Meng Demands Homeland Security Secretary Withdraw Proposed Public Charge Rule
U.S. Rep. Grace Meng (D-Bayside, Flushing, Forest Hills, Fresh Meadows, Glendale, Kew Gardens, Maspeth, Middle Village, Rego Park) this week sent a letter to U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen calling for her agency to withdraw its proposed public charge rule for non-compliance with federal law.
Under federal law, agencies are required to provide public justifications for any newly proposed policy that would harm families. DHS’s new proposed rule seeks to deny green cards to immigrants and immigrant families who have lawfully used public benefits such as SNAP (Food Stamps), housing and healthcare benefits.
“Secretary Nielsen must withdraw the proposed public charge rule,” said Meng. “This heartless proposal would harm the wellbeing of immigrant families for no good reason. There is no way that DHS can adequately justify to the American people that harming the wellbeing of immigrant families in this manner is necessary.”
Koo Brings OATH To “Building Bridges for Small Businesses” Symposium in Flushing
City Council Member Peter Koo (D-Bayside, College Point, Flushing, Flushing Meadows Corona Park, Fresh Meadows, Whitestone) next week will bring the city’s Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings (OATH) Commissioner and Chief Administrative Law Judge Fidel F. Del Valle and Thomas Grech, President & CEO of the Queens Chamber of Commerce for a Building Bridges for Small Businesses symposium in Flushing.
Del Valle will speak about OATH, which is the city’s independent administrative law court and where nearly every city agency files summonses for hearings. He will talk about the many different options available at OATH and how small businesses can fight summonses that they receive from NYC agencies through OATH hearings.
The educational event will bring together OATH representatives, as well as representatives from the city’s various enforcement agencies that issue summonses and alleged violations, to discuss some of the most commonly issued summonses that are issued to Queens businesses, how to avoid violating conditions and if summonses are received, how businesses can challenge those summonses at OATH hearings.
“For a small business, a summons from a city agency can turn into a nightmare if not handled correctly. This special event will help our small businesses understand how to pay off and correct violations received by the City of New York without succumbing to the common pitfalls that can turn small fines into long-term problems. This is especially important for many of our immigrant businesses who often fall victim to their own success and end up with violations that could have been avoided with the right preparation,” said Koo.
The event is slated for between 2-5 p.m., next Tuesday, Dec. 11 at the Flushing Queens Library, 47-17 Main Street in Flushing. Staff will be on hand to translate in both Mandarin and Cantonese.
Van Bramer and Gianaris On Quinnipac Poll Regarding Amazon
City Council Member Jimmy Van Bramer (D-Astoria, Long Island City, Sunnyside, Woodside) and State Sen. Michael Gianaris (D-Astoria, Long Island City, Sunnyside and parts of Woodside, Maspeth, Ridgewood, Woodhaven), both of whom oppose the deal on how Amazon is coming to Long Island City, issued a statement about this week’s mixed news Quinnipac poll regarding the deal.
The poll found New Yorkers approve of Amazon bringing one of its new headquarters in Long Island City by a 2-to-1 margin, but are divided about the company getting up to $3 billion in tax incentives.
“New Yorkers are making clear they agree that too much inequality exists in our communities and giving billions of taxpayer dollars to trillion dollar corporations makes things worse, not better. It is also clear that the more people learn about the deal, the less they like it,” the two lawmakers said in a joint statement.
Sanders Holds Vet Job And Resource To Commemorate Pearl Harbor
State Sen. & Marine Corps veteran James Sanders Jr. (D-Richmond Hill, South Ozone Park, Jamaica, Rochdale Village, Rosedale, parts of Far Rockaway), tomorrow, in commemoration of Pearl Harbor Rememberance Day, will host a FREE Veterans Job and Resource Fair.
The event will feature a wide variety of vendors seeking to hire new employees and organizations providing assistance in areas such as healthcare, housing, legal issues and even pet adoption. You will also have the opportunity to search for unclaimed funds on the spot through the Office of the State Comptroller.
A complimentary lunch will be served. On-site parking is available, and the venue is handicapped accessible.
Attendees MUST be either a veteran of any branch of the U.S. military or an active service member.
If you plan to attend, we recommend that you bring copies of your resume and DD-214 form, and RSVP by calling Senator Sanders’ District Office at 718-523-3069.
The event is slated for between 12 noon – 4 p.m. at the Knights Of Columbus American Legion Post 272, 333 Beach 90th Street in Rockaway Beach.
