Public Meetings - New York City, New York

The New York City Council's Committee on Women and Gender Equity, chaired by Councilmember Amanda C. Farías, held a vote on Wednesday, October 21, 2026, at 12:30 PM in Hearing Room 2 at 250 Broadway. The committee considered Proposed Introduction No. 296-A, sponsored by Councilmember Farrell Lewis, which aims to increase access to data regarding gender-based violence. Four members were present (Farías, Aldebol, Gutiérrez, Santosuosso), and one (Schulman) was absent. Councilmembers Cabán, Hankerson, and Felder also attended. Discussion Items - Chair Farías introduced the proposal, noting that October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. She emphasized that underreporting of domestic and gender-based violence incidents to the police hinders understanding of the true scope and trends. The current reliance on NYPD data limits effective prevention programs and resource allocation. Int. 296-A would require the Mayor's Office to End Gender-Based Violence (NGBV) to compile and review all existing data, develop a report with recommendations for agencies to improve data collection and integration, create a data dashboard sharing data from city and state agencies, and require reporting from the Administration for Child Services and the Department of Housing Authority about screenings for gender-based violence and referrals for services. Key Outcomes - A roll call vote was conducted. The motion to approve Proposed Int. No. 296-A passed with four affirmative votes (Farías, Gutiérrez, Aldebol, Santosuosso), zero negative votes, and no abstentions. One absence (Schulman) was recorded. The item was approved by the committee and will proceed to the full Council.

On Wednesday, October 21, 2026, at 11:00 AM, the New York City Council Subcommittee on Early Childhood Education, chaired by Jennifer Gutiérrez, convened at 250 Broadway - 8th Floor - Hearing Room 2. The sole agenda item was Resolution 0650-2026, opposing a federally proposed rule change titled "Reducing Federal Burden for Head Start Programs" and calling on the federal government to protect and expand access to high-quality early childhood education. All seven subcommittee members were present. The resolution was approved unanimously via roll call vote. Discussion Items - Chair Gutiérrez introduced Resolution 650, which she sponsored, opposing the federal rule change. She cited research showing that children who participate in Head Start programs outperform their peers on every cognitive and social-emotional domain measured by kindergarten entry. Key Outcomes - The subcommittee held a roll call vote on Resolution 0650-2026. All seven members present—Gutiérrez, Brewer, Felder, Joseph, Riley, Santosuosso, and Won—voted in the affirmative. The resolution was approved by the subcommittee.

On Tuesday, October 20, 2026, at 10:00 AM in Hearing Room 2 at 250 Broadway, the NYC Council Committees on Hospitals and Fire & Emergency Management held a joint oversight hearing on ambulance response times and considered Introduction 990, which would require emergency notifications through Notify NYC when FDNY EMS has more than 25 pending ambulance dispatches. Chair Mercedes Narcisse (Hospitals) and Chair Joanne Ariola (Fire & Emergency Management) co-chaired. Committee members present were Narcisse, Aldebol, Brooks-Powers, Epstein, Farías, Gutiérrez, and Sanchez; other council members attending included Ariola, Won, Schulman, Paladino, Maloney, Restler, De La Rosa, Brewer, Dinowitz, and Speaker Julie Menin. The oversight item was filed and Intro 990 was laid over. Public Comments & Testimony - Jennifer Daly, mother of 14-year-old Kevin Daly, testified by Zoom that on September 28 her son suffered a stroke at St. Francis Preparatory School; the school nurse called 911 three times, no ambulance arrived, and the family drove him to New York Presbyterian Queens before transfer to Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital. She described the ordeal as unacceptable and urged action. - Michael Greco, president of Local 2507, said EMS is running out of time. He cited the controller's report showing life-threatening ambulance response times increased more than 41% since fiscal 2015 and that more than 500 EMTs left in fiscal 2026 alone. He argued the core problem is retention, not training, noting an EMT with five years' experience earns about $60,000 compared with about $109,000 for a firefighter. - Vincent Barrialli, president of Local 3621, said low wages and inferior benefits are confirmed by the mayor's management report and controller's report. He stated cardiac arrest survival rates have fallen from 35% to 16%, that EMS has about 25% of FDNY staffing while handling about 1.6 million calls annually compared with fire's 500,000, and that fire receives roughly 84% of FDNY's budget while EMS receives about 16%. He called for treating EMS as a co-equal branch and for pay and benefit parity. - Anthony Lamarena, vice president of Local 3621, provided ambulance off-service counts at 2 p.m. for the prior week: 138, 89, 92, 68, 94, 101, and 122. During his testimony, he said 112 ambulances were off service and 51 calls were holding, most for over three hours. He described multiple fatal delays, said EMS has failed because the government failed EMS, and cited 14 member suicides since 2020. - Logan Clark and Valerie Goudino of the Independent Budget Office testified that MMR data show end-to-end ambulance response times increased by nearly three minutes since FY22 to more than 13 minutes; daily ambulance hours fell nearly 10% from 8,900 to 8,100; hospital-run ambulances made up about one-third of tours; and 11 hospital systems removed ambulances from the 911 system in FY26. They noted EMT share of the EMS workforce fell from 69% to 63% and that promotional firefighter exam cycles contribute to attrition. - Joseph Raineri of the Regional EMS Council of New York City opposed single-paramedic staffing, saying dual medics are clinically necessary for complex patients. He supported pay parity, better work-life balance, clear career paths, and said efficiency measures alone will not fix the system. - Several current and former EMS workers testified about long waits, low pay, staffing shortages, hospital ambulance withdrawals, and 911 misuse. Christian Bear Lopez, a paramedic, cited the death of Lieutenant Nelson Cito and asked why the council is not holding a hearing on Intro 0521. Gerardney Williams described 25-minute travel times across Manhattan, said the city receives about 6,000 calls a day, and called mutual aid shameful. Andrew Freena said paramedics arrived within 10 minutes in only 26% of calls in the last month. Jack Chapman cited a 40-minute response to a life-threatening seizure at a hotel and said ALS call