New Accessible Taxi Tax Credit Will Help Get Accessible Cabs on the Road
January 3, 2012
Statement from Assembly Member Micah Kellner regarding Governor Cuomo signing the accessible taxi tax credit into law.
Victory for Wheelchair Users in Federal Lawsuit Against NYC Taxi and Limousine Commission
January 3, 2012
Statement from Assembly Member Micah Kellner on Judge Geroge B. Daniels’ decision in the case Noel V. TLC
Taxi Agreement Is Something We Can All Hail
January 3, 2012
Statement from Assembly Member Micah Kellner on the new taxi and livery agreement.
Frack No!
November 30, 2011
Today I submitted testimony at the Department of Environmental Conservation’s (DEC) hearing in opposition to hydrofracking. Our water is just too precious to take a chance with. If you have not yet submitted your comments, there is still time to do so. Make sure to visit the DEC’s website here and have your voice heard!
You can read my testimony below:
New York’s Taxis Need to be Accessible
September 26, 2011
I’m grateful Governor Cuomo has recognized that making the taxi and livery fleet accessible to wheelchair users is not an impossible feat. The Assembly has already taken the first step by passing my legislation, A.4406, which will make every new taxi accessible starting in 2014. Additionally, two U.S. companies are currently building purpose-built wheelchair accessible taxis, one of which, the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission has already approved. There is even a tax credit I sponsored, A.966-B, waiting to be signed by the Governor that would incentivize the purchase of these vehicles.
While I would like to eventually see every taxi be accessible, I’ve proposed a plan, the Access-for-All Taxi and Livery Plan (A4ATL), which modifies the current bill and will increase the number of accessible taxis and liveries from roughly 300 to 3,000 over the next three years. I hope the Governor will use this as a template and build upon it so that wheelchair users have a real opportunity to use this iconic mode of transportation.
VPG MV-1 Accessible Taxi
Protecting LGBT Seniors
September 26, 2011
Today, Governor Cuomo signed my legislation (A.880) which requires the New York State Office of the Aging (NYSOFA) to monitor the needs of traditionally underservered elderly populations – including those in LGBT communities. The new law will also provide technical assistance and grants-in-aid to organizations like SAGE (Services & Advocacy for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Elders), so that they can better provide their services to LGBT senior populations that provide services to LGBT seniors.
Despite being a rapidly growing segment of New York’s population, LGBT seniors do not receive the services they need. This community often lacks the support networks that are more commonly available to non-LGBT seniors and will sometimes be reluctant to access needed health and social services because of fear of discrimination. This law will correct these inadequacies and ensure that current and future generations of LGBT seniors receive the care and respect that they deserve.
Specifically, the new law requires the NYSOFA, in its annual report to the Governor and the Legislature, to include recommendations for expanding service programs already in place and applying them to underserved populations which include but are not limited to those defined by actual or perceived race, creed, color, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, military status, sex, marital status, disability, familial status and language. The report must also cite the specific, targeted needs of these traditionally underserved populations — focusing on successful programs as well as addressing particular problems that need correction.
Further, the bill authorizes the Director of NYSOFA to make grants-in-aid for the purpose of providing training, outreach and education to entities providing services to LGBT senior populations.
I am proud to say that today steps have been taken by senior services in New York State in order to prevent these seniors from being left without a place to turn to in their time on need
Putting NYC Animal Care and Control Out Of Its Misery
August 22, 2011
Anyone who has dealt with New York City’s Animal Care and Control (ACC) can attest to the many problems this organization faces. Whether it be a lack of funding, or a lack of oversight, the structural inefficiencies of ACC have cost a countless number of innocent animals their lives. Right now, more than 25% of the animals taken in by ACC are killed; in fact, last year ACC brought in 39,111 cats and dogs, of which 10,705 were euthanized. The only way that we can get ACC back on the right track is to change the way the organization functions.
On average, communities across the Country spend approximately $8 per person to properly care for their shelter animals. New York City‘s animal shelters are being run on less than 84 cents. This discrepancy is a clear statement from the city that they are not concerned with the health and welfare of New York City‘s animals. Perhaps even worse, ACC has had 4 different Executive Directors in the past 8 years. It is impossible for an organization to function properly if it faces problems that are so dire, no one seems up to the task.
