Committee on Civil and Human Rights meeting
March 13, 2026, 11:30 AM
The Committee on Civil and Human Rights held its FY2027 preliminary budget hearing on the City Commission on Human Rights, the Equal Employment Practice Commission, the Mayor's Office of Equity and Racial Justice, and the Commission on Racial Equity. The committee took testimony and recorded no votes.
What was discussed
- Opening and swearing in for the Civil and Human Rights budget hearing Chair Sandy Nurse gaveled in the Committee on Civil and Human Rights' FY2027 preliminary budget hearing, beginning with the City Commission on Human Rights; committee counsel swore in the CCHR panel.
- Commissioner Christine Clarke's opening testimony for the Commission on Human Rights CCHR Commissioner Christine Clarke delivered opening testimony on the commission's FY2027 preliminary budget; Chair Nurse remarked on how quickly she read it.
- What is driving CCHR's vacancy rate, and are salaries to blame? Chair Nurse pressed on staffing; Deputy Commissioner Salazar said CCHR is now at 109 active employees with several more pending after the previous administration's two-for-one hiring freeze ended, that OMB has directed agencies to cut 50% of vacancies, that attorney positions have had the most
- How long are complaints taking, and how many CCHR cases are at OATH? Chair Nurse questioned caseload; Deputy Commissioner Carroll said the Law Enforcement Bureau has 70 lines with 49 people actively working, that current wait times are a couple of months, and that CCHR has about six cases at OATH - which Carroll cautioned often represent many people and broader
- How is CCHR staffing its disability-access (Project Equal Access) work? Council Member Shahana K. Hanif asked about accessibility work; Deputy Commissioner Carroll said the Project Equal Access team is small (about two to three people, including an intern) and largely dedicated to that project, and Commissioner Clarke committed to follow up with disability-related
- How is CCHR responding to federal rhetoric and reaching immigrant New Yorkers? Chair Nurse and Finance Chair Linda Lee asked about federal rhetoric and outreach; Commissioner Clarke described both concrete and broader messaging effects and said CCHR leverages partnerships to reach immigrant New Yorkers, while Deputy Commissioner Salazar gave a unit breakdown - 70 Law
- How does CCHR's YES Council youth program work, and how many decision-and-orders does it issue? Council Member Shaun Abreu asked about youth programming and adjudication; Commissioner Clarke said the fifth YES Council cohort held 371 youth-focused events, committed to follow up on cohort details and selection, and estimated CCHR issues roughly seven decision-and-orders a year (about seven last
- How is CCHR's discrimination testing program staffed and paid? Chair Nurse asked about the testing program; Deputy Commissioner Carroll said CCHR employs one full-time testing coordinator and three part-time testers, paid about $20.82 an hour for roughly 20 hours a week - which Nurse called too low - and that tests lead to a variety of enforcement actions, with
- How is CCHR handling the source-of-income voucher ruling and its complaint info line? Chair Nurse raised a recent voucher-discrimination ruling and the info line; Commissioner Clarke said the commission immediately received calls from complainants worried the ruling affected their vouchers and worked to clarify it, and Deputy Commissioner Carroll said about eight people staff intake
- Executive Director Pan's opening testimony for the Equal Employment Practice Commission Equal Employment Practice Commission Executive Director Pan delivered a shortened opening testimony on the EEPC's FY2027 preliminary budget, joined by Commissioner Okaro.
- Can EEPC survive on an $87,000 budget while OMB cuts a position? Chair Nurse pressed on the EEPC's tiny budget; Commissioner Okaro and Executive Director Pan said the commission has no vacancies (one role up for reappointment), that OMB is trying to cut its one position while EEPC seeks an exemption, and that its roughly $87,000 OTPS budget covers basics like a
- How many audits does EEPC complete, and what does its staffing and turnover look like? Chair Nurse and Council Member Shahana K. Hanif questioned audit capacity; Director Allsop said the audit unit has six lines and completed 35 audits in 2025 with 34 scheduled this year, that auditors are community coordinators starting around $60,000 (with considerable turnover, once down to a
- What did EEPC's Local Law 13 report find about workforce underrepresentation? Chair Nurse asked about the Local Law 13 underrepresentation findings; Director Ferri and Executive Director Pan said the data show personnel disparities relative to the city's diversity and that qualified, trained, civil-service-eligible candidates are ready but not being hired - pointing toward
- Commissioner Atta-Mensah's opening testimony for the Mayor's Office of Equity and Racial Justice MOERJ Commissioner Atta-Mensah delivered opening testimony on the office's FY2027 preliminary budget, joined by Deputy Commissioner Negash and Executive Director Forde.
- What are MOERJ's vacancies and savings, and when will the racial equity plan be released? Chair Nurse and Council Member Althea V. Stevens questioned staffing and deliverables; Commissioner Atta-Mensah said MOERJ has 12 vacancies, was not subject to the two-for-one freeze, has a Chief Savings Officer and must contribute savings, and is on track to release the racial equity plan within
- How does MOERJ's NYCHA food-business initiative work and how is it funded? Council Member Shahana K. Hanif asked about the food-business pathways initiative; Commissioner Atta-Mensah said it cost about $400,533 in FY25 and a little over $300,000 in FY26, and Deputy Commissioner Negash said MOERJ works directly with a division of NYCHA, invests in the program and partners
- How does the Unity Project and SYEP Pride serve LGBTQ youth? Council Member Shahana K. Hanif asked about LGBTQ youth programming; Commissioner Atta-Mensah said SYEP Pride is a program the Unity Project partners on while SYEP runs through DYCD, and Deputy Commissioner Negash said it serves youth ages 14 to 24, reached a little over 3,000 young people, and has
- How will MOERJ publicize the racial equity plan and support agency implementation? Chair Nurse asked about outreach and implementation; Commissioner Atta-Mensah and Deputy Commissioner Negash said MOERJ has a communications team planning robust social-media and external engagement (no dedicated outreach budget line yet), that grants run up to $92,000 per organization, and
- Executive Director Tigani's opening testimony for the Commission on Racial Equity Commission on Racial Equity Executive Director Tigani delivered opening testimony on CORE's FY2027 preliminary budget, joined by General Counsel Natelson.
- What staffing has CORE been denied, and what are its office launch costs? Chair Nurse asked about CORE's staffing and budget; Executive Director Tigani said several requested staffing lines were denied, that all 15 full-time roles are hired with one role pending, that CORE has a good relationship with its task force, and that it is still paying launch costs from last
Agenda
1 item
- T2026-1356 New York City Council Budget and Oversight Hearings on The Preliminary Budget for Fiscal Year 2027 The Preliminary Capital Plan for Fiscal Years 2027-2030, and The Fiscal 2026 Preliminary Mayor’s Management Report 11:30 a.m. City Commission on Human Rights 12:30 p.m. Equal Employment Practice Hearing Held by Committee