volume has increased 22.9% since 2015. Stephen Northmore gave multiple examples of patients waiting 30 minutes to three hours, including a patient who died from a manageable bleed. Christopher King said the government has failed EMS and that about 20 members he knows are considering retirement. - James Kerr, former executive director of NYC EMS from 1980 to 1988, said response time is a symptom, not an isolated issue. He recommended a mayor-directed EMS improvement task force that would submit an implementation plan within 90 days, including clinically appropriate response targets such as ALS units reaching patients 95% of the time within six minutes. - Tyler Weaver, whose son Nicholas Costello died in 2023 after a 20-minute ambulance wait, said cardiac arrest revival rates have fallen to 16% and that average response times have returned to 13 minutes for the first time in 40 years, with monthly averages reaching 15 minutes and the Bronx 18 minutes. He urged contract resolution and pay increases. - Cheryl Bernard, a retired NYPD communications supervisor, supported EMS pay raises but argued DOT bike lanes, bus lanes, and street closures are major causes of delayed ambulance travel. She opposed giving 911 callers ETAs because traffic conditions can change and create legal risk. - Chowdhury Mahmood, an FDNY technology staff member, testified about repeated CAD system crashes and an approximately $20.66 million no-bid sole-source contract with Accenture for the EMS CAD system, alleged retaliation against him, and asked the committees to require independent technical certification and milestone-by-milestone accounting before the EMS CAD system goes live. Discussion Items - Chair Ariola opened by noting that over the summer, 700 calls were held by the EMS system because of staffing shortages and that Intro 990 would tell New Yorkers when help is not moments away. She said EMS workers are underpaid and that the city has struggled to provide timely emergency care. - Chair Narcisse, a registered nurse, described emergency department overcrowding and said reports indicate H+H patients waited an average of 12.8 hours to be transferred from the ED to an inpatient bed between 2022 and 2025. She noted New York City has 49 hospital emergency departments, including 11 H+H hospitals serving more than 8.5 million New Yorkers, and called health care a human right. - FDNY Chief of Department John Esposito acknowledged rising response times and said addressing them is a top priority. He testified that average ambulance in-service hours fell from 8,891 in FY22 to 8,109 in FY26 while life-threatening calls rose from 564,412 to 610,771. He said 358 EMTs and 63 paramedics left EMS to become firefighters in 2026, 19 hospitals have closed since 2003, and the 911 system is about two-thirds municipal and one-third hospital-run. He described mitigation efforts including 14 paramedic response units, a centralized resource coordination center, borough-based command, mutual aid, redeploying offline members, and exploring AI and a new EMS CAD system. On Intro 990, he said FDNY does not believe the likely volume of notifications would provide useful information and is concerned about confusing or frightening the public, but is open to further discussion. - FDNY Chief Paul Miano and Chief Denise Werner answered detailed questions. For the St. Francis Prep case, they said the call came during a period with more than 100 extra calls, no EMS call taker was available, the call went through the overflow position, and it was classified as an unknown condition rather than a stroke call; an ambulance was dispatched but arrived after the family left. They acknowledged the response was unacceptable and said they are improving NYPD-EMS communications. For Speaker Menin's district incident, the call was triaged as a segment 5 injury, ambulances were redirected to life-threatening calls, and fire engines are not dispatched to segment 4 or 5 injuries and cannot transport patients. They said an average of more than 90 ambulances are off service per day, overwhelmingly due to staffing; EMS budgeted headcount is 4,500 but actual staffing is below 4,100; and 163 EMT trainees are currently in the academy, down from 200, with graduation expected in mid-December. They also said the hospital liaison unit pilot ended in late May because it did not produce a large enough systemwide impact, though citywide ambulance turnaround time increased by about two minutes after it ended. - Dr. Josh Motzquist of NYC Health + Hospitals testified that the current average time from ED arrival to first provider is 29 minutes, improved from 33 minutes; the average ED-to-inpatient-bed transfer time after admission is about 270 minutes. He said Lincoln Hospital sees about 37 patients per hour at peak, H+H recorded about 1.1 million ED visits in 2025, and patient acuity has increased. He reported that the ED Leads program had 30,400 encounters in 2025, over 6,500 referrals to outpatient clinics, and over 3,600 naloxone kits distributed. He said H+H does not yet have data on New York City Care's effect on ED utilization and would follow up on several programs. - Speaker Julie Menin said EMS workers are understaffed and underpaid, with EMT pay of about $18 an hour and average service under three years. She cited a 16-year-old in her district injured during a basketball game who waited 30 minutes before a parent called a private ambulance, with FDNY calling back nearly three hours later, and called the current average response time of about 13 minutes wholly unconscionable. - Council Members Paladino, Shulman, Brooks-Powers, Epstein, Brewer, Sanchez, Restler, and Aldebol raised pay parity, recruitment and retention, transparency of response data, NYPD responding before EMS, hospital handoffs, street closures, siren noise, and public education. Council Member Sanchez noted that a 90-year-old constituent waited 25 minutes for an ambulance and that NYPD officers often arrive first and sometimes transport patients; FDNY said it does not systematically track NYPD arrivals or transports and would follow up. Key Outcomes - Oversight item T2026-2406 on ambulance response times was heard and filed by the committee. - Introduction 0990-2026 was heard and laid over by the committee; no vote to advance was taken. - FDNY stated it is open to further discussion on Intro 990 but does not support the bill as written, citing potential public confusion and the likelihood of high notification volume. - Council members and union leaders repeatedly called for EMS pay parity, uniform status, civil service recognition, improved recruitment and retention, and stronger public education about when to call 911. - Written testimony was accepted for 72 hours after the hearing by email to testimony@council.nyc.gov.