This is why last Friday, I joined Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer, Assembly Member Linda Rosenthal and animal advocates at a press conference to call for a complete overhaul of ACC. The Borough President has found a lasting solution to this issue by transforming the broken ACC into a not-for-profit that could raise millions of dollars to beef up New York‘s level of animal care.
Borough President Stringer’s plan calls for a reconfiguration of ACC so it can operate as an independent non-profit entity, like the Central Park Conservancy, which was founded in 1980 to address Central Park’s state of complete disrepair following the recession of the late 1970′s. Today, the Park is a wonderful oasis thanks to $390 million in funds the Conservancy has raised. This is the model we need to adopt for ACC. You can read the Borough President’s Op-Ed on the Huffington Post.
Once appropriate funding is secured, we can finally ensure that every borough has a full service shelter. The law requires that each borough have a shelter operating 24/7, with adoption and sterilization services, but the City has failed to comply. The ACC contract only provides for full service shelters in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Staten Island, and if that is not bad enough, the Brooklyn and Staten Island facilities do not even qualify as full service shelters because they do not accept animals 24 hours a day. Animals are even worse off in the Bronx and Queens, where the ACC contract only provides for ‘receiving centers’ which are only open once or twice a week for 8 hours.
We realize that if we build more schools, the development of our children will improve- they will have new resources and more room to learn, so they are not crammed in a classroom with 50 other students and forced to share a desk. If we finally realize that new facilities could have the same type of effect on our city’s dogs and cats, we can pull them from their crowded cages, and give them a fighting chance to get back on track. When 25% of them are being killed, we are definitely doing something wrong.
Please make sure to sign Borough President Stringer’s petition calling for an overhaul of the NYC ACC here.
Putting Taxi Accessibility in the Fast Lane
August 2, 2011
Much has been made by the Mayor about providing New Yorkers who live in Brooklyn, the Bronx, Northern Manhattan, Queens and Staten Island with access to street hail taxi service, but what about the thousands of New Yorkers who use wheelchairs and live in these areas? This issue has continued to elude the Mayor for years, but luckily I have found a solution.
I am proud to announce that after working in concert with the largest taxi and livery associations in New York, I have developed the Access-for-All Taxi and Livery Plan (A4ATL), a plan which will vastly increase wheelchair accessible taxi and livery service for New Yorkers in all five boroughs. This landmark agreement requires all newly auctioned yellow taxi medallions to be accessible and includes the establishment of a task force to improve taxi and livery accessibility for all New Yorker’s with disabilities. The A4ATL plan will increase the number of accessible taxis and liveries from roughly 300 to 3,000 over the next three years.
Specifically, my plan modifies the existing “livery street hail” plan by:
- Requiring all 1,500 of the new yellow taxi medallions be accessible, rather than just the 569 in the original plan
- Replacing the 30,000 non-accessible livery street hail permits with a far more feasible 6,000 livery street hail medallions, 1,200 of which will be wheelchair accessible.
Not only will this plan deliver better transportation opportunities to wheelchair-users, but it raises much-needed revenue for the City and saves the cash-strapped MTA scarce funds. This will create an incredible opportunity for the MTA’s Access-A-Ride to take advantage of these new cabs to save money while at the same time providing a superior service.
While I will continue to push for 100% accessibility, I’m encouraged that the taxi and livery industries recognize that they can do well by doing good and I commend them for it. With groups like the Metropolitan Taxicab Board of Trade, the Livery Round Table, the Federation of New York State Taxi Drivers, the Greater New York Taxi Association, the Committee for Taxi Safety, the League of Mutual Taxi Owners and the Taxicab Service Association all in favor of the plan, the entire industry has shown that they are ready to pull up to the curb and turn on the meter for wheelchair-users.
Whether a person is on two feet or four wheels, in Manhattan or the Bronx, everyone should be able to hail a taxi.
You can read my full press release below:
Strengthened Rent Regulations Pass the Legislature
June 25, 2011
- Raising the Vacancy Decontrol limit from $2,000 to $2,500. Currently, vacancy decontrol allows landlords to remove an apartment from regulation if it is unoccupied and the rent reaches $2,000. Landlords often reach this limit by doing minimal improvements to the apartment. Since there is no check on landlords, there is no way to ensure these improvements have taken place. In the new law, if a landlord claims 10% or more in a rent increase due to improvements made before a tenant moves in, DHCR must certify this work and the tenant retains the ability to challenge the increase. More importantly, the limit for vacancy decontrol has been raised from $2,000 to $2,500. This will allow a new generation of tenants to enjoy the protections of rent regulation.
