“Tonight we celebrate a great victory for New York. In a bipartisan vote, the State Senate stood up for New York’s schoolchildren by passing the Dignity for All Students Act (DASA). This will give New York State the tools is needs to finally address the problem of bullying and bias-based harassment in our schools.
“A school environment free of bullying and harassment is essential to the academic success of every child.
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“We applaud the agreement forged by Governor Paterson, the State Assembly, the State Senate, and the MTA that will allow half a million New York City students to begin their summer vacations knowing that when they return to school they will have a free student MetroCard to get them there.
“Students, parents, advocates, and local officials have been arguing for over six months that ending the student MetroCard program would have devastated New York City families, encouraged students to skip school, and inexcusably prevented countless children from attending the school of their choice.
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51 Middle Schools Showed Significant Academic Gains Compared To Other Middle Schools Throughout The City
City Hall – City Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn and Education Committee Chair Robert Jackson today released a report that New York City’s middle schools have shown greater improvement on State English language arts (ELA) and math tests than the citywide average. These gains come on the heels of targeted middle school initiatives by the City Council.
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“Prime Minister David Cameron’s brave statement clearing the names of the Bloody Sunday massacre victims is an inspiring step in the process and a meaningful gesture on the shared path of peace and reconciliation. Mr. Cameron wasn’t even in Parliament when the investigation to which his statement referred began, much less 38 years ago, across the Irish Sea, when 13 Catholic protestors were killed on a wintry day in Derry.
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City Hall, June 10, 2010 – City Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn, along with Council Members Pete Vallone, Jr, Ydanis Rodriguez, Jimmy Vacca and other Council Members gathered today to invite all New Yorkers to honor Mother Teresa’s 100th birthday by making a commitment to volunteer in our communities. She also called on New Yorkers to light up their homes and businesses in honor of the inspiring woman.
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Bills to ensure that passengers are not overcharged in City cabs
City Hall, June 9, 2010 – At today’s Stated Meeting, the Council will vote on three bills that were drafted in the wake of discovering that thousands of passengers had been overcharged in their taxi rides. These bills are intended to ensure that passengers will not get overcharged or scammed.
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“The decision by Osvaldo Rios to withdraw as Godfather of the National Puerto Rican Day Parade is the right move. His selection by the parade organizers caused a lot of controversy and divided many in the Puerto Rican community which is not what this parade symbolizes.
This parade celebrates the success and achievements of Puerto Ricans here in the United States as well as abroad.
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“Today is a triumph in the fight against homelessness, having access to a savings account provides an opportunity for a family to begin a new life in a home they can call their own,” said City Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn. “I want to thank Mayor Bloomberg, Governor Paterson, State Senator Daniel Squadron and Assemblyman Keith Wright, Deputy Mayor Linda Gibbs, Deputy Secretary Kristin Proud, Commissioner Seth Diamond and all of the advocates for their work on this.
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City Hall, May 25, 2010 – At today’s Stated Meeting, the Council will vote on a Department of City Planning rezoning proposal, which will preserve the character and encourage business and affordable housing in Astoria, Queens.
Also, in an effort to increase fire and public safety, the Council will vote on a bill that will increase the minimum civil penalty and criminal fines against unlicensed plumbers and fire suppression contractors.
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