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QUEENS WEEKLY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2019 QNS.COM
BY BILL PARRY
Elected officials across
Queens voiced support after
Mayor Bill de Blasio announced
he would propose
legislation to create parity
for all city employees who
died of a 9/11-related illness
by providing health
insurance coverage to
their survivors.
Currently, the survivors
of first responders
and high-ranking public
servants — such as police
officers, firefighters and
EMTs — receive health
insurance from the city,
regardless of whether
the death occurred during
active service or
after retirement.
At the same time, survivors
of uniformed correction
officers and uniformed
sanitation workers
only receive health insurance
if their family members
die while in active
service, and survivors of
employees in other titles
who die from 9/11-related
illnesses currently do not
qualify for city-sponsored
health insurance.
“On our city’s darkest
day thousands of city employees
answered the call.
They didn’t hesitate,” de
Blasio said. “We need to be
there for their families, now
and always.”
The legislation would
close any gaps in current
law so that all city
employees who die of a
9/11-related illness are
treated the same, allowing
their survivors to receive
city health insurance
upon approval of their
World Trade Center accidental
death pension by
the applicable city public
retirement system.
“As chair of Civil Service
and Labor, as well as
a former member of our
city’s dedicated civil service
workforce, ensuring
the health and well-being
of 9/11 responders, survivors
and their families has
been a top priority of the
committee,” City Councilman
I. Daneek Miller
said. “We advocated for all
civilian responders who
were at Ground Zero to
be granted unlimited sick
leave, and moved the City
Council to lend its voice
to the nationwide call
for Congress to pass the
law that made the
Victims Compensation
Act permanent.”
Nearly 5,000 employees
across several city agencies
could be covered by
this legislation over time.
“No emergency responder
checked their title
before deciding whether
to rush into danger is
search of victims. They
were heroes, disregarding
their own well-being
to help complete strangers,”
Councilman Francisco
Moya said. “They
did it because it had to
be done. Today, we recognize
that the city must
extend health insurance
to survivors of all city
employees, regardless of
their title, who died from
9/11-related illnesses.
We do it because it has
to be done.”
NE Queens students
get big boost for arts
BY JENNA BAGCAL
A northeast Queens
lawmaker announced the
expansion of cultural program
funding to two public
schools in the area.
This fall, P.S. 32 in Auburndale
and P.S. 209 in
Whitestone will be amongst
17 schools to receive funding
for CASA (Cultural
After School Adventures)
programs, according to
Councilman Paul Vallone’s
office.
City Council members
throughout the five boroughs
designate funds for
the arts initiatives, which
are then administered by
the Department of Cultural
Affairs. Since 2014, Vallone
raised funding from
$100,000 to $340,000, allowing
northeast Queens institutions
to provide unique
cultural education opportunities
to students.
“The CASA program,
which allows students to
participate in cultural
programming outside of
the classroom, provides
our students with exciting,
hands-on experiences that
broaden their horizons and
open their minds,” said
Vallone.
Through the CASA program,
P.S. 32 and P.S. 209
along with the other schools
will receive grant funding
and pair with an eligible
nonprofit community organization.
Over the course
of several months, students
engage in after-school arts
educational programming,
with a final performance
or event towards the end of
the school year.
During the 2018-19
school year, Vallone secured
CASA grant funding
for 15 schools, all of which
are participating in the
program this year.
“The funding that
CASA brings, especially
for a school like P.S. 159Q,
help us create a mutually
developed program that
will fund multiple residencies
that help support the
school’s efforts. The arts
can be a very powerful tool
in helping these special students
become successful in
their lives. A strong afterschool
program is essential
to a great school these days
and is strongly favored by
parents,” said Chris Forte,
education liaison for Marquis
Studio.
Below is a list of northeast
Queens schools and
nonprofits that will participate
in CASA programming
this year:
• TBD – P.S. 32Q
• TBD – P.S. 209Q
• Alley Pond Environmental
Center, Inc. – P.S. 31Q
• Conrad Poppenhusen Association
– P.S. 29Q
• Flushing Council on Culture
and the Arts – P.S. 184Q
and P.S. 193Q
• Magic Box Productions,
Inc. – J.H.S. 194Q
• Marquis Studios – P.S.
159Q and P.S. 94Q
• Midori Foundation, Inc. –
J.H.S. 67Q and P.S. 98Q
• Queens College Foundation,
Inc. – P.S. 129Q
• Queens Museum of Art –
BELL Academy
• Queens Theatre In The
Park, Inc. – P.S. 130Q and P.S.
169Q • Research Foundation of
the City University of New
York – J.H.S. 185Q
• Wildlife Conservation Society
– P.S. 79Q
The Tribute in Light in Lower Manhattan.
Photo via Getty Images
P.S. 31 partnered with the Alley Pond Environmental Center for
the CASA program Photo courtesy of Councilman Vallone’s office
Bill aims to insure 9/11
fi rst responder families
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