“The housing crisis that has exacerbated homelessness and made our city less affordable demands comprehensive solutions. We welcome Mayor Adams and City Planning’s encouraging and thoughtful proposals as a starting point towards critical changes that will help us equitably produce more housing across the city to confront these challenges. Housing and zoning policies have historically furthered economic and racial segregation, deepened inequities, and locked communities out of opportunities.
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Earlier this week, an op-ed by Speaker Adams and NYIC Executive Director Murad Awawdeh urging the designation, redesignation and renewal of TPS for several countries was published in amNY.
Statement by New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams:
“I applaud the Biden administration for re-designating Temporary Protected Status for Venezuela to chart a path towards expedited work authorization for tens of thousands of Venezuelans in our city, and more nationally, as they move through the asylum process.
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City Hall, NY – Today, New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams and Finance Chair Justin Brannan held a press conference inside the Brooklyn Public Library’s Bay Ridge Branch to outline funding secured in the Fiscal Year 2024 budget for the city’s three public library systems – Brooklyn Public Library, New York Public Library and Queens Public Library.
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“As Rosh Hashanah starts this evening, I wish all New Yorkers who are celebrating a happy and sweet new year. I hope the year 5784 is filled with health, happiness, and prosperity. Shana Tova U’Metukah!”
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Council also votes on legislation to support M/WBEs and small businesses, expand access to public pools and free swimming lessons, and require reporting on water safety issues and measures
City Hall, NY – Today, the New York City Council voted to establish a first-of-its-kind trade-in program that provides new lithium-ion batteries and powered mobility devices, such as electric scooters or electric bicycles.
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“Our city and nation were forever changed on September 11, 2001, and today’s anniversary offers us a moment to once again reflect on the lives lost and changed by the events that day. As a native New Yorker, I recall the experience of shock and pain, and know that many of us are still working to heal from it. While we continue to support the families of those we lost, we must also uplift the first responders and rescue workers who rushed towards danger to look for survivors at Ground Zero and are suffering from life-threatening illnesses because of the toxic exposure.
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“We are reviewing OMB’s PEG letter and seeking further details on the additional proposed spending reduction efforts. There remains an urgent need for increased state and federal support to aid the City’s response to increased international migration. Tens of thousands of people seeking asylum are arriving in our city at a time when we are already confronting a housing crisis, record homelessness, and the sunset of federal COVID stimulus funds.
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“For 13 years, Staten Island Ferry workers went without a contract, leading to staffing shortages and decreased service hours. Today, they have finally secured a fair contract that reflects the value they bring to the hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers they serve each week. This new agreement between the City and the Marine Engineers’ Beneficial Association is a win for organized labor and New Yorkers, helping to protect and grow this essential public transit workforce for years to come.
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The New York City Council leadership team – Speaker Adrienne Adams, Deputy Speaker Diana Ayala, Majority Leader Keith Powers, Majority Whip Selvena Brooks-Powers, Finance Chair Justin Brannan, Council Member Gale Brewer, and Council Member Rafael Salamanca – released the following joint statement urging immediate action by the federal government to provide expedited work authorization for asylum seekers. The statement follows months of advocacy by the Council urging federal action, including its September 2022 letter, June 2023 letter, and Washington, D.C.
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“For decades, Rikers Island has cultivated a culture of brutal violence and dysfunction, compelling the City Council to pass legislation to end the humanitarian crisis in our city’s jails and transition to a more effective and safer borough-based system. Today marks four years to the day that New York City must close Rikers to comply with the law. Public safety demands that we remain on-track to closing Rikers without delay.
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