Name of Council Member: Jessica Lappin Name and Title of Person Completing Questionnaire:

2013 CITY COUNCIL HUMAN RIGHTS QUESTIONNAIRE

1. Many in the United States think of international affairs when they think of human rights. Our work emphasizes the applicability of the human rights framework here in the United States. Please share your thoughts on the domestic applicability of human rights, and discuss why human rights are important to you in the context of New York City and the City Council. New York City has long been a beacon of freedom and justice. We are an international city, and the rest of the nation, and world, takes note of what we do here. The New York City Council should play a role in promoting human rights in the five boroughs and beyond. As a member of the City Council, Ive proudly championed causes that promote civil rights, social justice, and economic empowerment. 2. Please share how you used your tenure in Council to advance human rights. During my nearly eight years on the City Council, Ive consistently fought for progressive causesfrom the DREAM Act to marriage equality. As co-Chair of the City Council Womens Caucus, Ive worked to protect reproductive rights, combat domestic violence and sex trafficking, and end gender discrimination. One of my proudest accomplishments was writing and passing a landmark law regulating crisis pregnancy centers--fake medical clinics that are actually fronts for antiabortion groups. I also helped launch the Clinic Access Project to protect patients and staff at reproductive health clinics. As Chair of the City Council Aging Committee, Ive worked to protect vulnerable, elderly New Yorkerssuccessfully saving 100 senior centers from closure and restoring funding for Meals on Wheels, elder abuse prevention, case management and other social safety net programs. A strong advocate of workers rights, Ive sponsored measures to raise the minimum wage, pr otect carwash employees, and provide New Yorkers with paid sick leave. Im also proud of my record of protecting tenant rights and expanding access to safe, affordable housing in our city. 3. Please list your top 3 legislative priorities for 2013. 1. The Community Safety Act (Intros 1079, 1080, 799, 801) I am co-sponsoring the Community Safety Act, a package of legislation to reform constitutionally-questionable stop and frisk practices by increasing oversight of the New York City Police Department (NYPD) and curbing discriminatory policing. 2. Banning Condoms as Evidence- I wrote a resolution (Res 710-2011) in support of state legislation to prohibit the use of condoms as evidence in prostitution cases. Currently, in New York State, police and

prosecutors can use the fact that a person is carrying condoms to prove that they are engaging in prostitution-related offenses. This policy has led to discrimination against LGBTQ New Yorkers. Condoms are critical to the fight against HIV/AIDS and we should not discourage New Yorkers from carrying them. 3. Protecting Carwash Workers- In response to reports of labor violations at several carwashes in New York City, I am co-sponsoring legislation to protect carwash employees by requiring these businesses to be licensed (Intro 852-2012). This means that carwash owners will have to prove they are providing workers compensation, unemployment and disability benefits. 4. Please list your top three budget priorities of 2013. 1. Helped secure funding for 4,000 full day Pre-kindergarten seats, and protected funding for the Out-of-School Time and NYCHA Cornerstone afterschool programs. 2. As Chair of the City Council Aging Committee, successfully led efforts to prevent the closure of 38 NYCHA senior centers throughout the five boroughs. 3. Led the charge to restore city funding for case management and elder abuse programs in this years budget, to protect vulnerable, older New Yorkers. 5. Have you used participatory budgeting to allocate your discretionary funds? Why or why not? Participatory budgeting is a great way to give communities a meaningful say in the budget process, and several council members have successfully used it to allocate capital funding for neighborhood projects. While my office has not used participatory budgeting, I am open to doing so in the future. Another positive model for increasing budget transparency is Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringers independent screening panel process for community grants. These independent panels bring together experts in the non-profit world, City Council members and community leaders to make recommendations on the Borough Presidents discretionary funding for programs and services. Ive participated in these panels, and would use a similar system for allocating expense funding in the future. 6. Please list recent legislation in Council that you believe promotes human rights. Every year, hundreds of thousands of innocent New Yorkers are stopped and frisked in violation of their civil rights. I am co-sponsoring the Community Safety Act to curb unconstitutional and discriminatory policing. Protecting immigrants is also promoting human rights in our city. I co-sponsored a law, which the City Council passed this year, to reduce unnecessary immigrant deportations by preventing the Department of Corrections from detaining non-criminals and turning them over to Immigration Customs and Enforcement. The right to make a decent living is another important human right. Im the second sponsor of the Paid Sick Leave Law, which will allow one million New Yorkers to take time off from work if they or their families are sick. Ive also supported prevailing and living wage laws, to ensure that companies benefiting from city subsidies are paying their workers fair wages.

7. Legislation is only one of many ways in which Council Members can work to advance human rights. What ways other than through legislation have you advanced the human rights of New Yorkers as a City Council Member? In addition to legislation, Council Members can promote human rights by using the bully pulpit to draw addition to important issues, and by securing funding for programs that protect the most vulnerable. A vocal supporter of LGBTQ rights, Ive lobbied the state to pass GENDA and marriage equality, marched against hate crimes, and secured funding for city homeless youth services. Ive advocated for the DREAM Act, comprehensive immigration reform, and other measures that protect immigrants. To improve our citys justice system, Ive helped secure funding for alternatives to incarceration programs, community courts, and ex-offender reentry programs. As Chair of the Aging Committee, Ive held hearings on issues affecting vulnerable seniors, including the harassment of elderly tenants and the Senior Citizen Rent Increase Exemption (SCRIE) program. 8. Some advocates contend that the position of the Council Speaker has too much power over the progression of legislation. Please use this space to respond to that critique. The New York City Council should continue exploring ways to make the legislative process more open and inclusionary. For more information, please visit www.urbanjustice.org.