New York City Council

New York, NY –City Council Speaker Corey Johnson, Subcommittee on Landmarks, Public Sitting and Dispositions, Adrienne Adams, and Council Members Diana Ayala, Margaret Chin, Karen Koslowitz and Stephen Levin announced today that as result of the expected drop in the average daily jail population, community engagement, and design-efficient improvements, the maximum height for the new borough-based facilities needed to close Rikers Island will be significantly reduced from its original proposed plan.

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NEW YORK—The City Council Land Use Committee today passed a resolution authorizing the City Council to file an application at the Department of City Planning to remap Rikers Island so that it will not be allowed to house incarcerated individuals after 2026. The application will be co-filed with the Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice (MOCJ) and Department of Correction (DOC).

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“On behalf of the entire New York City Council, I want to wish all who celebrate Rosh Hashanah best wishes for a happy, healthy and sweet New Year! L’shana tovah u’metukah! May you be inscribed and sealed in the Book of Life.

“Shana Tova!”

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Announce Joint Effort with the MTA and Department of City Planning to Advance Proposals in the Coming Year

New York, NY – Building on a proposal in the “Let’s
Go” report from his State of the City address this year, New York City Council
Speaker Corey Johnson joined Land Use Chair Rafael Salamanca, Zoning
Subcommittee Chair Francisco Moya, and Committee on Aging Chair Margaret Chin
to call for the expansion of zoning tools to better coordinate private
development with expanding transit accessibility for the disabled community and
all New Yorkers.

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The Council will also vote to protect commercial tenants

City Hall – The New York
City Council on Wednesday will vote on a package of public safety bills,
including legislation to ban the possession of unfinished frames or receivers
used to create so-called “ghost guns.” These “ghost guns” can be created by
buying pieces online and are essentially unlicensed, do-it-yourself firearms.

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New York, NY –
The New York City Council has selected Arup –
the globally respected engineering and design firm – to provide independent,
outside expertise on the New York City Department of Transportation’s
Brooklyn-Queens Expressway Rehabilitation/Replacement Project.

Arup will provide technical expertise to the Council and community on this
critical infrastructure project, reviewing engineering reports of the triple cantilever
structure, and assessing the feasibility of the numerous public proposals from
DOT and other groups.

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The Council will also vote to expand the Minority and Women Owned Business Enterprises program

City Hall – The New York City Council on Thursday will vote to expand the City’s Human Rights Law to include coverage of freelancers and independent contractors. This will give those workers key employment protections, including protections against sexual harassment, as well as race, religious and age discrimination, among others.

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City Council Speaker Corey Johnson and Committee on Immigration Chair Carlos Menchaca announced today that the City Council is dedicating $16.6 million of this year’s budget to fund and expand the New York Immigrant Family Unity Project (NYIFUP), the nation’s first public defender system for detained immigrants facing deportation. NYIFUP, funded by the City Council, is a program designed to provide free legal representation to eligible detained immigrants facing deportation.

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New York, NY – Today, City Council Speaker Corey Johnson and Committee on
Criminal Justice Chair Keith Powers announced that $13.5 million is designated
in this year’s fiscal budget to fund and support alternatives to incarceration
(ATI) programs in an effort to continue to reduce the city’s jail population.
As part of the City Council’s push for parole reform and its commitment to
create post-release opportunities, the money will help fund programs that
provide individuals involved with the criminal justice system with a wide array
of services to help them stay out of prison, particularly for minor or
technical parole violations.

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“The
family of Eric Garner has been waiting five long years for justice. It is my
hope that they get some peace and closure after today. The reality is that Eric
Garner would still be alive were it not for Mr. Pantaleo’s actions, and while
the system has failed Eric Garner’s family repeatedly for the past 5 years, at
least the right thing was done today.

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