City Council Stated Meeting

This bill would require the Department of Correction to inform persons in custody how much money remains in their commissary account and return all unused commissary funds, in cash, prior to an individual leaving the department’s custody.

This bill would require the Commissioner of Social Services (Commissioner) to create a streamlined process for individuals to enroll in fair fares. The system would provide an option for eligible individuals to consent to the use of information provided in such individual’s application for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or cash assistance for the purpose of enrollment in fair fares. The bill would also require the Commissioner to notify eligible individuals about this streamlined process. Additionally, the bill would require the Commissioner to make best efforts to establish an agreement with the New York State Office of Temporary Disability Assistance and other relevant state agencies to obtain information necessary to notify additional individuals who may be eligible for fair fares, and to report to the Council about such efforts. The bill would also require the Commissioner to report to the Council annually about enrollment and usage of the fair fares program. Finally, the bill would require the Commissioner to study the feasibility of establishing automatic enrollment in all city-administered benefits programs.

This bill would extend the J-51 tax abatement for certain alterations or improvements to include projects completed on or after June 30, 2026 and before June 30, 2036. Condos and coops where the average assessed valuation is under $60,000 per dwelling unit (adjusted annually for inflation) would be eligible for the abatement. Rental buildings (i) where more than half the units are affordable, (ii) that are operated by limited-profit housing companies, or (iii) that receive substantial governmental assistance would also be eligible. The owner of an eligible building would be able to recover, over a period of 20 years, up to 100% of the reasonable cost of the work. HPD would establish and regularly update a certified reasonable cost schedule. This bill would provide for tenant protections, including the possibility of a revocation of benefits if an owner fails to comply. This bill would also require HPD to report on the implementation of the program.

This bill would repeal certain building setback restrictions along Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn from Ralph Avenue to Bushwick Avenue.

This bill would require the Department of Correction to inform persons in custody how much money remains in their commissary account and return all unused commissary funds, in cash, prior to an individual leaving the department’s custody.

This bill would require the Commissioner of Social Services (Commissioner) to create a streamlined process for individuals to enroll in fair fares. The system would provide an option for eligible individuals to consent to the use of information provided in such individual’s application for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or cash assistance for the purpose of enrollment in fair fares. The bill would also require the Commissioner to notify eligible individuals about this streamlined process. Additionally, the bill would require the Commissioner to make best efforts to establish an agreement with the New York State Office of Temporary Disability Assistance and other relevant state agencies to obtain information necessary to notify additional individuals who may be eligible for fair fares, and to report to the Council about such efforts. The bill would also require the Commissioner to report to the Council annually about enrollment and usage of the fair fares program. Finally, the bill would require the Commissioner to study the feasibility of establishing automatic enrollment in all city-administered benefits programs.

This bill would extend the J-51 tax abatement for certain alterations or improvements to include projects completed on or after June 30, 2026 and before June 30, 2036. Condos and coops where the average assessed valuation is under $60,000 per dwelling unit (adjusted annually for inflation) would be eligible for the abatement. Rental buildings (i) where more than half the units are affordable, (ii) that are operated by limited-profit housing companies, or (iii) that receive substantial governmental assistance would also be eligible. The owner of an eligible building would be able to recover, over a period of 20 years, up to 100% of the reasonable cost of the work. HPD would establish and regularly update a certified reasonable cost schedule. This bill would provide for tenant protections, including the possibility of a revocation of benefits if an owner fails to comply. This bill would also require HPD to report on the implementation of the program.

This bill would repeal certain building setback restrictions along Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn from Ralph Avenue to Bushwick Avenue.

This bill would require delivery services to submit twenty-four months of historical trip data to the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (“DCWP”). DCWP would be required to study the ways in which delivery services affect street safety. The bill would allow DCWP to use delivery services’ historical and on-going trip data, along with traffic data, street data, and other sources to inform this study. Based on the findings of this study, DCWP would be required to promulgate rules relating to safe delivery requirements.

