MAYOR DE BLASIO AND CHANCELLOR PORTER CELEBRATE LAUNCH OF UNIVERSAL NYC BABY BONDS

 

Historic expansion of NYC Kids RISE Save for College program to reach 70,000+ kindergarteners each year

 

Every public school kindergartener in NYC to have access to college and career savings account this school year 

 Mayor Bill de Blasio joined Chancellor Meisha Porter and kindergarteners from The Williamsburg Bridge Magnet School today to kick off New York City’s first-ever “Baby Bonds” program, a citywide expansion of the community-driven NYC Kids RISE Save for College Program. This public-private-community partnership provides families, schools, and communities access to a universal scholarship and savings platform, regardless of a family’s income or immigration status. 

 

“For New York to come back stronger than before the pandemic, we must address the widening wealth gap that holds so many kids back from opportunities,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “This historic investment in our children’s futures will pay dividends for generations to come, helping us build a just recovery for all.”

 

“The racial wealth gap – persistent in every financial indicator from home ownership to savings – is a brutal driver of inequality and opportunity,” said First Lady Chirlane McCray. “How many hopes and dreams have withered on the vine because the money was not there to make them real? The City’s expansion of NYC Kids RISE Save for College Program is an investment in our children’s futures. Now, every kindergartner enrolled in a City public school can have a scholarship account, with the opportunity to save money and to multiply those savings. We should all applaud this wonderful public-private-community partnership, which is available regardless of income or immigration status.”

 

“The NYC College Savings program reflects our shared investment in an inclusive future,” said Deputy Mayor for Strategic Policy Initiatives J. Phillip Thompson. “This is a truly unique platform that harnesses the collective investment of families, community and faith leaders, government, business, and philanthropy in the future of our City. It is a proven model for addressing racial disparities in access to college savings accounts. I applaud the leaders in District 30 who made this vision a reality and look forward to working with families, community leaders, and partners who will make this program a success citywide.”

“The Save for College Program is all about investing in the future of New York City’s children, and this expansion will provide every Kindergarten student citywide with the resources to chase their dreams as they grow up,” said Schools Chancellor Meisha Porter. “This administration has made unprecedented investments in early childhood, and now thanks to our partners at NYC Kids RISE, we can help make sure our babies are set up for success in college, their careers, and beyond.”

 

“Far too many families and communities don’t have access to the tools and resources needed to save for a child’s future,” said Sideya Sherman, Executive Director of the Taskforce on Racial Inclusion & Equity. “By investing in our children from an early age, we can dramatically increase their chances of long-term success inside and outside the classroom. We have seen firsthand the power of communities coming together through the Save for College Program to ensure every young person in their neighborhood has a fighting chance at getting a college degree. Now, New York City is giving all of our public school students, families and communities across the five boroughs that same opportunity.”

 

“College savings accounts can catalyze new possibilities, and as a supporter of NYC Kids RISE since its inception, our office is thrilled that the initiative is now citywide,” said Matthew Klein, Executive Director of the Mayor’s Office for Economic Opportunity.  “These universal scholarship accounts provide a practical vehicle for savings, an opportunity to galvanize additional community support for its children, a signal that post-secondary learning can be for everyone, and a tangible demonstration of the City’s belief in investing in all of our children’s potential.”

 

Starting this year, every kindergartener enrolled in a New York City public school will have access to an NYC Scholarship Account, with $100 invested toward their future education and up to $200 in rewards. The historic expansion of this program will reach roughly 70,000 Kindergarteners citywide, up from over 13,000 students already participating in the program across School District 30 in Queens, which represent 95% of all eligible kindergarten, first-, second, and third-graders. This commitment was announced as part of the NYC Juneteenth Economic Justice Plan with the Task Force on Racial Inclusion and Equity last summer.

 

New York City is the first major city in the nation to implement this groundbreaking model for community wealth building that provides ways for stakeholders within each neighborhood and across the city—including schools, CBOs, local businesses, the private sector, and philanthropic organizations— to contribute to asset-building and promote community-wide expectations for students’ success from their first days of school.

