New York City Insider: The Intelligent Way to Spend Excess State Dollars: Invest in Transit Not Counterproductive Manhattan Paywall.

 Keep NYC Congestion Tax Free 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: STATE COMPTROLLER REPORTS $5.5 BILLION IN EXCESS REVENUE; CIVIC/BUSINESS GROUP KNOWS THE SMARTEST WAY TO SPEND IT.

New York-May 20…New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli reported last week that the State has approximately $5.5 billion in excess revenue — plus billions in federal Covid recovery dollars — with no specific plans to spend it. A New York City civic and business organization, Keep NYC Congestion Tax Free, has what it believes to be the smartest use of those dollars: put it into transit infrastructure and cancel plans to add a Congestion Pricing Tax paywall in Manhattan. 

The group argues that a paywall to travel by car south of 60th Street in Manhattan will do what all paywalls do: discourage entry. But in this case, the group says, discouraging entry into New York City’s core business districts would be totally counterproductive, as the City and State are desperately trying to encourage people to return to those districts. 

Both Comptroller DiNapoli and Mayor Eric Adams raised red flags recently warning that tax revenue from those core business districts will be substantially diminished for years to come because of workplace changes spurred by Covid-19. And a movement is growing in New Jersey to move businesses to the Garden State to avoid the coming paywall. 

“Why on earth are we putting up a paywall to enter the exact areas of the city we’re desperately trying to revive?,” said Keep NYC Congestion Tax Free spokesman Joshua Bienstock. “Common sense suggests that excess dollars be used on capital — rather than operational — projects, and that would eliminate a chief rationale for the Congestion Pricing Tax. Moving forward with a congestion pricing paywall now would be a classic example of cutting off one’s nose to spite one’s face. New York leaders really need to re-think this.” 

In addition to hurting low- and middle-income New Yorkers living in transit deserts most, the group says, this regressive tax would massively increase traffic north of 60th Street in Manhattan and in the outer boroughs, and redirect carbon-belching trucks into communities of color. 

 Keep NYC Congestion Tax Free represents a diverse coalition of civic, business, and labor organizations and businesses throughout New York City. We share a simple vision: to keep our city congestion tax free.

New York City Insider: Representative Adriano Espaillat Votes to Invest in Chronically Underfunded Workforce Development Programs.

 

PRESS RELEASE For Immediate Release May 19, 2022

Representative Adriano Espaillat Votes to Invest in Chronically Underfunded Workforce Development Programs. Investing in workforce development programs will help fill job openings with qualified workers, address supply chain issues, and lower costs for families   WASHINGTON, DC –  This week, Representative Adriano Espaillat (NY-13) voted to pass H.R. 7309 – the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2022 (WIOA), which would invest in our nation’s workforce development programs and help fill job openings in New York's 13th congressional district with qualified workers. Espaillat spoke on House floor in support of WIOA, which includes his bill, H.R.7323 - Expanding Reentry Employment Assistance Act, that aims to expand reentry employment assistance for adults, prevent drop out among in-school youth, increase the employment rate of out-of-school youth, and reduce youth crime and violence. WIOA is the backbone of our nation’s workforce development system.  The law provides training and career services that help working people across the country get the skills they need and help employers secure a qualified workforce.  WIOA includes funding for job training for adults, dislocated workers, and youth as well as supportive services to help participants complete training and join the workforce.  “The evidence is clear that our economy has made meaningful progress toward recovering from the pandemic.  Despite this progress, we know job openings currently exceed applicants, and employers are clamoring for skilled workers,” said Rep. Espaillat.  “The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2022 would take a critical step forward to empower workers to fill those competitive job positions and—in turn—help reduce supply chain shortages and lower costs for families,” Espaillat concluded. Federal investment in workforce development has fallen markedly over time.  As a result, essential workforce development services are frequently unavailable to the people who need them most.  Strengthening WIOA programs is a key tool to help Americans get back to work and support businesses.  As the country recovers from the pandemic, the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2022 will provide more workers with pathways to better-paying jobs, lower costs, and strengthen our economic recovery.   View the fact sheet of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2022 here. Read the section-by-section of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2022 here.   Representative Espaillat is the first Dominican American to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives and his congressional district includes Harlem, East Harlem, West Harlem, Hamilton Heights, Washington Heights, Inwood, Marble Hill and the north-west Bronx. First elected to Congress in 2016, Representative Espaillat is serving his third term in Congress. Representative Espaillat currently serves as a member of the influential U.S. House Committee on Appropriations responsible for funding the federal government’s vital activities. He is also a member of the House Committee on Education and Labor and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC), where he serves in a leadership role as the Second Vice Chair and is a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, where he serves as Deputy Whip. Representative Espaillat also currently serves as a Senior Whip of the Democratic Caucus. To find out more about Rep. Espaillat, visit online at https://espaillat.house.gov/.

