Council also to pass bill to return unused commissary funds to individuals previously in city custody
Wednesday, September 23, 2026
(New York, NY): Tomorrow, the New York City Council is set to pass two bills introduced by Council Member Crystal Hudson, both aimed at putting cash back into the pockets of New Yorkers. The first bill streamlines enrollment for certain low-income New Yorkers in the Fair Fares program while the second bill would strengthen the process for returning unused commissary funds by giving individuals in custody the option to get all of their remaining funds via cash, check, or prepaid debit card.
Automatic Enrollment in Fair Fares
Introduction 248-A requires the Department of Social Services (DSS) to establish a streamlined process to enroll certain New Yorkers in the Fair Fares program, which provides half-priced transit fare to low-income New Yorkers on subway and standard bus fares. Under the bill, DSS would be required to provide an option for individuals who apply for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) or Cash Assistance to have their information used to be enrolled in the Fair Fares program and notify eligible individuals about the streamlined process. Currently, DSS only uses eligible information to expedite enrollment in Fair Fares for individuals who are renewing SNAP or cash assistance applications. Individuals can apply for SNA or cash assistance through the ACCESS HRA app/web portal or in person at certain HRA centers and also be enrolled in Fair Fares with their consent.
“Since entering office, I’ve advocated for policies that make it easier for New Yorkers to access the benefits and services they deserve,” said Council Member Crystal Hudson, Chair of the Committee on General Welfare. “Automatic enrollment is a common-sense solution that saves New Yorkers precious time and makes government do what it should’ve been doing all along — actually working for the people it serves. This bill will ensure low-income New Yorkers who seek the city’s help for food benefits and cash assistance don’t have to submit extraneous paperwork and can receive half-priced transit if they want by more easily opting in to Fair Fares. This bill is just the start – we must work to make it easier for New Yorkers to enroll in all city programs and secure necessary data sharing agreements with state agencies to extend expedited enrollment to other eligible New Yorkers who are currently not known to the City.”
The bill would also require DSS to make best efforts to establish a data sharing agreement with the New York State Office of Temporary Disability Assistance and other state agencies to obtain information needed to notify individuals who currently are not DSS clients that may be eligible for Fair Fares. It also requires the agency to study the feasibility of automatically enrolling New Yorkers in all city-administered benefits programs.
As of September 2026, more than 378,000 New Yorkers have signed up for Fair Fares. According to the Community Service Society of New York, less than a third of New Yorkers enrolled in DSS programs like SNAP, Cash Assistance, or CityFHEPS are also enrolled in Fair Fares. The New York City Council successfully secured an additional $174.6 million for the program in the FY27 budget to expand eligibility from individuals at 150% of the Federal Poverty Line to 200%. The new investment will raise total eligibility to 1.3 million New Yorkers. The budgeted expansion is planned to go into effect this fall.
“Commuters struggling just to afford the basics of life in our city don’t have time for extra paperwork and bureaucracy,” said Riders Alliance Deputy Director Caitlin Pearce. “Thanks to the leadership of Chair Hudson, Chair Abreu and Speaker Menin, Fair Fares enrollment will be streamlined and more New Yorkers will have easier access to an essential program. Along with expanded Fair Fares eligibility for New Yorkers earning up to 200% of the federal poverty level, streamlined enrollment will save more money and time for the New Yorkers who most need a break.“
“When government already has the information needed to determine eligibility, it should make every effort to connect people to the benefits they qualify for. A recent CSS survey found that more than one in three New Yorkers receiving SNAP, Cash Assistance, or CityFHEPS were not enrolled in Fair Fares. This legislation will help close that gap, building a more effective benefits system and helping ensure that the cost of transportation is not a barrier to opportunity,” said David R. Jones, President and CEO of the Community Service Society of New York.
“For too many years, low-income New Yorkers entitled to Fair Fares have been stymied by the exceptionally long, complicated, and cumbersome enrollment and renewal processes,” said Brian Fritsch, Associate Director for the Permanent Citizens Advisory Committee to the MTA (PCAC). “We are elated that those days are nearing an end, thanks to Councilmember Hudson’s bill, 248-A, to implement automatic enrollment in the Fair Fares program. Coming on the heels of the largest expansion of Fair Fares since it launched in 2019, this change will make it easier for people to get the benefits – and rides – they deserve by simplifying the enrollment process and breaking down frustrating barriers for nearly one million eligible New Yorkers.”