 

With this announcement, the Mayor has guaranteed every family—regardless of income—is not only able to access free quality pre-school education but is also able to start saving early for college or career training after high school. Ultimately, this program has the potential to increase access to higher education, positioning students to earn higher incomes, take on less debt, and build wealth later in life, narrowing racial and socioeconomic disparities that hold too many children back. Research suggests that a child in a low-income household with a college savings account of just $1-500 is three times more likely to go to college and more than four times more likely to graduate than a child without an account.

 

The expansion of the Save For College Program, which NYC Kids RISE launched in partnership with the Department of Education (DOE) and the City with founding support from the Gray Foundation in 2017, signifies an investment in the financial and social resiliency of NYC’s families and neighborhoods, and it provides a new way to drive financial assets towards communities that have been systematically excluded from wealth-building opportunities. This milestone is the result of a broad effort from local leaders, partners, schools, businesses and parents in Queens who helped create a universal, community-driven wealth-building platform that is embedded in homes, schools, and neighborhoods.

 

These funds, including the funds that will accumulate progressively over time through Community Scholarships, can also reduce the amount that students and families borrow in student loans, combatting the student debt crisis that has disproportionately impacted students of color. Families will be receiving information about the program this fall through an “Education Period” and as students matriculate through school, they will have the opportunity to receive additional funding for their educational futures in the form of Community Scholarships.

 

“The New York City Save for College Program is a valuable tool for families to start investing in their loved ones’ education right away,” said New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli. “I’m proud that my office has been able to assist in the creation of this vital program that is helping New Yorkers build savings and a brighter future. Congratulations to Mayor de Blasio, Chancellor Porter and the New York City Department of Education, the Taskforce on Racial Inclusion and Equity, and NYC Kids RISE on the citywide expansion of this vital program.” 

 

“After such a difficult year, it is thrilling to see New York City students return to school. We can’t just be focused on making up for the educational and socio-emotional losses of the past year, however; we must think about paving the way for greater success and achievement for all students in the years to come. The NYC Kids Rise program is a promising public-private partnership that will help ensure students and families have the resources they need to plan for their educational futures,” said Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams.

 

“Your income, race, gender, ethnicity and zip code should never dictate whether you can access higher education or economic opportunity,” said Congressman Ritchie Torres. “Expanding the Save for College Program citywide will help break down economic disparities and increase access to tools that allow families to save money and invest in the future of our children, ensuring that all New York City students have a chance to go to college and build generational wealth. I have been a long time champion of innovative approaches like this to end historic racial inequities in our city, and I look forward to helping to build an economy and educational system that works for all New Yorkers.”

 

“Unlocking opportunity for our children’s future will take generational efforts and I am proud we were able to get State support for this meaningful program by working with NYC Kids RISE and the Astoria Houses Tenants Association, who led the way in its establishment. I am thrilled the City is expanding it further and look forward to its successful implementation,” said Senate Deputy Leader Michael Gianaris.

 

NYS Office of the Comptroller DiNAPOLI: LOCAL SALES TAX COLLECTIONS IN AUGUST GREW MORE THAN 15 PERCENT

 

Collections Exceeded Both 2020 and Pre-Pandemic 2019 Levels

 Local government sales tax collections in August were 15.5% higher than they were during the same period in 2020, making it the fifth consecutive month that collections exceeded 2020 results, State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli announced today. Statewide, local collections totaled more than $1.5 billion, up nearly $204 million from August of last year.

“New York’s local governments continue to see much stronger collections in 2021 compared to last year when the pandemic kept people home,” DiNapoli said. “However, it remains uncertain how recent increases in statewide infection rates will impact the economy. Local governments must continue to monitor changing economic conditions and maintain vigilance when it comes to their finances.”

The double-digit growth in local sales taxes are notable in comparison to the fairly weak collections reported during August 2020 when sales activity was recovering in certain parts of the state from the early effects of the pandemic. Still, August 2021 total collections were strong even when compared to the figures reported during pre-pandemic levels, growing 6.5%, or nearly $93 million, over August of 2019.

New York City’s collections totaled almost $623 million, an increase of 7.9% or more than $45 million compared to August 2020. Every county outside of New York City saw year-over-year collections for August grow by double digits, ranging from 12.6% in Herkimer County to 76.3% in Delaware County.

