New York City Council

City Hall, NY – New York City Council Speaker Corey Johnson, Finance Committee Chair Daniel Dromm and Capital Budget Subcommittee Chair Vanessa L. Gibson announced an agreement to restore over $77 million in funding for vital programs and services in the Fiscal 2020 Budget. These programs and services, all of which were deemed priorities in the Council’s Preliminary Budget Response, include adult literacy programs, the addition of 5,000 Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP) slots, Restorative Justice programs, and the Home Delivered Meals Rate increase.

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“The City Council is in mourning. We have lost our friend and former colleague, Council Member Lew Fidler. He was 62. Lew was a compassionate and devoted legislator for the people of the 46th District in southern Brooklyn, which he represented from 2002 to 2013. And as chair of the City Council’s Youth Services Committee, Lew was also a passionate champion for runaway and homeless youth.

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“On Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day, we honor the memory of the six million Jewish Men, Women and Children, and millions of other social and ethnic minorities who were brutally murdered by the Nazis during the worst genocide in human history. The Holocaust reminds us of the worst that can happen when people turn their backs to hatred, racism and oppression, instead of confronting them head on. 

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“Today marks the start of Asian Heritage Month. This is a month when we honor the contributions of Asian Americans to our City and our country. The first Asian Americans made their way to New York City in the early 19th Century, and since then they have played an incredibly important role in helping make us the greatest city in the world.

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“The Council is disappointed that Mayor de Blasio has failed to fund many significant citywide Council priorities in the Fiscal 2020 Executive Budget, including many social service programs as well as $250 million in reserves. 

“The reserves are necessary to protect the City in the event of an economic downturn and should not have been excluded in the Executive Budget.

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“Happy Easter! Today is the holiest day of the year for Christians, who celebrate the miracle of Christ’s resurrection and the gift of eternal life. I love Easter because it is about hope, humanity, and the ultimate triumph of light over darkness. To everyone celebrating, I wish you a happy and joyous holiday filled with family, friends and chocolate bunnies.”

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“Tonight marks the start of the Festival of Passover, a holiday that is all about faith, family, and freedom from oppression.  Passover reminds us that the struggle for liberty and justice is never ending.  We must be forever vigilant to guard against the rise of hate in speech and in action.  People of good conscience must speak out to denounce the evil of anti-Semitism much the same as Moses and Aaron spoke out against the injustices and cruelty of the Egyptian Pharaoh. 

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New Bills Will Usher in A Green New Deal for New York City

City Hall – The New York City Council on Thursday will vote on the Climate Mobilization Act, a groundbreaking package of bills that is one of the most ambitious and innovative legislative initiatives any major city has ever considered to combat the existential threat of climate change.

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“I am heartbroken to hear of the fire at Notre Dame Cathedral. This is a tragedy for not just the French people, but many faithful Christians at the start of Holy Week. On behalf of all of the City Council, we extend our deepest condolences to France.” 

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City Hall, NY— Today, Council Speaker Corey Johnson, Council Finance Committee Chair Daniel Dromm, Capital Budget Subcommittee Chair Vanessa Gibson and the City Council released the Council’s response to the Mayor’s Fiscal 2020 Preliminary Budget, a fiscally responsible plan that safeguards the city’s financial future and secures the city’s social safety net for New Yorkers.

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