“For too many low-income New Yorkers, the problem isn’t eligibility for critical benefits — it’s navigating unnecessary administrative hurdles to access them,” said Judith Goldiner, Attorney-in-Charge of Civil Law Reform at The Legal Aid Society. “Streamlining Fair Fares enrollment for New Yorkers already receiving SNAP or cash assistance is a commonsense step that will help more people afford the transportation they need to get to work, school, medical appointments, and other necessities. We applaud bill sponsor Council Member Hudson and the City Council for advancing Intro. 248-A and for recognizing that New Yorkers should not have to repeatedly prove information the government already has.”
“Transportation is the second largest monthly expense for a New Yorker, right behind housing, and New Yorkers facing poverty should be able to afford to use public transit between job interviews, school, doctors, and shelter,” said Deb Berkman, Director of New York Legal Assistance Group’s Shelter and Economic Stability Project. “Thanks to these new resolutions by Council Member Hudson that streamline the opt-in process to access Fair Fares for people already receiving SNAP and other public assistance, more low-income subway and bus riders will be able to move on a path toward stability.”
Returning Commissary Funds
Introduction 246-A, co-prime sponsored by Council Member Sandy Nurse and Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, would require the Department of Correction (DOC) to inform persons in custody how much money remains in their commissary account and return all unused institutional funds — in cash, check, or preloaded debit card — prior to an individual leaving the department’s custody.
“When someone leaves custody, they shouldn’t have to fight the system one more time just to get back money that is rightfully theirs,” said Council Member Crystal Hudson. “For too long, formerly incarcerated New Yorkers have been stuck waiting on checks to be mailed out — sometimes never seeing that money again. Intro 246 puts an end to that. It gives people the opportunity to walk out the door with what they’re owed at the moment they need it most. No waiting. No fees. No runaround. Just the government finally giving people back what was theirs all along.”
As of May 2026, the New York City Department of Correction has 180,753 commissary accounts with unclaimed funds totaling more than $4.56 million cumulatively. Currently, individuals are only able to receive up to $200 in cash upon discharge. Any additional funds remaining in the account require the previously incarcerated person to request a check to be mailed. For an individual to check their remaining commissary balance, they must submit a form through the Department of Correction’s website.
The bill takes effect 8 months after becoming law, with an additional nine months for the preloaded debit card provision — as the Department will need to issue a Request for Proposals to identify a vendor to provide this service.
“From their dignity to their well-being to even their lives, so much is stolen from our neighbors every single day on the hellhole that is Rikers Island. That even includes the funds they maintained in their commissary accounts while incarcerated — money that should remain rightfully theirs upon their release,” said Queens Borough President Donovan Richards Jr. “As a lead sponsor of this legislation during my tenure in the City Council, I’m grateful to my elected colleagues and all the criminal justice advocates for keeping up this common-sense fight for fairness. The full Council must immediately pass and the Mayor must immediately sign this legislation.“
“It’s important to think of commissary funds in the context of the extreme economic injustices of pretrial detention. People who can afford to pay their bail are able to stay in the community while their case proceeds, while people with the least wealth wait in jail. Their family members then have to scrape together commissary funds, for items that are too often overpriced. When people are finally able to leave Rikers, getting their commissary funds back should never be an issue. Even a small amount of money can make a big difference to someone coming back to the community and facing all kinds of needs. We’re grateful to Council Member Hudson for sponsoring this legislation to expand the options for people to get their money back,” said Darren Mack, Co-Director of Freedom Agenda.
September 22, 2025
Today, New York City Council Aging Committee Chair Crystal Hudson — alongside members of the Aging Committee and older adult providers & advocates — sent a letter to NYC Aging Commissioner Lorraine Cortés-Vázquez requesting her assistance in empaneling a group of experts to determine how New York City can protect its 1.5 million older adults from recent programmatic and budget cuts from the Trump Administration.
In the letter, Hudson and the other signatories urge Commissioner Cortés-Vázquez to convene a quarterly roundtable meeting with elected officials, older adult service provides & advocates, and aging staff from NYC Aging, the New York State Office for the Aging, and city and state budget officials to discuss recent programmatic and budget cuts and determine how the city and state can continue to serve older adults, many of whom are on fixed incomes and could see a loss of insurance coverage, food access, heating & cooling services, and more as a result of the Trump administration’s actions.
