Photo Courtesy of Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office
“These goals are not utopian. They are not unreachable. They are achievable, here in New York City,” Mayor de Blasio said on Thursday at Symphony Space in Manhattan.
By Michael V. Cusenza
Mayor Bill de Blasio on Thursday used his sixth State of the City address to tout his administration’s past achievements and detail a series of ambitious new proposals as Hizzoner continues to seek the mantle of “Fairest Big City in America” for Gotham.
“I believe we can look back at what we’ve accomplished together over the past year, and we can feel a lot of pride,” de Blasio said.
Here are some of the initiatives de Blasio unveiled on Thursday at the Symphony Space in Manhattan as part of his 2019 agenda:
Guaranteed Healthcare for All: The administration will launch the largest, most comprehensive plan in the nation to guarantee health care for every New Yorker, the mayor promised. The plan will serve the 600,000 New Yorkers without insurance by strengthening NYC’s public option, MetroPlus, and guaranteeing anyone unable to afford or ineligible for insurance – including undocumented New Yorkers – has direct access to NYC Health + Hospitals’ physicians, pharmacies and mental health and substance use services through a new program called NYC Care. All services will be affordable on a sliding scale. The programs will include customer-friendly call lines to help New Yorkers – regardless of their insurance – make appointments with general practitioners, cardiologists, pediatricians, gynecologists and a full spectrum of health care services.
Paid Personal Time: De Blasio indicated that he will pursue local legislation that would require private employers with five or more employees to offer at least 10 annual days of Paid Personal Time, allowing employees to take paid time off for any purpose, including vacation, religious observances, bereavement and time with family. The legislation would guarantee this time for approximately 3.4 million New Yorkers.
Bus Acceleration and Lane Enforcement: De Blasio pledged that the Department of Transportation will work with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and the NYPD to take action to reverse the decline in system ridership and increase average speeds by 25 percent by the end of 2020. The City will perform street projects to benefit 600,000 daily riders across the city in 2019. DOT will increase the pace of bus lane installation from an average of 7 miles per year to 10-15 miles per year and add traffic-signal priority at 300 intersections per year, doubling the number of intersections where buses get green lights. The City will improve 5 miles of existing Select Bus Service routes per year with extended hours, restricted turns, and piloting up to 2 miles of physically separated lanes in 2019. The administration will also press for all-door boarding and off-board fare collection, and improve bus stops. To keep bus lanes clear, de Blasio said the administration will advocate for expanded camera enforcement of bus lanes with the State Legislature and the NYPD will create seven dedicated tow truck teams for continual bus lane enforcement and towing.
Retirement Security for All: De Blasio is proposing to provide access to Individual Retirement Accounts for all working New Yorkers. The mayor said he will work with the City Council to pass legislation in 2019 that requires all employers with at least five employees to either offer access to a retirement plan or auto-enroll their employees into the City plan with a default contribution of the employees’ own earnings of 5 percent, which can then be increased or reduced by the employee.