This bill would require the Commissioner of Transportation to establish a 2-year low traffic neighborhood pilot program to direct traffic away from residential areas. The program would involve installation of at least 2 traffic calming devices in 5 neighborhood tabulation areas across at least 3 boroughs. The Commissioner must solicit input regarding installation from all community boards in the neighborhood tabulation areas. Also, the Commissioner would have to study, in part, the number of vehicular crashes and noise levels in the neighborhood tabulation areas, and make recommendations regarding device maintenance and installation of additional devices for the purpose of directing traffic away from residential areas. The Commissioner must report to the Mayor and Speaker of the Council, and post online, the study findings and recommendations and other program information, such as the criteria to determine the locations of device installation and the actual locations of installation.

This bill would require the Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) to provide notice to affected Council Members, Community Boards and Borough Presidents whenever work performed by or on behalf of DPR to repair a sidewalk damaged by a City tree is cancelled or delayed.

This bill would expand existing requirements regarding the dissemination of information about the Senior Citizen Rent Increase Exemption program to also include the Disability Rent Increase Exemption program and would add the Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities as a participating agency. The bill would also require the Department of Finance (DOF) to provide annual training to designated personnel at participating agencies on information regarding rent freeze programs, including eligibility requirements, application and renewal procedures, key program features, reasonable accommodations, and applicant referrals. Additionally, DOF would be required to report annually to the Council on such trainings.

This bill would require the Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR), to consider tree planting requests made by council members and members of the public when determining what locations throughout the City should receive new tree plantings.

This bill would ensure that contracted delivery workers that work scheduled shifts retain a minimum level of scheduling flexibility to protect a worker or worker’s family member’s health, safety or other urgent needs (“safe/sick time,” e.g., for medical care, childcare, immigration or legal needs, and domestic violence-related protections). Such safe/sick time is unpaid. Delivery services may not reduce or alter a worker’s access to work opportunities based on safe/sick time use. Contracted delivery workers are entitled to a minimum of 14 safe/sick hours upon being retained by a covered delivery service, and accrue 1 additional hour of safe/sick time for every 30 hours worked. A delivery service may request limited supporting documentation if a worker uses 1 hour or more of safe/sick time during 4 or more consecutive shifts. Delivery services may not update a worker’s performance metrics more than once in 30 days and must provide the worker with 30-day advance notice of such updates.

This bill would prohibit a public servant who is a candidate for elective office from appearing or otherwise participating in any third-party public communications, including social media posts, using governmental resources during the 90-day period prior to an election.

This bill would require any public servant that uses or authorizes the use of governmental funds or resources for a third-party public communication to report certain information regarding such communication to the Department of Records and Information Services (DORIS) within 60 days. Third-party public communications would include any content posted on an internet website, digital application, or social media platform where the author of the content is not a public servant or city agency, or the author is not clearly identified as a public servant or city agency. On a quarterly basis during an election year and twice a year during a non-election year, DORIS would be required to report to the Mayor and the Speaker of the Council, and post on the NYC Open Data portal, all information reported to it regarding the third-party public communications.

This bill would prohibit the police department from detaining an individual beyond the time when such person would be otherwise released from custody, without a judicial warrant.

This bill would prohibit the Department of Correction from communicating with federal immigration authorities regarding any person in the department’s custody unless the communication was in relation to a person for which a civil immigration detainer was being honored or the communication was unrelated to the enforcement of civil immigration laws.

This bill would require the Mayor's Office to End Domestic and Gender-Based Violence (ENDGBV) to report anonymous, high-level information about calls received by ENDGBV’s hotline for survivors of domestic and gender-based violence. ENDGBV would annually report the following about the previous year, disaggregated by month: the number of calls received, the number of calls answered, the number of calls that were abandoned by the caller before the end of communication of services, the wait times for a call to be answered, the number of calls that required the use of language interpretation services, the number of referrals made by ENDGBV on a call, and the number of calls originating from each New York City borough.

This bill would prohibit any public servant from using or authorizing the use of governmental funds or resources for third-party public communications unless the communication includes a disclosure. Third-party public communications would include any content posted on an internet website, digital application, or social media platform where the author of the content is not a public servant or agency, or the author is not clearly identified as a public servant or agency. Required disclosures would need to include the language “Paid Partnership with” followed by “the City of New York” or the name of the associated agency. This bill would make an intentional or knowing violation of this requirement by a public servant punishable as a misdemeanor. The Campaign Finance Board and the Conflicts of Interest Board would also have the power to investigate potential violations and assess civil penalties.