The New York City Council’s Committees on Economic Development and Transportation and Infrastructure held a joint oversight hearing on October 20, 2026, at 10:00 AM in City Hall. Chaired by Councilmember Virginia Maloney (Economic Development) and Majority Leader Shaun Abreu (Transportation and Infrastructure), the hearing examined transit on NYC’s waterways, including the New York City Ferry system, seaplane operations at East 23rd Street, party boat safety, and four proposed bills to expand ferry service to Canarsie Pier, Willets Point, West 125th Street, and City Island. No votes were taken; all four bills were laid over, and the oversight was filed. Public Comments & Testimony - Waterside Plaza Residents (Janet Handel, Miriam Applebaum, Diane Park) and Community Board 6 (Jesus Perez): Expressed strong opposition to continued seaplane operations on the East River, citing safety risks, noise violations (recorded up to 97 decibels), and lack of enforcement of the 1,000-foot shoreline rule. They argued that the area has become a dense residential corridor and called for stricter regulation or cessation of flights. - Mateo Lawman (High School Student): Described building a noise-tracking system (Helly Tracker) to document helicopter and seaplane disturbances, and is adapting it for seaplanes. Advocated for data-driven enforcement. - Disabled in Action Members (Jean Ryan, Kathleen Collins, Monica Bartley, Michael Ring): Urged the city to require four-point wheelchair securement on all ferries, improve accessible signage and bus connections, and involve the disability community in planning. Highlighted that current two-point securement is unsafe and violates Local Law 68 of 2005. - City Island Residents and Business Owners (Michael Shanley, Kim Woodruff, Lauren Nye, Dan Treiber, Henry Smith, Stephen Di Fiore): Largely supported Intro 1032 to study ferry service to City Island, citing over 2,500 petition signatures, 350 emails of support, and potential economic benefits. Noted that 43% of residents spend over an hour commuting and that over 20 storefronts are vacant. - City Island Opposition (Roxanne Delgado, Kathy Sebek, Ricardo Garcia): Raised concerns about low projected ridership (only 225 daily commuters per a prior EDC study), high per-rider subsidies ($8.79), traffic congestion, and environmental impacts. Suggested Orchard Beach as a more suitable location for a ferry landing. - New York City FC (Neve Wallace): Supported Intro 846 for ferry service to Willets Point, citing the upcoming Etihad Park stadium (25,000 seats) and the need for diverse transit options. - Katie McCormick (City Island Resident): Addressed party boat noise issues, reporting repeated late-night disturbances with little enforcement. - Kiana Diaz (Inwood Resident): Called for ferry service to Inwood/Dyckman Marina, noting the area’s rezoning and limited subway access. Discussion Items - Oversight of NYC Ferry Operations: EDC Executive Vice President James Wong testified that NYC Ferry carried 56 million passengers since 2017, with 7.4 million trips in the last fiscal year. The per-rider subsidy is $8.79 (down from $13 peak), and fares recently increased: base fare to $5, discount fare to $1.50. The current operating contract with Hornblower expires in 2028 with two three-year extension options. EDC plans a system-wide vision study to evaluate over 40 waterfront sites, expected by summer 2027, and opposes the four legislative bills as premature. - Seaplane and Party Boat Oversight: EDC’s Anton Frederickson stated that seaplane operations average 1,620 flights annually, with revenue of $300,000. Enforcement of safety rules (e.g., 1,000-foot shoreline rule) is delegated to Doc NYC, but residents and council members questioned accountability, citing incidents such as a July 2025 hard landing. Councilmember Maloney pressed for contract transparency and penalty data. - Ferry Expansion Bills (Int 0704, 0846, 1022, 1032): Each bill sponsor presented arguments for their district: - Councilmember Narcisse (Int 0704): Canarsie Pier is a transit desert; ferry would relieve overcrowded L train and buses, and support economic development. - Councilmember Thomas Henry (Int 0846): Willets Point is undergoing major redevelopment (2,500 affordable housing units, new stadium); a ferry would reduce congestion on the 7 train. - Majority Leader Abreu (Int 1022): West 125th Street has existing pier infrastructure; a ferry would connect Harlem and reduce travel times. - Councilmember Farias (Int 1032): City Island has one road, limited transit, and 20+ vacant storefronts; a feasibility study is needed to evaluate economic and transportation benefits. - EDC Concerns: EDC estimated that all four bills would require eight additional vessels and $25–30 million in annual operating costs, plus hundreds of millions in capital costs. Specific challenges were cited: Canarsie Pier needs $30 million in rehabilitation and federal coordination; Willets Point has shallow water and mudflats; West 125th Street is 4 miles outside NYC Ferry’s service area; City Island has low density and environmental constraints. - Accessibility and Equity: Councilmembers raised concerns about wheelchair securement (two-point vs. four-point), language access, and the need to include underserved communities. EDC noted ongoing improvements, including new signage and future four-point securement studies. Key Outcomes - All Four Introductions (Int 0704, Int 0846, Int 1022, Int 1032): Hearing held and laid over by committee; no further action taken. - Oversight (T2026-2572): Hearing held and filed by committee. - Next Steps: EDC’s citywide ferry vision study is expected to be completed by summer 2027. The council plans to continue dialogue with EDC and community stakeholders. Councilmember Maloney requested copies of EDC contracts and enforcement data. The committee will consider advancing legislation after the study's release.

