Page 8 - QT CURRENT EDITION #40

AGE 8 THE QUEENS TIMES THURSDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2024

Mayor Adams Launches New Program To Help Affordable Assemblywoman Nily Rozic Visits P.S.
Housing Projects Go Green, Save Green 390Q’s New Interactive Floor Projector

Innovative Program Reinvests crisis requires all of us; participa- CEJ) Executive Director Elijah (Continued from page 6) enue and 214th street in Bayside
Proceeds from Carbon Offset tion must be within everyone’s Hutchinson. “This will improve Hills and offers classes from
Purchases to Help Affordable financial reach,” said Deputy air quality, create jobs, and create a technology will inspire learning Pre-Kindergarten through Grade
Housing Developments Afford Mayor for Operations Meera Joshi. greener and more equitable future through play, foster creativity, 5. Additional community invest-
Resiliency, Decarbonization “With the GreenHOUSE program, for the New Yorkers of today and and promote physical activity for ments recently announced by
Projects we are making real inroads on the tomorrow. The new affordable children of all abilities. Assem- Rozic include two $250,000 grants
Administration Calls on City affordability challenge of emis- housing resource should be ampli- blywoman Rozc’s commitment for Flushing schools P.S.24 and
Council to Enable J-51 Tax sions reduction mandates — not fied by other resources and tools to education continues to have a P.S.120 for auditorium upgrades
Incentive to Help Co-Op and with federal underwriting or — specifically, the City Coun- lasting impact on our community, and a new security system, respec-
Condo Owners Afford Emis- an expensive, taxpayer-funded cil must pass the J-51 property and we are proud to partner with tively, as well as a $50,000 com-
sion Reduction Projects program, but simply by helping tax abatement, which will bring her in creating a brighter future munity program grant to Asian
one another, an idea as clever as funding to improve buildings that for our leaders.” Americans for Equality, also in
New York City Mayor Eric it is simple. The true renewable house low- and middle-income P.S. 390 is located on 56th Av- Flushing.
Adams today created a new resources in New York are our New Yorkers, work that also can
fund, the GreenHOUSE Fund, collaboration and innovation, and reduce pollution and lower energy Attorney General James And U.S.
to help building owners com- I look forward to this scaling to bills.” Attorney Peace Secure Over $17 Million
ply with Local Law 97 while make New York City the greenest Under DOB’s pending rule
directing critical resources to big city in America.” — and as directed by Local Law From Home Health Agencies For Cheat-
help rent-regulated apartment “Our administration is com- 97 — offset certificates will be
buildings and low-income co- mitted to housing that’s affordable available for property owners ing Workers And Defrauding Medicaid
ops afford emissions reduction and sustainable,” said Deputy to purchase in advance of the In Landmark Wage Parity Agreement
projects. The law — passed by Mayor for Housing, Economic compliance reporting deadline in
the New York City Council in Development, and Workforce May 2025. They will cost $268 (Continued from page 3) paid wages and benefits. Edison
2019 — sets increasingly strin- Maria Torres-Springer. “The per ton of carbon emissions, the and Preferred will also revise
gent emissions limits for large GreenHOUSE Fund is an innova- same cost as the penalty imposed sick or homebound patients, doing company policies and procedures,
buildings in New York City tive approach to advancing our for not meeting emissions limits, everything from bathing, dress- train personnel on updated poli-
but allows those buildings to decarbonization goals while sup- and through the GreenHOUSE ing, and grooming to feeding, lift- cies subject to OAG’s approval,
purchase offset certificates for porting affordable housing proj- Fund are earmarked for efficiency ing, and transporting patients who and regularly report staff wages
10 percent of those limits (effec- ects. I want to thank our partners improvements at affordable hous- cannot do so themselves. Home and policy implementations to
tively, paying for decarboniza- across the administration for their ing developments across New health aides work long hours and OAG for a period of three years. If
tion efforts in other buildings). commitment to building a greener York City. The fund will flow at times can be subject to emotion- Edison and Preferred fail to com-
This fund — created through a and more affordable city.” through the Resilient & Equitable ally taxing treatment from patients ply with these terms or properly
rule set to be proposed shortly “Most building stakeholders Decarbonization Initiative, a joint struggling with their physical and compensate its aides, OAG has
by the New York City Depart- will be able to comply in this first HPD-New York state Energy Re- mental health. The New York the authority to bring a civil action
ment of Buildings (DOB) — will compliance period, but for those search and Development Author- Wage Parity Act was created to against the agency and demand
take the proceeds from those who are just slightly over their ity initiative which already has a ensure home health aides receive additional damages.