This bill would require the NYC Department of Sanitation (DSNY) to remove snow and ice from any bus stop or bus shelter when DSNY receives at least 5 complaints from persons who identify as having a disability that a property owner has failed to timely complete required snow removal from an abutting bus stop, bus shelter, or the sidewalk path between any such bus stop or bus shelter and the gutter, within 7 hours of receiving such complaints. This bill would also require DSNY to establish a public citywide map for tracking the status of snow removal from bus stops and shelters following snowfall or ice accumulations.

This bill would require the Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) to submit to the Mayor and the Speaker of the Council, and post online, an annual report detailing participation by New York City households in the HPD-administered Housing Choice Voucher Homeownership Program (HCVHP). It would require HPD to report for the previous calendar year on the number of households that participated in the HPD-administered Housing Choice Voucher Program, the number of households eligible for HCVHP, the number of households that participated in HCVHP, and the number of successful closings on homes through HCVHP. It would require this information to be reported by borough, certain income bands, household structure, and race. It would also direct HPD to seek and report corresponding information from New York State Homes and Community Renewal.

This bill would require the Commissioner of Aging to designate at least 1 financial literacy advisor to serve in each older adult center for at least 20 hours a month. A financial literacy advisor would have to provide general information about financial literacy, end of life preparation, tax preparation, and how to avoid or handle legal issues and scams that commonly affect older adults. A financial literacy advisor would also have to convey contact information for specialized financial literacy providers, tax preparation providers, certain types of legal services providers, relevant New York City agencies and organizations, and the Department for the Aging (DFTA) to answer questions concerning financial literacy resources offered by DFTA. The Commissioner would have to promulgate rules to set qualifications for financial literacy advisors and establish a financial literacy advisor training program.

This bill would require the Commissioner of Finance to automatically enroll individuals in a Department of Finance-administered residential property tax payment plan that requires an individual to pay the lowest total amount. The Commissioner would have to notify an eligible individual about automatic enrollment at least 60 days before the first payment is due under the applicable plan, the types of plans for which the individual is eligible and their costs, the plan in which the individual is enrolled, and any steps necessary to complete enrollment. Additionally, the Commissioner would have to establish a plainly and conspicuously communicated opt-out mechanism that would allow an individual to decline automatic enrollment at the time the individual receives the notice. The Commissioner would be required to make the automatic enrollment system available in the designated citywide languages.

This bill would increase fees charged to certain buildings participating in the Department of Housing Preservation’s Alternative Enforcement Program which have not been discharged from such program within the first four months of an initial notice of participation to the owner of such building’s participation in such program.

This bill would expand the alternative enforcement program (“AEP”), a program through which the Department of Housing Preservation and Development (“HPD”) selects distressed buildings to prioritize enforcement actions. This bill would require HPD to add 400 buildings to the program each year. This bill would also require that 100 of the buildings identified by HPD each year be recidivist buildings that have previously been discharged from the program and are again distressed.

This bill would require that, in order to obtain a permit for a large public event, an event sponsor must develop a plan to prevent sexual harassment and assault and handle any reports of sexual misconduct in a prompt, culturally sensitive, and trauma-informed manner. The Police Department, in consultation with the Commission for Human Rights, would promulgate rules and develop guidelines and training materials for event sponsors and staff to comply with these requirements, depending on the event format, location, duration, size, and capacity for advance planning. Informational signage or other notice of reporting options would also be disseminated to event attendees. Large events are those with more than 1000 expected attendees, or more than 500 attendees and at least one other risk factor. The Mayor’s Office of Citywide Event Coordination and Management would coordinate between permitting agencies to implement these requirements.

This bill would require the Department for the Aging (DFTA), in consultation with the Cabinet for Older New Yorkers, to develop an informational toolkit about programs, benefits, and services available to New Yorkers aged 60 and up. The toolkit must include materials containing information about rent freeze programs; information about meal delivery programs; information about other public and non-public programs, benefits, and services for older adults; contact information for DFTA; and contact information for other relevant agencies and organizations. On an annual basis, DFTA would have to distribute a printed version of the toolkit at older adult centers, to homebound older adults, and to new or potential participants in DFTA programs. DFTA would also have to post the toolkit on its website and ensure that the printed and digital versions are accessible. This bill would require regular updates to the toolkit.

