Krishnan explains vote - parks, workers' rights, 9/11 air quality investigation

Krishnan.

I am disclosing on the record of the council proceedings that the New York City Department of Education, Common Point, New York City, the YMCA, and CUNY Queens College are funded in the budget we are adopting, and my children are associated with those entities.

Our city council, under the leadership of Speaker Menon and Finance Chair Lee, have secured the largest package of capital and expense investments secured by any city council in New York City history.

I'm thankful for the leadership of our council and Mayor Mamdani for delivering a

Budget for working families.

This budget fights for all of us.

It funds our parks, turns the pages on former Mayor Adams'corruption, and strengthens the council's work to protect and support workers.

We've delivered a massive victory for our parks department.

The budget we are signing into law makes sure that parks workers don't get handed a pink slip on July 1st, now or ever.

We've created the first ever swim safety initiatives, giving us the staff, resources, and educational materials to prevent drownings.

And we also expanded Wave Makers, the program that Speaker and I worked on several years ago that gives second graders free swim lessons across the city.

For the first time in years, the Department of Investigation saw an increase in their funding that goes beyond the Adams-Yerks cuts and slashes.

That means we can hold bad landlords, big corporations, and government agencies who are letting us down accountable.

And with the $4 million increase in funding, with the work of our speaker, Councilmember Brewer and I, we will be able to give the brave men and women who risked their lives during and after 9-11 answers on what our city knew about the air quality.

This budget is also a workers'rights budget.

I'm proud that we were able to deliver $2.1 million in funding for the first ever non-traditional worker organizing and education initiative.

This initiative carries on the historic work we've done in the council to support workers'rights, from decriminalizing street venting to passing the largest workers'rights legislation for Uber and Lyft drivers, putting an end to their unfair firings and giving them notice and due process.

We'll make sure workers understand their rights.

and know our city has their back.

Today, we are voting on a budget that moves us beyond corruption and the prioritization of billionaires to a budget that supports our families, parks, and workers.

A budget that funds city FEPS to keep families in their homes and gives their kids a chance to go to college for New York City Kids Rise.

I am proud to vote aye today on a budget that delivers for working families in Queens and across New York City and to vote aye on all the rest too.

Thank you.