New York City Insider: Representative Adriano Espaillat Voted to Improve Families’ Access to Baby Formula.

 

PRESS RELEASE For Immediate Release May 19, 2022

Representative Adriano Espaillat Voted to Improve Families’ Access to Baby Formula.   WASHINGTON, DC –  This week, Representative Adriano Espaillat (NY-13) helped pass two bills that will improve families’ access to infant formula, ensure every baby has the nutrition they need to live and develop and prevent this crisis from potentially happening again.  The supplemental funding bill (H.R. 7790) provides the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) urgently needed resources to help address the infant formula shortage, increase the number of FDA inspection staff, provide resources for personnel working on formula issues, help the agency stop fraudulent baby formula from entering the marketplace and improve data collection on the formula market. “I share the frustrations of women and families across the nation who are living in panic, worried their babies will go hungry. It is outrageous and criminal that in the world’s richest country, families are frantically searching for baby formula. Even more frustrating is the shortage was avoidable. The national infant formula shortage was driven by a company’s recall of product. We must investigate the monopolization of the U.S. formula industry and hold bad actors accountable. We must examine how we got here and activate policies to guarantee it never happens again. We must improve supply chain resiliency, market sustainability, and product diversification— it is quite literally a matter of life and death. By passing this bill, Congress is ensuring that the FDA can end the current shortage and help prevent it from ever happening again,” said Rep. Espaillat.  Regrettably, the infant formula shortage has taken an especially dangerous toll on vulnerable women and children who use Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) benefits to purchase formula.  In response, the Access to Baby Formula Act (H.R. 7791) provides flexibility so that low-income families can continue purchasing safe infant formula with their WIC benefits during a crisis, such as a supply chain disruption.  “As with most injustices, this crisis is disproportionately impacting women of color, children in foster care, LGBTQ families, and has particularly affected women and children who rely on WIC benefits to purchase formula.  WIC participants represent our nation’s most vulnerable families, and the Access to Baby Formula Act ensures we do not leave them behind.  By providing increased flexibilities, this legislation is delivering on WIC’s promise to provide families in need with the nutrition children need to live and develop,” Rep. Espaillat continued.   The Access to Baby Formula Act is particularly important as nearly half of all infant formula is purchased using WIC benefits and 89 percent of WIC participants purchased formula from Abbott Nutrition—the manufacturing plant that closed and spurred the shortage crisis.  In February 2022, an Abbott Nutrition facility recalled several infant formula products (including Similac, Alimentum and EleCare) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a warning to consumers not to use these recalled products.  To learn more about the Access to Baby Formula Act, click here.   Representative Espaillat is the first Dominican American to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives and his congressional district includes Harlem, East Harlem, West Harlem, Hamilton Heights, Washington Heights, Inwood, Marble Hill and the north-west Bronx. First elected to Congress in 2016, Representative Espaillat is serving his third term in Congress. Representative Espaillat currently serves as a member of the influential U.S. House Committee on Appropriations responsible for funding the federal government’s vital activities. He is also a member of the House Committee on Education and Labor and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC), where he serves in a leadership role as the Second Vice Chair and is a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, where he serves as Deputy Whip. Representative Espaillat also currently serves as a Senior Whip of the Democratic Caucus. To find out more about Rep. Espaillat, visit online at https://espaillat.house.gov/.

