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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“Sixty years ago today, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and leaders of the Civil Rights Movement led the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, marking one of the most significant demonstrations for justice and equality in our nation’s history. Six decades later, Black people and other marginalized communities in this country are still fighting for equal rights, economic opportunities, and freedoms that have been denied for far too long.

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New York, NY – Council Member Lynn Schulman, lead sponsor of legislation to hold commercial landlords responsible for renting storefronts to unlicensed smoke shops, was joined by several officials to announced the new law had taken effect. Introduction 1001-B, now known as Local Law 107 of 2023, prohibits owners of commercial spaces from knowingly leasing to unlicensed sellers of marijuana or tobacco products, imposing fines of up to $10,000 on landlords for violations.

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“All levels of government must come together to share responsibility for the nation’s response to the dire humanitarian conditions that have led increasing numbers of people to seek asylum here. As this international crisis continues, New York City needs more support from our federal and state governments to provide and set up shelter locations and devote additional funding. Expedited federal work authorization is immediately needed to help our newest arrivals enter the workforce, achieve the self-sufficiency they desire, and contribute the benefits to our economy that we know are possible.

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Council also votes on legislation to protect New Yorkers against lead exposure, create Office of the Homeowner Advocate, support striking actors and writers’ fight for fair contracts, reduce barriers to building environmentally friendly homes, develop a map of bicycle infrastructure, and call for state law to eliminate legacy admissions preferences at colleges in New York

City Hall, NY – Today, the New York City Council voted to establish a newly revised permanent outdoor dining program under local law that incorporates lessons from the emergency pandemic outdoor restaurants program.

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Landmark Summit will bridge community development financial institutions with small businesses that need capital resources to grow

New York, NY – In honor of National Black Business Month, New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, in collaboration with The Black Institute (TBI) and Department of Small Business Services’ Black Entrepreneurs NYC (BE NYC), will host a landmark summit designed to empower minority and women-owned businesses (MWBEs).

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“Congratulations to NYSNA’s public sector nurses on their hard-fought victory for a fair contract with NYC Health + Hospitals that secures pay parity wage increases, safe staffing ratios, and additional measures to improve retention. Our public sector nurses serve patients that are overwhelmingly from low-income, immigrant, and underserved communities. Their work is essential to advancing healthcare, economic, and racial justice throughout our city.

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“For decades, our communities have experienced the debilitating impacts of gun violence, which robs New Yorkers of their lives and futures, especially those living in neighborhoods that continue to suffer from years of disinvestment. Achieving public safety requires deep levels of sustained funding for proven solutions that strengthen communities most impacted by violence and support their resilience – through healthcare, housing, mental health support, economic and educational opportunities, and violence prevention.

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In response to the NYPD confirming that it has begun to encrypt radio transmissions that have been available to the media and volunteer first responders for decades, the New York City Council released the following statement from spokesperson Rendy Desamours.

“Transparency is key to achieving and maintaining public safety. It is troubling that the NYPD began encrypting its radio system without an adequate transparency plan implemented first, which can jeopardize the safety of New Yorkers.

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