Joint Statement from Speaker Adrienne Adams and Finance Chair Justin Brannan on FEMA’s First Round of Funding for Asylum Seeker Services

 

“New York City will always be a welcoming and safe harbor for people seeking asylum, who deserve to be treated with care, dignity, and compassion. Unfortunately, our City continues to shoulder the significant bulk and cost of this humanitarian response, which is unfair and unsustainable without the necessary funding from all levels of government. Despite the City’s $350 million request, FEMA’s initial grant provides a paltry $30.5 million, which is not anywhere close to enough to cover the cost of assistance for asylum seekers. New York City deserves much more support to continue providing services for more than 60,000 asylum seekers. The Council remains strongly committed to helping all those who seek refuge, and we look forward to working with our partners to secure this important additional funding.”

Governor Hochul Announces $2.1 Million in Grants Now Available for Air Quality Monitoring in Disadvantaged Communities

 

Latest Step in Advancing New York’s Statewide Community Air Monitoring Program to Help Improve Air Quality in Communities Most Burdened by Pollution

Implements Ambitious Requirements of Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act

Funding Announced on the Final Day of Air Quality Awareness Week

 Governor Kathy Hochul today announced $2.1 million in competitive grant funding is now available to support community-driven projects to improve air quality and help advance the goals of the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act. The funding, announced during Air Quality Awareness Week, will support community-based not-for-profit organizations working in disadvantaged communities throughout the state that are disproportionately burdened by pollution. The grants will advance local efforts to obtain air quality data tailored to issues identified by community residents.

“As someone who grew up in the shadow of a steel plant that contributed to orange skies and a polluted Lake Erie, I know firsthand the urgency of our fight against air pollution and climate change,” Governor Hochul said. “These grants will target the air quality challenges faced by disadvantaged communities and help advance strategies to create a greener state and improve the health and well-being of all New Yorkers."

In July 2022, Governor Hochul announced the launch of the historic statewide air quality and greenhouse gas mobile monitoring initiative that is underway in 10 disadvantaged communities across the state, home to approximately five million New Yorkers - 25 percent of the state's population - in areas overburdened by environmental pollution. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) is working in partnership with community-based organizations to map hyperlocal air pollution and greenhouse gases statewide at the community level. The initiative is bolstered by approximately $3 million in State grant funding for the 2022-23 Community Air Monitoring Capacity Building Grants and funding announced today to support community-led air monitoring to complement these ongoing efforts.

Nearly $900,000 for capacity-building grants was announced in December 2022 to support nine community-based organizations developing new or strengthening existing air monitoring programs focused on reducing exposure to harmful emissions in disadvantaged communities. To learn more about the State’s Community Air Monitoring program, visit the DEC website.

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner and Climate Action Council Co-Chair Basil Seggos said, “Significant work and local collaboration is advancing since Governor Hochul launched the statewide Community Air Monitoring initiative in 10 disadvantaged communities last year. The $2.1 million in available grants announced during Air Quality Awareness Week will be instrumental in ensuring local-state partnerships bolster this effort identifying local sources of pollution and driving solutions and actions to improve air quality in neighborhoods across the state.”

Applicants for this funding may be awarded up to $500,000 each until monies have been exhausted. The deadline to submit an application is 3 p.m. on July 26, 2023. Questions regarding this grant opportunity will be accepted until 5 p.m. on July 12, 2023. All questions and answers will be uploaded in the Grants Gateway on a rolling basis. For a complete list of guidelines and more information, contact DEC’s Office of Environmental Justice at 518-402-8556, justice@dec.ny.gov, or online at DEC's Environmental Justice webpage.

Air Quality Awareness Week (May 1–5, 2023) highlights resources that increase air quality awareness and encourages people to take action and incorporate air quality knowledge into their daily living. For information about state actions and programs addressing air quality in New York State, go to the DEC website and the New York State Department of Health website.

DEC continues to hold regular meetings with the communities participating in the statewide community air monitoring effort, including an upcoming round of meetings this month for Brooklyn, Queens, Rochester, Syracuse, Mount Vernon/Yonkers/New Rochelle, and Hempstead/New Cassel/Roosevelt/Uniondale/Westbury. For more information, visit the DEC webpage.