The New York City Council Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchises, chaired by Council Member Farah N. Louis, met on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, at 11:00 AM. The subcommittee voted to approve two rezoning proposals in Brooklyn and Queens, and held a public hearing on the rehabilitation of Studio 54 in Manhattan. Discussion Items - 1455 Coney Island Avenue Rezoning (LU 0142-2026 and LU 0143-2026): Chair Louis reported that the applicant, Prospect Park Land LLC, seeks to develop a nursing home with 300 beds in Midwood, Brooklyn. The proposal includes a zoning map amendment from an R5 residential district to a C4-5D commercial district and a text amendment to map a Mandatory Inclusionary Housing (MIH) area. - 135-27 Sapphire Street Rezoning (LU 0144-2026 and LU 0145-2026): Chair Louis reported that the applicant, 135 Sapphire LLC, proposes a residential project with 268 apartments, of which 67 would be permanently affordable. The proposal includes a zoning map amendment from an R4 to an R6A residential district and a text amendment to map an MIH area. Council Member Ariola expressed support for this application. Public Comments and Testimony - Studio 54 Public Hearing (LU 0153-2026 and LU 0154-2026): - Council Member Wilson expressed strong support for Roundabout Theatre Company's application, stating that preserving iconic cultural spaces like Studio 54 is essential for New York City's arts and entertainment industry, which supports jobs and strengthens the local economy. - Applicant Panel (Roundabout Theatre Company): Chris Knave (Chief Advancement Officer), Carol Rosenthal (Freed Frank), and Francil Lim (Eniad Architects) presented the proposal. Knave highlighted Roundabout's mission, its production of six to eight shows annually reaching 500,000 people, and its Theatrical Workforce Development Program which has trained 150 young New Yorkers (86% employed in performing arts). He noted a $26.6 million city commitment to the workforce program, one-third from City Council. The panel detailed the comprehensive rehabilitation needed for the century-old theater, including restoring the orchestra pit, re-raking the orchestra seating, rebuilding the balcony, improving ADA accessibility, and upgrading building systems. The text amendment would allow the transfer of development rights (TDR) generated by the rehabilitation bonus to other sites within the Theater Subdistrict, as the current zoning limits bonus use to the original lot. Carol Rosenthal noted the existing provision has only been used three times in 44 years. - Public Testimony: Mitch Mattson read a statement on behalf of Megan Frazier, an alumna of Roundabout's Theatrical Workforce Development Program (TWDP) and a member of IATSE Local One. Frazier expressed full support for the application, stating that her training at Studio 54 set her on a career path that led her to become a highly licensed pyrotechnician working on Broadway shows. She argued the renovations will improve the skill-based curriculum for future technicians. Key Outcomes - Approved (LU 0142-2026 through LU 0145-2026): The subcommittee approved the 1455 Coney Island Avenue rezoning and the 135-27 Sapphire Street rezoning. The vote was 9 in the affirmative, 0 opposing, 0 abstentions (Council Members Louis, Carr, Encarnación, Farías, Felder, Salaam, Sanchez, Schulman, and Thomas-Henry voting in favor). The items were referred to the full Land Use Committee. - Laid Over (LU 0153-2026 and LU 0154-2026): The subcommittee held a hearing on the Studio 54 rehabilitation and text amendment but laid the items over without a vote.

Joint Committees on Education and Higher Education, New York City Council On Tuesday, October 20, 2026, at 1:00 PM, the New York City Council Committees on Education (Chair Eric Dinowitz) and Higher Education (Chair Rita Joseph) held a joint oversight hearing at 250 Broadway to examine the implementation and expansion of the New York State Seal of Civic Readiness. The committees also discussed granting college credits for the Seal at CUNY and heard testimony on four related pieces of legislation: Intro 259 (dental care information), Res 418 (CUNY credits for the Seal), Res 451 (Next-Gen Civics Act), and Proposed Res 620-A (universal Seal access in DOE high schools). All introduced legislation was heard by the committees and laid over without a final vote. Discussion Items - Opening Remarks and Background: Chair Joseph provided an overview of the Seal of Civic Readiness, which requires students to earn points through civic knowledge benchmarks, participation, and a capstone project. Chair Dinowitz highlighted the rapid expansion of the program, noting that 8,000 students from 166 DOE high schools earned the Seal in the 2024-2025 school year, a 72% increase from the prior year. He strongly advocated for CUNY to award college credits for the Seal, comparing it to the successful expansion of credits for the Seal of Biliteracy. He framed the initiative as having no downside, calling it a "win-win-win-win-win" for students, families, schools, CUNY, and New York City. - CUNY Testimony: Alyssa Vine, University Director of Credit for Prior Learning (CPL) at CUNY, testified that CUNY has established CPL pathways for credentials like the Seal of Biliteracy but has not yet evaluated the Civic Readiness Seal for credit. She stated that the breadth of the Civic Readiness Seal requires careful faculty review to identify routes that demonstrate college-level learning, with the high school Capstone Project being a promising candidate. She committed to convening faculty to begin this evaluation process. - DOE Testimony: Cordelia Veve, Chief of Curriculum and Instruction for New York City Public Schools, presented on the "Civics for All" initiative and the scale of the Seal program. The number of schools offering the Seal has grown from 31 in the pilot year to a projected 271. In the 2025-2026 school year, 12,019 students earned the Seal, a 1,600% increase from the first year. The DOE detailed its project accreditation process to ensure rigor and its plan to offer the Seal in all high schools, as 56.2% of diploma-granting schools currently participate. The total civic education budget was reported as $3,001,659, with $1.6 million going directly to schools for participatory budgeting. - Interagency Collaboration and Data: Councilmember Joseph pressed for formal data sharing on Seal recipients between DOE and CUNY, which both agencies committed to establishing. Chair Dinowitz requested a meeting between CUNY and DOE to audit student Seal projects for college-level equivalency and urged both agencies to collaborate closely. CUNY agreed to form a faculty working group to evaluate the Seal. - Equity, Access, and Outreach: Councilmembers Wilson, Farías, Narcisse, and Gutiérrez raised concerns about equitable access for students of color, multilingual learners, and students with disabilities. The DOE testified that its curriculum focuses on multiple perspectives and that projects can be completed in a student's home language. Chair Dinowitz and Councilmember Brewer strongly emphasized the need for better public outreach to families, as many are unaware of the civic education programs in schools. The DOE committed to working with the "MySchools" website division to make Seal participation a searchable filter for families and to identify Seal-offering schools at high school fairs. - Data, Budget, and Transcripts: Chair Dinowitz requested data on Seal earners broken down by race, ethnicity, income, disability, borough, and school type, which the DOE agreed to provide. He also raised a technical concern that the legacy ATS system only allows listing one distinction on a transcript, potentially undercounting Seal earners. The DOE acknowledged the issue and noted the transition to the OASIS system. Chair Dinowitz urged the DOE to keep professional learning in-house to ensure teachers are compensated, rather than outsourcing to private contractors. Public Comments & Testimony - Panel 1: Hanata Caldera expressed support for civic education but criticized the lack of guardrails in a specific school voting project involving a fundraiser, requesting parental notification requirements. Elizabeth Shaddock (New Visions for Public Schools) supported the resolutions and offered to partner with the DOE on instructional materials and professional learning. Victor Medina (Futures Ignite) and Jeffrey Reim (Runway Green) supported expanding the Seal and college credit, providing examples of student-led environmental and civic action projects. Susie Gomes (League of Women Voters of NYC) advocated for empirical data on the program's impact on long-term voter participation. - Panel 2: CUNY Student Senate leaders Davia Willis, Hazel Prez Aqua, and Jared Fajardo strongly supported Res 418, 451, and 620-A, arguing that civic readiness is college readiness and that recognition through credit is critical for access and equity. Alan Sherman advocated for curricula that teach independent thinking, the mechanics of government, and how to respectfully disagree with political opponents, warning against indoctrination. Key Outcomes - All Proposed Legislation Laid Over: Intro 259 (dental care), Res 418 (CUNY credits for Seal), Res 451 (Next-Gen Civics Act), and Proposed Res 620-A (universal Seal access) were heard by the committees and laid over without a vote to advance them to the full Council. - Mandated DOE and CUNY Collaboration: The committees directed the DOE and CUNY to formalize data sharing on Seal of Civic Readiness recipients and to schedule a joint meeting to evaluate Seal projects for college credit equivalency. - Commitment to Website Transparency: The DOE committed to updating the "MySchools" portal so families can search for high schools specifically offering the Seal of Civic Readiness. - Data Release: The DOE agreed to provide the committees with a detailed demographic and geographic breakdown of Seal earners for further analysis. - Continued Expansion: The DOE confirmed its goal of offering the Seal in 100% of New York City public high schools, expanding from the current 56.2% of diploma-granting schools.