During the last month of each calendar quarter, the state Department of Taxation and Finance reconciles quarterly distributions against what had been reported by sales tax vendors for the reporting quarter and adjusts payments to local jurisdictions in those months upward or downward accordingly. During the other months, including August, the payments are based on estimates. The next reconciliation will be reported in mid-October and will provide more information on the regional picture of sales tax collections for the third quarter (July through September) of 2021. 

Table

Monthly Local Sales Tax Collections by County and Region (for detailed monthly breakdown)

Governor Hochul Announces Release of Updated Financial Plan Showing Strong Fiscal Position with Risk Ahead

 

$2.1 Billion in Revenue Above Expectations Projected for Each of the Four Years of the Plan  

  

Governor Directs $1.1 Billion to Reserves this Year as COVID-19 Variants Spread

Risk Remains as COVID-19 Variants Threaten Economic Reopening

 New York State Governor Kathy Hochul today announced the release of the first quarter update to the New York State Financial Plan, which shows the state in a strong fiscal position as economic growth beats expectations with revenues projected to be an additional $2.1 billion higher in each of the four years of the plan. As a result, the plan is balanced in the current year and next, and budget gaps through Fiscal Year 2025 are reduced by nearly $2 billion.

At the Governor's direction, this year $1.1 billion of this additional revenue will be placed in reserves and $650 million is designated to reduce borrowing for capital projects.

"While the state's fiscal picture is strong, which is an incredible reversal from where we were a year ago, we must act with caution as the Delta variant of COVID-19 continues to spread, threatening our economic recovery," Governor Hochul said. "For this reason, I am bolstering state reserves to protect against economic downturn and new costs while creating capacity for the state to meet future infrastructure needs, all critical to protecting New Yorkers and our economy from the ravages of the pandemic and moving New York forward."

The State Financial Plan, which projects revenue and spending over a four-year period, projects all funds spending for Fiscal Year 2022 at $209.5 billion, a 0.3 percent increase from the Enacted Budget Financial Plan released in May with federal funding for rent relief coming in $300 million more than expected and labor settlements reached with the Public Employees Federation. All funds revenue receipts are projected at $215.3 billion, a 0.7 percent increase reflecting the $2.1 billion in revenue coming in above expectations.

At the time the Budget was enacted, the Financial Plan showed gaps in FY 2024 of $1.4 billion and $2 billion in FY 2025. The updated first quarter financial plan released today shows a gap of $247 million in FY 2024 and $1.2 billion in FY 2025, a reduction of nearly $2 billion over the two years. The budget is balanced in FY 2022 and FY 2023.

In the current year, the newly recognized revenue will fund $1.1 billion added to reserves, including a reserve to fund potential labor settlements and agency operations following 10 percent recurring budget cuts implemented in FY 2021, $650 million to reduce borrowing for capital projects, and the remaining funds will support prior year costs of the recent labor settlement with the Public Employees Federation.  

Representative Adriano Espaillat Recognizes National Hispanic Heritage Month

 

Hispanic Heritage Month is recognized from September 15 to October 15, 2021, and is a month-long celebration honoring the culture and contributions of Hispanics and our impacts on American society.

Representative Adriano Espaillat (NY-13) released the following statement in recognition of National Hispanic Heritage Month:

"Hispanic heritage is American heritage, and I'm proud to mark the beginning of Hispanic Heritage Month for 2021. From our contributions to the arts and entertainment, medical science and technology, business and education, government and serving in our nation's Armed Forces, our people play a significant role in shaping this nation and our future in it," said Rep. Espaillat.

"While we have made significant progress in our efforts to achieve the American dream, there is much work that still lies ahead. As we honor and celebrate the contributions of our Hispanic communities during National Hispanic Heritage Month, we continue to stand united in our fight to keep families together and provide a pathway to citizenship for our nation's over 11 million undocumented immigrants - especially our Dreamers, Temporary Protected Status holders, farmworkers, and essential workers.

"We stand firm in our commitment to repair our nation's broken immigration system, and we stand together to ensure America remains a beacon of hope, freedom and opportunity for all.”

