REPUBLICAN CRISIS & PUBLIC AFFAIRS CONSULTANT, DEMOCRATIC SOCIALIST ACTIVIST LAUNCH PAC TO FOCUS ON ROLE OF CAREGIVERS
Caregivers United for Equity logo
Republican crisis and public affairs consultant Chris Bastardi Martini & Democratic Socialist Elizabeth Gonzalez are teaming up for caregivers, launching a PAC.
BROOKLYN, NY, UNITED STATES, June 30, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Christopher Bastardi Martini and Elizabeth Gonzalez had lengthy stints taking care of relatives. They have known one another since the seventh grade and started their junior high school’s environmental club in 1995. Thirty-one years later, he on the political Right and she, on the Left remain friends and are teaming up to establish the political action committee (PAC), Caregivers United for Equity.
Caregivers United for Equity seeks to drive an overdue conversation about what it means to care for a loved one, the sacrifices made and how to properly and reasonably compensate those who show up.
“I was not prepared for life to stop,” said Mr. Martini, who added his aunt’s surname in her honor recently. “It was especially impactful as a small business owner. Your ability to actually function in everyday life, to run and grow a business and to meet obligations is interrupted. It becomes impossible to juggle it all - and there is considerable impact to caregivers.”
He cared for his grandmother, increasingly, for years, before she was eventually placed in a rehabilitation facility where she died. Concurrently, his aunt had several strokes in a short period of time and became bedridden, needing 24-hour care. Mr. Martini moved in with her in December 2024 and has remained living in Brooklyn following her death.
Ms. Gonzalez, who cared for her mother, ailing from afib neuralgia and Alzheimer’s Disease, until her passing in May said, “We are facing a crisis of caregiving in this country as the Baby Boomer generation ages. Caregivers need more support.”
There is an economic and personal cost involved in caring for New York’s - and the nation’s - aging population. Even in hospice, patients are living longer; the average time in hospice increased by nearly 10 percent between 2010 and 2022. Many employers are patient and the Family and Medical Leave Act offers job security, which helps but is not enough. Caregivers United for Equity urges the state to begin looking at caregivers as a part of our healthcare infrastructure and not just an ancillary component of it.
“It’s more important to listen and talk than to attack one another because we disagree on some issues related to healthcare, trusts and estates,” added Ms. Gonzalez. “We might be able to codify rights for caregivers in New York State by working together.”
Caregivers United for Equity seeks changes to New York’s probate laws, hospital mandates, a substantial income tax credit and more.
Caregivers United for Equity: Platform
Allowing for a Caregiver to Claim a Deserved Compensation
The reasons to challenge one’s standing in an estate are narrow. Very narrow.
It’s time to talk about those doing the caretaking being able to claim an appropriate share of an inheritance in a decedent’s estate. Those doing the caretaking deserve a greater share in a will than those who did nothing when the chips were down.
Nowadays, there’s an incredible impact when it comes to a caregiver’s time, finances and emotional well-being. It is imperative that a conversation about death, dying and their aftermath be at the forefront of our state and nation.
Trust Addendums
State law should allow for and protect addendums to trusts where the guarantor can establish an inheritance allocation adjustment based upon submission of financial records to the trustees detailing economic losses due to caregiving.
Caregiver Education Programming
The state should provide caregiver education programming at the local level so that caregivers understand what rights they have, including FMLA as well as stress-reduction programming.
A Substantial Tax Credit
We propose a substantial tax credit to make up for economic losses while caregiving. We are not proposing a credit the size of, for example, the EITC, but one much larger given the temporary nature of the situation, the lasting impact it has and the number of people eligible at any given time.
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Contact: Chris Bastardi Martini
917-484-1587
Chris Bastardi
Bastardi Associates
+1 917-484-1587
email us here
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