The New York City Council's Committees on Higher Education (Chair Rita C. Joseph) and Education (Chair Eric Dinowitz) held a joint hearing on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, at 1:00 PM at 250 Broadway, Hearing Room 2, to review the New York State Seal of Civic Readiness in DOE high schools and at CUNY, and to hear five legislative items: oversight T2026-2538, Intro 0259-2026 (dental care information), Res 0418-2026 (CUNY credit for the Seal), Res 0451-2026 (Next-Gen Civics Act), and Proposed Res 0620-A (universal Seal availability). In attendance were committee members Joseph, Ariola, Dinowitz, Epstein, Maloney, Restler, and Wilson, with other Council members Brewer, De La Rosa, Farías, Gutiérrez, Krishnan, Lee, Narcisse, Schulman, Zhuang, and Wong. All items were heard; the oversight item was filed, and the four legislative items were laid over. Discussion Items Oversight T2026-2538: Seal of Civic Readiness in DOE High Schools and at CUNY - Chair Joseph explained that the Seal, implemented statewide in 2022, requires students to earn six points from a menu of civic knowledge and participation benchmarks, including advanced social studies coursework, passing the social studies Regents exam, a research project, at least 25 hours of service learning, at least 40 hours of extracurricular or work-based learning, and a middle school or high school civic capstone project addressing a real-world issue. - Chair Dinowitz reported that 8,000 students from 166 DOE high schools earned the Seal in the 2024-2025 school year, a 72% increase from the prior year, and that 643 graduating seniors from 31 high schools earned it in the June 2022 pilot year. He noted that the State Board of Regents last month authorized ending the Regents exam graduation requirement beginning with the class of 2028, meaning the Seal would no longer count toward a diploma. He also noted that more than 60% of DOE graduates who go on to college enroll at CUNY, and that 10 CUNY colleges currently award between three and eight credits for the Seal of Biliteracy. - Alyssa Vine, CUNY University Director of Credit for Prior Learning, testified that CUNY does not currently track students entering with the Seal of Civic Readiness, that no CUNY college has yet evaluated the Seal for credit, and that the Seal's intentionally varied pathways make credit evaluation different from the Seal of Biliteracy. She identified the high school capstone project as a promising starting point for faculty review and expressed CUNY's interest in continuing exploration with NYC Public Schools. - Cordelia Vive, NYCPS Chief of Curriculum and Instruction, described the Civics for All initiative launched in 2018 and reported Seal growth from 31 schools in the pilot year to 60 (2022-23), 118 (2023-24), 166 (2024-25), 230 (2025-26), and 271 (2026-27). She reported that 12,019 students graduated with the Seal at the end of the 2025-26 school year, a 1,600% increase in five years from 682 in the 2021-22 pilot year. (Note: Chair Dinowitz cited 643 graduates in the June 2022 pilot year, while the DOE witness cited 682 in the 2021-22 pilot year; the source materials do not reconcile this difference.) She said 35 of 45 districts participate in the Civics for All Partner District program. - Superintendent Marcel Deans (Bronx Districts 8, 10, 11) reported growth from 9 students earning the Seal in 2022 to 780 in June 2026 in his districts, which are over 78% Title I. Superintendent Anthony Enzarello (District 26) said 96% of the district's high schools now offer the Seal and described middle school capstone and soapbox speech work. - Councilmember Dinowitz raised concerns about potential undercounting because ATS allows only one Seal to be listed per student transcript; DOE said schools report all Seal earners and are building a Seal tracker in STARS ahead of the OASIS transition. - Councilmember Wilson asked how the curriculum addresses the harder parts of history, including racism, homophobia, sexism, and violence; DOE cited its multi-perspective curriculum and hard history professional learning series, and described drawing on immigrant students' lived experiences as assets. - Councilmember Brewer pressed for stronger public messaging about civics education, saying constituents repeatedly tell her schools do not teach civics; DOE acknowledged the need and described external partner accreditation, newsletters, and school-based outreach. - Councilmember Dinowitz requested data on Seal earners by race, ethnicity, income, multilingual-learner status, disability, borough, school type, District 75, and transfer schools; DOE agreed to provide it. - DOE reported a total civics budget of $3,001,659, including $1.6 million for participatory budgeting and $861,770 for professional learning. Dinowitz urged DOE to keep professional learning and curriculum development in-house rather than hiring outside contractors. - Dinowitz asked why families cannot search for Seal-offering schools on the MySchools website; DOE committed to working with the relevant division to add the Seal of Civic Readiness and the Seal of Biliteracy to the school-search portal. - Dinowitz and Vine agreed to schedule a joint CUNY-DOE meeting for CUNY faculty to review student capstone projects and work products toward establishing a credit pathway. Intro 0259-2026: Dental care information - Sponsor Councilmember Krishnan said the bill would require DOE to inform parents about the importance of fluoride and dental health, in response to misinformation at the federal level about vaccines and fluoride. NYCPS witness Cordelia Vive expressed support for the collaboration with the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene to develop and distribute materials on the importance of dental care and fluoride. Res 0418-2026: CUNY college credit for the Seal of Civic Readiness - Sponsor Dinowitz called on CUNY to ensure all campuses award an appropriate number of college credits to students who earn the Seal. CUNY testified that no college has yet evaluated the Seal, but expressed openness to faculty review and noted that any credit would likely align with general education rather than a specific course. The CUNY University Student Senate supported the resolution and asked that any credit award be one clear standard across all campuses, published where students can find it before they apply. Res 0451-2026: Next-Gen Civics Act - Sponsor Councilmember Zhuang said young New Yorkers remain among the least civically engaged voters in the city and urged passage of A.9298 and its Senate companion, which would enact the Next-Gen Civics Act, providing hands-on, project-based civic education in grades 9 through 12, including mock elections, community projects, and policy simulations. Proposed Res 0620-A: Universal Seal availability - Sponsor Dinowitz called on DOE to ensure the Seal is awarded in all NYC public high schools to eligible students. DOE said it is actively pursuing 100% participation and is currently in 56.2% of diploma-granting schools, accepts all schools that apply, and works with schools to meet accreditation requirements. Public Comments & Testimony - Hanata Caldera, a parent from Forest Hills and constituent of