Council will also vote on legislation to reform City’s Adult Protect Services Program

City Hall – Today the City Council will vote on a bill to require a study on the environmental impacts of growth in the for-hire vehicle industry, which will be supplemented by trip data Uber has agreed to share. The Council will also vote on two bills to reform adult protective services in New York City. Additionally, the Council will vote on legislation to monitor compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act for city parks. Finally, the Council will vote on legislation co-naming 52 streets and public places in New York City.

For-Hire Vehicle Growth Study

After years of remaining relatively flat, the number of licensed for-hire vehicles—a category including liveries, black cars, and luxury limousines—jumped from 37,782 in 2010 to nearly 63,000 as of June 2015. The demand for new licenses continues to rise, with TLC issuing approximately 2,000 new licenses each month so far this year, resulting in a net of over 1,200 new cars on the road.

The Council will vote on Introduction 847-A, sponsored by Council Member Ydanis Rodriguez, requiring a study on how growth in the taxi and for-hire vehicle industries has impacted traffic, air quality, noise, and public health. In order to conduct a thorough review of the impact of for-hire vehicles, the Council reached an agreement with Uber to provide information and data for a study to be completed by December 1, 2015.

Additionally, the Council and the Administration—with the participation of Uber—will begin a broader conversation on a number of issues facing the taxicab and for-hire vehicle industries, including accessibility, driver earnings, how surcharges and taxes levied on taxicabs and for-hire vehicles support the MTA and transportation infrastructure, and consumer protections.

“This Council is committed to supporting innovation and protecting the City’s environmental interests—today we’re proving that those concepts are not mutually exclusive,” said Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito. “This has been a thoughtful and deliberative process. We look forward to a real partnership with the for-hire vehicle industry along with genuine data-sharing that will give us a better picture of their impact on our streets.”

“After much deliberation I am proud that the Council will achieve our desired goal of garnering the information necessary to combat the real problem of congestion in our city,” said Council Member Ydanis Rodriguez. “We have a responsibility to equitably regulate industries for their greater good of our city, in this case public health. With the passage of INT 847 we arm ourselves with the tools necessary to effectively create policies to fully understand the breadth of the changes in this rapidly changing industry.”

Adult Protective Services

Adult Protective Services (APS) is a division of the New York City Human Resources Administration (HRA), that provides social services to adult New Yorkers, regardless of income who meet the following criteria:
• Are mentally and/or physically impaired
• Due to these impairments, are unable to manage their own resources, carry out the activities of daily living, or protect themselves from abuse, neglect, exploitation or other hazardous situations without assistance from others
• Do not have anyone willing and able to responsibly provide them with assistance.

Introduction 89-A, co-sponsored by Council Member Steve Levin at the request of Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer, would require HRA to prepare semiannual reports which would be submitted to the Council and posted on HRA’s website regarding referrals to APS. The bill would require the reports to include the total number of referrals received, the number of referred individuals who were determined ineligible for services, disaggregated by the reason such individuals were determined ineligible, a general description of the source of the referrals, and the council district, community board, and zip code of the referred individuals. The bill would require the first report to cover the period of July 1, 2015 to December 31, 2015. The bill would take effect immediately and would expire and be deemed repealed on January 1, 2023.

“Adult Protective Services provides critical social services to New Yorkers who need them most. This bill will allow us to gather more information about how and where services are being accessed and referrals are being made in order to ensure that programs are efficiently and effectively serving the needs of residents,” said Council Member Steve Levin.

“How we work to protect our vulnerable and at-risk community members defines us as a society,” said Manhattan Borough President Gale A. Brewer. “This legislation will ensure our city government has the information it needs to ensure Adult Protective Services is effectively serving our communities, and I thank Councilmember Levin for his leadership in steering this bill to today’s vote.”

Additionally, Introduction 830-A, co-sponsored by Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito and Council Member Paul Vallone, would require HRA to conduct biannual trainings for appropriate employees of several agencies on best practices in identifying potential APS clients and how to refer such individuals to APS. Many individuals who could potentially be eligible for APS may go unidentified, and agency employees interacting with such individuals may be unaware of how to refer them to APS. This legislation would provide greater awareness to employees of agencies who frequently interact with the public.