The community air monitoring grant program builds on New York State’s ongoing efforts to advance climate justice, including the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (Climate Act), which requires the State to invest or direct resources to ensure that disadvantaged communities receive at least 35 percent, with the goal of 40 percent, of overall benefits of spending on clean energy and energy efficiency programs. The Climate Justice Working Group in March also finalized the disadvantaged communities criteria to guide the equitable implementation of Climate Act investments.

Funding for this grant opportunity is provided from the State’s Environmental Protection Fund (EPF) with resources designated to Environmental Justice. The EPF is a critical resource for environmental programs such as land acquisition, farmland protection, invasive species prevention and eradication, recreation access, water quality improvement, and environmental justice projects. Among the many environmental victories in the 2023-24 State Budget, Governor Kathy Hochul and legislative leaders maintained the EPF at $400 million, the highest-ever level of funding in the program's history.

Foreign National Extradited to the United States for Kidnapping and Assaulting U.S. Army Soldiers in Colombia

 

A Colombian national has been extradited from Colombia to the United States to face charges related to kidnapping and assaulting two U.S. Army soldiers who were on temporary duty in Bogota, Colombia.

Jeffersson Arango Castellanos made his initial court appearance in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida. 

According to court documents, Arango and his co-conspirators targeted, incapacitated, and kidnapped two U.S. soldiers in Bogota. The two victims were in an entertainment district in Bogota watching a sporting event on the evening of March 5, 2020. While at a pub in Bogota, the two victims lost consciousness until the following day, by which point they had been separated. Medical examinations later confirmed the presence of benzodiazepines in their systems. The defendants are alleged to have targeted the two victims at the pub, incapacitated them with drugs, and kidnapped them to acquire the victims’ valuables and credit and debit card information.

Arango and his co-conspirators are each charged with kidnapping an internationally protected person, conspiracy to kidnap an internationally protected person, assaulting an internationally protected person, and conspiracy to assault an internationally protected person. If convicted, they each face a maximum penalty of life in prison.

Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida, and Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey B. Veltri of the FBI Miami Field Office made the announcement.

The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs, the Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section’s Judicial Attaché Office in Bogota, and the U.S. Marshals Service provided significant assistance in securing the arrest and extradition of the defendant. The United States also thanks Colombian law enforcement authorities for their valuable assistance.

Trial Attorneys Clayton O’Connor and Elizabeth Nielson of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Dayron Silverio for the Southern District of Florida are prosecuting the case.

An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Statement from New York City Comptroller on Biden Administration’s Approval of Congestion Pricing

 

New York City Comptroller Brad Lander issued the following statement:

“President Joe Biden gave a long awaited greenlight to implement first-in-the-nation congestion pricing program that will keep New York City’s streets and subways moving for years to come. Implementing congestion pricing will fund much needed accessibility improvements and signal modernization for our beleaguered subway system that will speed up train times while unclogging gridlock on city streets. The MTA and Traffic Mobility Review Board must swiftly implement the program now to raise critical funds for our transit system.”

Governor Hochul's Weekly Updates New Yorkers on State's Progress Combating COVID-19

 

Governor Encourages New Yorkers to Keep Using the Tools to Protect Against and Treat COVID-19: Vaccines, Testing and Treatment

In Alignment with May 11 Expiration of Federal COVID-19 Public Health Emergency, New York State COVID-19/Vaccine Update News Releases Will No Longer Be Issued After May 12

Latest Data Remains Available Online 24/7

All COVID-19 Public Information and Resources Available at Coronavirus.Health.NY.Gov

 Governor Kathy Hochul today updated New Yorkers on the state's latest information regarding COVID-19 and outlined basic steps they can take to protect against the spread of viral respiratory infections. 

"Even though the federal public health emergency is ending, I encourage every New Yorker to remain vigilant against COVID-19 and use all available tools to keep themselves, their loved ones and their communities safe and healthy," Governor Hochul said. "Stay up to date on vaccine doses and be sure to test before gatherings or travel. If you test positive, talk to your doctor about potential treatment options."

In alignment with the federal government's planned expiration for the COVID-19 public health emergency on May 11, the New York State COVID-19/vaccine news release will no longer be issued after Friday, May 12, until further notice. The latest COVID-19 and vaccine data will continue to be available 24/7 on the New York State Department of Health's online tracker. All COVID-19 public information and resources are available at https://coronavirus.health.ny.gov/.

