NYC Council meetings, chaptered and linked by time.
New York City Council
Read summaries and jump into the video at the segment start.
Council staff calls the meeting to order, requests quiet on the floor, and asks council members to take their seats. Majority Leader Amanda Farías welcomes the public and outlines the rules of conduct for the meeting.
Council staff conducts the roll call of members present for the stated meeting, noting the presence of various council members and recognizing State Assembly Member Kalman Yeger in attendance.
Reverend Patrick J. Keating, Deputy CEO of Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens, delivers the invocation.
Council Member Justin Brannan thanks Reverend Keating for the invocation and pays tribute to the legacy of Pope Francis, highlighting his advocacy for the poor and marginalized. Brannan moves to spread the invocation in full upon the record.
Council Member Susan Zhuang moves to adopt the minutes of the previous meeting. The clerk notes that there are no messages from the mayor and reads a communication regarding the election of Simcha Felder to the 44th District.
The clerk conducts a roll call vote on the day's land use call-ups, with council members casting their votes individually.
The clerk announces that the land use call-ups are adopted by a vote of 46 in the affirmative and one in the negative.
Speaker Adrienne Adams begins her communications by acknowledging the tragic death of Exenia Met, a beloved Harlem grandmother who was killed by a stray bullet while trying to stop neighborhood violence.
Speaker Adams addresses the deportation of Bronx teenager Maruel Gutierrez by the Trump administration. She criticizes Mayor Eric Adams for his silence on the matter and warns against allowing ICE operations on Rikers Island.
Speaker Adams reflects on the significance of Passover, Easter, Earth Day, Holocaust Remembrance Day, and the upcoming Denim Day to support survivors of sexual violence.
Speaker Adams welcomes young adults from JCCA's Arches program to the chambers and wishes happy birthdays to Council Members Mercedes Narcisse and Chris Marte.
Speaker Adams outlines the stated agenda, starting with the Brownsville NCP affordable housing project and several finance items, including a bill regarding the Independent Budget Office's executive budget report.
Speaker Adams details home rule item SLR1 regarding Flushing Meadows Corona Park, a resolution on industrial laundry contracts, and a charter amendment regarding former public servants.
Speaker Adams highlights a package of bills to combat deed theft and predatory real estate practices, as well as legislation requiring reporting on community hiring programs by local development corporations.
Speaker Adams discusses legislation to increase stormwater system capacity and a package of bills and resolutions aimed at regulating non-essential helicopter flights to mitigate noise pollution.
Speaker Adams introduces a package of bills and resolutions designed to protect and support transgender, gender nonconforming, and nonbinary New Yorkers against federal rollbacks.
Council Member Sandy Nurse speaks in support of the Brownsville NCP project, which will bring 75 units of deeply affordable housing to Community Board 16, highlighting the inclusion of three-bedroom units.
Council Member Tiffany Cabán urges colleagues to pass the transgender rights package, emphasizing that New York City must actively lead in protecting the survival and rights of trans residents.
Council Member Alexa Avilés advocates for her bills, Intros 860 and 861, which aim to increase transparency and accountability regarding community hiring and benefits in EDC-led economic development projects.
Council Member Jim Gennaro discusses Intro 115A, which requires the DEP to develop a plan to increase stormwater sewer capacity to combat the increasing frequency of severe flooding events.
Council Member Shahana Hanif speaks in support of Intro 1201, the Affirm Act, which establishes safe harbor protections for individuals accessing gender-affirming care in New York City.
Council Member Inna Vernikov voices strong opposition to the transgender rights legislative package, arguing that it infringes on parental rights and compromises fairness in women's sports.
Council Member Darlene Mealy expresses concerns regarding the modified affordability levels of the Brownsville NCP project, arguing that city-owned land should remain 100% affordable to the lowest income brackets.
Council Member Crystal Hudson speaks in support of Intro 246, which requires city agencies to include an 'X' gender option on demographic forms to ensure inclusivity.
Majority Leader Amanda Farías advocates for Intro 26A, which prohibits non-essential helicopter flights from operating out of city-owned heliports unless they meet strict FAA noise standards.
Council staff reads the reports of various standing committees, including Economic Development, Environmental Protection, Finance, Governmental Operations, and Women and Gender Equity, coupling the items on the general orders calendar.
The clerk begins the roll call vote on the coupled general orders calendar, with Council Members Marte and Vernikov casting their initial votes.
Council Member Alexa Avilés explains her vote, thanking advocates who shaped the community hiring bills and expressing proud solidarity with the transgender and gender nonconforming community.
Council Member Diana Ayala explains her vote, sharing her perspective as a parent of public school students to demystify and defend inclusive school curriculums.
Council Member Eric Bottcher explains his vote, drawing parallels between past struggles for gay rights and the current fight for trans rights, urging compassion and legal safeguards.
