Van Bramer, Dromm Celebrate Queens Public Library Funding
City Council Members Jimmy Van Bramer (D-Astoria, Long Island City, Sunnyside, Woodside) and Daniel Dromm (D-East Elmhurst, Elmhurst, Jackson Heights) today will join Queens Library President & CEO Dennis Walcott, and library workers for a special Drag Queen Story Hour with NYC-based drag queen Angel Elektra in celebration of this year’s record funding increases for the Queens Public Library and new funding for Drag Queen Story Hour in the FY 2020 budget.
The FY 2020 budget includes nearly $564 million for the City’s public libraries, including a $33 million increase in expense funding, and a $25,000 allocation for Drag Queen Story Hour with $5,000 each from Van Bramer and Dromm for story hours in their respective districts.
This event will serve as a way to amplify the Queens Public Library’s programming and to provide support to Drag Queen Story Hour in light of recent attacks.
The celebration is slated for 3 p.m., today, July 25 at the Queens Public Library at Jackson Heights, 35-51 81 Street in Jackson Heights.
Sanders Celebrates China Day, Chinese American Heritage Week
State Sen. James Sanders Jr. (D-Rochdale Village, Far Rockaway), was proud to attend a celebration in Brooklyn on July 20, 2019, recognizing the establishment of China Day.
On June 18, 2019, the New York State Senate passed the resolution (J.2103), introduced by Sanders, recognizing October 1, 2019 as China Day and the first week of October 2019 as Chinese American Heritage Week.
The goal of the resolution is “to strengthen the friendship and bilateral relationship between the State of New York and Chinese Americans.”
“The State of New York and the nation are home to a thriving overseas Chinese community,” Sanders said when he introduced the resolution on the Senate floor. “Their presence is, of course, a positive contribution to our society. The history of America and China goes back a long way. New York and China engaged in trade going back to the 18th Century and both nations were allies during World War II.”
It has been nearly 40 years since the U.S. normalized relations with the People’s Republic of China in 1979 and since then the U.S and the People’s Republic of China have had a constructive engagement through trade, tourism, academia, and cultural affairs, Sanders noted.
“I hope that our two countries will continue this constructive engagement and promote peace and prosperity for the future,” Sanders said. “China is currently our largest trade partner.”
Addabbo-Pheffer Amato Bill Bill Extending Breezy Point Work Permits Signed into Law
State Sen. Joseph P. Addabbo, Jr. (D-Howard Beach, Ozone Park, Woodhaven, Glendale, Middle Village, Maspeth, parts of South Ozone Park, Ridgewood, Woodside, The Rockaways) and Assemblywoman Stacey Pheffer-Amato (D-Broad Channel, Hamilton Beach, Howard Beach, Lindenwood, Ozone Park, the Rockaway Peninsula) earlier this month saw their bills authorizing an additional two-year extension for exemptions directed at Breezy Point work permits for resiliency and recovery in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy signed into law earlier.
“Thousands of residents have been subjected to delays under Rapid Repair, Build It Back, and other programs at the City level, creating an urgency for us to provide residents with at least two more years to rebuild with relief from red tape,” Addabbo said. “I am confident that Breezy Point neighborhoods will now be able to complete the rebuild process and return to living in structurally sound homes as a result of this new law. The fact that we needed to introduce and pass an extender bill yet again shows the magnitude of the devastation Sandy brought to our constituents in Breezy Point.”
Nearly seven years after Hurricane Sandy made landfall, many Breezy Point constituents are still trying tirelessly to rebuild their lives and their homes in the community they love. While the storm wreaked havoc throughout my Senate district and elsewhere, this neighborhood was devastated beyond imagination.
“With the passage of this bill extension we are helping the people of Breezy Point to continue to go forward and succeed in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, and to spare them the frustration and expense of reinventing the wheel when it comes to dealing with City bureaucracy,” said Pheffer Amato. “I appreciate my colleagues in both houses for understanding that my neighbors deserve to live in structurally sound homes and that that they deserve every chance to rebuild. This law will make a huge difference for Breezy Point families, seniors, laborers and the overall community.”
The law takes effect immediately and extends to July 3, 2021.