offset purchases and direct them limits, the offsets will provide a significant pipeline of affordable fair compensation and benefits for Edison and Preferred will also
towards decarbonizing and significant benefit to help them housing locations that are ready their hard work. pay $9.75 million to the Medicaid
electrifying affordable housing avoid penalties, support carbon and willing to start building ret- The Wage Parity Act sets Program, of which $5.85 million
developments that wouldn’t reduction in affordable housing, rofits. wage and benefit minimums that will go to New York state. The
otherwise be able to afford them. and allow them to continue plan- The proposed rule was informed LHCSAs are required to pay to remaining $3.9 million will be
This will also improve air qual- ning for deeper reductions for by a Local Law 97 advisory board, staff who perform home health paid to the federal government.
ity in disadvantaged communi- 2030 and beyond,” said New York convened by the city and staffed aide and personal care services The OAG and EDNY com-
ties with disproportionately high City Department of Environmen- with volunteer stakeholders, in- to Medicaid recipients. Under the menced these investigations after
asthma rates and will move the tal Protection Commissioner and cluding architects, engineers, current law, LHCSAs must pay whistleblowers filed a complaint
city and state closer to achiev- New York City Chief Climate Of- property owners, business leaders, workers in New York City and under the qui tam provisions of
ing their respective emissions ficer Rohit T. Aggarwala. “This public utilities, environmental Nassau, Suffolk, and Westchester the New York False Claims Act
reduction and equity goals. fund is another resource the Ad- justice advocates, and tenant counties a base wage of $18.55 per and the federal False Claims Act
Additionally, Mayor Adams ams administration is providing to advocates. Since the law was hour plus an additional $1.67 (in in the U.S. District Court for the
has called on the New York help buildings achieve Local Law first passed in 2019, the city has Nassau, Suffolk, and Westchester) Eastern District of New York.
City Council to enact the J-51 97 mobilization under the city’s conducted extensive outreach to or $2.54 (in New York City). The The New York False Claims Act
housing quality tax incentive world-leading Climate Mobiliza- property owners, including hold- additional amount per hour can be allows individuals to file actions
program — passed this year by tion Act.” ing hundreds of information ses- paid in cash wages or in benefits on behalf of the government and
the New York state Legislature, “The creation of the Green- sions online and in-person across such as paid vacation time. In or- share in any recovery. The state
with Mayor Adams’ support, HOUSE Fund in our latest pro- the five boroughs, provided free der for LHCSAs to get Medicaid has since filed a notice of interven-
and signed into law by New posed rule provides needed sup- wrap-around technical support, reimbursements for home care tion against Edison and Preferred
York Governor Kathy Hochul port for building owners as they and developed PACE financing to services provided to Medicaid for the purposes of settling its
— and to allow buildings to use work towards compliance with fund decarbonization work. recipients, they must comply with Medicaid fraud claims.
it to cover Local Law 97 com- their emissions limits,” said DOB Under the Adams administra- these minimum wage and benefit Attorney General James thanks
pliance costs. This creative ap- Commissioner Jimmy Oddo. “By tion, rulemaking at DOB has con- requirements. U.S. Attorney Peace and EDNY
proach would devote significant working across agencies, this in- tinued with an eye towards helping The joint OAG and EDNY for their collaboration on this
city resources to help low- and novative program will help reduce building owners reduce emissions. investigation found that Edison matter.