- Raising the High Income Decontrol limit from $175, 000 to $200,000. Currently, high income decontrol allows a landlord to remove an apartment from regulation if the residents’ combined income is over $175,000 for two consecutive years and the apartment’s rent has reached $2,000. Under the new law, landlords will not be able to deregulate a family’s home unless their income is over $200,000 for two consecutive years and their rent is over $2,500. This is the first increase in the income limits that tenants have seen since 1997, despite well over a decade of inflation.
- This new bill requires New York State Homes and Community Renewal (NYSHCR) to enforce the provisions of rent regulation. For the last 17 years, NYSHCR has been tasked with overseeing rent regulation, but they have not been given the authority to enforce the law and ensure that landlords are abiding by it. The enhanced rent regulation we just passed truly gives NYSHCR the power to enforce the law and this is a huge step forward.
- Reducing the burden of Major Capital Improvements (MCIs). A tenant’s responsibility for an individual apartment’s MCI has been reduced from 1/40th of the cost of the improvement to 1/60th of the cost for larger buildings.
- The Roberts v. Tishman Speyer case still stands despite the Republican Senate’s attempt to overturn the decision. The J-51 tax break allows the State to share the costs of capital improvements and in return preserves affordable housing through rent regulation. The Court held in the Roberts decision that landlords, who have used J-51 tax break, cannot take advantage of the tax break while deregulating apartments at the same time. Landlords were trying to have the best of both worlds by taking taxpayer dollars and then using a loophole to renege on their side of the deal. Keeping the Roberts decision in place ensures that tenants who have been overcharged by unscrupulous landlords will be able to recoup the money that is rightfully theirs.
While this new law is not perfect, at the end of the day, we must remember that New York’s tenants are better off than they have been in over a decade. I want you to know that I will continue to fight for the middle class–rent regulations are an important part of keeping New York City affordable. Despite these gains, I am sure unscrupulous landlords will continue to abuse the system. This is why I hold a free monthly legal clinic for tenants unable to afford an attorney. If you have any questions about these new regulations or if you would like to sign up for my free legal clinic please contact my office at (212) 860-4906.
Assembly Takes Giant Step Towards a Taxi for All
June 13, 2011
I am thrilled to report that the New York State Assembly has just passed my legislation (A.4406) which requires that after October 1, 2014, all new taxicabs put into service in New York City must be accessible to riders with disabilities.
Hailing a cab is an iconic New York experience, but people with disabilities have been locked out of this crucial mode of transportation for far too long. While I am proud to champion this cause, I’m disappointed that the City continues to deny the civil rights of people with disabilities.
Right now, there are an estimated 60,000 wheelchair users, 300,000 individuals with low-vision or who are blind, and almost one million people who have hearing loss or are deaf, that live in New York City. These people need to be able to move about the City just as everyone else does, yet only 231 of the 13,237 medallion yellow cabs (1.7%) are wheelchair-accessible or provide other accommodations to people with disabilities.
Under my legislation, all new taxis must be wheelchair-accessible for the transport of wheelchairs and scooters, use consistent internal design, have enough space to accommodate a service animal, make as much noise as a conventional gasoline-powered car so that they can be heard by the vision-impaired, include Braille signage and text in large-sized fonts, and be equipped with an assistive listening system so that riders with hearing aids can communicate with the driver. Additionally, my legislation does not require any medallion owner to take a vehicle already in service off the road; it only applies to new vehicles being placed into service for the first time.
The Assembly has shown once again that they stand with New Yorkers with disabilities. I would hope the City Council will take their cue from us. City Council Member G. Oliver Koppell has introduced legislation which mandates that any new taxi design approved by the TLC must be wheelchair accessible. Surely, with 40 sponsors and a veto-proof majority, they can pass legislation that merely makes taxis wheelchair accessible.
You can access my bill here.
You can view my full press release below:
[scribd id=57291870 key=key-23c9ypdp2utv2hz4dvp3 mode=list
- Via @MicahKellner + @MMViverito NYPD, never sensitive to Trans NYers, but if these allegations true its beyond the pale http://t.co/UGWWI9Tn
10 hours ago from ÜberSocial for BlackBerry
