New York City Council - Council Moves to Protect Women’s Access to Health Services with Vote on Clinic Access Bill

THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK
OFFICE OF COMMUNICATIONS
CITY HALL
NEW YORK, NY 10007
April 2, 2009
Release# 030-2009

Council Moves to Protect Women’s Access to Health Services with Vote on Clinic Access Bill
Also Takes Action to Safeguard Affordable Housing with Home Rule Messages to
Repeal State Vacancy Decontrol Authority and Urstadt Law

City Hall – At today’s Stated Council meeting, the members of the New York City Council will vote on the Clinic Access Bill, which will greatly improve women’s ability to access health services at reproductive health clinics without being harassed. The new legislation will allow police to arrest anyone blocking the entrance to a reproductive health clinic as well as allow staff from the facility to make a complaint when protestors knowingly interfere with a clinic’s operations.

As part of Speaker Quinn’s ongoing work to preserve and protect affordable housing, the Council will also vote on two home rule messages pushing for the repeal of New York State’s Urstadt Law and vacancy decontrol provision.

Additionally the Council will vote to improve traffic safety in the five boroughs and to co-name 18 thoroughfares and public spaces across the five boroughs.

In continued fiscally responsible efforts, the Council will also vote to substantially reduce its operating budget. Last year, the Council voted on the most substantial reduction in the history of the modern Council. The Council has found further reductions and successfully reduced its budget by an additional $1.7 million.

CLINIC ACCESS LEGISLATION

The Council’s vote on the Clinic Access bill greatly strengthens the protections afforded to those seeking and providing reproductive health services. The legislation will reduce burdens currently placed on women in two significant ways. First, in many circumstances, it will allow an arrest to be made for blocking the entrance to a reproductive health care facility based solely on the observation of a police officer. Second, the legislation will permit reproductive health care facilities to make complaints when protestors knowingly interfere with their operation.

Under the current law, a woman seeking reproductive health care services whose access to a reproductive health care facility is blocked is required to come forward in order to make a formal complaint even if police officers, facility employees or other third parties witnessed the incident.

“No one has the right to decide what a woman can and cannot do to protect her health. With this bill, women can be confident in their health decisions and know that no one can stand in their way,” said Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn. “If any woman faces threats, harassment or fear as she approaches a clinic, she will know the city stands behind her in taking action against her harasser.”

“The Clinic Access Bill provides people with the fundamental civil rights and protection that citizens deserve and are afforded in this nation,” said Council Member Larry Seabrook, Chair of the Civil Rights Committee. “This Bill eliminates a problem that we have lived with for too long and have done too little about.”

“A woman’s body is sacred and the decisions she makes regarding her wellbeing are ones that are of her own,” said Council Member Darlene Mealy, Chair of the Women’s Issues Committee. “The passing of this bill will ensure that all women in this great city can exercise their right to access safe reproductive health care. I thank Speaker Quinn for her aggressive approach to limit unlawful harassment and intimidation of women who seek to utilize health care resources.”

“Women have a right to access safe reproductive health care. Yet, even today, in NYC, protesters try to keep women out of clinics by harassing and intimidating them. I know because I have volunteered as an escort at a clinic in Manhattan,” said Council Member Jessica Lappin. “This bill balances the right to free speech with the right of women to make their own choices about their health.”

Currently, many women are faced with harassment and other hostile acts as they attempt to enter and exit clinics. A number of clinics throughout the City have reported problems with patients freely accessing the health services they need. Anti-choice protesters frequent the clinics and their surrounding areas, harassing both patients and staff. As a result, many women are intimidated away or otherwise prevented from accessing their healthcare. This legislation is supported by a broad coalition of civil liberties and reproductive rights groups.

Kelli Conlin, Executive Director of NARAL Pro-Choice NY; Joan Malin, President and CEO of Planned Parenthood New York; Galin Sherwin, Director of the Reproductive Rights Project at the New York Civil Liberties Union; Celine Mizrahi, Legislative Counsel for the Center for the Center for Reproductive Rights; and a representative from Dr. Emily’s Women’s Health Center were present at the announcement of today’s vote.

URSTADT HOME RULE

The Council will vote on a home rule message to repeal the State Urstadt Law which limits New York City’s authority with respect to rent regulation and eviction protections. The passage of this resolution supports State legislation sponsored by State Senator Liz Krueger and Assembly Member Vito Lopez to restore full authority over the rent regulatory programs to City government.

