Press Room

"Yesterday the court reshaped the college admissions process in a way that will decrease diversity and limit opportunities for people who have struggled against systemic adversity. Today, they’ve ensured that even those who are able to get into school, will continue to struggle against crushing student loan debt, effectively preventing advancement and opportunity that a degree should provide. In both cases, the aim seems clear – maintaining a tiered system in which those who already have resources, opportunities, and power maintain it, while those without are consigned to second-class status in perpetuity.

"Once again, while many will be hurt, Black and Brown Americans will be hit the hardest. The court has said, in essence, that the only people who deserve relief are richer, wealthier, and whiter Americans and corporations.

"The federal government should continue to explore avenues to relieve people of the student debt that follows them for decades, and on all levels of government, we have to work to make college more affordable and accessible to all, regardless of economic hardship and pain that this court is intent on preserving. "

"The budget agreement announced today thankfully prevents many of the highest-profile cuts to city services that New Yorkers rely on. I thank the Council and community for their advocacy. and the mayor for agreeing to this funding. Unfortunately, a necessary focus on restoring cuts meant that many new and necessary investments were not able to be made. Maintaining public school funding and supporting libraries should be a given, but so should strengthening and expanding services to meet the moment and the needs of the most vulnerable New Yorkers.

"I am glad to see investment in areas such as gun violence prevention through the Crisis Management System, yet we need new programming that builds on its successes. Increased funding in Fair Fares is in this budget, but not approaching what is needed. Securing funding for affordable housing is a significant victory, but it comes against a backdrop of a vetoing legislation to help get New Yorkers into that housing. Investments in a mental health continuum, in support services through Community Schools, are important ways to support the health, safety, and well-being of New Yorkers. Cutting funding from restorative programming on Rikers or homeless service providers will do the opposite.

"As I have said many times – investment, not austerity, is the most effective means of meeting the compounding crises our city faces, and we just cannot point to our challenges as a reason to prevent investment. While it is abundantly clear that federal funding is needed to help support those seeking asylum in our city, our newest New Yorkers are not a sanction or a scapegoat for not investing in services that will uplift all people and communities across the five boroughs. This is made even more frustrating by the administration’s opposition to common sense revenue raising measures from the wealthiest New Yorkers, not the working class, which could help fund these services. 

"Preventing cuts, while critical, only maintains a status quo that does not adequately address the challenges facing so many New Yorkers, rather than moving forward. Beyond these negotiations, beyond the budget adoption, we have to continue to push for progressive investments that are smart, sustainable, and best serve our city."

"With this ruling, the Supreme Court has chosen to ignore our nation’s history and jeopardize our youth’s future. The decision was entirely expected from this conservative court, but still extremely hard to hear, and to reckon with its implications on the fight for racial equity, diversity, and justice. The march forward on these issues has been painfully slow, but largely forward– now the court is pulling us back, creating the conditions for young people of more color today to have less opportunities than the generation before them. Students with a legacy of systemic privilege or power may see its benefits, students confronting a legacy of systemic racism and discrimination will see only barriers.

"In her dissent, Justice Sotomayor wrote that ‘Ignoring race will not equalize a society that is racially unequal… Equality requires acknowledgment of inequality.’ It’s clear that conservatives want to ignore race when it is convenient to do so, and ignore reality when it is inconvenient to their philosophy and policy goals. While Republican lawmakers attempt to remove our history of racial injustice from the classroom, conservative justices are trying to remove racial equity from classrooms altogether."

"I am heartened by this investment, and hope the principle behind it is the same that will guide the final negotiations of this budget process. This is what the administration should be focused on funding when it comes to public safety — proven, community-driven efforts to prevent violence and strengthen wraparound services. The Crisis Management System is a program I’ve advocated for over a decade, and it must be a foundation of our strategy to stop gun violence. This funding should be the new floor, not a ceiling — we need to fund other initiatives that build on the success of CMS. 

