June 3, 2010
SEN. VELMANETTE MONTGOMERY RECEIVES STATE BAR
ASSOCIATION’S 2010 HOWARD A. LEVINE AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN
JUVENILE JUSTICE AND CHILD WELFARE
Senator Montgomery honored for reforming juvenile
justice system and her untiring commitment to children
ALBANY— State Senator Velmanette Montgomery (D-Brooklyn),
chair of the Senate Committee on Children and the Families, was honored
with the prestigious 2010 Howard A. Levine Award for Excellence in
Juvenile Justice and Child Welfare by the New York State Bar
Association. Sponsored by the Committee on Children and the Law, the
award recognizes individuals who have done outstanding work protecting
and promoting the rights of New York’s children. The award was
presented on June 2 in a ceremony at the State Bar Center in Albany.
The committee recognized Senator Montgomery for her outstanding work
in her role as committee chair in improving the lives of young people in
crisis through reform of the state’s juvenile justice, foster care
and adoptive care systems. In 2008, she authored a law that allows
adopted children to claim two parents of record, even if one parent dies
before the adoption is final. She also is one of New York’s
leading proponents of the school-based health care system as a model for
delivering comprehensive primary and mental health services to children
of all ages.
“In the spirit of Howard A. Levine, Senator Montgomery is a
true champion for children, protecting the welfare of our most
vulnerable and fragile New Yorkers,” said State Bar President
Stephen P. Younger of New York (Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler LLP).
“The New York State Bar Association is proud to honor Senator
Montgomery for her extraordinary work on behalf of our young
people.”
“From the beginning of her career as an educator to her 25
years of exemplary service as a New York state senator, Senator
Montgomery has been a tireless leader and advocate for the well-being of
our children,” said Committee Chair Professor Merrill Sobie of
White Plains (Pace University School of Law). “On behalf of the
committee, we want to honor Senator Montgomery for her highly effective
leadership on children’s rights issues and her commitment to
juvenile justice reform.”
Also receiving the 2010 Howard A. Levine Award for Excellence in
Juvenile Justice and Child Welfare was George E. Reed Jr. of White
Plains (Law Offices of George E. Reed, Jr.). The committee recognized
Reed for his 30 years of unwavering commitment to improving the juvenile
justice system.
The award is named for retired Court of Appeals Judge Howard A.
Levine (Whiteman Osterman & Hanna LLP), a strong proponent and
leader in the effort to improve New York’s child welfare and
juvenile justice systems.
Past winners of the Howard A. Levine Award for Excellence in Juvenile
Justice and Child Welfare include Gladys Carrión, Commissioner of
the New York State Office of Children & Family Services; Hon. Eugene
F. Pigott, Jr., Associate Judge of the New York State Court of Appeals;
Assemblywoman Helene E. Weinstein; Hon. Judith S. Kaye, retired Chief
Judge of the New York State Court of Appeals; and Matilda Cuomo, the
former First Lady of New York.
Founded in 1876, the 77,000-member New York State Bar Association is
the official statewide organization of lawyers in New York and the
largest voluntary state bar association in the nation. The State
Bar’s programs and activities have continuously served the public
and improved the justice system for more than 130 years.
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