New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin and council members are preparing for a possible override vote on a “buffer zone” bill vetoed by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, though the vote is not yet scheduled, according to her office.
Jack Lobel, Menin’s deputy press secretary, denied reports that the council would vote on the measure, which aims to shield educational institutions from disruptive protests, on May 14.
“Speaker Menin is engaging in conversations with council colleagues about Int. 175-B, and that member-driven process will determine next steps,” Lobel told JNS.
Mamdani rejected the legislation on April 24 after it passed the council 30-19, short of the veto-proof majority needed for an override. The mayor said the bill’s definition of educational institutions was overly broad and warned it could raise constitutional concerns involving free speech and protest rights.
The measure would require the NYPD to establish plans for managing protests near educational facilities. It was part of a broader package advanced by Menin following anti-Israel demonstrations outside synagogues and Jewish institutions in New York City.
Mamdani allowed a separate measure concerning houses of worship to become law without his signature after it passed with a veto-proof majority.
Opposition to Int. 175-B has intensified since the veto. A coalition of 13 unions urged the council to sustain Mamdani’s decision, while the New York City chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America is encouraging its members to pressure the council to uphold the veto, arguing the bill “represents a clear attempt to silence the Palestinian solidarity movement.”
Under council rules, lawmakers can override a mayoral veto with a two-thirds vote. In the 51-member council, that would require 34 votes.
