Rallying for Affordable Housing
On May 3, I joined New York State Senator Daniel Squadron, U.S. Representative Jerrold Nadler, Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer, New York City Councilmember Margaret Chin, and Independence...
View ArticleStanding Up for Subsidized Early Childhood Education
On May 10, I joined day care and Head Start employees from District Council 1707, parents and other elected officials at a City Hall press conference denouncing Mayor Bloomberg’s proposed cuts to early...
View ArticleHonoring NYS Senate Woman of Distinction Jeanne S. Poindexter
Each year, the New York State Senate honors a select group of women from across New York who have dedicated themselves to improving the lives of others, enriching their communities and strengthening...
View ArticleApplauding President Obama’s Support For Marriage Equality
The announcement on May 9 by President Barack Obama in support of marriage equality was historic. If you would have told me five years ago that a sitting President of the United States would publicly...
View ArticleSenator Duane's Drill Watch
Below please find a comprehensive list of articles, editorials, letters to the editor, press releases, testimonies and resolutions regarding horizontal drilling and high-volume hydraulic fracturing in...
View ArticleShutting Down UWS ‘Illegal Hotel’
When a local block association president alerted me to an illegal transient occupancy unit (TOU), or “illegal hotel,” on her block, my office contacted the director of the Mayor’s Office of Special...
View ArticleMarching to End Stop and Frisk Abuse
On Father’s Day, June 17, I joined thousands of other concerned New Yorkers in a silent march down Fifth Avenue from 110th Street to 78th Street to protest the New York Police Department’s (“NYPD”)...
View ArticleHailing a Victory in the Fight Against Inappropriate Megabus Site
For some time, I and my staff have been working with Manhattan Community Board 4 (CB4), Clinton/Hell's Kitchen Coalition for Pedestrian Safety and other local elected officials to set limits on...
View ArticleSupporting the Landmarking of the East Village and Lower East Side
On June 26, I submitted testimony in strong support of the New York City Landmark Preservation Commission’s (LPC) proposed East Village/Lower East Side Historic District. As a longtime advocate for the...
View ArticleReporting on the End of the Legislative Session
June 21 marked the official end of the 2012 Legislative Session in Albany -- and my last Session as a New York State Senator. It was a bittersweet moment for me. Together, we have accomplished much...
View ArticleCelebrating the Supreme Court’s Affirmation of the Federal Affordable Care Act
On June 28th, I was honored to speak at the Health Care for All New Yorkers rally in celebration of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision upholding the federal Affordable Care Act. It was indeed a...
View ArticleRallying in Support of Low Wage Workers
On July 25th, I joined other elected officials, community organizations, faith communities, and labor organizations in a National Day of Action for Low Wage Workers to highlight the daily injustices...
View ArticleExpressing Concerns about NYCHA’s 2013 Draft Annual Plan
On July 25, I submitted testimony at the New York City Housing Authority’s (NYCHA) public hearing on its 2013 Draft Annual Plan, expressing my deep concerns over several aspects of the plan, including...
View ArticleSpeaking at the 19th International AIDS Conference
On July 26, I was honored to participate in a symposium entitled, “Leaders’ Perspective on Turning the Tide Together: Mayors, Legislators and Parliamentarians” at the 19th International AIDS Conference...
View ArticleMarking National Night Out Against Crime with the 20th Precinct
On August 7, I joined the New York Police Department’s 20th Precinct, as well as the leaders and members of the precinct’s Community Council, in observance of National Night Out Against Crime. The...
View ArticleEnsuring the Protection of Our Precious Tree Pit Gardens
In late July, constituents reached out to my office to report that a local community gardener’s landscaped tree pits in the pedestrian islands at 8th Avenue and West 12th Street had been totally...
View ArticleOpposing the Proposed Nine-Story Hotel Next to Merchant’s House Museum
On September 11, I submitted testimony to the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) opposing a proposed nine-story hotel at 27 East 4th Street, within the NoHo Historic District and...
View ArticleHailing City Legislation Increasing Penalties for Illegal Hotel Operators
On September 12, I joined the New York City Council Speaker, several members of the City Council and many other elected officials, advocates and industry representatives in hailing the passage of...
View ArticleUrging Immediate Implementation of Fire Safety Task Force Recommendations
On September 19, I joined New York State Senator Daniel Squadron and New York State Assemblymember Dick Gottfried, who spearheaded legislation mandating the creation of a task force on how to close...
View ArticleFighting for the Preservation of LGBT Historic Site 186 Spring Street
In early July, it came to my attention that a demolition application had been filed with the New York City Department of Buildings (DOB) for 186 Spring Street, part of a rare row of surviving...
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