of economic aid - we realized the global financial system was changing.

That's why we started organizing in New York in 2012 and were the only organization to defeat vulture funds twice when they tried to take advantage of most of the world's countries. In 2014 we started leading new New York campaigns on debt relief legislation. THEN the pandemic happened and we found that all of our previous work in New York was no longer relevant - because now all private sector companies started to follow the vulture funds.

So with the best and brightest sovereign debt and development lawyers in the world, we created a piece of New York legislation that is only one page. The New York Taxpayer and International Debt Crises Protection Act moves debt relief in every past, present and future process.

The pandemic changed our lives and world and we needed a new type of global legislation. Now the New York Taxpayer and International Debt Crises Protection Act will transform our world and fulfill the promise we made, together, 25 years ago.

Tell Governor Kathy Hochul as a Catholic and Christian who believes in the Church's call to live justly, that she must support the New York Taxpayer and International debt Crises Protection Act.

With your help, we can win the promise - the Jubilee Promise to address poverty, corruption and inequality and to protect our planet. 

Gratefully,