New York City Council · Sep 24, 2026 · 5 minutes
The committee considered Resolution 142A, which urges New York State to establish a Center for Fatherhood Initiative, and heard remarks describing potential family and youth benefits and support services for fathers. The committee adopted the resolution by roll-call vote, with three affirmative votes, none negative, and no abstentions.
The meeting was welcomed as a committee vote; attendees were asked to silence electronic devices and not approach the dais, and the chair was invited to begin.
Good morning and welcome to today's New York City Council vote for the Committee on Children and Youth. At this time, we please ask that you silence all electronic devices. At no point in time is anyone to approach the front dais. Chair, you may begin.
Chair Valtia Stephens welcomed attendees, identified Resolution 142A as the subject of the committee vote, and acknowledged colleagues present.
Good morning. I'm Councilmember Valtia Stephens, Chair of New York City Council on Committee on Children and Youth. Thanks for joining us. Um, this morning for our committee vote on proposed Resolution, um, Number 142A. Um, special shout out to my colleagues who are here on time, Councilmember Felder and Councilmember Joseph. So we are starting expeditiously and really about that.
Stephens described the resolution’s call for a state fatherhood initiative, citing claimed benefits of involved fathers and barriers some fathers face. She expressed hope that the proposed office would provide resources to strengthen families and communities.
Um, but back to this resolution, Resolution 142A, sponsored by my colleague Kevin Riley. This resolution calls for New York State to pass and for the governor to sign legislation that would establish the Center for Fatherhood Initiative under the Office of Children and Family Services. I have spent much of my career in the provider space, directing— directly serving young people and families in my community.
In that work, I have seen firsthand the connection between strong potential involvement and positive youth development outcomes. Research supports that this— that children whose fathers are engaged, present, and active in their lives experience positive youth development outcomes. This benefit includes strong cognitive and behavioral development, self-esteem, high self-esteem, and improved academic performance. Yet many fathers face systemic barriers that prevent them from fully engaging in their children's lives.
This is particularly true for those who are co-parenting or noncustodial parents, those who are incarcerated or undergoing reentry, and young teen fathers. New fathers often have few resources to turn To turn to in very moments where they require the most support in their journey as new parents. I'm glad that this resolution is being brought to a vote in our committee today.
I am hopeful that this new state office will provide a critical resource necessary to strengthen family dynamics and build community. I'd like to thank committee staff for their hard work in preparing for this vote and extend an excited excellent team back in District 16, and thanks to the excellent team back in District 16.
Stephens delivered Riley’s remarks supporting a dedicated fatherhood resource center, recognized state lawmakers advocating for it, and described potential services including mentoring, job training, and parent support.
I've also been asked to deliver remarks on behalf of Councilmember Riley, who is unable to join us today. Thank you, Chair Stevens. That would be me. You're welcome, Councilmember Riley. I want to give you my gratitude to the committee for elevating Resolution 142, this request that New York State establish dedicated resource center for fathers. I'm excited to see this bill come to a vote at the council.
I'm encouraged to see the conversation continue in Albany, and I want to thank Senator Bailey and Assemblymember Diaz for their leadership as they continue to advocate for this program to come across the finish line in the state. Just a special shout out to Assemblymember Diaz. He's one of my assembly members. Look at him. As a son and a father now, I have come to understand that the father Fathers often navigate difficult social barriers than mothers and do not always have inherited knowledge of the services available for them and their children.
Fathers certainly can benefit from tools to be involved and support their children's lives. Those centers will offer statewide support for areas such as mentoring, job training, parent supports, truly helping fathers overcome barriers and strengthening families. This resolution is a great step towards fostering healthier, communities and a more resilient city. Thank you to all my colleagues who have supported this legislation and Elizabeth Arts with the Legislative Division who helped to ensure that the resolution acknowledged the future positive outcome of this proposal.
And with that, I conclude— I end that with conclusion of both my remarks for Councilmember Riley, and I will now turn it over to the clerk for call the roll.
The clerk conducted the roll-call vote. The committee recorded three affirmative votes, no negative votes, and no abstentions; the resolution was adopted and the vote was closed.
Roll call. I— Ben Jacobs, committee clerk. Roll call vote on Resolution 142A. Chair Stevens? Aye. Councilmember Joseph? Aye. Councilmember Ose? Councilmember Williams? Councilmember Felder? Aye. With a vote of 3 in the affirmative, none in the negative, and no abstentions, the item is adopted. The vote is closed.
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