Heightened Scrutiny, Increased Training and Further Disclosure Strengthens
Discretionary Funding Process; 51 Member Comprehensive System Raises the Standard in Providing Information to the Public

City Hall – City Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn today announced continued reforms to the City Council’s discretionary funding process. Today’s announcement continues the ongoing overhaul of the budget allocation process the Speaker first began more than four years ago when she first became Speaker.

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“I am deeply saddened that the closure of St. Vincent’s Catholic Medical Center has resulted in the loss of a medical home for this group of homebirth midwifes. I am disappointed that no other private facility has chosen to enter into an agreement with these midwives so that they can continue to provide the birthing experience that their clients have chosen.

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CITY HALL – City Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn and Council Members Helen Diane Foster, Lewis Fidler, Robert Jackson and Annabel Palma today held a hearing calling for key improvements to the Child Nutrition Act, which is currently pending reauthorization by Congress. The Child Nutrition Act is the federal legislation that determines school food policy and resources, including the Federal School Lunches and School Breakfast programs.

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Council Passes Resolution Calling for Comprehensive Immigration Reform

City Hall – Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn, together with the Chung Wha-Hong, Executive Director of the New York Immigration Coalition, Immigration Chair, Council Member Daniel Dromm, Council Members Melissa Mark-Viverito, Council Member Ydanis Rodriguez and a number of immigration and civil rights advocates, today gathered to denounce Arizona’s Law SB1070 which will allow law enforcement officials to stop and question a person they suspect may be undocumented, makes undocumented status a state crime, and opens the door to racial and ethnic profiling.

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Also to Vote on Legislation That Will Bring Increased Transparency to the Juvenile Justice System

City Hall, April 29, 2010 – At today’s Stated Council meeting, the Council will vote on a bill that will decrease neighborhood noise from tour buses, creating a quieter atmosphere for residents while still serving tourists.

Other legislation before the Council includes two bills that will increase transparency and accountability of the Department of Juvenile Justice, making records and census data more readily available.

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MAYOR BLOOMBERG AND SPEAKER QUINN ANNOUNCE 14 MEASURES TO MAKE IT EASIER FOR SMALL BUSINESSES TO INFLUENCE AND COMPLY WITH CITY REGULATIONS

New Initiatives Include a Business Owner’s Bill of Rights, Steps to Help Businesses Avoid Automatic Fines and In-Person Hearings and Other Customer Service-Oriented Actions

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and Christine C. Quinn today announced 14 measures to make it easier for the City’s 220,000 small businesses to influence and comply with the City rules governing them.

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“I thank and applaud the New York State Senate for overwhelmingly voting today to provide affordable housing protection to over 11,000 New Yorkers living with HIV/AIDS, many of whom are on the verge of eviction. State Senator Tom Duane and Assembly Member Deborah Glick deserve particular praise for skillfully sheparding this bill through the legislature.

“By voting in favor of a 30 percent income contribution cap for New York State’s HIV/AIDS Services Administration (HASA) clients, the legislature is coming to the aid of New Yorkers living with HIV/AIDS who currently pay as much as 70 percent of their benefits toward rent, leaving many of them to live on a little over $11 per day.

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“This evening Governor Paterson announced that Lenox Hill Hospital and a group of 4 Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHC) have been awarded New York State HEAL Grants to provide Health Services to the West Side of Manhattan. The Lenox Hill proposal will provide the community with an urgent care center providing 24 hour/7 day per week care to our community.

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Statement from Speaker Quinn:

I want to thank the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation for a common sense decision that will make it a harder for companies to drill in the Catskill/Delaware Watershed, the source of most of New York City’s drinking water. The watershed provides clean drinking water to over 8 million New Yorkers. Drilling for natural gas in the watershed using a risky technique known as hydraulic fracturing could have widespread detrimental environmental and health effects for residents.

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New York, NY – Today, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn and Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney honored U.S. Army Captains Tejdeep Singh Rattan and Kamaljeet Singh Kalsi at a gathering at City Hall. Captains Rattan and Kalsi are the first Sikh Americans in more than two decades to be accommodated by the U.S. Army to serve on active duty while keeping their beards, turbans, and other articles of their religious faith.

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