Hudson wrote the letter after the Trump administration announced more than $1 trillion in funding cuts for programs that older adults rely on, including Medicaid, SNAP, HEAP, and AmeriCorps in recent months. The letter’s signatories include Council Members Lynn Schulman, Linda Lee, and Chris Banks as well as Michael Adams (CEO, SAGE), Catherine Chen (Executive Director, Asian American Federation), Beth Shapiro (CEO, Citymeals on Wheels), Kevin Kiprovski (Director of Public Policy, LiveOn NY), Selfhelp Community Services, and United Neighborhood Houses.
NYC Aging has proven a leader on intergovernmental coordination under Commissioner Cortés-Vázquez, convening the Cabinet for Older New Yorkers (codified under Local Law 64 of 2024 by Council Member Hudson), a first-of-its-kind interagency effort to ensure an age-inclusive New York City. A full report detailing the cabinet’s actions was recently published and is available here. The letter also calls on the Commissioner to incorporate a discussion of these cuts into upcoming Cabinet for Older New York meetings and share the minutes from those discussions publicly.
The letter comes one day after Council Member Hudson published an op-ed in the New York Daily News that mirrored this call for collaboration.
The full text of the letter is as follows.
Council Member Crystal Hudson to Introduce Age In Place 2.0 Legislative Package
November 13, 2024
Today, Council Member Crystal Hudson, chair of the NYC Council Committee on Aging, will unveil the Age in Place 2.0 legislative package ahead of the City Council’s Stated Meeting. The eleven-bill package includes legislation aimed at combating some of the most pressing issues facing older adults, including expanded meal options, stronger interagency coordination, technical support, and fraud education & financial planning resources. The package includes legislation sponsored by Council Members Hudson, Lynn Schulman, Linda Lee, and Jennifer Gutiérrez.
The package includes legislation that would:
- Enhance distribution of information regarding the NYC Care Program to older adults (Int. 228);
- Permit older adult centers to offer grab-and-go meals to clients (Int. 237);
- Establish a technical support program for older adults (Int. 238);
- Codify NYC Aging’s Cabinet for Older New Yorkers that enhances interagency coordination (Int. 689);
- Mandate greater reporting on older adult housing and accessibility (Int. 725);
- Require home-delivered meals to be provided to eligible clients 365 days a year, including on weekends and holidays (Int. 770);
- Mandate a study on Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities (NORCs) and Neighborhood Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities (N-NORCs) (Int. 1022);
- Provide information regarding older adult workforce programs and employment discrimination resources to all OACs and clients (Int. 1025);
- Study the feasibility of brick-and-mortar older adult information and service centers (Int. 1053);
- Create a ten-year plan to aid older adults aging in place in NYC that includes projects and recommendations (Int. 1054); and
- Provide educational and informational materials to educate older adults about elder fraud scams, end of life preparation, and financial literacy (Int. 1092)
Two of the bills are already law (Ints. 228 and 689), and four are set to pass at the November 21st Stated Meeting (Ints. 1022, 1025, 1053, and 1054). More information on the package and bill status is available at bit.ly/AgeinPlaceNYC2.
September 23, 2024
On Monday, September 23, at 1pm the New York City Council’s Committee on Aging, chaired by Council Member Crystal Hudson, will conduct an oversight hearing on the status of NYC Aging’s implementation of the Community Care Plan. The hearing will take place in the Committee Room at City Hall and will be live-streamed on the Council’s website.
In April 2021, then-Mayor Bill de Blasio announced a five-year Community Care Plan for older adults. The plan seeks to support older New Yorkers so they can age in place in New York. Community Care refers to the programs and services that support older adults in their existing communities to ensure they can continue to live at home, which is less expensive than institutional care ($32,000 annually compared to $154,000 for a nursing home), better for physical and mental health of older adults, and reduces social isolation given support to remain in connection with existing civic organizations, such as houses of worship or non-profit service providers.
The de Blasio administration said it would allocate $48 million in the first year of the plan’s implementation to add an additional 25 older adult centers or NORCs in underserved communities and $10 million for staffing and programming. In the remaining years, NYC Aging called for “strategic investments” to expand case management, homecare services (including. home-delivered meals), caregiver services, virtual and in-person programming, and the dissemination of technology to maintain virtual connectivity.
In the FY22 Executive Budget, NYC Aging requested $179.2 million in new needs to finance the Community Care Plan across FY22-FY25, largely financed using expiring stimulus funds that must be used by the end of calendar year 2024. Yet, NYC Aging has seen no major funding increases since the plan’s announcement to finance its specific needs.