Councilmember Schulman, expressed concern about hands-on civics without guardrails, describing an elementary school vote on a fundraiser that occurred while a complaint was under investigation by the DOE Office of Special Investigations. She asked the committees to require DOE guidance that student civic votes and projects never involve fundraisers or matters under investigation, that parents be notified before votes, and that DOE release the OSI findings. - Elizabeth Shattock, New Visions for Public Schools, expressed strong support for expanding Seal access and the Next-Gen Civics Act, and called for more pre-approved project structures and rubrics and high-quality professional learning grounded in specific instructional materials. - Victor Medina, Futures Ignite, expressed support for including the Seal in all NYC public schools and for college credit, citing a student-led permanent open street campaign on 182nd Street in Washington Heights as an example of student civic impact. - Jeffrey Reim, Runway Green, expressed strong support for the resolutions and described plans for an education campus at Floyd Bennett Field that could serve up to 50,000 students per year. - Susie Gomes, League of Women Voters of NYC, expressed support for civics for all in every grade K-12 and for the Seal, and suggested an empirical study of whether Seal participants become more civically knowledgeable and more likely to vote than their peers. - Davia Willis (Chairperson-elect), Hazel Prez Aqua (Lehman College graduate), and Jared Fajardo (Lehman College undergraduate), representing the CUNY University Student Senate, expressed support for Res 418, Res 451, and Res 620, citing the Senate's $700,000 OmniCard campaign win as evidence of student power, and asked for one clear credit standard across all CUNY campuses and public reporting of participating schools and campuses. - Alan Sherman, an NYC resident since 1961, urged civic education that teaches independent thinking, respectful debate, and compromise rather than indoctrination, and encouraged students to evaluate candidates across party lines. - Dr. Andrew Wilkes, Generation Citizen (remote), strongly endorsed Proposed Res 620-A and Res 418 and 451, urging universal implementation to combat systemic youth disconnection and civic education inequities, and cited Generation Citizen's advocacy with state legislators on the Next-Gen Civics Act. Key Outcomes - Oversight T2026-2538 was heard and filed by the committee. - Intro 0259-2026, Res 0418-2026, Res 0451-2026, and Proposed Res 0620-A were all heard and laid over by the committee. - CUNY and NYCPS agreed to schedule a follow-up meeting on faculty review of Seal capstone projects and work products toward a possible credit-for-prior-learning pathway. - DOE agreed to provide the committees with demographic data on Seal earners and participating schools, and to work with CUNY on data sharing so CUNY can track Seal earners. - DOE committed to adding the Seal of Civic Readiness and the Seal of Biliteracy to the MySchools school-search portal so families can identify participating schools. - DOE said it is building a Seal of Civic Readiness tracker in STARS to improve data accuracy ahead of the OASIS transition.

On Tuesday, October 20, 2026, at 10:00 AM, the New York City Council Committee on Fire and Emergency Management, chaired by Joann Ariola, held a joint oversight hearing with the Committee on Hospitals, chaired by Mercedes Narcisse, in Hearing Room 2 at 250 Broadway. The hearing covered oversight item T2026-2405 (Ambulance Response Times) and Int 0990-2026, a bill that would require Notify NYC alerts when FDNY EMS has more than 25 pending ambulance dispatches. Roll call was present for Ariola, De La Rosa, Maloney, Paladino, Sanchez, Schulman, and Wong. Other members attending included Speaker Julie Menin and Council Members Narcisse, Brooks Powers, Epstein, Restler, Brewer, Farías, Aldebol, Gutiérrez, and Dinowitz. The minutes record the oversight as filed by committee and Int 0990-2026 as laid over by committee. Public Comments & Testimony - Jennifer Daly, mother of 14-year-old Kevin, testified that on September 28, 2026, her son had a stroke at St. Francis Preparatory High School. The school nurse called 911 three times, but no ambulance arrived. The family drove Kevin to NewYork-Presbyterian Queens, where he was diagnosed with a stroke and later transferred to Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital. She expressed gratitude for the hearing and stressed that families need to know when help is not coming. - Michael Greco, President of Local 2507, said the EMS system is in crisis and that life-threatening ambulance response times have increased more than 41% since fiscal year 2015. He said more than 500 EMTs left in fiscal year 2026 alone, cited the pay disparity between EMTs and firefighters, and demanded pay equity, a fair contract, and recognition of EMS as an essential public safety service. - Vincent Barrialli, President of the Uniformed EMS Officers Union Local 3621, said cardiac arrest survival rates have fallen from roughly 35% to 16%, and that EMS is underpaid relative to firefighters despite handling the majority of FDNY's emergency calls. He called for EMS to be treated as a co-equal branch of FDNY and for pay and benefits comparable to firefighters. - Anthony Lamarena, Vice President of Local 3621, provided daily counts of ambulances off service, ranging from 68 to 138 at 2:00 PM during the week before the hearing. He said 112 ambulances were off service and 51 calls were holding during his testimony, with most holding over three hours. He described multiple cases of patients dying or waiting hours for ambulances and said the system has already failed. - Logan Clark and Valerie Gaudino of the Independent Budget Office testified that MMR data show end-to-end ambulance response times have increased by nearly three minutes since FY22 and now average more than 13 minutes. Daily ambulance operating hours in the 911 system fell from about 8,900 in FY22 to 8,100 in FY26. They noted that 11 hospital systems removed ambulances from the 911 system in FY26 and that EMT attrition is closely tied to the firefighter promotional exam cycle. - Joseph Raineri, Executive Director of the Regional EMS Council of New York City, opposed moving to single-paramedic ambulances, saying dual paramedics are needed for complex clinical care. He called for better pay, work-life balance, clear career paths, and a focus on retaining experienced providers. - Other public witnesses included Christian Bear Lopez, a paramedic who called for an independent EMS department and asked why the council had not held a hearing on Intro 0521; Gerardney Williams, a paramedic and Army veteran who described ambulances being sent 25 minutes across Manhattan and criticized hospitals for pulling ambulances out of the 911 system; Andrew Freena, a former EMT who said only 26% of paramedic responses arrived within 10 minutes; Walter Adler, a hospital-based paramedic and 1199 delegate who called for reducing 911 call volume, ending the promotional pipeline from EMS to fire, and creating an independent EMS department; Jack Chapman of 1199, who said ALS call volume increased 