Women’s Caucus Releases Statement of Solidarity with LGBTQ Community
Council Members Carlina Rivera (D-East Village, Gramercy Park) and Margaret Chin (D-Battery Park City, Chinatown) released a statement of solidarity with the LGBTQ community in anticipation of three Supreme Court landmark cases.
On Oct. 8, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments from three cases involving LGBTQ discrimination. In all three cases, the plaintiffs argued that the discrimination they faced violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Chin and Rivera, co-chairs of the Women’s Caucus, voiced their complete support for the plaintiffs in their statement.
“In 2019, human rights should never be up for debate, and LGBTQ+ workers should never have to fear losing their job because of their sexual orientation or gender identity,” reads the statement. “Currently, only 22 states have protections for sexual orientation and 21 have them for gender identity. In New York City and New York State, both categories are protected. We are proud to live in a city and state that values the equitable treatment of LGBTQ+ citizens, but it is time for the same protections to be afforded to LGBTQ+ citizens in all 50 states.”
Hoylman, Dinowitz Push to Make Vaccination Rates Public
On Tuesday, State Senator Brad Hoylman (D-Chelsea, Midtown) and Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz (D-Bronx) introduced legislation that would require New York schools to report their students’ immunization rates to the Department of Health (DOH).
Although some school immunization data is currently available on the DOH’s website, the new bill would require the DOH to include data on all public schools in the City. The legislation came on the heels of the passage of another Hoylman-sponsored bill, which outlawed religious exemptions for vaccinations.
“Parents have a right to know,” said Hoylman. “As New York continues to recover from the worst measles outbreak in four decades, parents deserve to be informed whether their child’s fellow students are up to date on all their required vaccines.”
Velázquez to Host Smith Houses Resource Fair
Representative Nydia Velázquez (D-LES, Brooklyn, Queens) will be hosting a Smith Houses resource fair at the end of the month.
Those in attendance will have the chance to meet with representatives from government and community organizations that offer public assistance and resources, including healthcare, education and census job opportunities. The Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs, the US Census Bureau and the District 1 Community Education Council are just a few of the organizations who will have representatives deployed at the event.
The event will take place on Saturday, Oct. 26 from 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. at 17 James Pl.
Stringer Urges GM to Adopt Stricter Emission Standards
New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer (D), along with a coalition of 25 institutional investors, penned a letter to General Motors urging them to join a compromise agreement with the state of California to uphold cleaner vehicle standards.
The letter, which he sent out on Monday, points out that several of GM’s peers, including Ford, BMW and Honda, have already joined in the compromise.
“We urge you to join this compromise agreement, which is consistent with General Motors
Company’s (GM’s) call for a national solution, continuously improving fuel economy, and its
stated goal of moving toward zero emissions,” reads the letter. “It would also enable GM to avoid significant regulatory uncertainty, bifurcated market, and litigation delay. Thus, joining the agreement has obvious advantages for GM. In addition, given GM’s position as the leader in U.S. market share,
and its shift toward larger, less efficient vehicles, GM’s participation in the agreement is critical
to moving toward the GHG reductions we need to meet climate goals.”
