Legislation fulfills plans outlined in Speaker Mark-Viverito\u2019s State of the City Address<\/p>\n
City Hall \u2013 Today the Council will vote on legislation prohibiting employers from discriminating against employees and job applicants based on credit history. Additionally, the Council will vote on a number of bills from the Council\u2019s Climate Agenda. The council will vote on a bill to update New York City\u2019s Air Pollution Control Code. The Council will also vote on legislation creating a Citywide rapid bus transit plan to promote the use of low-carbon transportation. The Council will also vote on legislation providing property tax relief to homeowners impacted by Hurricane Sandy. Finally, the Council will vote on legislation requiring tamper-resistant outlets in public areas of multiple dwelling buildings.<\/p>\n
Discriminatory Use of Credit Checks<\/p>\n
Introduction 261-A, sponsored by Council Member Brad Lander, would amend the City\u2019s Human Rights Law to make it an unlawful discriminatory practice to request or use an applicant\u2019s consumer credit history in making employment decisions. Employers often use consumer credit information to make hiring decisions, despite the fact that there is little evidence linking an employee\u2019s credit score or credit worthiness to job performance or trustworthiness. Credit checks may adversely affect those who have fallen behind on student loan payments, medical bills or have taken on other forms of consumer debt. Further, the use of credit checks for employment purposes has been shown to have a discriminatory impact on low income communities and communities of color. They also have a disparate impact on women and victims of domestic violence.<\/p>\n
The bill includes a list of very limited, but sensible, carve-outs that allow employers to use credit checks where necessary. For example, the bill would not prohibit an employer from using consumer credit history where its use is required by state or federal law. Further, the bill would allow employers to use credit checks when hiring for certain positions of public trust, such as police officers and high-level City employees who are already subject to DOI background checks and COIB financial disclosures. The bill would also permit the use of credit checks when hiring for positions that involve potential cyber security risks or fiduciary duties to the employer and the ability to enter financial agreements valued at $10,000 or more. <\/p>\n
\u201cAll New Yorkers deserve the chance to compete for a job based on their skills and qualifications, not three digits on a financial report,\u201d said Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito. Just because you\u2019ve struggled with medical bills or student loans does not make you any less hard working, qualified, or trustworthy than anyone else. There is no place for discrimination in New York City. I want to thank all my colleagues for this Council\u2019s commitment to fairness and equality.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCredit checks for employment unfairly lock New Yorkers out of jobs,\u201d said Council Member Brad Lander. \u201cSo I\u2019m proud that the Council is passing the strongest bill of its kind to end discriminatory employment credit checks. Just this week, we heard from a recently laid-off single mom, worried about finding a new job because of her daughter\u2019s college loans on her credit report. She wrote that this law gives her \u2018a new lease on life.\u2019 Thank you to Speaker Mark-Viverito for consistently standing up for the most vulnerable New Yorkers, to Co-Sponsor Debi Rose and Chair Mealy, to my Council colleagues supporting this legislation, and to the de Blasio Administration for working with us to craft a strong, smart piece of legislation. Well-earned credit (and the kind you\u2019d be happy to have anyone know about) also goes to the 70-member organizations of the NYC Coalition to Stop Credit Checks in Employment, including brave individuals who came forward to tell their stories, and who worked so hard to make this day happen.\u201d<\/p>\n
Property Tax Relief for Homeowners Impacted by Hurricane Sandy<\/p>\n
Introduction 727, sponsored by Council Member Vincent Ignizio, would allow New York City to limit any increases to assessed value caused by the reconstruction of Hurricane Sandy-damaged property so that a property\u2019s assessment would not be any higher than had the storm not happened. In short, this bill would ensure that property owners who rebuild properties severely damaged by Hurricane Sandy will not be penalized for rebuilding and that they will see the same tax bill they would have seen had the storm never occurred.<\/p>\n