22.9% since 2015 versus 2.5% for non-life-threatening calls and that about 4,300 EMTs and paramedics left between FY2019 and FY2026; Stephen Northmore, a 14-year FDNY EMS member, who described multiple delayed-response cases and said pay is the wound that must be stopped first; James Kerr, former executive director of NYC EMS from 1980 to 1988, who proposed a mayor-directed EMS improvement task force with a 90-day implementation plan and response-time targets; Tyler Weaver, whose son Nicholas Costello died after a 20-minute ambulance wait in 2023, who said cardiac arrest revival rates fell from 20% to 16% and that response times are back to levels from the early 1980s; Cheryl Bernard, a retired NYPD communications supervisor, who argued that DOT bike lanes, bus lanes, and street narrowing are slowing emergency response; Christopher King, a 27-year FDNY EMT, who said the government has failed EMS, not the reverse, and that pay must be fixed immediately; and Chowdhury Mahmood, who alleged FireCAD system crashes, vendor accountability failures, and a no-bid EMS CAD contract, and requested independent technical certification. Discussion Items - Chair Ariola opened by noting that over the summer, 700 calls were being held by the EMS system due to staffing shortages. She said EMS responds to more than 1.6 million medical calls each year and that response times to life-threatening emergencies have increased over the past decade. She described Int 0990-2026 as a "minutes matter" bill to alert New Yorkers through Notify NYC when ambulance dispatch is delayed. - Chair Narcisse, a registered nurse, said delayed ambulance response and prolonged ED wait times are urgent challenges. She cited reports that H+H patients waited an average of 12.8 hours to be transferred from the emergency department to an inpatient bed between 2022 and 2025. She also cited hospital closures, staffing shortages, and federal Medicaid cuts as contributing factors. - Speaker Julie Menin said EMS is understaffed and underpaid, noting EMS responds to 1.6 million calls annually with about 4,500 members while fire operations respond to about 500,000 calls with about 13,000 members. She cited EMT pay of about $18 per hour, an average EMT tenure of under three years, and an average response time around 13 minutes. She said the city must pay EMS workers a living wage. - FDNY Chief of Department John Esposito testified that average ambulance in-service hours fell from 8,891 in FY22 to 8,109 in FY26, while life-threatening calls rose from 564,412 in FY22 to 610,771 in FY26. He said 358 EMTs and 63 paramedics left EMS to become firefighters in 2026, following 288 EMTs and 48 paramedics in 2025. He also cited 19 hospital closures since 2003, hospitals reducing ambulance contributions to the 911 system, and recruitment challenges. FDNY said it has deployed 14 Paramedic Response Units, created centralized resource coordination centers, moved to borough-based command, invoked mutual aid, and is reviewing offline EMS members for redeployment. - On the Kevin Daly incident, Chief Paul Miano said the 911 system was experiencing more than 100 calls above normal volume at the time. The call was processed through the overflow position and classified as an unknown condition because no EMS call taker was available to triage it. An ambulance was dispatched, but arrived after the patient had already left. Chief Denise Werner said the department is working to improve communications between NYPD and EMS dispatch. - On the incident in Speaker Menin's district involving a 16-year-old injured at a basketball game, FDNY said the call was triaged as a segment-five injury, not life-threatening. Ambulances were dispatched but were preempted and redirected to life-threatening emergencies. FDNY explained that CFR fire engines are only dispatched to segment one, two, and three calls and cannot transport patients. - FDNY said it does not support Int 0990-2026 as written because the likely volume of notifications may not provide useful information, but it is open to further discussion on providing real-time information to the public. - Chief Miano said the department averages more than 90 ambulances off service per day, overwhelmingly due to staffing shortages. He said high-acuity segment one through three calls are immediately dispatched and do not hold, while lower-acuity calls may be held or preempted. He also said response time is measured from the 911 call to arrival on scene, not to reaching the patient's side. - Council members pressed FDNY on pay parity, retention, recruitment, ambulance off-service numbers, NYPD transport of patients, public access to ambulance location data, street closures and Local Law 6, siren noise, and the promotion of EMTs to firefighter roles. FDNY said it cannot currently provide response-time-to-hospital data by council district or NYPD transport data, but committed to follow up. - NYC Health + Hospitals physician Dr. Josh Motzquist testified that current H+H average time from ED arrival to seeing a first provider is 29 minutes, an improvement from 33 minutes. He said the average time from an admission decision to transfer from the ED to an inpatient bed is about 270 minutes. This differs from Chair Narcisse's cited 12.8-hour average; the testimony did not reconcile the two figures, which may reflect different metrics or time periods. - Dr. Motzquist said H+H saw about 1.1 million ED patients in 2025, that higher-acuity cases have increased, and that about 2% of patients leave without being seen. He said H+H has used virtual express care with FDNY to treat some 911 calls without ambulance transport. He did not have data on NYC Care enrollment, hospital-specific wait times, AMA rates, Bridge to Home, SHOW, or B-HEARD expansion, and committed to provide follow-up information. - On psychiatric services, H+H reported 33,400 unique patients and 56,600 visits in 2025 across its psychiatric emergency services and comprehensive psychiatric emergency programs, up from about 33,000 patients and 55,000 visits. The ED Leads program reported 30,400 encounters in 2025, over 6,500 referrals to outpatient clinics, and over 3,600 naloxone kits distributed. Key Outcomes - The committee filed oversight item T2026-2405 and laid over Int 0990-2026 without a final vote. - FDNY opposed the current version of Int 0990-2026, citing notification volume concerns, but agreed to continue discussions about real-time public notification. - FDNY committed to follow up on requests for data, including full 911-to-hospital-arrival times by council district, NYPD transport data, the transcript of Kevin Daly's 911 calls, and information on recruitment, veteran staffing, and an NSF grant. - H+H committed to provide additional data on hospital-specific ED wait times, AMA rates, NYC Care enrollment, and program expansion details. - Council members, including Speaker Menin and Chair Ariola, pledged to prioritize EMS pay parity, contract resolution, uniformed first responder status for EMS, and retention efforts. Chair Narcisse and other members committed to supporting EMS holiday meals and continued oversight. - Written testimony was accepted for 72 hours after the hearing by email to testimony@council.nyc.gov.

