Morano invites remaining in-person testimony and calls Becton

All right.

Before we turn over to the Zoom testimony, I want to make sure that everybody who would like to testify in person has gotten an opportunity to do so.

If there's anybody who is here to testify in person that hasn't done so, raise your hand and the Sergeant at Arms will get a card to you and make sure that they can testify.

We'll get these folks.

Set up.

And as we get these folks in the queue and get them ready, I'll remind everybody that's watching this either online or on cable that if you didn't know about this hearing in advance,

but you want to contribute something in terms of the oversight topic or any of the legislation we're considering today, you absolutely can submit testimony in writing.

I've been getting some emails of folks that weren't able to be here or had to leave, and they submitted testimony in writing, you could just email testimony at council.nyc.gov.

That's council.testimony, excuse me, testimony at council.

nyc.gov and that testimony will be taken into account and the record just as much as everybody else's.

And, you know, I didn't get a chance to mention intro 1051 earlier, but I appreciate Mr.

Bellow and Mr.

Graham referencing it in their testimony.

Just for clarity's sake, for people that aren't up on this, the governor and the state legislature, they passed a bill.

Creating a property tax exemption for anyone that's listed as 100% disabled, service-connected, that's a veteran, as certified by the VA.

And basically that legislation would exempt those folks from paying property taxes.

But the trick is the municipalities or the counties in the state have to opt in.

So as of now, even though the state legislature passed that bill and the governor signed it, that changes.

Nothing for any veteran in New York City unless we, the city council, act.

So my hope is that this will be a great way to allow veterans who are disabled to be able to stay in New York and afford to stay in New York and not have to move elsewhere.

And I'm really hopeful that we'll be able to pass that in time for Veterans Day.

And so far, the response that I've gotten from many of my colleagues has been very favorable.

All right.

I had called.

Leroy Belton earlier, but I would love for him to come up.

He's a former ICL client, or it might be, excuse me, Leroy Becton, excuse me.

Come on up and be seated at the witness table.

And is there anybody else in the room here that wants to testify in person?

All right, we'll get your card in as well.

Mr.

Becton, right?

Becton.