Weekly News from State Senator Gustavo Rivera!

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

Happy Mother’s Day! Senator Rivera and his team want to send all the love and infinite gratitude to all the amazing moms and mom figures in his district and across New York.

May your day be filled with joy, warmth, and recognition for everything you do, not only this Sunday but every day!

SENATOR RIVERA HOLDS NEW HEALTH COMMITTEE MEETING

This week, Senator Rivera held his sixth Health Committee meeting of the year. All 23 bills on the agenda passed including his:

 Primary Care Investment Act 

 bill to establish the office of the State Medical Indemnity Fund Ombudsman to help the most medically fragile children and their families get the care they need



 bill to establish an emergency insulin program

SENATOR RIVERA’S SODIUM WARNING BILL PASSES THE SENATE 

This week, Senator Rivera’s bill to require chain restaurants to label menu items with high sodium content (S.428A) passed the State Senate. Senator Rivera strongly believes that New Yorkers need to make informed decisions about their food when dining out with their families so they can make healthy choices for themselves.

Senator Rivera also joined the Center for Science and Public Interest, colleagues and other advocacy groups in Albany to call on the Legislature to pass a number of proposals to ensure greater food safety and transparency for New Yorkers like his sodium warning bill as well as his Sweet Truth Act (S.427). 

This week, Senator Rivera was honored to recognize Ms. Carrie Cuthbertson as his 2026 Woman of Distinction for Senate District 33. Ms. Cuthbertson is an active board member of Community Board 5. She has transformed the Bean Morris Garden in Fordham Heights into a space for healing and community. Her community service is boundless. Senator Rivera is incredibly thankful to Ms. Cuthberston for her tireless commitment to our community. 

SENATOR RIVERA IN THE COMMUNITY 

SENATOR RIVERA JOINS TEACH-IN ON THE NEW YORK HEALTH ACT 

Last weekend, Senator Rivera traveled to Brooklyn to join a well attended teach-in on the New York Health Act organized by Councilmember Shahana Hanif and the Cross Union Retirees Organizing Committee.

During the teach-in, Senator Rivera, alongside a panel of experts and longtime NY Health Act champion and former Assemblymember Richard Gottfried, went through the basics of the bill, and spoke at length about how the NY Health Act would protect New Yorkers from the rising costs of healthcare in the United States, how New York State would pay for a single payer system, and the actions we can take to convince legislators to pass this very important bill.

UPCOMING COMMUNITY EVENTS & RESOURCES

FRIDAY 5/8 TO SUNDAY 5/10: JOIN THE HANDS OFF BRONX COMMUNITY WEEKEND!

DON'T LOSE YOUR SNAP BENEFITS

New SNAP Work Requirements: What You Need to Know

New federal rules are changing SNAP work requirements for some New Yorkers. Starting this year, certain adults may need to work, attend job training, or volunteer to keep their benefits.

You may be affected if you are:

● Between ages 18–64

● Not living with a child under 14

● Not exempt due to a health condition or other reason



If these rules apply to you, you may need to take action each month to avoid losing your SNAP benefits.



Check your status and learn what to do: on.nyc.gov/snap.

JOB OPPORTUNITY WITH THE NEW YORK CITY DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND MENTAL HYGIENE

The NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH)'s Division of Environmental Health/Bureau of Food Safety and Community Sanitation is actively recruiting qualified candidates for the high-priority vacancy of Public Health Inspector, Level I (Multiple Vacancies Available).

Candidates in possession of the minimum qualification requirements of a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college, including or supplemented by 30 semester credits in the physical and/or biological sciences, i.e., biology, botany, chemistry, geology, physics, or physiology are strongly encouraged to apply. For more information about this job opening and application, click link here.

In addition, DOHMH will hold an in-person hiring event in the second week of June. All interested candidates must immediately engage in the following three (3) steps:

 

1) Immediately complete the survey enclosed in this link https://nycdohmh.surveymonkey.com/r/TFVFXX7 by uploading your resume and unofficial school transcript for review by Hiring Managers.

2) Indicate your availability for the hiring event in the second week of June:

• Event Schedule:
• Session 1:
• Registration: 8:45 AM – 9:30 AM
• Presentation, Writing Sample, and PHS Talk: 9:30 AM (boardroom)
• Interviews: 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
• Session 2:
• Registration: 1 – 1:30 PM
• Presentation, Writing Sample, and PHS Talk: 1:30 PM (boardroom)
• Interviews: 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM

 

3) Register for our Career Information Session on Thursday 6/4/26 between 10:30AM – 12:00PM. Registration Link: https://events.gcc.teams.microsoft.com/event/297f7625-cb0a-4b59-99b5-1cd43bcad56d@69c73202-5c6f-48f1-a1ac-e1b0ef826a1e

 

Candidates who complete all three steps as described above and meet the minimum qualification requirements for the position will be sent a follow-up email invite for our upcoming In-Person Food Safety & Community Sanitation Hiring Event!

In the interim, should you require additional information about this job opportunity, please do not hesitate to contact bfscsrecruitment@health.nyc.gov or Recruit@health.nyc.gov.

APPLY TO NYC SMALL BUSINESS SERVICES COMMERCIAL REVITALIZATION GRANTS!

Applications for NYC Department of Small Business Services (SBS) Commercial Revitilization Grants are now open! These grants offer funding to help Community Based Organizations (CBOs) across the city to enact programs and delivery servicess to increase foot traffic on commercial corridors, enhance the public realm, and build organizational management and leadership capacity.

 

Grants include but are not limited to:

• Merchant Organizing Grant: Funding to support projects that aim to form new merchants associations or revitalize existing ones.
• BID Development Grants: Funding for the staffing, planning, and implementation of a Business Improvement District (BID) formation or expansion proposal
• Small BID Support Grants: Funding to support smaller BIDs address issues of resource access and equity across the city
• Avenue NYC Commercial Revitalization Grants: Funding to CBOs conduct carry out a Commercial Needs Assessment (CDNA) and programs targeting commercial districts in LMI communities.
• Public Realm Grant: Funding for CBOs to design, produce, and install creative streetscape improvement projects on commercial corridors such as lighting, public art, or wayfinding.

Upcoming info sessions:

• Avenue NYC Commercial Revitalization Grant  (Info session on 04/30 at 10:00 AM).
• Funding to CBOs conduct carry out a Commercial Needs Assessment (CDNA) and programs targeting commercial districts in LMI communities.
• Public Realm Grant (Info session on 05/05 at 3:00 PM).
• Funding for CBOs to design, produce, and install creative streetscape improvement projects on commercial corridors such as lighting, public art, or wayfinding.



To learn more, please visit our application site to see the list of grants and and share with CBOs in your district. Feel free to post the link or the application site.