This legislation will take effect upon approval from the State government.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I identified a quirk in the law which would have imposed a “Sandy tax” on the very people we were trying to help recover, I pledged to work with the mayor’s office and colleagues on both sides of the aisle and in all legislative houses to fix it,\u201d said Council Member Vincent Ignizio. \u201c Today is the culmination of that great partnership and will usher in sorely needed relief now and well into the future for thousands of families and businesses that have been devastated by Sandy. I want to personally think Mayor de Blasio, Governor Cuomo, Senator Lanza and Assemblyman Goldfeder for their efforts in making this happen as well.\u201d<\/p>\n
Air Code<\/p>\n
Introduction 271-A, sponsored by Council Member Donovan Richards, updates the New York City Air Pollution Control Code to improve the outdoor air quality in New York City. While the Air Pollution Control Code has been amended from time to time, it has not been comprehensively updated since 1975. Air pollution is a significant environmental threat in New York city, contributing to an estimated 6% of all annual deaths. For many years the City has strived to have the cleanest air quality of any large city in the United States, and this bill is another step in that process. This bill would bring the Air Pollution Control Code into compliance with more stringent air quality laws, rules and regulations promulgated by the federal government and the State, and would give the Commissioner more flexibility to adopt the new beneficial technologies through rulemaking. This law will result in boilers operating more efficiently, engines and generators operating more cleanly, less fuel consumption citywide and the reduction of thousands of tons of particulate matter per year.<\/p>\n
Some specific changes to the air code include:<\/p>\n
Simplifying compliance by expanding the number of boilers that can be filed through the less-cumbersome registration process.
\nStreamlining the permitting process by allowing on-line permitting.
\nLimiting emissions from currently uncontrolled sources, including commercial char broilers, fireplaces, cook stoves, outdoor wood boilers, mobile vending units and wood burning heaters.
\nRequiring the most stringent EPA certified emissions standards for newly registered non-emergency stationary engines (generators) after 2018.
\nRequiring that pre-2007 Type A and Type B buses used for student transfer be retired by 2020.
\nCodifies the phase out of No. 6 heating oil by 2020, and No. 4 heating oil by 2030.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt has been 35 years since New York City took a critical look at the quality of the air we breathe,\u201d said Council Member Donovan Richards. \u201cAir pollution has contributed to deaths, high rates of asthma and hospitalizations for respiratory related illnesses. Clearly something needed to be done to address this growing public health issue as our city continued to fail national Ambient Air Quality Standards set by the EPA. After a number of revisions we were able to address high profile sources of pollution such as; fireplaces, diesel engines, generators and char broilers to set measurable and attainable goals, phase out dirty technology and increase regulation. Today, I am proud of the extensive work done on Int. 271- A through the committee, mayoral administration, various agencies and advocates. I look forward to this historic piece of legislation setting the new air quality standard of our city for generations to come. \u201d<\/p>\n
Bus Rapid Transit Plan<\/p>\n
Bus rapid transit (BRT) is a system that is designed to make bus service faster, more reliable and efficient through features such as off-board fare payment and dedicated bus lanes. The New York City Department of Transportation (DOT) and Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) collaborate on a version of BRT called Select Bus Service (SBS), with eight lines implemented since June 2008.<\/p>\n
Under Introduction 211-A, sponsored by Council Member Brad Lander, DOT would work with the MTA and gather input from the public to develop a citywide BRT plan, which would be due to the Council no later than September 1, 2017. The plan would consider areas of the City in need of additional rapid transit options, strategies for serving growing neighborhoods, potential intra-borough and inter-borough BRT corridors DOT plans to establish by 2027, strategies for integrating BRT with other transit routes, and the anticipated operating costs of additional BRT lines. Additionally, DOT would be required to update the Council on the implementation of the plan every two years, through 2027.<\/p>\n
