MANH Lawmakers on the Move, Jan. 14, 2020

Brewer to Hold Second Public Hearing on RFTF

Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer (D) will be holding her second hearing on her newly formed Religious Facilities Task Force (RFTF) tonight.

Last month, she founded the RFTF to help religious congregations that may need to move or close due to real estate challenges. This hearing will provide further information on how properties designed as houses of worship can be repurposed as affordable housing.

The event will take place tonight from 6-8 p.m. at Harlem Hospital, 506 Lenox Ave.

Johnson Decries Hudson Yards Wall

Council Member Corey Johnson (Credit: Jeff Reed)

Council Speaker Corey Johnson (D-Chelsea, Hell’s Kitchen) recently spoke out against a new proposal for a wall at Hudson Yards.

Last week, Related Companies, the company responsible for Hudson Yards’ construction, came out with a plan for a twenty-foot-tall next to the High Line. The wall would allow for the construction of a parking garage underneath. Kathleen Corless, a spokesperson for Related, said that the plan is still in its preliminary stages.

“This plan to essentially wall off the High Line from promised open spaces — and to build a parking garage, no less — would be a terrible breach of public trust,” Johnson said in a tweet. “We should be breaking down barriers between New Yorkers and green space, not building walls.”

Krueger, Serrano to Host Forum on Scams

State Senators Liz Krueger (D-Upper East Side, Lenox Hill) and José Serrano (D-Manhattan, Bronx) will be hosting a forum on phone and email scams next month.

Krueger and Serrano will join the NYPD 19th Precinct in hosting a presentation on how to recognize red flags and avoid being scammed. The presentation will also cover what to do and who to contact if you’re the target of a scam attempt.

The event will take place on Friday, Feb. 7 from 2-4 p.m. at the Stanley Isaacs Neighborhood Center, 415 East 93rd St.

Benjamin Proposes Bill to Make It Easier for Ex-Cons to Get State IDs

A newly proposed bill from State Senator Brian Benjamin (D-Harlem, East Harlem, Upper West Side) would make it easier for ex-cons to get state IDs after being released from prison.

Currently, ex-cons receive temporary IDs from the Corrections and Community Supervision Department upon their release. Benjamin argues that this ID carries a stigma that standard IDs don’t, making it difficult for ex-cons to reintegrate themselves into society. His new bill would have the Corrections Department partner with the DMV to issue nondriving state IDs to former inmates.

“There’s no public safety reason that anyone can articulate as to why we need to have a two-step process here,” Benjamin told the Daily News. “What we really need people focused on is reintegration back into society, finding a job, spending time with loved ones, getting reasserted.”