New York City Insider: Representative Adriano Espaillat Announces National Endowment for the Arts First Round of Fiscal Year 2023 Grants.

 

PRESS RELEASE For Immediate Release January 10, 2023

Representative Adriano Espaillat Announces National Endowment for the Arts  First Round of Fiscal Year 2023 Grants. A Total of $630,000 Grants Awarded to 25 Recipients in New York's 13th Congressional District.   WASHINGTON, DC – Representative Adriano Espaillat (NY-13), in collaboration with the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), announced today the first round of recommended awards for fiscal year 2023, with more than $34 million in funding to support the arts nationwide, including $630,000 to New York's 13th Congressional District.  This is the first of the NEA’s two major grant announcements each fiscal year and includes grants to organizations through the NEA’s Grants for Arts Projects, Challenge America, and Research Awards categories. This announcement also includes grants to individuals for Literature Fellowships in creative writing (poetry) and translation.  "I am delighted to join the NEA in today's announcement highlighting the extraordinary artistic and creative talent and programs in my district," said Rep. Espaillat. "I look forward to continuing my work with each of the recipient organizations and to witnessing how this federal funding will be utilized through the innovative programs and projects they plan this year."    “Together, these grants show the NEA’s support nationwide for strengthening our arts and cultural ecosystems, providing equitable opportunities for arts participation and practice, and contributing to the health of our communities and our economy,” said NEA Chair Maria Rosario Jackson, PhD. “I encourage everyone to explore these projects and the ways they help provide inspiration, understanding, and opportunities for us to live more artful lives.” The full list of recommended grants is available in a state-by-state listing and organized by grant category/discipline. Additional information about the projects can be found using the NEA’s Grant Search.  As part of the application review process, the NEA worked with more than 340 expert reviewers with relevant knowledge and experience who reviewed the applications and rated them in accordance with published review criteria. Recommendations were presented to the National Council on the Arts. The council made its recommendations to the NEA Chair, who made the final decision on all grant awards.  Learn more about the grant review process or volunteer to be a panelist.   Grantees for New York's 13th Congressional District:  American Composers Alliance Inc. Funding amount: $10,000 Grants for Arts Projects  Music Purpose: To support the editing and publishing of new scores by composer Dorothy Rudd Moore. Apollo Theatre Foundation Funding amount: $55,000 Grants for Arts Projects Presenting & Multidisciplinary Works To support a multidisciplinary arts festival.   BalletCollective Inc. Funding amount: $10,000 Grants for Arts Projects  Dance Purpose: To support the development and production of a new work, "The Night Falls." Barnard College Funding amount: $10,000 Grants for Arts Projects  Media Arts Purpose: To support technical staff and equipment rental costs for the 2023 Athena Film Festival and related public programming.   Born Dancing, Inc. Funding amount: $10,000 Grants for Arts Projects  Arts Education Purpose: To support a dance and production apprenticeship program.   