Renderings Revealed For RAMSA-Designed Affordable Housing Property At 1640-1642 Anthony Avenue In Claremont, The Bronx

 

New renderings from Robert A.M. Stern Architects offer a first look at 1640-1642 Anthony Avenue, an affordable housing property in the Claremont neighborhood of The Bronx. The property will create 40 low-income homeownership opportunities reserved for households earning up to $93,000 for a three-person household.

The eight-story structure will comprise 20 one-bedroom, 16 two-bedroom, and four three-bedroom apartments, all fitted with a balcony and hardware for washer and dryer unit installation. Amenities for residents include a rear yard, community room, wellness gym, and hydroponic center. Additionally, as a part of the development, homeownership education and assistance will be provided to first-time home buyers and residents whose applications have been denied.

As expected, the RAMSA design studio selected a mix of pale gray and tan bricks for the building’s façade. Balconies are enclosed in dark metal handrails. Communal outdoor space is positioned along a large setback above the seventh floor.

Aerial renderings also illustrate a large solar array above the eighth partial floor.

The project is the latest to debut as part of the Jerome Avenue rezoning, an initiative that is expected to create more than $189 million in capital projects and community services. This includes improved parks and playgrounds, pedestrian safety improvements near the Cross Bronx Expressway, business assistance, and new schools. Covering a two mile stretch of Jerome Avenue, roughly from 167th Street to 184th Street, the rezoning is designed to promote new housing developments, including permanently affordable housing.

“Thanks to this plan, 40 families will get the opportunity to buy a home and live the American dream,” said Louise Carroll, commissioner of New York City’s Department of Housing Preservation & Development (HPD). We know that affordable homeownership is an important vehicle for building family wealth and giving communities a greater stake in their neighborhoods.”

Members of the development team include Habitat NYC and Westchester, Camber Property Group, and Almat Urban, which will eventually transfer ownership of the Interboro Community Land Trust, or CLT. Interboro CLT is a collaboration between the Center for NYC Neighborhoods, Habitat for Humanity New York City, the Mutual Housing Association of New York, and the Urban Homesteading Assistance Board.

The Anthony Avenue property marks the first time HPD had selected a team proposing the CLT model. In this model, a nonprofit organization retains ownership of land and reserves available units for lower-income households. Available units are price-capped, even in the event of resale, which maintains affordability for the next generation of land trust residents and insulates the CLT from the market.

The project is being financed through HPD’s Open Door program, which funds the new construction of affordable cooperative, condominium buildings, as well as single- to three-family homes.

D.A. Vance: $112K in Stolen Wages Recovered for Electrical Workers at Midtown Construction Site of Virgin Hotel

 

Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance, Jr., today announced that AMPAK ELECTRICAL SERVICES has returned $112,176 in stolen wages to 18 electrical workers who performed work on the construction of the Virgin Hotel in Midtown Manhattan following an investigation by the Manhattan D.A.’s Construction Fraud Task Force (“Task Force”). AMPAK – an unlicensed, uninsured subcontractor based on Staten Island – is expected to plead guilty on September 21st to one count of Scheme to Defraud in the First Degree after meeting the requirement that it repay the stolen wages to the New York State Department of Labor, which will distribute the funds to the workers. 

“The Manhattan D.A.’s Office will continue to ensure that hard-working people aren’t stiffed by greedy employers,” said District Attorney Vance. “Thanks to my Office’s Construction Fraud Task Force, and our partners at the New Immigrant Community Empowerment, these workers will have the hard-earned wages they are owed in their pockets as soon as possible. New Yorkers can work with us to obtain justice and recover stolen wages regardless of their immigration status, and without fear of being deported. Please contact us via WhatsApp at 646-712-0298 – you can report anonymously, and in any language. We are here to protect your earnings, your safety, and your rights.” 

New Immigrant Community Empowerment (“NICE”) Executive Director Manuel Castro said: “We are proud to have partnered with the Manhattan D.A. to recover the wages of 18 immigrant workers stolen by this unscrupulous employer. NICE receives calls every day from hardworking immigrants who have been victims of wage theft but sadly their cases often go years, if ever, before being resolved. We will continue to work hand in hand with D.A.’s offices to address this pervasive crime, particularly as the economy re-opens from the COVID-19 pandemic and badacting employers try to take advantage of vulnerable workers. Moreover, the same employers who steal wages will break other laws, such as safety and health regulations that lead to work accidents and deaths. Employers whose business model is dependent on skirting the law should not be allowed to continue operating in New York. For this reason, we also call on city and state elected officials to address this issue with legislation that will revoke the licenses of contractors that engage in this behavior.”

