Cabán promotes Intro 133 task force extension and Intro 134 housing protections
Cabán credits the TGNC-NBI task force for exposing conditions in DOC custody and calls for passing Intro 133 to extend its mandate. She also says Intro 134 would give incarcerated New Yorkers recourse to safe gender-aligned housing.
The Task Force on Issues Faced by TGNC-NBI People in Custody has already done crucial oversight to bring this to the attention of council members, members of the administration, community-based organizations, and the public at large.
Their 2022 report did remarkable work bringing the experiences of trans and non-binary New Yorkers in DOC custody to light.
Their work is so vital because we cannot pass legislation without understanding the nature and scale of the issue at hand.
They need not just a mandate, but our full support.
And that is why it is essential that we pass my bill, Intro 133, to extend this task force and ensure that the DOC and Correctional Health Services substantively participate in its work.
And I want to say that alongside Intro 133, I've also put forward Intro 134, which would give New Yorkers incarcerated at Rikers recourse to be housed in units where they will be safe from gender-based and sex-based violence.
And so I hope that we can consider that bill to act on the recommendations of the task force.
Thank you to Chair Brooks Powers and to my colleagues for supporting the bill, the folks that have signed on, and I'm really glad that it's being heard today.
Thank you, Chair.