Malliotakis Secures $2.9 Million for the NYPD
U.S. Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-Staten Island, Brooklyn) announced yesterday she secured $2.9 million for the New York Police Department (NYPD) as part of the federal government’s operational budget for 2022.
The NYPD will use the funds to purchase personal protective equipment, forensic equipment, and expand its Critical Response Command K9-Training unit.
“At a time when other elected officials are looking to strip resources from our police, I’m proud to have delivered on my promise to secure more funding for our NYPD,” Malliotakis said. “With skyrocketing crime plaguing our streets and subways, the time is now for elected officials to support our men and women in blue, not continue to tie their hands and strip them of critical resources. Upon taking office, the NYPD informed me they needed this equipment and K-9 funding and I’m happy I was able to secure it for them. I will continue working to give our police the tools they need to more effectively do their jobs, keep criminals off our streets, and protect residents and visitors to our city”
“Keeping New Yorkers and visitors to our great city safe requires well-trained and well-equipped police officers,” NYPD Commissioner Keechant L. Sewell said. “This critical funding comes from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant, named in honor of an NYPD police officer assassinated in 1988 while protecting a witness in a drug case. It supports personnel, training, and necessary equipment for police departments nationwide, and remains integral to the NYPD’s mission of relentlessly fighting crime and terrorism.”
A breakdown of the funding can be found below:
- $350,000 for Critical Response Command K9-Training and Equipment
- $550,000 for Personal Protective Equipment
- $2,000,000 for Forensic Equipment
Addabbo: Make Your Voice Heard on the Proposed New Bus Routes
State Sen. Senator Joseph P. Addabbo, Jr. (D-Queens) wants the residents of his district to participate in a series of public workshops New York City Transit is currently holding to hear from residents on the New Draft Plan for the Queens Bus Network Redesign plan.
The Queens Bus Network Redesign is a project that is part of a larger effort to modernize New York City’s bus network and improve bus service borough by borough. NYCT and the MTA are taking a fresh look at the bus network, with the goal of meeting customers’ priorities including more reliable service, faster travel, better connections, and ease of use.
In December 2019, the MTA released the original Queens Bus Network Redesign Draft Plan. Over the next three months, they held dozens of outreach events throughout Queens and received over 11,000 comments. However, in March 2020, those efforts were stopped due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the project remained on pause for approximately 18 months.
In August 2021, it was announced that the Bus Network Redesigns would begin again.
“I remember going to a hearing about the Bus Network Redesigns at Queens Borough Hall in 2020 right before COVID shut everything down,” Addabbo said. “I believe public input is crucial to provide the people of New York City with a better, more reliable, eco-friendly approach to public transportation. I encourage everyone within my district to make their voices heard during the public workshops for their communities, because the only way the MTA will know what residents are looking for, what they need and what they want is if the people speak up. I want to thank the MTA and NYCT for hosting these workshops and listening to the needs of my constituency.”
The areas within Senator Addabbo’s district and the dates of the virtual public workshops are:
Wednesday, May 4 for Community District 5: Ridgewood, Maspeth, Middle Village, Glendale, Fresh Pond, and Liberty Park; Thursday, May 5 for Community District 6: Forest Hills and Rego Park; Monday, May 16 for Community District 9: Richmond Hill, Woodhaven, Ozone Park, and Kew Gardens; Wednesday, May 18 for Community District 10: Howard Beach, Ozone Park, South Ozone Park, Richmond Hill, Tudor Village, and Lindenwood; Thursday, June 2 for Community District 14: Breezy Point, Belle Harbor, Neponsit, Arverne, Bayswater, Edgemere, Rockaway, Rockaway Park, and Far Rockaway.
To visit join the virtual workshops visit: https://mta.zoom.us/j/86541509211?pwd=Qk5MZUpZa2k2SmRBMldtRUVmZnVzUT09
Meeting ID: 865 4150 9211. For individuals without a computer or smartphone, they can call into the virtual workshop at +19294362866,,86541509211#,,,,*6256615911# US (New York).
For those that need the information in another language, they can register for that service here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScPM3MyWJGUZn4cEzl7IWQsZv0rwB5RSswjGXptRNAXYT9OLg/viewform.
To view the proposed new routes for bus lines across Queens, visit: https://new.mta.info/project/queens-bus-network-redesign/routes.
Espaillat, Clarke Call on DHS to Expand Immigrant Access to Public Benefits
U.S. Reps. Adriano Espaillat (D-Manhattan, Bronx), Yvette D. Clarke (D-Brooklyn), and Judy Chu (D-CA) this week led their 40+ of their colleagues in a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to provide a public comment to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) on the Public Charge Ground of Inadmissibility.
DHS recently issued a notice of proposed rulemaking to replace the Trump-era 2019 Public Charge Rule—which expanded the list of public benefits that immigrants were prohibited from using—with a rule that would not penalize non-citizens for accessing the public benefits that are available to them.
“First, we want to express our support for Department’s effort to repair the damage caused by the harmful Trump Administration’s public charge rule, which disproportionately harmed communities of color,” the members wrote. “We strongly agree that ‘the 2019 public charge rule was not consistent with our nation’s values’ […] And while we applaud the Biden Administration’s prompt efforts to end this Trump-era policy, our communities are still experiencing the consequences of the Trump Administration’s actions.”
The members advocate for the inclusion of further provisions to ensure immigrant’s continued access to public benefits—through the clarification of exemptions and definitions to eliminate any confusion that may deter noncitizens from applying for benefits.
“Data reveals that there is little awareness of this policy reversal among individuals in immigrant and mixed-status families,” the members added. “We urge DHS to provide funding to trusted community organizations that can conduct outreach and education to immigrants and their families in a culturally and linguistically appropriate manner.”
Braunstein Announces Mother’s Day Essay & Poetry Contest
Assemblyman Edward C. Braunstein (D-Queens) is announcing the return of the annual Mother’s Day Essay and Poetry Contest, open to students in grades 2-5 who live or go to school in Assembly District 26.
Submissions can be any length and should have a Mother’s Day theme, such as a favorite experience, or an essay about why your mother is so special to you. The deadline to enter the contest is Monday, May 16, 2022.
“I’m happy to invite Northeast Queens students to submit an entry to my annual Mother’s Day Essay and Poetry Contest. This is a great opportunity for students to showcase their storytelling abilities and writing skills, potentially win a district-wide prize, and, most importantly, honor their mother,” said Edward Braunstein. “I look forward to reading the entries as we prepare to celebrate this very special holiday.”
District-wide prizes will be awarded in each grade and New York State Assembly Certificates of Merit will be awarded to all participating students.
If you are interested in participating, please print your full name, grade and school information on your entry and submit your essay or poem to Assemblyman Braunstein’s office at 213-33 39th Avenue, Suite 238, Bayside, NY 11361. You can also submit your essay by email to braunsteine@nyassembly.gov or fax it to 718-357-5947.
If entrants have any questions, they can contact Assemblyman Braunstein’s office at 718-357-3588.
