Espinal, Environmental Advocates Rally For Bill To Green NYC Skyline
City Council member Rafael Espinal (D-Bushwick, East New York) will rally today alongside environmental advocates in support of legislation he’s sponsoring that will mandate that certain new buildings cover all available rooftop space with a green roof, solar panels, small wind turbines, or a combination of all three.
The new legislation will put New York at the forefront of the global effort to cool down cities and reduce their carbon footprint.
The environmental benefits of green roofs include: reducing Urban Heat Island effect, decreasing storm-water runoff, and removing air pollutants, as well as providing health benefits for New Yorkers, especially those who lack access to greenspace. Several cities have passed laws or instituted programs in recent years to promote the installation of green roofs, including Toronto, Washington D.C, and Denver.
The rally will be followed by a hearing on the legislation in the City Council’s Committee on Environmental Protection.
The event is slated for 9:30 a.m., today, Jan. 28, on the Steps of City Hall in Lower Manhattan.
Walker, Ampry-Samuel To Host ‘Stand with Federal Workers’
Assembly member Latrice Walker (D-Brownsville) and City Council member Alicka-Ampry-Samuel (D-Brownsville, East Flatbush, Bedford-Stuyvesant, Crown Heights) will host an event today to alleviate the stress the government shutdown placed on federal workers.
The ‘Stand with Federal Workers’ event will go toward providing canned goods and metro cards for federal workers, who have gone weeks without pay due to the shutdown.
Last Friday, President Donald Trump signed a bill set to temporarily re-open the government for three weeks in order to help those affected by the shutdown.
The event is slated for 3 p.m., today, Jan. 28, at Brookdale Hospital Medical Center, at One Brookdale Plaza in Brownsville.
Rose, CM Williams React To Temporary End To Government Shutdown
Congressman Max Rose (D-South Brooklyn, Staten Island) and City Council member Jumaane Williams (D-Flatbush, East Flatbush, Midwood) reacted to President Donald Trump’s announcement to sign a short-term spending bill to re-open the government last week.
Last Friday, Trump signed the stop-gap spending bill just hours after the measure passed the Senate and House, respectively, according to initial reports. The deal for a short-term spending bill, which would keep the government open until Feb. 15, was agreed on to help those affected by the partial shutdown, the president said in a tweet. The 35-day partial shutdown is the longest in U.S. History.
However, Trump did make clear in his speech that the temporary deal does not mean he is caving in on his plan to build a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border.
“On Friday, Jan. 25, 2019, the president signed into law: H.J. Res. 28, the ‘Further Additional Continuing Appropriations Act, 2019,’ which includes a short-term continuing resolution that provides fiscal year 2019 appropriations through Feb. 15, 2019, for continuing projects and activities of the Federal Government included in the remaining seven appropriations bills,” the White House said in a statement late Friday. “Also included in the enrolled bill are provisions regarding retroactive pay and reimbursement, and extensions of certain authorities.”
“What was the point of all this, other than show just how absurdly broken Washington is? As I’ve said from the beginning, I fully support re-opening the government—even if on a temporary basis—so we can have a real discussion about effectively securing our border without holding the paychecks of 800,000 hard-working Americans hostage,” said Rose.
“For over a month, Trump inflicted pain on federal workers in pursuit of a inhumane and ineffective policy agenda, and we cannot excuse that damage, nor can we be complacent in the wake of this short-term deal. Trump made clear in his speech Friday that he will continue his bigotry and racist fear-mongering over the next three weeks in an effort to get his wall built. We must vehemently fight against these attacks, and do all that we can in New York City to defend, empower, and uplift the immigrant communities he seeks to vilify,” said Williams.
CM Deutsch’s Holocaust Remembrance Bill Passes NYC Council
City Council member Chaim Deutsch’s (D-Sheepshead Bay, Manhattan Beach, Brighton Beach, Homecrest, Midwood) Holocaust Remembrance Bill passed the City Council last Thursday.
The legislation will recognize International Holocaust Remembrance Day in New York City on January 27th, and will declare the entire week following as a citywide Holocaust Education Week. Deutsch of Brooklyn, who is himself the child of Holocaust survivors, says the bill aims to keep the memories of survivors alive, as that generation is sadly dying out.
As per the bill, January 27th will begin a week of Holocaust education in New York City, and Deutsch is leading efforts with his colleagues to visit schools around the City, often with survivors, to speak directly to students about the Holocaust. Organizations like Project Witness and the Museum of Jewish Heritage, both of which testified in support of Deutsch’s bill last week, are conducting educational efforts throughout the week.
“If we want to equip the next generation with the tools they need to build a peaceful future, then we need to educate them about the consequences of prejudice and mistreating others. We are doing a disservice to our children if we do not ensure that they are taught about the six million Jews, including 1.5 million children, who were killed during the Holocaust,” said Deutsch.
“As the generation that lived through the Holocaust is dwindling, it is more important than ever that we face the widespread lack of knowledge head-on. We cannot afford to lose the memories, and let the six million be forgotten,” added Deutsch.
Schumer Demands Trump Get Fed Workers Their Back Pay
U.S. Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY) called on President Trump, last week, to make sure there is no further delay in getting federal workers their back pay.
In a letter to the President, Schumer demanded that the Administration determine the fastest way to get back pay into the bank accounts of those impacted, and to find a way to help federal contractors also hurt. Schumer cited a recent S&P Global report that says the federal government owes workers impacted by the shutdown nearly $6 billion dollars.
The Senator also announced support for a bi-partisan effort being led by Senator Rob Portman (R-OH), to prevent future shutdowns. The idea would ensure government funding sustains and that shutdowns don’t happen. Schumer said the next three weeks will provide ample time to lay out the details of this overall plan and hear from both sides in hammering out the legislative specifics.
The partial government shutdown, which lasted 35 days and stretched into a 5th week, left 800,000 federal workers—thousands in New York—without a paycheck. Many Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agents were furloughed and working without pay. Furthermore, only 27 of the NTSB’s 401 employees were not furloughed.
“To truly end the negative impacts of the President’s shutdown, New Yorkers and Americans will need their paychecks, and as soon as possible. Every day that a federal worker, contractor, or their families is going without their hard-earned pay is a day too many and a risk to our overall economy,” said Schumer.
“Even more importantly, we must avoid shutdowns in the future, because no federal agency should ever be held hostage in this way ever again—and there’s a legislative way, a bi-partisan way to do this, and the next few weeks will provide the opportunity to get it done,” added Schumer.
