MAHN Lawmakers May 13, 2019

Manhattan Lawmakers on the Move bannner

Chin To Celebrate Opening of Brand New Essex Street Market

Council Member Margaret Chin
Council Member Margaret Chin

City Council member Margaret Chin (D-Battery Park City, Chinatown) today will join New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) President James Patchett, community stakeholders and over 35 vendors to celebrate the grand opening of the new Essex Market at 115 Delancey Street.

First opened in the 1940s on Essex Street, Chin worked with NYCEDC to renovate and revitalize the market into a new 37,000 square-foot, state-of-the-art facility that includes 39 vendor stalls, two full-service restaurants, and a demonstration kitchen that will be used for cooking classes, educational programming, and more.

The new space, which is triple the size of the previous location, will provide the local community and visitors alike with local and globally-sourced fresh and affordable grocery items and prepared dishes.

All 21 vendors operating out of the previous market space have made the move to the new location, where they are joined by 16 new vendors, including Lower East Side Ice Cream Factory, Samesa, Don Ceviche, and Heros & Villains.

The event is slated for 10:15 a.m., today, May 13, at 115 Delancey Street in the Lower East Side.

Rosenthal To Announces New Legislation On Sexual Harassment Disclosure

Council Member Helen Rosenthal
Council Member Helen Rosenthal

City Council members Helen Rosenthal (D-Central Park, Lincoln Square) and Ritchie Torres (D-Bronx) will rally together today to announce the pending introduction of new City Council legislation concerning the reporting of incidents of sexual harassment.

The new bills will require oversight by the Equal Employment Practices Commission to ensure that supervisors and elected officials are reporting (as they are required to do) all instances of sexual harassment.

The present advocacy organizations will call for full Council support of the bills and denounce Rev. Diaz Sr’s outrageous comments on reporting sexual harassment. Last week, Bronx Councilman Ruben Diaz Sr. stated he would not report misconduct by his employees, saying, “I’m not gonna rat my people out!” during a sexual harassment training session the City Council held, as reported by the New York Daily News.

“We cannot let his words stand. We are committed to ensuring that all staff know that their workplace must be free from sexual harassment,” said Rosenthal and Torres in a join statement.

The event is slated for 10 a.m., today, May 13, on The Steps of City Hall in Lower Manhattan.

Nadler Introduces Bill To Ensure President Can Be Held Accountable for Criminal Conduct

U.S. Rep. Jerrold Nadler

House Judiciary Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-Morningside Heights, Midtown), along with Representatives Ted Deutch (D-FL) and Eric Swalwell (D-CA) of the House Judiciary Committee, last week introduced the No President Is Above the Law Act.

The measure would pause the statute of limitations for any federal offense committed by a sitting president, whether it was committed before or during the president’s term of office. This legislation would ensure that presidents can be held accountable for criminal conduct just like every other American and not use the presidency to avoid legal consequences.

Most federal criminal offenses carry a five-year statute of limitations. According to Nadler, a president who is not prosecuted while in office for a crime they may have committed—before or during the presidency—could end up escaping liability altogether if the statute of limitations runs out before their term is over, especially if elected to a second term.

The measure comes less than a month after the release of the redacted Mueller Report and the week after a Nadler threatened to hold former White House lawyer Don McGahn in contempt if he didn’t respond to a congressional subpoena for special counsel Robert Mueller’s documents.

“No person can be permitted to evade accountability for their actions just because they happen to be President. I have concerns with the Justice Department interpretation that a sitting president cannot be indicted, but if that is the policy, a president who commits a crime before or during their term in office, could exploit this loophole and avoid prosecution just because the statute of limitations has run out. This is unacceptable.The presidency is not a get-out-of-jail-free card,” said Nadler.