\u201cNew Yorkers across the city \u2013 especially in transit-starved, outer-borough neighborhoods \u2013 need more mass-transit options. Moving toward a robust, citywide Bus Rapid Transit network will significantly improve public transportation access in the parts of NYC that need it most, at a cost we can afford, and help insure a more sustainable future\u201d said Council Member Brad Lander. \u201cLow-income New Yorkers and communities of color have disproportionally long commute times. Meanwhile, jobs are growing in the outer boroughs, in parts of our city least equipped with the transportation infrastructure to sustain that growth. Adding new subway lines would take decades and cost billions. Fortunately, a citywide BRT network \u2013 with more of the features like protected lanes, center medians, and stations that characterize the best BRT \u2013 is something we can afford and implement. Thanks to Speaker Mark-Viverito and Chair Rodriguez for their work on this legislation, and to Mayor de Blasio and NYC Department of Transportation for their work on this legislation and their strong support for BRT for NYC.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tamper-resistant Outlets<\/p>\n
Introduction 433-A, sponsored by Council Member Andrew Cohen, would require that all outlets in public parts of new multiple dwellings and all outlets replaced in existing multiple dwellings be tamper-resistant. Additionally, the bill would require that owners of existing dwellings install protective caps or other obstruction devices over outlets in public parts of multiple dwelling buildings if the existing outlet is not tamper-resistant. Failure to install a protective cap or tamper-resistant cap may result in a class A violation.<\/p>\n
This legislation would take effect 120 days after enactment.<\/p>\n
\u201cPlaying on their hands and knees, a child\u2019s curiosity will draw them to outlets that are on their level, in which they will insert whatever \u2013 keys pins, paperclips or their own fingers. An electric shock upon a child\u2019s body can result in severe burns, injuries or even death. While most parents take steps to \u2018baby-proof\u2019 their own homes, the common areas of their buildings are often left unprotected,\u201d said Council Member Andrew Cohen. \u201cIntro 433 will require tamper-resistant receptacles to be installed in any new construction and caps covering outlets in existing buildings. This legislation balances all concerns, weighing the risk of just one curious child being electrocuted, with the severity a single shock can cause upon their small bodies, against the relatively low burden of installing these easy and inexpensive devices. It\u2019s a cheap fix to a gap in our current laws, which left apartment\u2019s common areas exposed and children\u2019s safety at risk.\u201d<\/p>\n
City Fleet Reduction<\/p>\n
New York City owns and operates almost 27,000 vehicles as part of its municipal fleet, costing an estimated $700 million annually. While much of the fleet consists of customized, working vehicles\u2014such as street sweepers, fire engines, and police cars\u2014thousands are classified as light duty, non-emergency vehicles, which are primarily used to transport City employees. Introduction 597-A, sponsored by Council Member Ritchie Torres would require the City to establish a car sharing program to reduce the size of the light duty, non-emergency fleet by at least nine percent between 2016 and 2020 through strategies such as car sharing. The City would be required to submit annual reports to the Council on the program and reduction in the City fleet. Additionally, the final report due in 2021 would be required to include an evaluation of the size of the City fleet and recommendations for future reductions.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am proud to sponsor forward-thinking legislation that will encourage the City to reduce its carbon footprint while realizing considerable savings,\u201d said Council Member Ritchie Torres. \u201cThis legislation requires the City to transition nine percent of its fleet of passenger vehicles to shared vehicles over a period of five years- the most ambitious target to date. Under a previous pilot program the City was able save $500,000 dollars, and taken to scale- these savings could translate to millions of dollars.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Legislation fulfills plans outlined in Speaker Mark-Viverito\u2019s State of the City Address<\/p>\n
City Hall \u2013 Today the Council will vote on legislation prohibiting employers from discriminating against employees and job applicants based on credit history. Additionally, the Council will vote on a number of bills from the Council\u2019s Climate Agenda. The council will vote on a bill to update New York City\u2019s Air Pollution Control Code.<\/p>\n
…<\/p>\n