New York City Insider: Use Excess Dollars to Halt Counterproductive Congestion Pricing Tax Paywall: Business Group.

 Keep NYC Congestion Tax Free 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: STATEMENT FROM KEEP NYC CONGESTION TAX FREE SPOKESMAN JOSHUA BIENSTOCK.

May 16, 2022

“New York State is sitting on billions of dollars in federal revenues yet to be earmarked while, at the same time, there is enormous concern from the New York State Comptroller and New York City Mayor that New York City’s core business districts will remain largely dormant for years following workplace changes prompted by the Covid-19 pandemic. 

“Common sense suggests that excess dollars be used on capital — rather than operational — projects. It further suggests that adding a $9-$35 paywall to enter Manhattan South of 60th Street in the form of a Congestion Pricing Tax would be seriously counterproductive toward the City’s long-term revitalization effort of its core business districts. 

“The smart play would be investing many of those dollars into mass transit infrastructure and repealing efforts to implement the Congestion Pricing Tax paywall. We urge prescient New York State elected leaders to step in now, before Congestion Pricing permanently damages New York’s economic recovery.” 

 Keep NYC Congestion Tax Free represents a diverse coalition of civic, business, and labor organizations and businesses throughout New York City. We share a simple vision: to keep our city congestion tax free.

New York City Insider: Espaillat Votes to Strengthen Illness Benefits For Federal Firefighters, Honors Life of Fallen FDNY Firefighter Timothy Klein.

 

PRESS RELEASE For Immediate Release May 13, 2022

Representative Adriano Espaillat Votes to Strengthen Illness Benefits For Federal Firefighters. Espaillat Honors Fallen FDNY Firefighter Timothy Klein on House Floor.   WASHINGTON, DC –  This week, Representative Adriano Espaillat (NY-13) spoke on the House floor to honor the life and legacy of hero fallen FDNY Firefighter Timothy Klein, who died tragically in the line of duty late last month. Additionally, this week, Rep. Espaillat voted for the Federal Firefighters Fairness Act to strengthen first responders’ access to workers’ compensation benefits after contracting cancer or other illnesses while on the job. The bipartisan legislation will help ensure that benefits cover the full range of occupational hazards faced by the nation’s 15,000 federal firefighters.  “Every day, these brave public servants put themselves in harm’s way, at times at their own peril, to save lives and protect communities in my district and across the country,” said Espaillat. “When they sacrifice themselves and pay the price for our safety through exposure to heat, toxins and at times death, America has a responsibility to provide them with the support they need. This bipartisan legislation will cut red tape and streamline critical benefits for our brave first responders.”  Firefighters are at high risk of contracting occupational illnesses through routine exposure to smoke, heat, and toxic substances.  While many states make it easier for firefighters to access benefits with a presumption that certain illnesses are work-related, the federal workers’ compensation system currently places the burden of proof on sick firefighters and their families.  The Federal Firefighters Fairness Act will remove these unnecessary bureaucratic hurdles for approximately 15,000 federal firefighters.  This legislation will establish an automatic presumption of work-related illness for a range of cancers and other illnesses.  Additionally, it empowers the Secretary of Labor to further expand this list based on scientific evidence.    The Federal Firefighters Fairness Act has been endorsed by the International Association of Fire Chiefs, the International Association of Fire Fighters, and the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE). Representative Espaillat is the first Dominican American to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives and his congressional district includes Harlem, East Harlem, West Harlem, Hamilton Heights, Washington Heights, Inwood, Marble Hill and the north-west Bronx. First elected to Congress in 2016, Representative Espaillat is serving his third term in Congress. Representative Espaillat currently serves as a member of the influential U.S. House Committee on Appropriations responsible for funding the federal government’s vital activities. He is also a member of the House Committee on Education and Labor and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC), where he serves in a leadership role as the Second Vice Chair and is a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, where he serves as Deputy Whip. Representative Espaillat also currently serves as a Senior Whip of the Democratic Caucus. To find out more about Rep. Espaillat, visit online at https://espaillat.house.gov/.

