Powers, Hoylman, Epstein Write Letter to SantaCon Planners
Yesterday, Council Member Keith Powers (D-Upper East Side, Carnegie Hill), State Senator Brad Hoylman (D-Chelsea, Midtown) and Assemblymember Harvey Epstein (D-Lower East Side, East Village) sent an open letter to this year’s SantaCon planners, urging them to be “good neighbors”.
At 11 a.m. this Saturday, 2,000 SantaCon attendees will convene at the Skyport Marina. The letter expresses “serious concern” that the event will disrupt the residential communities the electeds preside over, such as Waterside Plaza and Stuyvesant Town.
“We ask that, in an effort to be good neighbors, you demonstrate prior to the event how you plan to minimize the disruption to the surrounding area, manage security and control anticipated crowds,” reads the letter. “Specifically, request that prior to the event, you provide clear plans to the NYPD and to our offices outlining the measures you will take to manage security, crowd control and moving traffic.”
Maloney Leads Oversight Committee Hearing on Paid Leave
Yesterday, Representative Carolyn Maloney (D-Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens) lead a hearing from the Committee on Oversight and Reform on the need for comprehensive paid family and medical leave.
The purpose of the hearing was to acknowledge the lack of access to paid leave under federal law, and to argue for the existence of a comprehensive paid leave program in the U.S.
“It is important for people to understand the current situation in our country,” said Maloney. “Right now, we are one of only two nations in the world that does not provide our workers with any form of paid family or medical leave. Providing this benefit is a significant investment in our future – the future of children, parents, families and our future as a nation.”
Johnson, De Blasio Announce Launch of Indirect Funding Initiative
Council Speaker Corey Johnson (D-Chelsea, Hell’s Kitchen) and Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) announced yesterday that the City has launched an Indirect Cost Rate (ICR) Funding Initiative.
The initiative is meant to increase financial stability for human services providers, particularly nonprofit organizations. By filling out the Indirect Entryway Choice Form, providers can apply to receive additional funding for their indirect costs.
“We need to do more to help nonprofits that are providing a broad array of essential services to New Yorkers and this initiative will do just that,” said Johnson. “Community-based organizations are our partners in government but for too long, they didn’t always get the complete funding they needed for indirect services like administrative expenses and overhead costs, such as rent. In this year’s budget, the Council and the Administration created the Indirect Cost Rate (ICR) Funding Initiative, which requires the City to cover the full cost of programs delivered by our CBO partners. We are so proud we reached an agreement with the providers to make sure they get their fair share.”