The Committee on Environmental Protection and Waterfronts met on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, at 12:00 PM in Hearing Room 1 at 250 Broadway for an oversight hearing on the Department of Environmental Protection's citizen enforcement programs and six related bills. Chair James F. Gennaro presided; Committee members Harvey D. Epstein, Kamillah Hanks, Lincoln Restler, and Justin E. Sanchez were present, and Councilmember Alexa Avilés attended for her bill. DEP did not send a witness to testify, although an administration representative was in the audience; DEP submitted written testimony, which Chair Gennaro read into the record. OATH and DOF did not provide testimony. Public Comments & Testimony - Government watchdog Reinvent Albany said it supports the citizen air complaint program but opposes Intro 561-A and Intro 11-A, arguing 561-A creates loopholes that would increase idling and that higher fines would worsen delinquency, noting delinquency rates above 60% for fines over $1,000. - Environmental and public health advocates, including 350 NYC, NYLPI, NRDC, NYLCV, the New York Clean Air Collective, and medical professionals, largely opposed Intro 561-A as drafted, called it unsalvageable in current form, and supported language access. NRDC supported Intros 11-A, 48, 562, and 869-A while saying 561-A needs additional work; NYLCV supported Intros 48 and 11-A but not 561-A; NYLPI urged passage of Intros 11 and 48 and rejection of 561-A. - Citizen complainants testified that the program has reduced idling by fleets such as Con Edison, Amazon, and Verizon, and asked the council to preserve it. Many opposed the 60-day dismissal provision, the diesel particulate filter regeneration exemption, reduced citizen awards, and self-prosecution burdens. Several supported Intro 48 to expand access to non-English speakers. - Industry and business representatives, including the Building Trades Employers Association, Subcontractors Trade Association, Mechanical Contractors Association, New York State Energy Coalition, Trucking Association of New York, RDS Delivery, Edge Auto Rental, bus and motorcoach associations, Teamsters Local 817, and the National Waste and Recycling Association, generally supported Intros 561-A, 562, and/or 869-A with amendments, and asked the council to hold Intro 11-A until due process, timely notice, and fair hearings are fixed. They cited delayed notices arriving six to eighteen months later, hearings more than a year later, legitimate operational idling (pumps, liftgates, compaction, HVAC, DPF regeneration), and liability problems for leased vehicles. - Some participants disputed industry claims, arguing fuel pumps and liftgates are already exempt, regeneration can be done while driving, and the program is effective and should be expanded rather than weakened. Discussion Items - Chair Gennaro noted the city's air quality improvements and said motor vehicles contribute approximately 11% of local fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and 28% of local nitrogen oxide emissions. He reported citizen idling complaints rose from 9,070 in 2019 to 163,090 in 2025. - DEP's written testimony stated that in 2025 DEP reviewed more than 163,000 public submissions and issued about 102,000 idling summonses, currently receives about 700 idling reports per day, and has a backlog of about 230,000 videos. DEP received 21 new personnel lines in the FY27 November plan, including seven air pollution inspectors who recently started. - DEP declined to comment on provisions related to pending litigation, expressed concerns about Intro 562's liability transfer, supported the intent of Intro 869-A, and said Intro 48's portal instructions and translations already exist in designated citywide languages, though Councilmember Avilés responded that the translations are not integrated into the portal. - The bills heard were: Intro 11-A (increasing civil penalties for idling infractions, sponsored by Speaker Julie Menon); Intro 48 (translating the citizen air complaint portal into designated citywide languages, sponsored by Councilmember Avilés); Intro 561-A (regulating engine idling and citizen complaint enforcement, sponsored by Chair Gennaro); Intro 562 (transferring liability for certain idling violations to lessees); Intro 869-A (establishing a code of conduct for citizen noise complaints); and preconsidered T2026-2662 (including idling violations in the Department of Finance fleet program). - Chair Gennaro stated that the 60-day deadline in Intro 561-A was not intended to automatically discard pending complaints or the backlog, and that the language would be clarified. Key Outcomes - Oversight T2026-2107 was heard and filed by the committee. - Hearing was held on all six legislative items. The committee proposed and adopted amendments to Intros 11-A, 561-A, and 869-A. - All introductions, including Intros 11-A, 48, 561-A, 562, 869-A, and T2026-2662, were laid over by the committee; no final votes were taken. - The committee accepted written testimony for 72 hours after the hearing and committed to further stakeholder engagement before finalizing amendments.