Case Study: The Death of New York’s Death Penalty (2005)

The Challenge: When New York’s highest court struck down New York’s death penalty law in June 2004, the Legislature was poised to implement a quick fix. This was despite the fact that experts from around the nation found the law to be flawed, and lacking the protections necessary to prevent the execution of innocent people. Taxpayers paid nearly $200 million to support a capital punishment law that had never resulted in an execution, had no affect on the crime rate, was racially biased, and risked innocent lives. Given what we knew about the death penalty, it was not a risk worth taking.
M&R Strategy & Solution: Through a combination of lobbying, media, grassroots and coalition building M&R was able to help advocates take control of the public debate and convince the State Assembly to do a complete reversal. This was accomplished through an extremely targeted educational campaign, which tailored the message as well as the messenger to each legislator.
The Result: Against all odds, Malkin & Ross, Equal Justice USA and New Yorkers Against the Death Penalty ran a successful campaign to keep New York’s death penalty law from being reinstated. The first victory was a series of well-publicized hearings in the winter of 2005 by the State Assembly to examine the impacts of the law over the past 10 years. Then in the spring, despite passage of a quick fix bill in the Senate, the proposal was soundly rejected by the Assembly Codes Committee.

Case Study: Landmark Women’s Health & Wellness Law (2002)

The Challenge: For years, New York Health insurance companies were denying women affordable access to a variety of women’s health services, including mammograms (before the age of 50), cervical cancer screening, osteoporosis screening and treatment, and contraception. Co-pays and deductibles for birth control and these screenings had become cost-prohibitive for many women, denying them life-saving preventative care.
M&R Strategy & Solution: Malkin & Ross conducted an integrated campaign centered on a coalition of 80 organizations comprised of medical, religious, political, labor, civil rights and women’s groups. M&R’s effort focused on extensive in-district informational leafleting, the placement of earned media, and an aggressive member-to-member lobbying effort. Mandatory coverage of contraception was the most controversial component of the legislation. Joint Legislative Conference Committees convened during the 2001 session failed to reach agreement on this issue. M&R worked closely with the Senate Majority to craft a narrow religious exemption for contraceptive coverage that had the support of the Assembly and advocacy community. This breakthrough allowed for final passage of the legislation in 2002.
The Result: A landmark law was established that requires insurance coverage of OB/GYN care, cervical cancer screenings, annual mammograms for women aged forty and over, bone mineral density screenings and contraception.

Case Study: The End of an Era - Reform of Rockefeller Drug Laws (2004, 2005)

The Challenge:Enacted in 1973 under Governor Nelson Rockefeller, the Rockefeller Drug Laws required a harsh prison term for the possession or sale of a small amount of drugs. As a result, there are now approximately 18,300 drug offenders in New York State prisons, the majority of who have no history of violence. Ninety-three percent of the people sentenced under these laws are African American, even though the majority of people who use and sell drugs are white. These unjust laws cost taxpayers $590 million a year, and destroy thousands of families.
M&R Strategy & Solution: Malkin & Ross organized and led its client the Drug Policy Alliance and a broad coalition of families and social justice groups in a campaign to change the drug laws. The campaign was targeted at key Legislators and District Attorneys who were outspoken supporters of the existing policy. Through a combination of lobbying, grassroots organizing, media out reach and the cultivation of the proper messengers, the coalition was able to bring reform to these antiquated laws for the first time in 30 years.
The Result: The first fight, known as Rocky I, resulted in changes in December of 2004, which dramatically reduced drug-related sentences. Almost 500 inmates serving fifteen years to life sentences became eligible for resentencing. August of 2005 saw the second wave of Rockefeller Drug Law reform in less than one year. Under Rocky II an additional 500 non violent, low risk inmates will be eligible for resentencing and many will be released.

Case Study: Energy Conservation through more Efficient Appliances (2005)

The Challenge: Energy efficiency in basic household and commercial appliances plays a critical role in energy conservation and in reducing energy costs. Recognizing this, the Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnership was formed to promote energy efficient standards in North Eastern states for an array of appliances. The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) led the charge in New York. The challenge was that changes to energy policy rarely occur in New York because of deep philosophical and political divides among lawmakers on how to approach efficiency, conservation and production.
M&R Strategy & Solution: Malkin & Ross worked closely and successfully with the NRDC and a large coalition of stakeholders to broach those divisions, crafting a bill that could pass both houses of the Legislature while still attaining the desired environmental and efficiency benefits. M&R’s ability to act as an effective facilitator and strategist overcame the divisions among parties, allowing the final deal to come together.
The Result: A passage of a breakthrough law on energy conservation that gives New York State one of the most comprehensive appliance energy efficiency standards laws in the country. New York’s leadership on this issue convinced federal lawmakers to include a ceiling fan efficiency standard in the federal legislation.