“It’s essential to ensure that everyone who qualifies for assistance from Adult Protective Services is getting the help they need that no one in need of help slips through the cracks,” said Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito. “Through these trainings, we’ll ensure that other city agencies can identify candidates for Adult Protective Services and appropriately refer them.”

Street Co-Namings.

Introduction ###, sponsored by Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, would co-name 52 52 thoroughfares and public places in New York City.

Among others, streets will be co-named to honor:

• Detective First Grade Brian Moore Way – Police Officer who was murdered earlier this year
• Sgt. Charles H. Cochrane Way- first openly gay police officer
• Robert Lowery Way first African American fire commissioner
• EMT Luis De Pena Jr. Square – first responder who died of 9/11 related illnesses
• FDNY Capt. John R. Graziano Way- first responder who died of 9/11 related illness

Communications Resliency

Introduction 425-A, sponsored by Council Member Mark Treyger, tasks the New York City Climate Change Adaptation Task Force with evaluating the possible effect of climate change on telecommunications infrastructure. The Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications would be included as a member of the task force and representatives from the telecommunications industry would be included among the public members of the task force. The task force’s report would also be required to include short and long-term recommendations for improving the resiliency of existing public and private telecommunications infrastructure. The bill also requires that outreach be conducted to telecommunication service providers, including all those with a franchise agreement with the City, to request their cooperation in obtaining needed information. If any providers declined to cooperate, the bill requires that to be noted in the report.

“After spending two decades as an attorney working hand in hand with the judicial system, hospitals, health care providers and clients for those in greatest need during guardianship proceedings, I was determined to address the troubled history of APS.” said Council Member Paul Vallone, Chair of the Subcommittee on Senior Centers. “The additional training required by my bill, coupled with the improved data regarding referrals to APS we will receive, thanks to Council Member Levin’s bill, will go a long way towards protecting and assisting our seniors and those most vulnerable and in need. Also, our call on Albany to address elder abuse and financial exploitation was sorely needed as so many of our seniors are devastated by financial abuse. I look forward to continuing to work with my colleagues to improve the social safety net for seniors who deserve the best from our City.”

“One of the biggest challenges we faced in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Sandy was getting in touch with loved ones and receiving vital information due to widespread phone, internet and cable service outages across the city. As we learn important lessons from Sandy and prepare for the next major storm, we must look for ways to prevent crippling breakdowns in the city’s communications infrastructure in order to keep the public safe and informed. My thanks to Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito and my colleagues for supporting this critical addition to our city’s emergency response efforts and to my committee staff for their hard work on this bill. This will go a long way towards making the city more resilient and better equipped to handle severe weather and other emergencies,” said Council Member Treyger, Chair of the Committee on Recovery & Resiliency.

Americans with Disabilities Act Compliance in City Parks

Introduction 558-A, sponsored by Council Member Mark Levine, would require the Parks Department (DPR) to issue a report to the Mayor and Council that would provide an annual accounting of which facilities under its jurisdiction were assessed for compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards for accessible design. The report would detail whether each assessment was done during the course of regular construction work or as the result of a complaint, as well as what work was done and what work will be done to bring such facilities into compliance during the calendar year when the report is issued. It would also include an updated list of DPR facilities that are specifically designed for use by disabled persons.

“If our park system is truly going to be for all New Yorkers, then that must include those New Yorkers with disabilities. But sadly today, far too many elements of our parks system are simply not accessible to wheelchair users and those with other disabilities. The question of how quickly we are making progress toward the critical goal of 100% accessibility in our parks facilities is one the public deserves an answer to. This bill is designed to provide that answer, by giving us, for the first time, regular reports on accessibility assessments and retrofitting plans at our parks. I thank my colleagues for supporting this important piece of legislation,” said Council Member Mark Levine.

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