moderate-income multifam- carbon emissions from our city, Last September, Mayor Adams and Preferred failed to pay their New York MFCU’s total funding
ily buildings, including many while simultaneously upgrading launched “Getting 97 Done,” a home health aides the full benefits for federal fiscal year (FY) 2024
moderate-income co-ops and building systems in our affordable comprehensive plan to mobilize owed to them under the Wage is $68,997,928. Of that total,
condos outside of Manhattan, housing stock.” the city’s large buildings to reduce Parity Act. Edison and Preferred 75 percent, or $51,748,448, is
afford the emissions reduction “From the Green Fast Track their emissions. The plan includes used the wage parity funds re- awarded under a grant from the
projects that they’d need to to today’s announcement of the four key elements: identifying quired by law to benefit aides to U.S. Department of Health and
implement to meet their Local GreenHOUSE Fund, our admin- and targeting city, state, federal, instead purchase medical “stop Human Services. The remain-
Law 97 targets. istration continues its momentum and utility-based financing and loss” insurance, which is a type ing 25 percent of the approved
“Our buildings produce 70 in addressing the housing and funding for upgrades; providing of insurance that acts as a safety grant – totaling $17,249,480 for
percent of New York City’s climate crises,” said New York buildings with needed technical net for employers that are pay- FY 2024 – is funded by New York
emissions, which is why we’re City Executive Director for Hous- advice, implementing key enforce- ing for their employees’ medical state. Through its recoveries in
laser-focused on helping build- ing Leila Bozorg. “New Yorkers ment mechanisms via a DOB rule claims. The joint investigation law enforcement actions, MFCU
ings electrify, decarbonize, deserve safe, quality, affordable package; and decarbonizing cen- also revealed that individuals regularly returns more to the state
and move forward into the housing in environments where tral systems in partnership with and entities related to Edison and than it receives in state funding.
future,” said Mayor Adams. they don’t have to worry about air New York state. Preferred received millions of This matter was handled for
“But we can’t leave anyone quality and asthma. I look forward Building owners who need dollars in dividend payments from MFCU by Special Assistant At-
behind — particularly our af- to City Council passing J-51 so guidance on how to comply with this “stop loss” insurance, which torney General Jill D. Brenner
fordable housing developments, that we can get the full force of the new regulations should reach effectively served as a means of under the supervision of MFCU
which often are located in dis- our decarbonization tools and out to the “NYC Accelerator,” a siphoning away funds intended for Civil Enforcement Division Chief
advantaged neighborhoods with improve the lives of New Yorkers MOCEJ program which provides employees. Edison and Preferred Alee N. Scott. The case was
high asthma rates. That’s why in need of affordable and sustain- technical one-on-one assistance then continued to seek and receive investigated by Senior Auditor-
we’re launching our new Green- able housing.” to property owners, helps them payments from Medicaid for care Investigator Khristian Diaz under
HOUSE Fund, to make it more “A just transition brings every- apply for available financing and performed by home health aides, the supervision of Regional Chief
affordable to go green and save one along in the crucial work of incentive programs, and connects while falsely representing that Auditor Stacey Millis. MFCU is
green. We’re making sure that decarbonizing buildings and these them with sustainability profes- they were in compliance with the led by Director Amy Held and As-
we don’t leave anyone behind as offsets will provide affordable sionals to start retrofit projects. Wage Parity Act. sistant Deputy Attorney General
we build a greener, cleaner city housing a critical new resource,” Since the beginning of the Adams Edison and Preferred will Paul J. Mahoney. MFCU is a part
for working-class New Yorkers.” said Mayor’s Office of Climate repay $7.5 million to current and
“Responding to the climate and Environmental Justice (MO- (Continued on page 9) former home health aides for un- (Continued on page 9)