Schumer, Gillibrand Announce Over $1.6M In Repairs To World’s Fair Pavilion
U.S. Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-NY) and U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) yesterday announced $16,468,030 in federal funding to be used for repairs at the World’s Fair Pavilion in Flushing.
The funding will be provided to the New York Office of Management and Budget and will be used to repair and replace several electrical units at the World’s Fair Park, which were severely damaged during Hurricane Sandy. The funding will also be used to implement mitigation measures to prevent future flooding damage.
This grant was provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). FEMA provides funding for infrastructure upgrades under Section 406 of the Stafford Act, the federal disaster law that supplies aid to states and localities to implement long-term resiliency measures after a major disaster.
“The World’s Fair Pavilion is an enduring icon and it should be preserved and promoted for current and future generations. Now the pavilion is being restored and these federal funds will be used to repair damages caused by Superstorm Sandy and help yet another community asset recover after the storm,” said Schumer.
“The World’s Fair Pavilion is one of Flushing’s iconic sites. This funding is an important investment that will help repair the electric components of many of the park’s facilities, including the vaults, concession area, boathouse, main area, and comfort station. These fixes are an important step in recovering from the damage that Hurricane Sandy caused and will help revitalize the World’s Fair Pavilion for future generations to enjoy,” said Gillibrand.
Lancman To Hold Oversight Hearing On Removals from Parents and Caretakers In Child Welfare Cases
City Council member Rory I. Lancman (D-Kew Gardens Hills, Pomonok, Electchester, Fresh Meadows, Hillcrest, Jamaica Estates, Briarwood, Parkway Village, Jamaica Hills, Jamaica), chair of the Council Committee on the Justice System, alongside the Committee on General Welfare, will hold a joint oversight hearing today on removals from parents and caretakers in child welfare cases.
The hearing comes as the number of emergency child removals has severly increased following the tragic deaths of Zymere Perkins and Jaden Jordan in late 2016. A study from the The New School’s Center for New York City Affairs found that from October 2016 through May 2018 the Administration for Children’s Services (ACS) investigated substantially more cases and was far more likely to bring these cases to court.
Emergency removals are completed without court oversight when ACS believes that there is immediate risk to a child of remaining in the home.
The Committees will be examining how ACS determines when to use emergency removals, especially in cases of neglect rather than abuse, and how the city’s Family Courts are dealing with the recent surge of activity.
The hearing is slated for 1 p.m., today, Nov.27, at City Hall – Committee Room in Lower Manhattan.
Kim Continues Push For Student Debt Elimination
Assembly member Ron Kim (D-Whitestone, Flushing, College Point, Murray Hill) is continuing his push to end student debt this week.
Kim released the second version of his white paper, “Disrupting Student Debt,” this week detailing the need to cancel $1.6 trillion dollars of student debt in the nation. Kim has sent the paper to his state colleagues and other education advocates for their support in his proposal.
“It is the nation’s second largest category of household debt and growing every year. As studies show, sizable public indebtedness is one of the clearest signs of an unsustainable society and an economy that will crash,” reads the paper.
“The elimination and cancellation of student debt is the ultimate litmus test for whether one is aligned with people or with corporate politics and so-called too-big-to-fail banks. Unless we double down on the public provision of public goods and invest in local economies, we will continue always to be a step behind, only reacting to the failures of divisive politics rather than proactively preempting those failures,” continues the paper.