"In these final days before the final budget, we have a chance to invest deeply in public safety policies that will meet our mandate to help New Yorkers be safe and feel safe, and last beyond any news cycle or administration."

New York City Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams pushed today to pass his legislation aimed at addressing inequities and issues that primarily arise for new parents post-pregnancy, during re-entry into the workplace. At a hearing of the Committee on Civil and Human Rights, he stressed the importance of providing transitional information and accommodations when a parent returns to work after an absence.

"Having spoken to many of my staff, who have welcomed children during their tenure in my office, and as a parent myself, I know the challenges of returning to the workplace," Public Advocate Williams explained. "It is an adjustment, not only for employees and their families but for employers as well. Things shift quickly in the workplace, policies can change and lapse, public health emergencies necessitate rapid response as we saw with the pandemic and the recent air quality issues. With this bill, we want to ensure that employees and employers can come together and facilitate an easy integration back into the workforce."

The legislation, Intro 84, would require employers, under guidance from the NYC Commission on Human Rights, to hold an onboarding meeting to discuss an employee's reintegration back into the workplace after parental leave. Employees returning from parental or medical leave often struggle during their return to work, lacking critical information about changes to the workplace or projects that have occurred while they were away. This bill would help correct that information gap.

"It is customary for employees to write exit memos in anticipation of parental leave, for work to be reassigned but the same is not always true for their reintegration into the workplace..." continued the Public Advocate in his statement. "... Creating an inclusive and supportive workplace requires open lines of communication, and this bill formalizes one such instance when that kind of communication is most needed."

This bill was part of a maternal health package from the Public Advocate, and was introduced alongside legislation to establish a maternal health bill of rights and ensure that pregnant individuals are informed of those rights through a public education campaign. That piece of the legislative package became law in August of 2022.

The Public Advocate’s office has long been engaged in efforts to combat maternal health inequity. His office released a report on the issue in 2021 entitled Equitable Pregnancy Outcomes for Black and Brown New Yorkers, which analyzes systemic issues and outlines potential policy solutions. While progress has been made in recent years, including passage of the Public advocate’s previous bills and recent budget allocations, more can be done to address all parts of this ongoing issue.

Read the Public Advocate’s full comments to the committee below.

Good morning, 

My name is Jumaane D. Williams, and I am the Public Advocate for the City of New York. I would like to thank Chair Williams and the members of the Committee on Civil and Human Rights for holding this very important hearing. Intro 84 would require employers to hold an onboarding meeting to discuss an employee's reintegration back into the workplace after parental leave. 

Having spoken to many of my staff, who have welcomed children during their tenure in my office, and as a parent myself, I know the challenges of returning to the workplace. It is an adjustment, not only for employees and their families but for employers as well. Things shift quickly in the workplace, policies can change and lapse, public health emergencies necessitate rapid response as we saw with the pandemic and the recent air quality issues. With this bill, we want to ensure that employees and employers can come together and facilitate an easy integration back into the workforce. 

It is customary for employees to write exit memos in anticipation of parental leave, for work to be reassigned but the same is not always true for their reintegration into the workplace. The policy this bill sets forth would ensure that employers are prepared to reassign previous or new workload to the employee upon their return. It also gives employees the space to discuss expectations as well as restraints and limitations throughout the transition period. Creating an inclusive and supportive workplace requires open lines of communication, and this bill formalizes one such instance when that kind of communication is most needed. 

This bill was originally part of our Black maternal health package, we know it has much further implications. We hope we can get support from the committee, and of course, from the administration. 

Thank you. 

"I’m glad to see the governor express further willingness to focus on the needs of people traveling into and throughout our city, rather than the donors and developers trying to buy it up. I thank her for listening to the local voices who have long urged this approach.

"As the process moves forward, it’s vital to keep transit at the forefront of any future plan. Penn Station can be one of the top transit hubs in the country if we prioritize public transportation and the public good, rather than private development."