Good morning and welcome to the New York City Hybrid here on a committee on aging.

Please silent all electronic devices at this time.

Chair, we're ready to begin.

Thank you.

Hello everyone.

I'm Councilmember Susan Zhuang, Chair of New York City Council's Committee on Aging.

I want to welcome you all to today's vote.

We've be joined by following council members.

Hudson Boer.

And Audible online.

Today we will be voting in on two pieces of legislation.

The first is proposed intro A21A, sponsored by Councilmember Lee.

This bill would require DIFTA to ensure the information valuable digital, spatially, digitally, special applications or enrollment information for services is also valuable through non-digital means, such as through paper or through the phone.

According to DIFTA's most recent service needs needs assessment, about 12% of older adults do not have or do not know if they have internet access.

Furthermore, 30% of older adults reportedly do not own or use computer or table.

This issue is particularly accurate for older New Yorkers who have low income, live alone, have lower level of formal education, or have limited proficiency in English for older New Yorkers.

The internet access device is also sharper along social economic class lines than it's for younger people.

It's important that older New Yorkers have access to services they need, and we will do everything in our power to ensure no one is left behind.

Establish operate and maintain programs for transportation services.

It would also allow them to partner with area agencies for aging like DIFTA for the same.

Highlights the importance of this issue.

And we now wait is delivered to governors for her sign for her signature.

This is a high prevalence of function difference in older adult community with 32% of older adults have having at least one functional difficulty, and nearly a quarter of older adults having uh ambulatory difficulty.

It means 32% of older adults struggle to complete type of typical daily activity, and then nearly a quarter have difficulty walk or climb stairs.

For those over 85, these numbers jump rapidly to 65%, and more than half respect respectively.

This bill will give SOFA more power to address this issue head on and uh create the program Order New Yorker need to thrive.

I want to thank Councilmember Millie for championing championing this issue.

I also want to thank the speaker and my other colleagues for supporting these pieces of legislation.

I want to thank legislative staff, my staff, and the advocate for their hard work.

With that, I pass it to Clerk to call the role.

Thank you.

Good morning, William Martin, committee clerk, roll call vote committee on aging.

Both items are coupled.

Chair Zhuang.

Aye.

Shulman.

Aye.

Hudson.

Aye.

Dinowitz.

Brewer.

Aye.

Mealy.

Chair, may I explain my vote?

Um, I just want to thank the speaker and yourself for calling on this resolution.

Um, calling on the New York State Governor to sign S8689-A 155, authorizing the New York State office for the aging to establish, operate, and maintain programs for transportation services.

No seniors should be forced into isolation because they cannot get to a doctor's appointment, a grocery store, or simply visit their loved ones.

Transportation is essential to the health, independence, and dignity.

Rezo 421A recognize that reality and calls on New York State to empower the New York City Department of Aging to expand and maintain transportation programs that our growing senior population desperately needs.

Supporting our elders means keeping them connected to their communities, and I proudly urge my colleagues to sign on to this important resolution.

And I vote aye.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Al Vibol.

I vote aye.

Thank you.

One more time, Councilmember Dinowitz.

With a vote of six in the affirmative, zero in the negative, and no abstentions.

Both items have been adopted by the committee.