February 2, 2023
Today, the New York City Council unanimously approved the fourth bill in Council Member Crystal Hudson’s Age in Place NYC legislative package, which aims to address systemic issues facing older New Yorkers across the five boroughs.
As passed, Int. 676 — introduced by Council Member Hudson along with Council Members Linda Lee, Lynn Schulman, and Kristen Richardson Jordan — would require the Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) to develop a list of universal design features and require a developer who receives City financial assistance incorporate universal design elements in all dwelling units in a new housing development project. The bill would also require HPD to produce a report on the universal design list, which HPD would post on its website.
Universal design for housing is defined as the process of designing an apartment or house so that it is accessible for everyone, regardless of age, physical ability or stature.
January 19, 2023
Today, the New York City Council unanimously approved the first three bills in Council Member Crystal Hudson’s Age in Place NYC legislative package. Council Member Hudson unveiled the Age in Place NYC legislative package in September 2022. The package aims to address systemic issues facing older New Yorkers from housing insecurity to general City-wide accessibility and bolstering cultural competency and programming at older adult centers (OACs) across the five boroughs. The legislation passed the Council by a vote of 50-0-0.
January 10, 2023
On Tuesday, January 10, New York City Board of Correction will hold a meeting regarding proposed changes to Minimum Standard §§ 1-11(e)(1)(i) and 1-12(a)––variances establishing correspondence and package delivery policies in City jails. The proposed variances would drastically change the Department’s mail system by requiring all mail be sent to an off-site facility to then be scanned in order for it to be read exclusively on tablets by people in custody and require any packages be sent directly from a limited list of vendors.
Ahead of today’s meeting, Council Members Hudson and Rivera sent a letter to the City’s Board of Correction making clear their opposition to these proposed changes and urging the Board to reject them. The letter, found here, was signed by 16 Council Members from across the five boroughs.
December 21, 2022
Slashing funding from vital City resources while simultaneously gutting the agencies that offer our neighbors care and support is wholly irresponsible and negligent.
The proposed cuts in the Administration’s November Financial Plan and budget modification are illustrative of a Mayor more concerned about waging political battles than truly getting stuff done.
Despite IBO projecting a $2.2 billion surplus for this fiscal year and the federal government announcing that New York City will receive hundreds of millions of dollars in funding for asylum seekers, the Mayor has turned to his favorite tactic of cutting funding and stoking fear with xenophobic dog whistles.
Statement from NYC Council’s LGBTQIA+ Caucus
December 20, 2022
As the New York City Council’s LGBTQIA+ Caucus, we unequivocally condemn the recent homophobic and transphobic attacks on members of our Caucus.
In recent months, the majority of our Caucus’ members have experienced direct homophobic attacks, online and in-person. A number of our members and Council allies have also faced antagonistic protests outside of their homes and district offices where bigoted protesters called them “groomers” and “pedophiles” after their personal information was published online.
These incidents underscore the importance of the LGBTQIA+ community’s continued struggle for equity and justice in a world that so frequently and blatantly disregards our humanity. These hateful attacks are not isolated but rather patterned and indicative of the violent prejudices still alive and well in the United States. You need only to turn your attention to the countless laws in state legislatures nationwide undermining the health, safety, and wellbeing of trans youth, Congress’ failure to pass legislation protecting LGBTQIA+ folks from discrimination, the thousands of tweets posted daily calling for physical harm to queer people, or the senseless shooting of 30 folks – five of whom were killed – in Colorado Springs just last month as proof.
October 20, 2022
This morning, Council Member Crystal Hudson joined the family of Eudes Pierre for a street co-naming ceremony in his honor. On Monday, December 20th, 2021, Mr. Pierre, a Crown Heights resident, was killed by the New York Police Department (NYPD) when they responded to a 911 call that Mr. Pierre was suffering from a mental health crisis. To commemorate his life, Council Member Crystal Hudson joined his family, community leaders, and elected officials in unveiling Eudes Pierre Way on the southwest corner of Eastern Parkway and Utica Avenue, the site of his death.
“Eudes Pierre’s death could have been prevented,” said Council Member Crystal Hudson. “Suffering from a mental health crisis, Eudes needed the help of specially trained professionals. With today’s co-naming it’s my hope that our entire community holds his memory close and works toward achieving alternative solutions to our failed overreliance on the NYPD to address mental health crises. This is an issue that extends beyond the neighborhood of Crown Heights, and Mr. Pierre’s family has been at the forefront of ensuring that their loss can be a lesson never to be repeated in our City.”