Classical Theatre of Harlem Funding amount: $45,000 Grants for Arts Projects Theater Purpose: To support artist fees for the production of Malvolio by Betty Shamieh, as part of the Uptown Shakespeare in the Park program. Columbia University in the City of New York Funding amount: $15,000 Grants for Arts Projects Music Purpose: To support artist fees for concert presentations at Miller Theatre.   Dances For A Variable Population Funding amount: $10,000 Grants for Arts Projects Dance Purpose: To support dance workshops and free public performances.   Bernard Ferguson Funding amount: $25,000 Literature Fellowships: Creative Writing  Literary Arts Purpose: To support a creative writing fellowship.   Futuro Media Group Funding amount: $25,000 Grants for Arts Projects Media Arts Purpose: To support two animated documentary shorts about Harlem Renaissance artists, sculptor Augusta Savage and singer Bessie Smith, and related educational materials. Groove With Me, Inc. Funding amount: $10,000 Grants for Arts Projects  Dance Purpose: To support free dance classes for youth in Harlem and the Bronx. Harlem Chamber Players, Inc. Funding amount: $10,000 Grants for Arts Projects  Music Purpose: To support a concert at Miller Theatre at Columbia University. Harlem Presents, Inc. Funding amount: $10,000 Grants for Arts Projects  Opera Purpose: To support the Harlem Opera Festival 2023. Harlem Stage, Inc. Funding amount: $35,000 Grants for Arts Projects  Presenting & Multidisciplinary Works To support the commissioning and presentation of new multidisciplinary works. Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Funding amount: $150,000 Research Labs Research Purpose: To support a research agenda and associated studies that will be designed and implemented by the Assessment of Music Experiences in Navigating Depression (AMEND) lab at Mount Sinai Health System's Louis Armstrong Center for Music and Medicine.   Inheiritance Project Ltd. Funding amount: $20,000 Grants for Arts Projects Theater Purpose: To support staff salaries and artistic fees for the development and production of Exodus: Memphis, a community-devised work.   JACK Music Inc. Funding amount: $15,000 Grants for Arts Projects  Music Purpose: To support the creation, performance, and recording of new works for string quartet.   Korean Art Forum Funding amount: $20,000 Grants for Arts Projects  Visual Arts Purpose: To support the commissioning of temporary outdoor community-based artworks at Inwood Hill Park in New York, with an accompanying catalogue and public programming. Laundromat Project, Inc. Funding amount: $25,000 Grants for Arts Projects Visual Arts Purpose: To support an artist fellowship program and an intensive training institute for artists working in New York City.   Museum of the City of New York Funding amount: $25,000 Grants for Arts Projects  Museums Purpose: To support an inaugural photography triennial exhibition. Musical Mentors Collaborative, Inc. Funding amount: $10,000 Challenge America  Challenge America Purpose: To support private music instruction to children and adults experiencing homelessness. National Dance Institute, Inc. Funding amount: $30,000 Grants for Arts Projects  Arts Education Purpose: To support an in-school dance residency project. Opus 118 Harlem School of Music Funding amount: $10,000 Grants for Arts Projects  Music Purpose: To support the Harlem Center for Strings After-School Program for music education. SoHarlem, Inc. Funding amount: $35,000 Grants for Arts Projects  Design Purpose: To support the Designers' Studio for emerging fashion designers.   Stefanie Nelson Dance Group Funding amount: $10,000 Challenge America  Challenge America Purpose: To support dance workshops and performances by artists with disabilities.

