Testimony - October 2019
The Pivotal Impact of New York City’s Tourism EconomyIn this testimony before the NYC Council Committee on Economic Development, CUF executive director Jonathan Bowles details the growing impact of tourism on the city’s economy and highlights the challenges to sustaining this key economic sector.
Testimony - March 2019
A Call to Increase Support for New York City’s Growing and Diverse Older Adult PopulationIn this testimony before the NYC Council Committee on Aging, Christian González-Rivera, CUF's senior researcher, details the need for more support, matching the City's growing and diverse older adult population.
Testimony - March 2019
INVESTING IN PARKS TO BENEFIT NEW YORKERS FOR DECADES TO COMEIn this testimony before the NYC Council Committee on Parks and Recreation, Eli Dvorkin, CUF’s editorial and policy director, shares new data and findings about the city's aging parks infrastructure and outlines recommendations that urge new investment in parks maintenance and operations while developing additional revenue sources and addressing the broken capital construction process.
Testimony - November 2018
The Future of the Garment CenterIn this testimony before the New York City Council Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchises, CUF Executive Director Jonathan Bowles details his support for a more calibrated plan to preserve what’s left of the unique fashion ecosystem in Manhattan’s garment district.
Testimony - June 2018
Protecting NYC Students from Poorly Performing For-Profit CollegesIn this testimony before the NYC Department of Consumer Affairs, Matt Chaban, CUF's policy director, details how many for-profit colleges in the state leave students with a little education and huge debts they struggle to repay because they did not receive the education they were promised.
Testimony - February 2018
Fixing Healthcare Workers Commutes Can Improve Transit for All New YorkersIn this testimony before the MTA's Transit and Bus Committee, CUF policy director, Matt Chaban shares findings from a recent report on how healthcare workers have the worst public transit commutes of any New Yorkers, as well as ways the MTA can not only improve transportation for them but millions of other lower-income New Yorkers, as well.
Testimony - December 2017
New York State’s Excelsior Scholarship ShortcomingsIn this testimony before the New York State Assembly Committee on Higher Education, CUF's Senior Fellow for Economic Opportunity, Tom Hilliard, argues that the Excelsior Scholarship program has shortcomings that threaten to cripple its effectiveness, while offering little to help more college students graduate with a degree.
Testimony - November 2017
JFK’s Air Cargo Industry Provides a Runway to the Middle ClassIn this testimony before the New York City Council Committee on Economic Development, CUF's policy director, Matt Chaban, argues that the city, state, and Port Authority must address the woes of JFK's shrinking air cargo industry. Not just global commerce but thousands of good-paying jobs are at stake.
Testimony - April 2017
The Trump Travel Ban and New York’s EconomyIn this testimony before the New York City Council Committee on Economic Development, CUF's policy director, Matt Chaban, presents data from the Center's decades-long work documenting immigrants central role in New York's economy, and how the White House's travel ban and other policies might undermine this bedrock of the city.
Testimony - November 2016
How to Boost Disconnected YouthIn this testimony before the New York City Council Committee on Youth Services, CUF's senior researcher Christian Gonzalez-Rivera presents several recommendations from our Bridging the Disconnect study on how the city’s youth workforce development programs reach only a fraction of those in need of help.
Testimony - April 2016
Opportunities for Women Entrepreneurs in New York CityIn this testimony before NYC Council’s Committee on Economic Development, CUF’s Jonathan Bowles presents several recommendations from our Breaking Through report to support women entrepreneurs and the growth of women-owned businesses in New York City.
Testimony - March 2016
3 Ways to Support NYC’s Aging ImmigrantsIn this testimony before NYC Council’s Committee on Aging, CUF’s Christian González-Rivera presents three recommendations from our New Face of New York's Seniors report that the city should prioritize this budget cycle.
Testimony - January 2016
A promising start for NYC’s new approach to workforce developmentIn this testimony before NYC Council’s Committees on Economic Development, Small Business and Civil Service & Labor, CUF’s Christian González-Rivera analyzes the first year of the Career Pathways initiative, the city’s new and comprehensive approach to workforce development.
Testimony - December 2015
Addressing NYC’s Affordable Housing CrisisIn testimony submitted before the City Planning Commission, CUF's Jonathan Bowles argues in favor of Mayor de Blasio's affordable housing zoning amendments, saying that the shortage of affordable housing is a threat to the city’s continued economic growth and a barrier to elevating low-income New Yorkers into the middle class.
Testimony - September 2015
A New Approach to Funding Library ImprovementsWith the city’s public libraries facing a maintenance crisis, CUF executive director Jonathan Bowles says that policymakers should be open to innovative funding approaches. In testimony before the City Planning Commission, he argues in favor of a proposal to build a modern new branch library in Brooklyn Heights as part of a larger residential development. Under the proposal, the developer would also contribute around $50 million towards library improvements at branches across Brooklyn.
Testimony - August 2015
Better Libraries for BrooklynIn testimony before Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, CUF Researcher Jeanette Estima makes the case for redeveloping the Brooklyn Heights branch library. Not only will a new library better serve the neighborhood, it will also help address decades of deferred maintenance in branches throughout Brooklyn.
Testimony - May 2015
Mayor de Blasio’s 10-Year Capital Plan: Ambitious But InsufficientAt a time when so much of the city’s essential infrastructure is in need of repair and expansion, funding for New York's infrastructure projects is critical. In a May 2015 testimony before the City’s Committee on Finance, CUF executive director Jonathan Bowles presents new ideas for capital funding streams.
Testimony - February 2015
Leveraging Libraries in the 10-Year Capital PlanNow that the de Blasio Administration is breathing new life into the 10-year capital plan, public libraries have an important role to play. In testimony before the City Council’s Committees on Finance, Cultural Affairs & Libraries, CUF research director David Giles lays out what could be done.
Testimony - December 2014
A Long-Term Capital Plan to Transform NYC’s Branch LibrariesAt a December 2014 hearing before the New York City Council Committee on Cultural Affairs, Libraries and International Intergroup Relations, CUF Research Director David Giles argues that creating a long-term capital plan for New York’s libraries would not only address the staggering maintenance needs of the city’s 207 branches, but also equip libraries to further the agenda of the de Blasio administration and meet the needs of communities throughout all five boroughs.
Testimony - December 2014
A Call for Re-Examining New York’s Tuition Assistance ProgramCUF Research Associate Christian González-Rivera testified before the New York State Assembly’s Committee on Higher Education in December 2014 on how the state's Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) effectively bars thousands of part-time students from financial aid and gave recommendations for how TAP requirements could be modified to include more part-time students and increase their graduation rates.