October 7, 2022
Today, Council Member Crystal Hudson, co-chair of the New York City Council’s LGBTQIA+ Caucus, along with members of the Caucus, general body, and representatives from organized labor and LGBTQIA+ activist organizations announced the launch of the Pride at Work Initiative.
Under the leadership of Council Member Hudson and the LGBTQIA+ Caucus, the Council agreed to create a new budget initiative for Fiscal Year 2023 that aims to get more LGBTQIA+ people into unionized jobs. It is the first such partnership to be publicly funded nationwide. The initiative, funded at $501,000 for FY23, was included in the September 29, 2022 Transparency Resolution.
Press Release: Council Member Crystal Hudson to Introduce #AgeInPlaceNYC Legislative Package
September 13, 2022
Tomorrow, Council Member Crystal Hudson will introduce the #AgeInPlaceNYC Legislative Package at the City Council’s Stated meeting. The ten-bill package includes legislation aimed at combating some of the most pressing issues facing older adults, including housing insecurity, healthcare access, cultural competency, and accessibility. Council Members Lynn Schulman, Kristen Richardson Jordan, Linda Lee, Alexa Avilés, Gale Brewer, Julie Menin, Jennifer Gutiérrez, Tiffany Cabán, and Christopher Marte have joined Council Member Hudson in sponsoring some or all of this package.
August 11, 2022
On Thursday, the New York City Council’s LGBTQIA+ Caucus will introduce legislation aimed at combating the monkeypox outbreak in New York City. This package — the first major legislative push by a municipality to address the monkeypox virus — will require the City to create a robust monkeypox response plan, establish an equity-based education and outreach strategy, ensure adequate vaccine access for communities most at risk of contracting the virus, strengthen monkeypox data reporting, and establish a permanent infectious disease vaccine scheduling portal. All seven members of the LGBTQIA+ Caucus — Council Members Hudson, Cabán, Bottcher, Jordan, Schulman, Ossé, and Carr — are introducing the legislation.
June 16, 2022
The following statement may be attributed to the New York City Council LGBTQIA+ Caucus and/or its co-chairs, Council Members Crystal Hudson and Tiffany Cabán:
“The recent comments made by Council Member Vickie Paladino (District 19) are unacceptable from anyone, let alone an elected official. They are full of hate, intolerance, and ignorance. As Co-Chairs of the City Council’s LGBTQIA+ Caucus, we condemn and denounce Council Member Paladino’s bigoted comments and call for her to be removed from her committee assignments and formally censured.
Drag Story Hour NYC is a wonderful, wholesome, and vital program that invites our children to explore who they really are, to see themselves as unique individuals with the right to be whoever they are in the world. It shows queer youth and their peers alike that each of our existence is valid – that we all belong.
We are part of a City striving to become more just and equitable, with members of a governing body committed to making our democratic institutions more accessible, representative, and compassionate. Our constituents are diverse, and our communities are vibrant. Yet, across the five boroughs, our LGBTQIA+ neighbors routinely face the threat of violence in a City that has paved the way for our struggle for queer liberation. Statements like those made by Council Member Paladino only intensify that threat and make our city less safe.
We know what keeps our cities safe — investing in programs like Drag Story Hour NYC that gets at the root causes of hate and reduces the likelihood of violence down the road. Drag Story Hour NYC is not only a great educational program, it is an important piece of public safety infrastructure.
We urge the Council to take immediate action by censuring this member and removing her from her committee assignments. This is not an issue of ideological differences, but a question of our collective belief in all New Yorkers’ right to an existence free from discrimination.”
June 15, 2022
Council Member Crystal Hudson will introduce legislation at tomorrow’s City Council Stated Meeting that offer greater oversight of the NYPD and support affordable housing across the five boroughs.
The three bills introduced today by Council Member Hudson work to address long-standing issues facing New Yorkers. The first bill will increase police transparency by mandating the NYPD regularly provide data on New Yorkers who do not consent to police searches. It includes language to require reporting on denials of forensic sample collection and the use of interpretation services. Using this data, advocates and lawmakers can identify which populations may be unaware of their rights during a police stop and bolster City resources aimed at informing those populations of their rights. This package also supports tenants seeking affordable housing by providing minimum standards and greater transparency for the lottery process while also requiring the City to study how to better preserve rent-stabilized housing.