New York City Insider: Representative Adriano Espaillat to Host Annual State of the District Address (Sunday, January 29th at 2 PM).

 

For Immediate Release January 9, 2023

Representative Adriano Espaillat to Host Annual State of the District Address/ Sunday, January 29th at 2:00 p.m. Espaillat Will Highlight Legislative Victories and Present His Legislative Overview for the 118th Congress. WASHINGTON, DC – Representative Adriano Espaillat (NY-13) will host his annual State of the District address Sunday, January 29th at 2:00 p.m. EST at The Forum at Columbia University, 601 W 125th Street, New York, NY 10027. During this year's in-person event, Rep. Espaillat will highlight his legislative accomplishments for New York's 13th congressional district and present an overview of his legislative priorities for the 2023 calendar year and start of the 118th Congress. WHO: Rep. Adriano Espaillat (NY-13) Special Guests to be announced soon! WHAT: 2023 State of the District Address WHEN: Sunday, January 29, 2023 at 2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. (doors open at 1:00 p.m.) WHERE: The Forum at Columbia University, 601 W 125th Street, New York, NY 10027.

New York City Insider: Representative Adriano Espaillat Sworn-In to U.S. House of Representatives During the 118th Congress.

 

PRESS RELEASE For Immediate Release January 7, 2023

Representative Adriano Espaillat Sworn-In to U.S. House of Representatives During the 118th Congress. Commits to Putting People Over Politics, Delivering for Families of New York’s 13th Congressional District.   WASHINGTON, DC – Representative Adriano Espaillat (NY-13) was officially sworn in as United States Representative for New York’s 13th Congressional District today in the 118th Congress. “I am honored that the people of New York’s 13th Congressional District have entrusted me with the responsibility of representing them in Congress. My House Democratic colleagues and I are united and ready to get to work for everyday Americans,” Representative Espaillat said. “Together, we will build on our track record of getting things done. We will put people over politics, working to lower costs, create better-paying jobs, and make our communities safer.” 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 was sworn into office on January 3, 2017, during the 115th Congress and is serving his fourth term in Congress.  Representative Espaillat is Deputy Chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) and Chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI). He is a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, where he serves as Deputy Whip and serves as a Senior Whip of the Democratic Caucus. Through his committee assignments and caucus leadership positions, Representative Espaillat vows to continue his work to help advance and amplify legislative priorities and accomplishments that aim to improve the lives of families around the nation during his tenure in the 118th Congress.     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: Statement from Representative Adriano Espaillat on the Election of House Speaker.

 

PRESS RELEASE For Immediate Release January 6, 2023

Statement from Representative Adriano Espaillat on the Election of House Speaker.   WASHINGTON, DC – Representative Adriano Espaillat (NY-13) issued the following statement on the election of House Speaker Kevin McCarthy during the 118th Congress.  “For the first time in 100 years, the House of Representatives has been unable to organize for multiple days due to the inability of House Republicans to form a union and govern,” said Rep. Espaillat. “Over these past few days, Kevin McCarthy has shown all of us that he is a selfish leader, only concerned with himself and not the American people. As we move forward with the official start of the 118th Congress, House Democrats are ready, willing, and able to get to work on behalf of the American people. But it has been made obvious that we do not have a partner on the other side of the aisle because the Republican Conference has been taken over by Extreme MAGAites who have been allowed to play political games at the risk of families around the nation.  “The American people deserve a Congress that works and delivers for them, not one that is mired in endless chaos, confusion, and crisis. Democrats are stronger and more united than ever, and we are ready to take on the challenges that lie ahead in this new year.”     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: Study: Uber, Lyft, et al. Cause 44% of Midtown Traffic; Low-Income New Yorkers to be Stuck Paying for It.

 Keep NYC Congestion Tax Free 

UBER/LYFT CAUSE MANHATTAN TRAFFIC JAMS: EXPERT STUDY .

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Working Class New Yorkers to be Punished with 

$23 Congestion Pricing Tax to Support Wealthier Riders.   

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“The ivory-tower geniuses who came up with Congestion Pricing Tax never considered the effects it would have on lower-income New York families.”

New York-Jan. 6…For-hire ride service companies, including Uber and Lyft, cause nearly half of all vehicle congestion in midtown Manhattan, a study by former New York City Department of Transportation Commissioner Lucius Riccio has revealed. 

As a result, working class New Yorkers, who will have to pay $23 to drive in Manhattan south of 60th Street under Governor Kathy Hochul’s Congestion Pricing Tax plan, would be punished for a service few of them can afford to use. 

“When you boil it down, the Congestion Pricing Tax is a way to make working class folks pay for traffic jams caused by wealthier New Yorkers,” said Keep NYC Congestion Tax Free spokesman Joshua Bienstock. “Most New Yorkers would never take a Lyft or an Uber — they don’t have the money — so why should they have to pay a $23 fine for the habits of others? The dirty little answer is that New Yorkers of means want them off the road so they’re for-hire vehicle might be able to move a little bit faster. That’s wrong and elitist anyway you look at it.” 

The study by former Commissioner Riccio, an adjunct professor at New York University’s Stern School of Business, shows that app-based, for-hire vehicles constitute 43.9% of all Midtown Manhattan traffic — more than yellow cabs and personal vehicles combined. Mr. Riccio says that any additional fee should be paid by Uber and Lyft passengers rather than by working class New Yorkers who rarely use those services. It has also been shown that a Congestion Pricing Tax would divert carbon-belching vehicles into low-income New York City communities, especially in the Bronx, that already suffer some of the highest youth asthma rates in America. 

