I authored a new law (A.8632) which Governor Pataki signed, designed to deter solicitors from posting flyers on car windshields in New York City. City Councilman David Yassky and I worked together to amend the Vehicle and Traffic Law to provide for the enforcement of this offense.

This bill aims to enforce the existing penalty for posting unsolicited material on automobiles by allowing sanitation and police officers to fine the authors of the flyers as well as the distributors. Under the previous law, only a person caught by an officer of the police department in the act of posting a handbill could be punished.

I believe that at a time when the City is stepping up its enforcement of quality of life violations, we should be penalizing people for the most annoying offenses, like handbills left on cars, rather than penalizing pregnant women for sitting in subway stations. These handbills stick to windshields, litter our streets, and are a general nuisance to everyone. There are certainly better, more effective ways to advertise. We have finally created the mechanism to fine those individuals responsible for leaving advertisements on our cars. I hope that this law makes individuals and companies think twice before employing this method of advertisement.

The Mayor issued an executive order on September 8, 2003, allowing for the Sanitation Department and the Police Department to issue summonses and presume that “the person whose name, telephone number or other identifying information” on an advertisement is responsible for its distribution.

At the eleventh hour, when it looked as if our legislative session would close without desperately needed rent protections, the State Legislature renewed rent regulations. Protecting tenants’ rights has always been one of my top priorities and preserving these laws, which dictate how much rents can be raised in a year and how quickly, became one of my top legislative priorities. Everyone in their existing apartments will remain protected and be able to renew their regulated leases. I can assure you that I will continue to push to strengthen our rent regulation laws in the future, including our loft laws, which were ignored in the most recent legislation.

I was pleased to sponsor a bill with Assemblymember Lentol that was signed into law this summer, increasing fines for truck drivers who violate existing truck routes. Under this new law, truck drivers will be penalized a minimum of $200 for a first violation. It is about time that we take substantive steps to lessen the truck load on our local streets. Trucks come barreling down our roads and destroy the foundations of our brownstone homes. They speed through our neighborhoods and create dangerous conditions for residents. The emissions from the truck traffic pollute the air our children breathe and contribute to the high asthma rates throughout our city.

I believe this law is a huge step in the right direction, but one action alone won’t solve this enormous problem. This past July, I testified at a Department of Transportation hearing regarding its recent study to redraw the city’s truck routes. While I applaud the DOT’s efforts to examine ways to mitigate the truck impacts on our neighborhoods, I will also continue to advocate for reinstituting the two-direction tolls on the Verrazano Bridge. We must also work toward building a tunnel to replace the deteriorating Gowanus Expressway and continue to work towards the creation of a cross-harbor freight tunnel.

Assemblywoman Millman denounced the firehouse closings at a press conference this past summer, and discussed the unanimous resolution passed in the State Assembly opposing the closings.

Since the Bloomberg administration first announced the impending closure of Engine Company 204, I joined the Carroll Gardens and Cobble Hill communities in actively protesting this misguided attempt to save money in the City’s budget, which would compromise the safety and security of our neighborhood. On Sunday, May 25th I sent a strong message to the Mayor by demonstrating with Councilmember de Blasio and community activists, as the doors to Engine Company 204 shut. I protested for three and a half hours, engaging in acts of civil disobedience in front of and inside EC 204 to demonstrate our community’s steadfast opposition to the closing of Cobble Hill and Carroll Garden’s only firehouse. For these actions, all 12 of us were arrested. When we appeared at the Red Hook Justice Center on July 14th, ably represented by Kenneth Thompson of Thompson, Wigdor and Gilly, the judge recognized that our acts of civil disobedience were in the greater interest of justice and issued us “adjournments in contemplation of dismissal.” We are continuing to work behind the scenes to reopen the six closed firehouses to ensure the safety and security of all New Yorkers.

Millman speaks with local students outside her office about her role in the community as an Assemblywoman.

I am proud to have taken an active role in an effort to reinvigorate and renew enthusiasm for P.S. 8 in Brooklyn Heights. P.S. 8 is now implementing the new reading, writing and math curriculum with first rate teachers and administrators in a creative, supportive environment for our children to learn. Seth Phillips, the new, dynamic principal of P.S. 8, has taken over the reigns and is overseeing the reorganization of the school. I am working closely with Principal Phillips and Region 8 Superintendent Carmen Farina, to insure that wise investments are made in our children’s success at P.S. 8.

In my ongoing commitment to quality education, I have secured $50,000 in capital funding for P.S. 8 to construct a new science laboratory. In the new laboratory, students will employ the inquiry method, using a hands-on approach to discover the world of science.