Council legislation that would require some private employers to provide health insurance to their workers took a step forward last week when it found a new supporter: Council Speaker Gifford Miller. Proponents of the Health Care Security Act (HCSA) brought the Speaker to an elegant Upper West Side synagogue, B’nai Jeshurun, to discuss the bill with the congregation and other community members. An attentive audience of 700 broke into whoops and applause when Miller declared for the first time publicly that he supports the bill, which already has 41 sponsors. Yet the mayoral hopeful wouldn’t commit to a timeline for bringing it to the floor, arguing that the bill needs to be carefully crafted to avoid litigation. That sent a disappointed ripple through the crowd, and a regal blonde in a suit took the mic. “This is a matter not of legality but of morality,” said Kathleen Peratis, a trial lawyer from the congregation. She pointed out that Miller had recently introduced council legislation that would hinder the mayor’s plans for a West Side Stadium, another bill likely to be tied up in court. “That did not stop you from doing the right thing and moving forward. So I’d like to ask you again, will you bring this bill to the council floor before you leave office?” Miller matter-of-factly replied that he doesn’t make promises he can’t keep, eliciting a round of boos.(T. McMillan)
[04/11/05]