This bill would create an Office of Assistance for 9/11 First Responders and Survivors within the Department of Social Services. The Office would have to connect individuals with benefits and services; provide case management; make efforts to secure priority access to benefits and services; and provide its services in coordination with other agencies and governments. The Office must provide an individual with a receipt containing a summary of an individual’s request for assistance and next steps concerning assistance. Additionally, the director of the Office would have to prepare a policy manual for Office staff and a procedure for overseeing the Office’s service delivery. The director would also be required to establish and make publicly available a bill of rights for first responders and survivors. Finally, this bill would require the Office to submit to the Mayor and the Speaker of the Council, and post online, an annual report on the Office’s service delivery.

This bill would create a portal for landlords who participate in rental subsidy programs administered by the Department of Social Services, such as FHEPS and City FHEPS. The portal would include a mechanism for landlords to upload any documents required of them to participate in rental subsidy programs including preclearance forms, payment information, and verification of unit ownership. The portal would also include an option for landlords to enroll to receive electronic rental assistance payments and a mechanism to submit complaints about administrative issues they encounter. The bill would require that DSS report on complaints received by landlords.

This bill would require notices of violation issued by the Department of Buildings (“DOB”) that may be enforced as a lien to include a warning that an unpaid judgment may become a lien against the property after judgment by the Environmental Control Board (“ECB”). Within 3 days of ECB judgment, DOB would be required to send a notice to any property owner whose property is or will be the subject of a tax lien describing available payment plans, deadlines, and resources to avoid or discharge a lien and to enter into compliance with DOB requirements. The bill would also require DOB and DOF to publish annual data on such lien conversions and would further require both departments to provide outreach and educational support to one- and two-family property owners.

This bill would establish a 2-year pilot program to waive license fees for sidewalk cafes and roadway cafes in the 10 Council districts with the fewest number of active licenses for sidewalk cafes and roadway cafes as of the effective date of this bill. It would require the Commissioner of Transportation to issue a report at least 90 days after the conclusion of the program that contains statistics indicating the effectiveness of the program, the program’s cost to the City, and a recommendation regarding whether to make the program permanent.

This bill would require that building owners report Legionella test results indicating at least 10 colony-forming unit per milliliter (CFU/mL) to the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH).

This bill would require the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to create and administer a city-wide adopt-a-catch basin program, in which volunteers may elect to clear one or more catch basins of debris to help to prevent street flooding. DEP would be required to create an application process via rule and enter into volunteer agreements with those individuals whose applications DEP has accepted. As part of this program, DEP would be required to provide volunteers with clearing instructions, and a means of reporting observations about adopted catch basins. Finally, DEP would be required to publish an annual report regarding the program.

This bill would direct the Department of Housing Preservation and Development’s (HPD) Homeowner Advocate, in consultation with the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection, the Department of Social Services, and the Mayor’s Office of Deed Theft Prevention, to establish and implement an ongoing outreach and education program for homeowners in areas that are experiencing displacement to inform them of assistance and services that are available to them. HPD would have to determine which community districts are experiencing the greatest rates of displacement before conducting outreach in those community districts.

This bill would require the Department of Buildings (“DOB”) to conduct a study on the racial, geographic, and socioeconomic disparities in the enforcement and outcome of building violations. The bill would then require DOB to submit to the mayor and the speaker of the Council a one-time report on the findings of the study.

This bill would establish consumer price transparency requirements for veterinary care facilities. The bill would require such facilities to disclose standard charges and price ranges for commonly offered services, provide written or electronic estimates for certain higher-cost services upon request, and provide itemized receipts. The bill would also require the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP) to establish and maintain a publicly accessible website to display aggregated average prices for common veterinary procedures.

This bill would require in-message “paid for by” disclosures in content posted on internet websites, digital applications, and social media platforms whenever such content is (i) paid for by a campaign or (ii) in support of or in opposition to a candidate or ballot measure and paid for by an independent spender that is required to report its expenditures to the Campaign Finance Board (CFB). The CFB would also be required to issue guidance regarding the disclosure, recordkeeping, and reporting requirements applicable to content posted on internet websites, digital applications, and social media platforms, including content posted by paid third parties.