Chin, Rivera Blast Trump-Pence Gag Rule in Op-Ed
City Councilwomen Margaret Chin (D-Battery Park, Chinatown) and Carlina Rivera (D-East Village, Gramercy Park) wrote an opinion piece yesterday disparaging the Trump-Pence administration’s newly announced “gag rule” on Title X.
Last Friday, the administration revealed the final version of its Title X revisions, which will bar any medical centers that perform abortions from receiving federal funding. It will also require doctors to withhold information from their patients about the birth control options at their disposal. The changes will go into effect in 60 days.
“As sitting City Councilmembers in New York City and the president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of New York City, we unequivocally denounce this vicious attack on our communities and our basic right to comprehensive health care,” wrote Chin and Rivera. “Every year, 150,000 people in New York City receive health care through the Title X program. Twenty-two NYC health care providers receive Title X funding, including Planned Parenthood of New York City, 10 NYC Health + Hospital sites, and other community-based providers. This draconian attack on the Title X Family Planning Program will have devastating consequences for vulnerable New Yorkers — and we will not stand for it.”
Rodriguez Introduces Resolution to “Move the Money” from Military to Schools
City Councilmember Ydanis Rodriguez (D-Washington Heights, Inwood) was joined by the Move the Money coalition yesterday morning at a rally urging the federal government to relocate funds from national defense to human needs and services.
Resolution 747, sponsored by Rodriguez himself, calls upon the feds to cut military spending and use the money saved to increase funding for education, infrastructure and healthcare.
“Thank you to the Move the Money Coalition for supporting Council Resolution 747 and for continuing to fight for social justice,” said Rodriguez. “We are investing trillions of dollars on our military, but our cities do not have the resources they need. I call on Mayor de Blasio to have conversations with other mayors around the nation, and seriously discuss the need to reduce military spending and prioritize people.”
Krueger’s Bill to Create New Legislative Budget Office Moves Forward
A bill to create a non-partisan legislative budget office, sponsored by State Senator Liz Krueger (D-Upper East Side, Lenox Hill), has just cleared the State Senate.
The State Senate Committee on Ethics and Internal Governance voted yesterday to move S.3287/A.1835, a bill that provides for the creation of a legislative budget office that mirrors those used by the US Congress and New York City Council. The office’s function would be to provide an unbiased analysis of the state’s budget and share its findings with New York elected officials.
“There’s no question that the way we do budgets and fiscal notes in Albany can be improved,” said Krueger. “Right now the process involves a lot of making it up as you go along. A nonpartisan legislative budget office will be an invaluable resource for everyone – legislators, advocates, voters – to get the facts on revenue and spending. I look forward to conferencing this bill with my colleagues as we slowly but surely work to transform Albany into a model of good government.”
Johnson to Unveil New Installation Celebrating New York Women
City Council Speaker Corey Johnson (D-Chelsea, Hell’s Kitchen), in collaboration with the New York Historical Society, will be unveiling a new installation that pays tribute to iconic New York women in City Hall today.
The installation, entitled Women’s Voices: Shaping the City will feature portraits of eight women who helped shape the history of our city, with biographical information listed under each one.
The event is slated for today at 12:30 p.m. at City Hall.
