Press Releases

Bill would require training to ensure that construction sites are safe for everyone

City Hall – Today, Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, Housing and Buildings Committee Chair Jumaane Williams, and Council Member Carlos Menchaca joined advocates to announce a conclusion to lengthy negotiations over construction safety training legislation. The result is a bill shaped by extensive feedback from the public and stakeholders from every quarter, and one that will make construction sites safer for everyone – from the people who live and work near those sites to the workers who build them. READ MORE

“This evening, Jewish New Yorkers across the five boroughs and throughout the world will usher in 5778 years of health and prosperity. I am very proud of the Council’s far-reaching partnerships with local organizations that serve our city’s Jewish communities and all New Yorkers in need. The Council created and expanded the Elie Wiesel Holocaust Survivors Initiative, providing critical resources for the tens of thousands of Holocaust survivors who are living in poverty throughout the five boroughs. READ MORE

Council will also vote on Enhancing the Inclusivity of the Tenant Harassment Statute and on Reporting on Certain City-Provided Programs and Services for the Disabled

City Hall – Today, the New York City Council will vote on legislation to expand the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs (MOIA) and to establish a MOIA-led interagency task force. READ MORE

Re: Trump Administration’s Termination of DACA

“The termination of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program is an unconscionable step backwards that will destabilize communities and tear families apart. Repealing DACA would hurt hundreds of thousands of young immigrants, many of whom have spent the majority of their lives in the United States, and sends a dangerous message to DREAMers that their lives, contributions to the economy and vibrancy of our great nation are inconsequential to this White House. READ MORE

Funding covers health care services for foreign-born New Yorkers

Red Hook, NY – Today, New York City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito joined Immigration Committee Chair Carlos Menchaca, Mixteca Organization and Street Soccer USA to announce the New York City Council’s $1.5 million investment for the Immigrant Health Initiative. Established in 2016, the Immigrant Health Initiative supports programs to decrease health disparities among foreign born and native New Yorkers by focusing on improving access to healthcare; READ MORE

Council will also vote to expand discharge planning and programming for incarcerated individuals, require transparency in educational services for inmates, and improve resources for youth in the juvenile justice system

City Hall – Today, the New York City Council will vote on legislation to establish a Nightlife Advisory Board and Office of Nightlife, which will provide guidance on issues and trends in the nightlife industry. READ MORE

Speaker Mark-Viverito and coalition of community activists and faith leaders urge de Blasio Administration to include J. Marion Sims statue in review of hate symbols city property

El Barrio, NY – New York City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, elected officials and community leaders today rallied outside Central Park to demand the New York City Parks Department remove a patently offensive statue that pays tribute to a physician who conducted sadistic and horrifying medical experiments on enslaved Black women. READ MORE

Additional Funding Enables SYEP to Reach 65,000 New York Youth Ages 14-24

QUEENS – Today, Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, joined by Finance Chair Julissa Ferreras-Copeland and Council Members Elizabeth Crowley and Antonio Reynoso, alongside GRYC President Bob Monahan, visited the Greater Ridgewood Youth Council (GRYC) at I.S. 77 to celebrate a record $125 million in funding for the Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP) in FY 2018. READ MORE

Council will also vote to Regulate the Sale and Consumption of Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products and to Rezone the Area of Greater East Midtown

City Hall – Today, the New York City Council will vote on legislation to significantly expand harassment protections for tenants. The Council will also vote on the Stand for Tenant Safety package, which targets construction-as-harassment, and includes reforms to the Department of Buildings related to construction standards and other practices. READ MORE