“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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“Mayor Bloomberg’s failure to sign this bill today demonstrates a fundamental misunderstanding of what our bill does: making sure convicted traffickers are punished for their crimes.
If he fails to sign this bill, it will be more than a misguided step; it will be an unconscionable misstep.”

Statement from Council Member Ferreras, Chair of the Committee on Women’s Issues:

“I am disappointed that Mayor Bloomberg did not sign Intro 725.

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City Hall, NY— City Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn and Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg today announced they will file a joint amicus brief in support of Edie Windsor’s constitutional challenge to the Federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA).

Edie Windsor sued the federal government after being made to pay $363,000 in estate taxes on her late wife’s estate because the government did not recognize Edie’s marriage to her partner of over 40 years, Thea Spyer.

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CUNY will now offer advanced software development program for computer science majors

New partnerships will also bring highly regarded programming courses to CUNY for the public at large

New York – Today, City Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn along with CUNY, Tipping Point, General Assembly, and the Queens Coalition announced the start of two new programs that will train more New Yorkers in high-demand computer programming languages.

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“We are thrilled that both the State Senate and State Assembly have passed legislation to extend the New York City Biotech Tax Credit. In 2010, the credit was utilized by 92 percent of eligible firms and led to the presence of new firms in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Staten Island, and today’s extension is a testament to that success. NYC’s biotech industry has seen a 14 percent growth in firms city wide and is doing better than the national trend for employment within the sector.

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