Council Takes Agenda to Washington

By GRACE RAUH, Staff Reporter of the Sun | September 17, 2007

Securing money for the health needs of rescue workers and other responders at the World Trade Center site on and after September 11, 2001, is the City Council's top legislative priority when it travels to Washington today to lobby for its federal agenda.

The council delegation, led by Speaker Christine Quinn, is scheduled to meet with the speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, members of the New York congressional delegation, the president and CEO of the National Housing Conference, Conrad Egan, and Senator Stabenow, a Democrat of Michigan who is chairwoman of the Senate's Democratic Steering and Outreach Committee.

Rep. Joseph Crowley, a Democrat who represents parts of the Bronx and Queens, is hosting a reception tonight for the delegation, expected to include 24 council members.

It is the first time Ms. Quinn is traveling to Washington with a delegation to roll out the council's federal agenda. The trip is paid for with public money that comes from each council member's individual budget. Members make their own travel and accommodation arrangements. Ms. Quinn is expected to be staying at a Holiday Inn.

Other council priorities include calling for an increasing number of children to be provided health care coverage in New York and asking Congress to pass legislation that will fully fund the federal housing voucher program known as Section 8.

Ms. Quinn laid the groundwork for tomorrow's meeting with Ms. Pelosi last week, when the speaker of the House visited City Hall to appear alongside Mayor Bloomberg at a press conference.

Ms. Quinn said she spoke to Ms. Pelosi about the meeting and "had the fun of, speaker and speaker, walking into the building together."

Ms. Quinn said at the time she and Ms. Pelosi talked about the council's middle school initiative and efforts to enroll more women in health insurance programs and encourage women to become "engaged in their health care."

Ms. Quinn also noted that she and Ms. Pelosi were each sworn in to their positions on January 4.

"Me first, not that I'm harping on that, and her the following year," Ms. Quinn said. "We've decided if there are any women out there who want to place a bet or something like that, January 4th is a very lucky day for women."