The roll call vote on the general orders calendar continues with Council Members Brannan, Brewer, and Brooks-Powers casting their votes.
Council Member Tiffany Cabán explains her vote, strongly defending access to gender-affirming healthcare as life-saving medical care supported by major medical associations.
The roll call vote continues with Council Members Carr, Dinowitz, Felder, Feliz, Gennaro, Gutiérrez, Hanif, and Holden casting their votes.
Council Member Crystal Hudson explains her vote, sharing a personal story about a dedicated black trans woman on her staff to emphasize the human dignity of trans New Yorkers.
The roll call vote continues with Council Members Joseph, Lee, and Marmorato casting their votes on the general orders calendar.
Council Members Mealy, Menin, Nurse, and Ossé explain their votes. Nurse clarifies the affordability of the Brownsville NCP project, while Ossé speaks in defense of the trans community.
Council Member Vickie Paladino explains her vote, calling for mutual respect and a middle ground while voting 'no' on the transgender rights package.
The roll call vote continues with Council Members Powers, Restler, Riley, Rivera, Salaam, and Salamanca casting their votes.
Council Member Pierina Sanchez explains her vote, congratulating colleagues on the Affirm Act and aligning herself with remarks supporting trans New Yorkers.
The roll call vote continues with Council Members Schulman, Stevens, and Ung casting their votes on the general orders calendar.
Council Member Nantasha Williams explains her vote, highlighting the importance of the trans rights package and her bill to combat deed fraud to protect homeowners.
Council Member Susan Zhuang explains her vote, emphasizing that council members are elected to represent and protect their communities rather than engage in divisive rhetoric.
Council Member Joann Ariola explains her vote, criticizing personal attacks made during the session and casting her votes on the general orders calendar.
The clerk announces the final vote tallies, confirming the adoption of all items on the general orders calendar, including SLR1, Intro 26A, and the transgender rights package.
The clerk notes that all introduced bills have been referred to committees as indicated on the agenda, and the council transitions to the discussion of resolutions.
Council Member Jim Gennaro discusses Resolution 8, calling on state agencies to fairly allocate federal infrastructure funds to New York City for lead service line replacement.
Council Member Gail Brewer discusses Resolutions 233A and 226A, which call on federal and state authorities to ban or restrict non-essential helicopter flights over the city.
Council Member Sandy Nurse discusses Resolution 327, calling on the state to pass legislation allowing eligible property owners to receive retroactive property tax exemptions.
Council Member Shekar Krishnan discusses Resolution 852, calling on the federal government to protect Social Security from proposed cuts and defend benefits for seniors.
The Council conducts a voice vote and adopts Resolution 8, urging fair allocation of federal funds for lead service line replacement.
The Council conducts a voice vote and adopts Resolution 85A, calling for a noise tax on non-essential helicopter and seaplane flights.
The Council conducts a voice vote and adopts Resolution 144A, calling for the removal of funding caps on water infrastructure upgrades.
The Council conducts a voice vote and adopts Resolution 226A, calling for a prohibition on certain non-essential flight operations at municipal heliports.
The Council conducts a voice vote and adopts Resolution 233A, calling on the FAA to ban non-essential helicopter travel over New York City.
The Council conducts a voice vote and adopts Resolution 327, calling for state legislation to authorize retroactive property tax exemptions.
The Council conducts a voice vote and adopts Resolution 598, calling on healthcare institutions to contract with laundry companies that respect workers' rights.
The Council conducts a voice vote and adopts Resolution 771, calling on the governor to sign legislation extending protections over personal health information.
The Council conducts a voice vote and adopts Resolution 774, calling for regulations requiring hospitals to adhere to WPATH standards of care.
The Council conducts a voice vote and adopts Resolution 781, calling for a prohibition on out-of-state access to prescription monitoring data for certain medications.
The Council conducts a voice vote and adopts Resolution 793, calling for additional protections for sensitive health information related to abortion or gender-affirming care.
During general discussion, Council Member Gail Brewer pays tribute to Barry Benepe, the co-founder of the Greenmarket, who passed away at age 96, highlighting his contributions to the city.
Council Member Robert Holden introduces legislation to strengthen enforcement against fire hydrant obstruction and to ban inhumane animal practices in rodeos.
Council Member Pierina Sanchez introduces a package of three bills aimed at improving the Housing Connect application system, reducing wait times, and providing assistance to applicants.
Council Member Linda Lee introduces Intro 1259, which requires direct service staff in juvenile detention facilities to receive training in behavioral support and de-escalation strategies.
Council Member Shekar Krishnan reiterates the importance of protecting Social Security and urges colleagues to support his resolution calling on the federal government to prevent cuts.
Council Member Darlene Mealy welcomes newly elected Council Member Simcha Felder back to the Council and congratulates Kalman Yeger on his transition to the State Assembly.
Speaker Adrienne Adams formally adjourns the stated meeting of April 24, 2025.