New York City Insider: Espaillat, Hispanic Caucus Continue Call for Redesignation of TPS for Honduras, Nicaragua, Venezuela, Haiti and El Salvador.

 

PRESS RELEASE For Immediate Release May 11, 2022

Espaillat, Hispanic Caucus Continue Call for Redesignation of TPS for Honduras, Nicaragua, Venezuela, Haiti and El Salvador.  Following White House Meeting, Members Also Reiterate Call For Designation of TPS for Guatemala.   WASHINGTON, DC –  Today, Representative Adriano Espaillat (NY-13), Second Vice Chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC), led Members of the CHC in a letter to Ambassador Susan Rice, Director of the Domestic Policy Council of the United States, following up on their call for the Administration to redesignate Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Honduras, Nicaragua, Venezuela, Haiti and El Salvador and TPS designation for Guatemala. This letter comes after the members’ April 25th meeting with President Biden and senior administration officials at the White House, where they discussed topics of critical importance to the Hispanic community and the CHC.—including a slate of executive actions on immigration, education, environmental justice, and healthcare. “As mentioned during our meeting, redesignating and designating TPS for the aforementioned countries would extend protections for immigrants who have already been in the United States for many years and are unable to return to their countries due to natural disasters, conflict, and humanitarian crises,” the members said in their letter. “We are deeply concerned that many living in the United States today remain ineligible for deportation protections, and, at a moment’s notice, can be put at risk of being re-exposed to unsafe and deadly conditions in their home countries.” The members also highlight that these additional TPS designations would help address U.S. labor shortages, protect the integrity of American families, and mitigate risks of further instability in Central America. “Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Guatemala are still recovering from hurricanes Eta and Iota, which ravaged Central America nearly 18 months ago. Millions of vulnerable people in the region are still in urgent need of assistance…” the members continued. “These temporary designations would give the US government more time to work with regional governments and civil society to ensure that the return of a large number of people to Central America does not exacerbate the region's instability and volatility.” In addition to Rep. Espaillat, the letter was also signed by Representatives Raul Ruiz, M.D. (CA-36), Chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus; Nanette Diaz Barragán (CA-44), First Vice Chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus; Veronica Escobar (TX-16), and Tony Cárdenas (CA-29). You can read the full text of this letter HERE, and below: Dear Director Rice: Thank you, and your team for taking the time to recently meet with Members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus to discuss administrative policy action that is critical for the Hispanic/Latino community. We look forward to sustained dialogue with the President on the various immigration matters my colleagues and I raised during our discussion that are of urgent importance to Hispanic communities across the country. We are eager to work together to make progress in this area. As it pertains to one of the issues, the matter of Temporary Protected Status (TPS), we wanted to thank you for your ongoing engagement about redesignating TPS for Honduras, Nicaragua, Venezuela, Haiti and El Salvador and TPS designation for Guatemala. We would like to reiterate the importance of extending TPS to said countries, and other Latin American and African countries facing ongoing conflict and environmental disasters.  As mentioned during our meeting, redesignating, and designating TPS for the aforementioned countries would extend protections for many immigrants who have already been in the United States for many years and are unable to return to their countries due to natural disasters, conflict, and humanitarian crises.  We are deeply concerned that many living in the United States today remain ineligible for deportation protections, and, at a moment’s notice, can be put at risk of being re-exposed to unsafe and deadly conditions in their home countries. Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua and Guatemala are still recovering from hurricanes Eta and Iota, which ravaged Central America nearly 18 months ago. Millions of vulnerable people in the region are still in urgent need of assistance as they face the combined effects of last year’s hurricanes, the COVID-19 pandemic, climate-induced food insecurity, and increasingly weak rule of law. The governments are not capable of absorbing potentially hundreds of thousands of returnees from the United States at this time. It is our firm belief that in addition to providing life-saving opportunities for eligible individuals already in the United States, such TPS designations would help address U.S. labor shortages, protect the integrity of American families, and mitigate risks of further instability in Central America. These temporary designations would give the US government more time to work with regional governments and civil society to ensure that the return of a large number of people to Central America does not exacerbate the region's instability and volatility. Additionally, last year the Biden Administration rightly designated TPS for Venezuela.  In early July, the Administration will need to decide whether to extend that designation or redesignate TPS for Venezuela, allowing more recent arrivals to apply for TPS.  Given the continuing deterioration of the country conditions in Venezuela, as mentioned during our meeting, we urge you to redesignate TPS to allow more people to apply so they remain safely in this country We were thankful for your attentiveness as we described the grave circumstances preventing nationals from these countries residing in the United States from being able to return to their home countries.  We hope you will continue to work swiftly with the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of State in determining TPS redesignation and designation for countries facing ongoing conflict and environmental disasters.  Thank you for your consideration, our offices look forward to working closely with and supporting the Biden administration on this important matter. Sincerely,  Representative Espaillat is the first Dominican American to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives and his congressional district includes Harlem, East Harlem, West Harlem, Hamilton Heights, Washington Heights, Inwood, Marble Hill and the north-west Bronx. First elected to Congress in 2016, Representative Espaillat is serving his third term in Congress. Representative Espaillat currently serves as a member of the influential U.S. House Committee on Appropriations responsible for funding the federal government’s vital activities. He is also a member of the House Committee on Education and Labor and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC), where he serves in a leadership role as the Second Vice Chair and is a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, where he serves as Deputy Whip. Representative Espaillat also currently serves as a Senior Whip of the Democratic Caucus. To find out more about Rep. Espaillat, visit online at https://espaillat.house.gov/.

