New York City Council

New City Council Initiative Funds $4.8 Million in Targeted Pilot Programs Aimed at Saving Lives

New York, NY— Today, the Task Force to Combat Gun Violence announced the Anti-Gun Violence Initiative, a new set of City Council programs which will receive a total of $4.8 million in funding for Fiscal Year 2013. The announcement comes as the Council prepares to pass the citywide budget, meeting a key benchmark set by the Task Force when it first launched last September for supporting a series of tangible solutions aimed at reducing gun violence across New York City and promoting positive alternatives for young people.

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“The Court’s decision to uphold the Affordable Care Act is great news for our City, State and Nation. Now that the Supreme Court has recognized the right to universal access to affordable health care, it is time for the extreme right to drop their attacks and start working constructively to help meet the law’s principal objectives – providing all Americans with access to the best health care in the world, while bringing down the costs of our health care system.”

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“I join the calls from across the nation speaking out against the senseless act of violence in Texas. Two college students, Mollie Olgin and Mary Chapa were shot without provocation at a neighborhood park, this incident should be thoroughly investigated immediately.

As communities come together in vigils nationwide to honor the lives of Mollie and Mary, I hope their friends, family and loved ones know that this shooting will not be ignored.

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“The Supreme Court is absolutely right to block three key components of Arizona’s “Safe Neighborhoods Act”. SB1070 targets immigrants and forces those who are stopped to prove their citizenship. Arizona’s attempt at establishing its version of immigration martial law was an intentional departure from our country’s established laws. Arizona’s rogue actions were today rightly proven unconstitutional.”

“While I am pleased with this part of the court’s decision, I also regret that they did not strike down against a fourth provision that authorizes officers to verify an individual’s immigration status.”

“The ‘show me your papers’ provision undermines the ideals that America was founded on and what we as a nation should continue to instill in our communities – the welcome and support of every person who comes to this nation in search of the American dream.

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“I am disappointed to learn of the Supreme Court’s decision to summarily reverse the decision of the Montana Supreme Court and to reaffirm its ill-considered decision in Citizens United. The Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision in January 2010 opened the floodgates to massive corporate spending in elections. We’ve all seen the harm that has already resulted from this decision – millions of dollars of corporate money and the rise of “Super PACs” that have upended the campaign finance system across the country.

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“I am disheartened to learn that according to a recent Human Rights Campaign (HRC) report on how health care institutions treat patients regardless of gender or sexual orientation, out of the 60 New York state hospitals and other health care institutions that were invited to participate in the study, only eight did. Five of these facilities were named ‘leaders in LGBT health care equality.’ We can and should do better than that.

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“With tonight’s passage of the mandatory Kindergarten legislation in the State Senate, we are now only one step away from guaranteeing this critical year of schooling for every New York City five-year-old. This bill will be life changing for the nearly 3,000 New York City kids that enter the first grade having never set foot in a classroom each year – kids who often need kindergarten the most.

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The City launched its first official prescription drug discount card one year ago.

New York, NY – In May 2011, New York City released its first official prescription drug discount card, BigAppleRx. Today, City Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn and Health Department Commissioner Thomas Farley announced that since its debut, the BigAppleRx card saved more than 56,500 New Yorkers a total of $6 million on prescription medications, for an overall savings of 47%.

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