“I am disheartened by reports that WalMart is substantially rolling back health care coverage for part-time workers and significantly raising premiums for many full-time staff. Among the troubling new policies, new employees will no longer be eligible to cover their spouses.

WalMart is once again showing blatant disregard for the well-being of its workforce. By refusing to extend basic health care benefits, the company is demonstrating that they prefer to force their employees into the public healthcare system.

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“For decades, the Ruppert Playground has served the Upper East Side of Manhattan as an important place for children, parents and all to enjoy. Therefore, we must all work together to keep this resource for our children.

That is why I am pleased to announce that we are in the process of setting up a meeting with the Related Companies and the Bloomberg administration to discuss options that would preserve this playground for a community with pressing needs for open space.

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New York, NY- In a speech before the Association for a Better New York (ABNY), Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn outlined a plan to create jobs and build long term economic security in New York City. Speaker Quinn’s remarks focused on helping New York City stay on track to become the technology capital of the world, and provide opportunities for low-income New Yorkers to join the middle class.

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Legislation will help parents plan for their child’s educational future

New York, NY- Today, the City Council will vote on legislation that will require the Department of Education (DOE) to report annually to the Council on school capacity and utilization in schools. The Council’s bill will allow for more transparency regarding the types of spaces school buildings contain, allowing parents to make more informed choices regarding school enrollment.

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Sunset Park, Brooklyn – More than 100 community residents joined City Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn, Council Member Sara Gonzalez, U.S. Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez, Tracy Hobson, Executive Director of The Center for Anti-Violence Education and advocates at a community-wide, free self-defense course held today in Sunset Park.

The course empowered citizens on how to protect themselves from becoming victims of sexual assault.

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Quinn and Palma will introduce legislation next week requiring the Human Resources Administration submit an annual report to the Council on the use of finger imaging in detecting fraud

City Hall- On the heels of the bi-partisan actions in California and Texas that ended the practice of requiring federal food stamp applicants to submit to finger imaging to receive benefits, New York City Council Speaker Christine C.

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Sunset Park, Brooklyn – City Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn, Council Member Sara Gonzalez, Tracy Hobson, Executive Director of The Center for Anti-Violence Education, elected officials and advocates announced details of a community-wide, free, self-defense course to be held this Sunday afternoon in Sunset Park. The course will take place at the entrance of the Sunset Park Recreation Center located at 7th Avenue and 42nd Street.

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“On September 7th, 2011 I had the great honor of meeting the father of Gilad Shalit, Noam Shalit. Along with 15 other Council Members, we proclaimed that day to be Gilad Shalit Day in New York City, demanding his son’s immediate release from captivity. Faced with such a horrific situation, Noam displayed such optimism and hope that was both inspirational and encouraging to everyone who was present.

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“Today, the LGBT community lost a fierce voice for equality with the passing of community activist Paula Ettelbrick. Paula was a tireless advocate who dedicated her life to fighting for our community.

Paula was a dedicated and thoughtful leader to all and a pioneer in LGBT rights. As the first woman Executive Director of the Stonewall Community Foundation, Paula helped make the Foundation an indispensable part of New York and develop programs that help people give back to their community.

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Legislation will protect taxpayers by amending existing law to require cost benefit analysis for certain outsourcing contracts and will increase transparency by requiring public notice of intended service contracts

New York, NY- At today’s Stated meeting, the Council will vote to safeguard billions of taxpayer dollars that are spent annually in the procurement of City services. The common sense legislation will amend an existing law to enhance competition, increase transparency and maximize cost efficiencies when entering into contracts that could displace City workers.

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