New York City Council members took to the state Capitol on Wednesday in hopes of assembling a statewide effort to tackle the city’s migrant crisis.
They met with Gov. Kathy Hochul to discuss efforts that can be taken at the state level to assist the city with the influx of migrants traveling to New York City from the country’s southern border.
“The purpose of our visit was really to start to build out a statewide coalition. We know that the state is bearing the brunt of this crisis, and we are at capacity. We need help,” Councilmember Natasha Williams said to reporters.
They said they talked with lawmakers about finding solutions to the housing crisis that has been exacerbated by the influx of migrants. They said short-term solutions, like sending migrants to SUNY campuses or state-operated properties for the summer, won’t address the long-term needs, but could give the city time to expand its capacity and build its resources if those individuals end up coming back to New York City.
At a press conference on Wednesday, Hochul confirmed that the state is looking at SUNY campuses to assist the city.
“We need the time to be able to assess all the sites. No decisions have been made,” she told reporters. “It would be premature for me right now to say a decision has been made when the city has to take a look too. We’re just not there yet.”
The council members denounced the efforts of counties across the state that have taken legal action to prevent the city from sending migrants to their communities. Williams said the actions and rhetoric from Republican leaders “screams racism” and “screams cruelty,” rather than looking for a solution to the issue.
“Those folks, we have to make them care,” Williams said, noting that of the roughly 40 lawmakers she spoke with in Albany that there was interest to collaborate.
— Includes reporting by Danielle Muoio Dunn
NOMINATION OUT: The head of a nonprofit organization in the Hudson Valley who wrongly said that homeless veterans were kicked out of a hotel to place migrants there had her nomination pulled Monday for the Women of Distinction award by the state Senate.
Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins wrote to Poughkeepsie Sen. Rob Rolison who nominated Sharon Toney-Finch, a disabled veteran who founded the Yerik Israel Toney Foundation, that the latest revelations about her lying about veterans being displaced made her unfit for the award. Reports also noted that Toney-Finch appeared to be involved in recruiting homeless people to pose as veterans.
“In light of these distressing revelations, it is necessary that we remove the nomination and ensure that the accomplishments of the other deserving recipients are not overshadowed,” Stewart-Cousins wrote. — Joseph Spector
ANTI-BULLYING LEGISLATION: Sen. Jim Tedisco (R-Schenectady) is hopeful the Legislature will be able to pass a bill that would require school districts to notify a parent if their child is being bullied.
Tedisco said the fear that schools may “out” a queer student to their parents when they don’t want to was part of the hesitation in previous sessions. This year with amendments that allow for the students to have a say in the information shared with their parents, he believes the legislation stands a better chance.
“Jacob’s Law” — named after a 13-year-old boy who committed suicide — was amended this year to allow for a social worker to meet with students who may be experiencing bullying. If the child doesn’t want their parent to know the details of the situation, the social worker would have discretion when it comes to the information shared.
“I believe it will (prevent bullying) by having the parents engaged with the administration,” Tedisco said in an interview. “It will be both the parents of the child who’s being bullied and the child who was doing the bullying that will be notified. Because no parent wants their child to grow up to be cruel to others and to be a bully.” — Katelyn Cordero
VOUCHER VEXATION: Housing vouchers have become the latest sore spot between Mayor Eric Adams and the City Council as a package of bills aimed at making them more accessible is expected to head to his desk Thursday.
The mayor opposes the legislation. Fabien Levy, his press secretary, said in an email that while he’s committed to making permanent housing easier to get, Adams believes the legislation will “keep New Yorkers experiencing homelessness, the ones who need permanent housing right now, in shelter for longer.”
“These bills would stymie and effectively halt that process, something New Yorkers experiencing homelessness cannot afford,” Levy said.
The measures have broad support in the City Council, though, and will likely survive a mayoral veto. Council Member Diana Ayala, the deputy speaker, called City Hall’s stance the “stupidest opposition in the world.” Christine Quinn, a former Council speaker and the CEO of the supportive housing provider WIN, called the opposition “very odd.”
The administration does support the repeal of the so-called 90-day rule, which requires New Yorkers to stay in shelters for 90 days before being eligible for vouchers. Levy said they offered the council a compromise lifting the rule as a standalone measure, but said it rejected that offer. Council spokesperson Mandela Jones called that characterization false.
“The information that the folks in the administration are laboring under is not accurate,” Quinn said.
The main sticking points are other aspects of the legislative package. The rest of the legislation would eliminate even more barriers, like scrapping employment status as a consideration in the eligibility process.
“It’s clear what’s going to happen,” Quinn said. “Tomorrow the bills will be passed, and then if the mayor vetoes them, they’ll be overridden.” — Zachary Schermele
EDUCATION: The state Assembly’s Insurance Committee passed legislation sponsored by Assemblyman Robert Carroll that would require private health insurance policies to pay for neuropsychological exams to diagnose dyslexia.
“I was fortunate as a child that my family had the resources to pay for a neuropsychological exam,” Carroll said in a statement. “Being diagnosed with dyslexia was the first step in getting the interventions I needed that literally changed my life. This legislation has the potential to help thousands of children and their families. No child should be denied services, because they can’t afford a diagnostic test.”
Carroll said comprehensive neuropsychological exams are often conducted over the course of two days and may cost more than $6,000 but are generally not paid for by health insurance.
Assemblyman David Weprin, who chairs the Insurance Committee and is a co-sponsor, said the bill would guarantee that coverage is provided for neuropsychological testing for individuals with a suspected diagnosis of dyslexia. “Dyslexia affects many children around our country and the earlier we can identify it the earlier we can help our young ones thrive,” Weprin said in a statement. — Madina Touré
VETERAN PROTECTIONS: As Memorial Day approaches, the Senate majority passed legislation to improve the services and protections afforded to New York’s veterans.
The bill includes measures to improve veterans’ support, such as starting a study from CUNY and SUNY on the availability of campus services, as well as programs and resources for veteran students and clarifying the definition of “veteran” for tax purposes.
The legislation also considers veterans’ wishes to be buried in a state veterans’ cemetery by authorizing close friends or family members to request that option on their behalf.
“This package is just another step that New York State is taking to actively support our veterans the way that they have always supported us,” Sen. Jessica Scarcella-Spanton, chair of the Veterans Committee, said in a statement. — Eleonora Francica
HYDROGEN BOOST: The Hochul administration continues to support investments in green hydrogen to play a role in the state’s future energy system.
The governor announced $10 million in funding from ratepayers for grants to hydrogen research or demonstration projects. The NYSERDA-administered program will select an awardee that also receives federal support.
Eligible projects include those focused on decarbonizing hard-to-electrify industrial processes requiring high heat, clean hydrogen production paired with renewable resources and hydrogen storage. The solicitation doesn’t close the door on burning hydrogen, either. It also seeks proposal for mitigation of co-pollutants from hydrogen combustion, a major concern with the fuel. — Marie J. French
— The Buffalo area is ready to welcome asylum seekers in need, the Erie County executive said. (Upstate New York)
— ‘A new sculpture at Brooklyn Bridge Park evokes colonization and migration with weathered steel,’ WNYC reports.
— Parade of Ships kicked off Fleet Week 2023 in New York. (WABC)
— Via New York Daily News: “Elmhurst Hospital doctors end strike after reaching tentative deal with Queens hospital.”
— Former state Inspector General Letizia Tagliafierro has died after a battle with cancer. (Times Union)