New York City Insider: Representative Adriano Espaillat Decries Supreme Court Draft Opinion Overturning Roe V. Wade.

 

PRESS RELEASE For Immediate Release May 3, 2022

Representative Adriano Espaillat Decries Supreme Court Draft Opinion Overturning Roe V. Wade.   NEW YORK, NY – In the wake of last night’s breaking news that a draft majority opinion written by Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito would overturn Roe v. Wade, Representative Adriano Espaillat (NY-13) issued the following statement: “I want every New Yorker–and American around the country–to know that this morning, abortion remains a constitutional right, and is still the law of the land,” said Rep. Espaillat. “Let me be clear: seeking abortion care should not be criminalized. Reproductive health care should be determined by the person seeking care and their trusted health care provider–not legislators, not presidents, and especially not a radical right-wing Supreme Court hellbent on upending judicial precedent and the rights of childbearing individuals. Any threat on abortion rights is an attack on those most impacted by the decision—people of color, LGBTQ people, people with low incomes, and those in rural communities. “Decades of attacks have left abortion rights hanging by a thread in the United States, and Mitch McConnell’s packed Supreme Court has signaled to the American people—and the world—that it is willing to inflict the greatest restriction of rights in the past fifty years,” Espaillat continued. “This draft opinion is a moral outrage and an awe-inducing example judicial malpractice. This Congress must send legislation that codifies Roe v. Wade to the President’s desk—with the House taking this first step already, the ball is in the Senate’s court to act. “And if there aren’t 60 votes in the Senate to do it, we need to abolish the filibuster to pass it with 50 votes – because the weight of history will be watching,” Espaillat concluded. Representative Espaillat is the first Dominican American to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives and his congressional district includes Harlem, East Harlem, West Harlem, Hamilton Heights, Washington Heights, Inwood, Marble Hill and the north-west Bronx. First elected to Congress in 2016, Representative Espaillat is serving his third term in Congress. Representative Espaillat currently serves as a member of the influential U.S. House Committee on Appropriations responsible for funding the federal government’s vital activities. He is also a member of the House Committee on Education and Labor and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC), where he serves in a leadership role as the Second Vice Chair and is a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, where he serves as Deputy Whip. Representative Espaillat also currently serves as a Senior Whip of the Democratic Caucus. To find out more about Rep. Espaillat, visit online at https://espaillat.house.gov/.