Press Release: Council Member Crystal Hudson Votes To Approve FY23 Budget
June 13, 2022
This evening, the City Council voted to adopt the New York City budget for Fiscal Year 2023, with Council Member Crystal Hudson voting in the affirmative.
As a member of the Council’s Budget Negotiating Team, Council Member Hudson was instrumental in securing nearly $1.1 billion in additional funding, including deeper investments in summer programming for youth, restoring investments in the Department of Sanitation to pre-pandemic levels, preventing the addition of new correction officers in city jails, and advocating for additional resources for our City’s parks.
As Chair of the Committee on Aging, Council Member Hudson successfully fought to obtain critical funding for older adults–ensuring much-needed food and housing security programs can continue to serve more than 1 million older adults across the five boroughs. With this allocated funding, $15 million will go toward ensuring older adults can adequately transition from the GetFood Recovery Meals program, $3.5 million will fund IT programming for older adults, and $802,000 in baselined funding for NYCHA social clubs.
Statement from Council Member Crystal Hudson on Budget Handshake
June 10, 2022
The following statement regarding the budget handshake is from Crystal Hudson, Council Member for the 35th Council District and a member of the Budget Negotiating Team.
“Today’s agreement between the City Council Speaker and Mayor Adams shows that the City can take steps to break free from a status quo that is woefully unconcerned with the well-being of some of our most vulnerable New Yorkers. It is evidence that this Council has taken a stand for a more caring and compassionate City and fought for the just and equitable future we know we’re capable of building.
“By taking steps to provide immediate relief to undocumented families and parents, prevent the addition of new correction officers in city jails, restore cuts to sanitation services, and secure additional funding for our City’s parks, cultural institutions and libraries, our City has taken a big step toward creating universal systems rooted in care and compassion.
“As Chair of the Committee on Aging, I’m proud to have successfully advocated for the well-being of our older adults, obtaining tens of millions of dollars in new funding for vital programs like baselining IT support for older adults, a cost-of-living adjustment for human service workers, and baselining funding for NYCHA social clubs — safeguarding our City’s more than 1 million older adults from financial strain, food insecurity, and health issues.
“This budget, my first as a Council Member, is a move in the right direction that shows we can redefine what public safety, access to health care, and economic justice mean for New Yorkers. I will continue fighting for greater equity and justice, setting new standards, and crafting even stronger budgets that provide greater resources for marginalized communities.”
April 28, 2022
Today, the City Council voted to approve two residential developments in Prospect Heights at 870-888 Atlantic Avenue and 1034-1042 Atlantic Avenue. By greenlighting these projects, the City sets a new tone for future land-use proposals, showing that developers can and must offer more than required under the Mandatory Inclusionary Housing (MIH) program.
870-888 Atlantic Avenue will provide approximately 228 dwelling units, and 1034-1042 Atlantic Avenue will provide approximately 210 dwelling units. In total, these properties will bring approximately 150 units combined in affordable housing. Both properties will include commercial and community facility space on the ground floor and are located in Brooklyn Community District 8.
Council Member Hudson’s Statement on the Council’s Response to Mayor’s FY23 Preliminary Budget
April 1, 2022
Today, the City Council announced its formal response to the Mayor’s FY23 Preliminary Budget. In it, the governing body called for greater community investments and increased funding for programs that will pave a path for a truly equitable recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Mayor’s Preliminary Budget fell short. It illustrated an utter lack of compassion and understanding for the needs of everyday New Yorkers. It cut the budget for the City’s Department for the Aging (DFTA), its cultural institutions and libraries, its hospitals, and its schools. It stripped funding for the City’s Department of Sanitation (DSNY) and the vital curbside organics recycling program. The Preliminary Budget made no significant investments to improve the material conditions of many of New York’s most vulnerable communities.
March 24, 2022
Today, Council Members Crystal Hudson, Keith Powers, Pierina Sanchez, Gale Brewer, and Oswald Feliz will introduce a bill to raise the minimum indoor temperatures required of property owners during heat season.
Between October 1 and May 31 (aka “heat season”), all residential building owners are currently required to maintain indoor temperatures of at least 68 degrees Fahrenheit between 6am and 1 pm when the outside temperature drops below 55 degrees. They are also required to maintain indoor temperatures of at least 62 degrees between 10pm and 6am regardless of the outside temperature.
This bill would raise the minimum required temperatures from 68 degrees to 70 degrees during the day and from 62 degrees to 66 degrees overnight.