New York City Department of Investigation (“DOI”) Commissioner Margaret Garnett said: “New York City has zero tolerance for wage theft, a crime that undercuts confidence in the construction industry and often raises a red flag to other wrongdoing. As a result of this joint investigation with the Manhattan District Attorney and the state Department of Labor, these 18 workers will rightly be paid their hard-earned wages and the subcontractor is being held accountable. DOI is pleased to stand up today with our law enforcement partners and New Immigrant Community Empowerment to underscore the import of protecting workers from corrupt contractors.”

According to court documents and as admitted in the defendants’ guilty plea, AMPAK was hired as a subcontractor to perform electrical work at 1227 Broadway, the construction site for the 38- story Virgin Hotel. Between January 23, 2021, and March 18, 2021 AMPAK failed to pay 18 of its electrical workers, stealing a total of $112,176 in unpaid wages. When the workers complained about missing paychecks, they were promised that the checks were coming, or falsely told that the General Contractor had not yet paid the company.

In March 2021, workers reported the theft to the D.A.’s Office’s Construction Fraud Task Force via its WhatsApp hotline. Workers also contacted New Immigrant Community Empowerment, a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of immigrant workers in New York. NICE referred the cases to the Task Force, and provided extensive assistance coordinating interviews with affected workers.

District Attorney Vance thanked NICE, the New York State Department of Labor, and the New York City Department of Investigation, specifically Confidential Investigator Olivia Tonge, Assistant Inspector General Dan Taylor, and Chief Investigator James McElligott; for their assistance with the investigation.

Defendant Information AMPAK ELECTRICAL SERVICES Staten Island, NY 

Charge: • Scheme to Defraud in the First Degree, a class E felony

Governor Hochul Announces $23.7 Million in Grant Awards to End the Gun Violence Epidemic

 

Funding Supports Gun Violence Prevention Efforts Including Job Training and Placement, Community Activities, and Expansion of Gun Violence Intervention Programs

 Governor Kathy Hochul today announced funding for several gun violence prevention efforts, which include job training, community activities, and intervener staffing in communities seeing the highest concentration of gun violence.

"Gun violence is a horror no one should have to live through, and yet too many New Yorkers do. It is time we put an end to this epidemic," Governor Hochul said. "We have to give young people hope and let them know their lives have meaning, which starts with creating jobs as well as more access to career training, working closely together with community organizations, and boosting gun violence intervention programs."

Governor Hochul and her administration worked with local leaders across the state to identify the most effective use of gun violence prevention funds in each community. Funding has been awarded to support three gun violence prevention programs.

Job Training and Placement

New York is awarding $16 million to local workforce development boards to fund workforce training and job placement programs in 20 cities most impacted by gun violence across New York State. Programs were designed and reviewed by local leaders to provide job training, credentialing and career placement services to ultimately connect at-risk youth to good-paying, permanent jobs. Unemployed, underemployed and out-of-school youth age 18-24 in areas of cities impacted by gun violence will be eligible. This is in addition to $12 million already awarded to the Consortium for Worker Education to facilitate similar programs to youth in New York City. Interested young people can learn more and connect to these programs here.

Community Activities

New York is awarding $5.7 million in grants to provide sports, arts, civic engagement, skill development, and recreational programming in communities seeing high gun violence. These afterschool and weekend programs will provide young people with safe and enriching activities in their community Programs were recommended by county and legislative leaders in each community.

Additional Staffing for Community-Based Gun Violence Intervention Organizations

New York is awarding $2 million to gun violence intervention programs across the state to hire and train 39 new street outreach workers and violence interrupters. This funding will allow successful community-based gun intervention programs to increase their staff of credible messengers, who engage and mentor at-risk youth, host community events, work to steer young people away from gun violence, and respond to shootings to prevent retaliatory violence. Additional awards to hire new outreach workers and interrupters will be made in the coming weeks. 