“The ivory-tower geniuses who came up with this Congestion Pricing Tax plan never considered the effects it would have on lower-income New York families,” Mr. Bienstock added. “Those effects are becoming clearer by the day, and neither the city nor state can ignore them. The Congestion Pricing Tax plan should be permanently garaged.”  

Keep NYC Congestion Tax Free, a diverse coalition of civic, business, and labor organizations and businesses throughout New York City, argues that implementing a tax on vehicles traveling south of 6oth Street in Manhattan will, among other things, permanently damage efforts to revitalize the two districts.  

New York City Insider: Representative Adriano Espaillat Recognizes Second Year Since the Attacks of January 6th.

 

PRESS RELEASE For Immediate Release January 6, 2023

Representative Adriano Espaillat Recognizes Second Year Since the Attacks of January 6th.   WASHINGTON, DC – Representative Adriano Espaillat (NY-13) issued the following statement to mark the second year since the January 6th attack at the United States Capitol.  “Two years ago today, we witnessed a deadly atrocity waged on the U.S. Capitol, the Congress, and the Constitution. The insurrection was a blatant disregard for human life, Democracy, and the peaceful transfer of power that was initiated by zealots and whose extremist ideology festered into violent actions. Duly elected members of Congress and their staff were in grave danger and working class Americans who dedicated their lives to protecting our nations Capitol were killed,” said Rep. Espaillat. “As we remember January 6th, I am forever grateful for the heroic officers who protected the Capitol and join my congressional colleagues to remember the five police officers who lost their lives as well as honor the more than 140 among their ranks who were injured while defending our democracy.  “January 6th will be long remembered in American history as a day of infamy, and House Democrats are focused more than ever on our work to strengthen the democracy that those officers defended with their lives and to prevent another attempt to stop the peaceful transfer of power. My Democratic colleagues and I have delivered the bipartisan Electoral Count Reform Act to stop a similar attempt to overturn a presidential election, in addition to providing additional funding for local election security. Yet, while this significant piece of legislation has been enacted, more must be done to strengthen our elections. The American people overwhelmingly support our Democratic legislation to clean up elections and protect the right to vote, including the For The People Act and the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. “In a democracy, nobody is above the law, including the President of the United States, and I support and commend the bipartisan work of the January 6th Select Committee for their efforts to put people over politics and consistently follow the facts, finding that President Trump and his closest associates engaged in insurrection against the United States and our Constitution. The final report issued by the Committee contains several legislative recommendations to prevent another deadly attack that I urge my colleagues, Republican and Democrat, to pursue on a bipartisan basis. The attacks of January 6th serve as a reminder than we can never take for granted our work to promote American democracy and uphold the values and freedoms that we hold dear as a nation.”  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 to Host Annual State of the District Address.

 

For Immediate Release January 5, 2023

Representative Adriano Espaillat to Host Annual State of the District Address. Espaillat Will Highlight Legislative Victories and Present His Legislative Overview for the 118th Congress. WASHINGTON, DC – Representative Adriano Espaillat (NY-13) will host his annual State of the District address Sunday, January 29th at 4:00 p.m. EST at The Forum at Columbia University, 601 W 125th Street, New York, NY 10027. During this year's in-person event, Rep. Espaillat will highlight his legislative accomplishments for New York's 13th congressional district and present an overview of his legislative priorities for the 2023 calendar year and start of the 118th Congress. WHO: Rep. Adriano Espaillat (NY-13) Special Guests to be announced soon! WHAT: 2023 State of the District Address WHEN: Sunday, January 29, 2023 at 4:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. (doors open at 3:00 p.m.) WHERE: The Forum at Columbia University, 601 W 125th Street, New York, NY 10027. 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/.