New York, NY –
The New York City Council has selected Arup –
the globally respected engineering and design firm – to provide independent,
outside expertise on the New York City Department of Transportation’s
Brooklyn-Queens Expressway Rehabilitation/Replacement Project.

Arup will provide technical expertise to the Council and community on this
critical infrastructure project, reviewing engineering reports of the triple cantilever
structure, and assessing the feasibility of the numerous public proposals from
DOT and other groups.

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The Council will also vote to expand the Minority and Women Owned Business Enterprises program

City Hall – The New York City Council on Thursday will vote to expand the City’s Human Rights Law to include coverage of freelancers and independent contractors. This will give those workers key employment protections, including protections against sexual harassment, as well as race, religious and age discrimination, among others.

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City Council Speaker Corey Johnson and Committee on Immigration Chair Carlos Menchaca announced today that the City Council is dedicating $16.6 million of this year’s budget to fund and expand the New York Immigrant Family Unity Project (NYIFUP), the nation’s first public defender system for detained immigrants facing deportation. NYIFUP, funded by the City Council, is a program designed to provide free legal representation to eligible detained immigrants facing deportation.

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New York, NY – Today, City Council Speaker Corey Johnson and Committee on
Criminal Justice Chair Keith Powers announced that $13.5 million is designated
in this year’s fiscal budget to fund and support alternatives to incarceration
(ATI) programs in an effort to continue to reduce the city’s jail population.
As part of the City Council’s push for parole reform and its commitment to
create post-release opportunities, the money will help fund programs that
provide individuals involved with the criminal justice system with a wide array
of services to help them stay out of prison, particularly for minor or
technical parole violations.

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“The
family of Eric Garner has been waiting five long years for justice. It is my
hope that they get some peace and closure after today. The reality is that Eric
Garner would still be alive were it not for Mr. Pantaleo’s actions, and while
the system has failed Eric Garner’s family repeatedly for the past 5 years, at
least the right thing was done today.

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City Hall, NY— As part of the City Council’s efforts to get a complete count in the upcoming 2020 Census, Council Speaker Corey Johnson announced an early allocation of $4 million in this year’s budget to fund community-based organizations. The money will go toward providing support in planning for the census, especially in hard-to-count communities. This is part of the overall $14 million the Council is dedicating to ensure every New Yorker gets counted.     

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New York, NY – New York City Council Speaker Corey
Johnson, Health Committee Chair Mark Levine, and Hospitals Committee Chair
Carlina Rivera introduced groundbreaking legislation to create a citywide
health access program that would greatly increase access to care in the five
boroughs, connecting all participants to coordinated, personalized care in
their communities.

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City Hall – The New York
City Council on Wednesday will vote on a package of bills that aim to improve
the experiences of people seeking support from offices where public benefits
are administered. This package was introduced after an incredibly disturbing
video of one woman’s experience at a Human Resources Administration (HRA)
building in Boerum Hill came to light last December.

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“The new public charge rule approved by the Trump Administration is yet another hateful and destructive policy proposal to attack immigrants, and it clearly goes against our City’s policies with regard to healthcare, housing, and nutrition. It will disproportionately impact low-income communities, particularly communities of color, forcing families to make the difficult decision to leave medical, food, or housing supports for fear of exacerbating immigration consequences.

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“This decision is long overdue. It should not have taken five years to determine what the public clearly understood in five minutes: Officer Pantaleo used an illegal chokehold on Eric Garner, which ultimately led to his death.

“Now Police Commissioner O’Neill must act. Pantaleo must be fired immediately. Nothing will bring back Mr. Garner, but I hope this decision gives the Garner family some peace.”

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