Meeks Introduces Corporate Diversity Bill
U.S. Rep. Gregory W. Meeks (D-Jamaica, Laurelton, Rosedale, Cambria Heights, Saint Albans, Springfield Gardens, The Rockaways, JFK Airport), Chairman of the Consumer Protection and Financial Institutions Subcommittee, yesterday introduced the Improving Corporate Governance Through Diversity Act of 2019, which would require public companies to annually disclose the gender, race, ethnicity and veteran status of their board directors, nominees, and senior executive officers.
U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ), who sits on the Senate’s Banking Committee, introduced the bill on the Senate side on Congress.
“Diversity has been proven to have a positive impact on business performance, and it is only natural for investors to want to know which companies are choosing to bring in a wealth of different perspectives into their corporate board rooms. Revealing the gender, racial, ethnic and veteran makeup of these corporate C-suites and boardrooms will not only shed light on the value of diversity, but hopefully encourage corporate shareholders to increase diversity in the highest ranks of their corporations” said Meeks.
Additionally, the bill:
- Empowers SEC’s Office of Minority and Women Inclusion (OMWI) to publish triennially best practices, in consultation with an advisory council of investors and issuers, for compliance with these enhanced disclosure rules.
- Mandates OMWI to create an advisory council consistent with the Federal Advisory Committee Act requiring formal reporting, public openness and accessibility, and various oversight procedures.
- Allows OMWI to solicit public comment on its best practices publication consistent with the formal rule making process under the Administrative Procedures Act.
Richards, Lancman To Hold Joint Oversight Hearing ON NYPD’s Discipline System
City Council Members Donovan Richards (D-Arverne, Brookville, Edgemere, Far Rockaway, Laurelton, Rosedale, Springfield Gardens), chair of the Public Safety Committee, and Rory Lancman (D-Kew Gardens Hills, Pomonok, Electchester, Fresh Meadows, Hillcrest, Jamaica Estates, Briarwood, Parkway Village, Jamaica Hills, Jamaica), chair of the Criminal Justice Committee, today will hold a public hearing examining the NYPD’s Disciplinary System and the Independent Panel report.
In addition, seven bills will be heard at the meeting. They Include:
- Int. 1105 (Richards) would require the NYPD to make monthly reports of the number of complaints of police misconduct that it receives, by precinct, and any action taken by the NYPD in response to such complaints.
- Int 1309 (Richards) would require the New York Police Department (NYPD) to study the feasibility, process and impact of implementing an internal disciplinary matrix in response to official violations of NYPD rules of conduct.
- Preconsidered T2019-3708 (Richards)would require the police department to report on the number of arrests for obstructing governmental administration.
- Preconsidered T2019-2706 (Lancman) would require the police department to provide district attorneys and the special narcotics prosecutor records pertaining to reportable disciplinary offenses for any NYPD employee.
- Preconsidered T2019-2707 (Lancman) would require the police department to report on the number of arrests for resisting arrest or assault in the second degree.
- Preconsidered T2019-3704 (Speaker Johnson) would require the District Attorney offices within New York City to report on criminal prosecutions.
- Preconsidered T2019-3705 (Speaker Johnson) would require the New York City Police Department to publish disciplinary guidelines and aggregate disciplinary reports, and would require the NYPD to provide a disciplinary action report to the Council.
- Preconsidered T2019-3709 (Williams) calls on the State Legislature to repeal section 50-a of the New York Civil Rights Law.
The meeting is slated for 10 a.m., today, Feb. 7 at City Hall in Lower Manhattan.
Moya Likes City’s Launch Of Digital Zoning Resolution
City Council Member Francisco Moya (D-East Elmhurst, Elmhurst, Jackson Heights, Corrona, Flushing Meadows Corona Park, Lefrak City, LaGuardia Airport), chair of the Land Use Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchises, yesterday gave a ringing endorsement of the city’s Department of City Planning (DCP) Director Marisa Lago’s announcement of the release of the City’s new online Zoning Resolution.
The free digital platform makes New York City’s official Zoning Resolution – the City’s text for land use and development – instantly accessible to New Yorkers.
“Because it shapes the city in which we live, the Zoning Resolution affects every New Yorker. By putting an interactive Zoning Resolution online for the first time, New Yorkers – be they neighborhood residents, elected officials or community leaders – as well as planners, students, lawyers and industry professionals, can easily search the Zoning Resolution. This online Zoning Resolution is yet another example of DCP’s continuing commitment to make our data even more accessible and transparent,” said Lago.
Moya said making the Zoning Regulation available online at no cost to every New Yorker is a welcome step into the 21st Century and a fantastic initiative for the 8.6 million residents whose lives are directly affected by every land use and development decision the city makes.
“I’m excited to see that the online platform will be readily searchable, which will no doubt empower residents, community boards and activists when it comes to reshaping our city. I’m also happy to see the commitment to going greener as this will eliminate the need to physically publish the massive document. I applaud this initiative and hope it will lead to greater public engagement,” said Moya.
Katz To Host Annual Black History Month Celebration
Queens Borough President Melinda Katz and the African American Heritage Committee set Feb. 26 as the date they will host their annual Black History Month Celebration.
The event will feature cultural performances, academic scholarship awards, honors for civic-minded community members and more.
“Black history is American history, and Black History Month is an important recognition of countless groundbreaking achievements and impacts made across every imaginable field and industry,” said Katz. “Black History Month is also a time to reflect on the idea that we are all human beings deserving of dignity, respect, equal opportunities and fair treatment.”
The cultural performances will include a dance routine by members of the Edge School of the Arts in Laurelton. Performers from Get Empowered! will close the program with a pair of Afro-Brazilian dances, the capoeira and samba.
Katz will also present more than a dozen high school seniors with college scholarships of $1,000 each. More than 150 Queens students applied for a scholarship through the African American Heritage Scholarship Competition, with the entrants being judged on their academic and civic achievement and the quality of their written submissions as to what Black History Month means to them. The winning students will be selected by the African American Heritage Committee in the coming weeks.
The keynote address will be given by Primetime Emmy Award-nominated actor and Queens native Obba Babatundé, who is also one of eight individuals who will be presented with awards recognizing their accomplishments in their respective fields. The winners include:
- Obba Babatundé – Lifetime Achievement Award
- Peter Edwards – Sports Award
- Cynthia Horner – Journalism Award
- Meredith Marshall – Business Award
- Mark McMillan, Esq. – Civic Award
- Donna Edge Rachell – Arts & Culture Award
- April Simpson – Borough President’s Award
- Dennis Walcott – Education Award
The event is slated for 6 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 26 at Queens Borough Hall (Helen Marshall Cultural Center), 120-55 Queens Boulevard in Kew Gardens.