“If New York City is going to be able to protect tenants, to end the displacement that has occurred as a result of the pressure to raise rents up to market rates, then it is critical for us to control our own destiny,” said Council Speaker Quinn. “The loss of just one unit of rent regulated housing is absolutely devastating to our City’s tenants. It’s time for Albany to do the right thing and put control over our City’s housing policy where it belongs – in the hands of the local legislature.”

“Since 1971, the State has remained stagnant in the efforts to preserve and protect our cities affordable housing,” said State and Federal Legislation Committee Chair Maria Baez. “I am confident that Albany will repeal the Urstadt Law. With the current economic downturn, it is vital that we as a City have complete authority to move forward and enact housing policies that will benefit those individuals and families living in rent-regulated apartments.”

Upon passage of this bill the City’s home rule power would be restored, allowing it to adopt policies to protect more than one million rent-controlled and rent-stabilized apartments in the City for the first time since 1971, when the State under Governor Rockefeller took control of New York City’s housing policy.

TENANT PROTECTION HOME RULE

The Council will vote on a home rule message urging Albany to repeal the vacancy decontrol provision of New York State’s rent-regulation system. Under current law, vacant apartments are permanently removed from rent regulation when the landlord can raise the legal rent to $2,000, whereupon the landlord can charge market rates and the new tenants lose all rent protections.

Vacancy decontrol, in particular has had a devastating effect on affordable housing in New York City. By some estimates, this practice has led to the loss of over 71,000 units between 1994 and 2007. The bills in Albany sponsored by Senator Stewart-Cousins and Assembly Member Rosenthal, would reregulate 90 to 95% of the units that have been deregulated in the last 15 years.

New York City rent-controlled apartments total approximately 50,000 units and are occupied by mostly low-income seniors. Rent-stabilized apartments total approximately 1 million units with tenants who have a median income of $30,000.

REDUCING THE COUNCIL’S BUDGET

The City Council will vote today to reduce its operating budget at a total of more than $1.7 million. This reduction follows last year’s historic reduction of $2.3 million, the most substantial reduction of the budget in the history of the modern Council. The Council's budget reductions will impact Central Staff's operations. Council Member's individual budgets will not be reduced.

The Council's reductions reflect a 3.3 percent reduction from the Fiscal Year 2009 budget. $751,123 in reductions will come from the Council's Personnel Services (PS) Budget. Additional reductions of $973,468 will come from the Council's Other Than Personnel Services (OTPS) Budget. Printing and events services will be reduced, as well as other cost-saving measures.

“In years past, the City Council has lead by example and absorbed the same cuts that other agencies did,” said Speaker Quinn. “Our actions today continue our efforts to remain fiscally prudent and – to the penny – find every cost-saving measure possible to come up with the most responsible internal budget possible.”

“This move recognizes the severity of the fiscal challenges we face as a City during this recession,” said Finance Committee Chair David Weprin. “If we are asking people to tighten their belts, we must, as a Council do the same. It is these steps that will help us weather these tough times making us a better and stronger City.”

RED LIGHT TRAFFIC CAMERA BILL

To improve traffic safety in the five boroughs, the Council will vote on a home rule message requesting that the State authorize the City’s utilization of fifty additional red light traffic cameras. Currently, New York City is authorized to have 100 red light cameras. Red light cameras are used to record vehicles going through red light signals at traffic intersections. In 2005, the City issued 306,117 red-light violations. This proposed legislation, sponsored by State Senator Martin Dilan and Assembly Member Sheldon Silver, would take effect immediately and sunset on December 1, 2014.

STREET CO-NAMING LEGISLATION

Together in an omnibus bill, the members of the City Council will vote to co-name 18 thoroughfares and public places throughout the City. Upon Included in the omnibus bill are streets co-named after Mother Teresa, Thurgood Marshall, and Jose Sucuzhañay, the Ecuadorian immigrant fatally beaten in a Bushwick hate crime. Further information regarding each of the 18 street co-namings can be found at: http://council.nyc.gov/downloads/pdf/spring_09_street_renaming.pdf.

FINANCE TRANSPARENCY RESOLUTION

In ongoing efforts to make the City budget process more transparent, the Council will vote on a resolution that will detail changes made to the FY09 adopted budget.