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Public comments

  • Letter From 60+ Organizations on Funding for Community Controlled Housing

    Dear Governor Kathy Hochul, Senate Majority Leader Stewart-Cousins, Speaker Heastie, Senator Kavanagh, Senator Krueger, Assemblymember Pretlow, and Assemblymember Rosenthal: We are grateful that the Governor and both Houses have maintained funding in the Executive Budget and One-House Resolutions for Community Land Trusts (CLTs)—including $1.5M in the Community Controlled Affordable Housing fund (CCAH) and $1M in…

  • Testimony Before the NYS Senate Committees on Codes And Consumer Protection, on White Collar Crime

    Honorable Chairs Myrie and May, and Members of the Committees, thank you for the opportunity to testify. My name is Andy Morrison, and I am the Associate Director of New Economy Project, a 30-year-old New York City-based economic justice organization that works with community groups to build an economy that works for all—based on cooperation,…

  • Memorandum in Opposition to A.10133-A

    New Economy Project respectfully submits this memorandum in opposition to A.10133-A. This bill was introduced only recently, and it is our understanding that it is not yet on the radar of many consumer and financial justice advocates or regulators. Given the complexity of the issues involved and the potential consequences for New York’s usury and…

  • Testimony Before the NYS Senate Codes Committee, in Support of the STOP Act

    We are deeply concerned about the rapid proliferation of so-called “Earned Wage Access” or EWA companies pushing illegal and highly extractive loan products in violation of New York’s usury laws. Our coalition urges the Legislature to pass the Stop Taking Our Pay Act or the STOP Act (S9839-Brouk; A9644-Raga), in this year’s state budget. This…

  • Statement on the City Council’s Enactment of Land Bank and Lien Sale Legislation

    We applaud the City Council for overriding former Mayor Eric Adams’ veto of four critical bills that will create and preserve urgently needed affordable housing, as well as community and commercial spaces, across New York City.

  • Testimony Before the NYS Senate Committee on Internet and Technology, on the Use of AI

    Our testimony today focuses on the New York Artificial Intelligence Act (S1169A) which would create a long-overdue regulatory framework for use of artificial intelligence systems by banking, insurance, human resources, and other industries making consequential decisions that affect people’s economic and civil rights.

  • Statement on Mayor Adams’ Veto of the Community Opportunity to Purchase Act

    In one of his final acts as Mayor, Eric Adams chose to side with the real estate lobby over tenants and working-class communities, vetoing the Community Opportunity to Purchase Act (COPA), a bill his own housing agency helped shape. This brazenly reckless action will exacerbate New York City’s deepening housing and affordability crisis.

  • Statement From Coalition Of 200+ Community And Affordable Housing Organizations On Passage Of The Community Opportunity To Purchase Act (COPA)

    We applaud the City Council for passing Int. 902-B, the Community Opportunity to Purchase Act (COPA), following years of public discussion and technical development with affordable housing developers and experts, tenant organizations, and the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development, among other stakeholders.

  • Statement on Passage of the FAIR Business Practices Act

    “New Economy Project is deeply dismayed that Albany caved to the business lobby and passed a watered-down version of the FAIR Business Practices Act. At a time when the Trump administration continues to dismantle vital federal consumer protections, New York had the opportunity to lead—but Albany once again failed to meet the moment.

  • Testimony Before the NYC Council Committee on Housing and Buildings, in Support of the Community Land Act

    More than 20 CLTs are organizing across the five boroughs—up from just two CLTs a decade ago. Through CLTs, communities collectively own and steward land, ensuring it is used for permanently affordable housing and other critical needs. CLTs are a flexible, proven model to protect public subsidy in affordable housing and advance neighborhood-led development without…

  • Letter to Governor Hochul on Payday Loan Apps’ Usurious Rates

    We write to bring to your immediate attention the alarming rise of payday loan apps that exploit working New Yorkers, extracting over half a billion dollars in predatory fees from their paychecks since 2019, according to a New Economy Project analysis (see attached).

  • Memorandum in Opposition to S3332 (Cooney)/A258 (Vanel)

    New Economy Project vehemently opposes S3332/A258, a blatant attempt to eviscerate New York’s usury laws and sanction predatory lending under the sham pretense of regulating so-called earned wage access (EWA) services. This bill is a gift to Big Tech predators, weakening longstanding consumer and worker protections and opening the floodgates to a new breed of…