MAYOR DE BLASIO DELIVERS REMARKS AT GROUNDBREAKING CEREMONY FOR THE NEW-YORK HISTORICAL SOCIETY’S LGBTQ+ MUSEUM

 

 Mayor Bill de Blasio: Some people change the world profoundly, and Billie Jean King, someone who captured the hearts, the admiration, the respect of this nation, as both athletes and activists. 

And one thing, a lot of us who serve the public, we puzzle over time over how minds change, hearts change. There is no one in the world who understands how progress specifically happens. We've seen it, we've felt it, we'd been a part of it, we've been beneficiaries of it, but no one specifically understands the building blocks of progress, the exact formula, the magic, because if they did, so many more things to change so much more quickly. It's something we all puzzle on and work on and strive for and experiment with, but I know one of the reasons we're standing here to acknowledge this history, acknowledge this movement, acknowledge the changes, the profound changes that have happened is because certain people by their very example made possible this progress. So, I say it with admiration and with humility, Billie Jean King, you are one of those people who've made that possible, thank you.  

 

And while I'm thanking people, all my colleagues in elected office and public service, and Corey Johnson, I know this is a labor of love for you, thank you brother. This is something that I'm honored to be joining you in. 

 

Corey Johnson and I are retiring simultaneously. We're talking about a bar tour of the Caribbean, which we'll turn it into a book, maybe a movie. We're thinking of a variety of options. If there's any agents here, you can talk to us after. To everyone who will create this amazing new presence in our city, thank you to Louise Mirer and to Pam Schafler for all you do for the city.  

 

And to someone I have great affection for and will be so crucial to this project, I have affection for them because of all the good he has done in the world, and also as two people are tall today, this is the first one who is chairing this amazing initiative, Richard Burns. I've always enjoyed your height too. 

 

And a dear, dear friend that I have to acknowledge because he has often been the person who guided me to where I could do the most good for this community, and in so many other ways, I consider him a progressive champion and someone who’s voice when I hear it, I truly believe he is a voice of conscience of the most profound kind, my friend, Ethan Geto, thank you. 

 

He tries to tell me he's been around a long time, but I think he's one of the most young-at-heart people I know, so we don't believe in chronological age, Ethan. Yes. Now, everybody, I'll be very quick, look, we're New Yorkers and yes, there is something special about this place. There is, you know, exceptionalism is a tricky, tricky thing. We're proud New Yorkers. We know there are things about us that are unique in the world, but we're also here. Everyone gathered, Progressive's and people who believe in inclusion and respect for all. So, exceptionalism is a strange, strange path. However, when it comes to how the modern movement for LGBTQ+ rights developed, when it comes to where the leadership occurred, where history was made, where the spirit and fight grew, there is no debate. There are many places in the world where people fought struggles, unquestionably, and many, many people who did the right thing and suffered often for it, but there's no place where it crystallized like it did here. So, it is rightful that this museum will be here. The entire reconceptualization that we needed in this world began here, and the notion of a righteous rebellion acknowledgement that something unacceptable had become the norm in society, and it had to be turned over. That happened here. 

 

This museum will capture not only that revolutionary instinct and the people made it possible, it will capture everything before and after, it will capture the decades and decades of oppression. It will capture the fact that so many people suffered just for being who they were and for loving who loved, but it will also capture the profound changes that occurred in the scope of history very, very quickly. And this movement, and I, like many people here, strive for inspiration and understanding. And you look at the great movements, civil rights movement in ‘50’s, ‘60’s, and so many other examples, what worked, how and when, what can we learn from it? This movement achieved some of the most extraordinary successes in the least time, which is a credit to everyone here and everyone who will be honored in this museum, and in doing that opened up space for so many others, which is really what it's all about for all of us. When we're fighting for the rights of one, we're fighting for the rights of all, which is what this city is ultimately about, that sense that everyone matters and everyone is welcome, and that is the ultimate New York magic.  

 

So, everyone, I have been honored to support this work, the people's resources will go into this work. That is the right thing. And what will happen here will now be seen all over the world. People will come from literally every corner of the world to learn, to be educated, to be inspired, to remember that, yes, a change can come, and it did here in New York City. Thank you and God bless you all.