Additionally, the State Department of Health is assessing changes to COVID-19 data collection and reporting, in collaboration with local health departments and health care providers. The agency remains committed to responding to COVID-19 and continues to encourage New Yorkers to use the tools to protect against and treat COVID-19: vaccines, testing and treatment. 

Governor Hochul is urging New Yorkers to take common sense prevention measures — like staying up to date on vaccines and practicing proper hygiene — to protect from the flu and COVID-19. The Governor also continues to urge New Yorkers to get their additional COVID-19 vaccines, as recommended by the CDC.  

To schedule an appointment for an additional COVID-19 vaccine, New Yorkers should contact their local pharmacy, county health department, or health care provider; visit vaccines.gov; text their ZIP code to 438829; or call 1-800-232-0233 to find nearby vaccine locations. 

The weekly COVID-19 data is summarized below:

• 7-Day Average Cases Per 100k - 2.29
• Total Positive Cases Over Last 7 Days - 3,139
• Test Results Reported Over Last 7 Days - 172,478
• Total Positives to-date - 6,675,393
• 7- Day Average Patient Hospitalization - 625
• 7- Day Average Patients Newly Admitted - 93
• 7-Day Average Patients in ICU - 68
• 7-Day Average Patients in ICU with Intubation - 30
• New deaths reported by healthcare facilities through HERDS over last 7 days - 41
• Total deaths reported by healthcare facilities through HERDS - 62,488

The Health Electronic Response Data System is a New York State Department of Health data source that collects confirmed data as reported by hospitals, nursing homes and adult care facilities only. 

• Total deaths reported to and compiled by the CDC - 79,521

This daily COVID-19 provisional death certificate data reported by the Department of Health and New York City to the CDC includes those who died in any location, including hospitals, nursing homes, adult care facilities, at home, in hospice and other settings.  

• Total vaccine doses administered - 44,034,880
• Total vaccine doses administered over past 7 days - 33,724
• Percent of New Yorkers ages 18 and older with completed primary vaccine series - 85.6%
• Percent of New Yorkers ages 18 and older with completed primary vaccine series (CDC) - 90.8%
• Percent of New Yorkers ages 18 and older who are up to date - 16.7%
• Percent of New Yorkers ages 12-17 with completed primary vaccine series - 74.7%
• Percent of New Yorkers ages 12-17 with completed primary vaccine series (CDC) - 76.5%   
• Percent of New Yorkers ages 12-17 who are up to date - 6.8%   
• Percent of New Yorkers ages 5-11 with completed primary vaccine series - 40.3%  
• Percent of New Yorkers ages 5-11 with completed primary vaccine series (CDC) - 41.2%   
• Percent of New Yorkers ages 5-11 who are up to date - 4.2%  
• Percent of New Yorkers ages 0-4 with completed primary vaccine series - 8.1%  
• Percent of New Yorkers ages 0-4 who are up to date - 8.1%  
• Percent of all New Yorkers with completed primary vaccine series - 76.6%  
• Percent of all New Yorkers with completed primary vaccine series (CDC) - 81.0%  
• Percent of all New Yorkers who are up to date - 14.5% 

Each region's 7-day average of cases per 100,000 population as of Thursday, May 4:

Region	7-day average, cases per 100k
Capital Region	1.87
Central New York	1.36
Finger Lakes	2.00
Long Island	2.81
Mid-Hudson	3.22
Mohawk Valley	1.88
New York City	2.19
North Country	2.18
Southern Tier	2.03
Western New York	1.71
Statewide	2.29

The COVID-19 Vaccine Tracker Dashboard is available to update New Yorkers on the distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine. The New York State Department of Health requires vaccinating facilities to report all COVID-19 vaccine administration data within 24 hours; the vaccine administration data on the dashboard is updated daily to reflect the most up-to-date metrics in the state's vaccination effort. New York State Department of Health-reported data from NYSIIS and CIR differs slightly from federally reported data, which is inclusive of federally administered doses and other minor differences. Both numbers are included in the release above.

Important Note: Today's report includes data from Friday, April 28 through Thursday, May 4.