{"id":376,"date":"2014-04-29T22:13:48","date_gmt":"2014-04-29T22:13:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/labs.council.nyc\/press\/?p=376"},"modified":"2016-12-09T22:14:27","modified_gmt":"2016-12-09T22:14:27","slug":"council-speaker-melissa-mark-viverito-announces-council-reform-package","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/council.nyc.gov\/press\/2014\/04\/29\/376\/","title":{"rendered":"Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito Announces Council Reform Package"},"content":{"rendered":"

Proposals Will Make Council More Responsive, Transparent, Fair and Inclusive
\nGood Government Groups Praise Council for Increasing Equity and Transparency
\nCouncil Will Hold Public Hearings on Proposals May 7th<\/em><\/p>\n

City Hall \u2013 New York City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, along with Rules Committee Chair Brad Lander and Council Members Barron, Vallone, Cabrera, Rosenthal, Reynoso announced a historic reform package proposal today that will help make the City Council more responsive to the needs of New Yorkers in all communities, more transparent in how it operates and more fair and inclusive for all members enabling them to better serve their districts.<\/p>\n

The process that led to this package of proposals has been extensive and highly collaborative. Last fall, thirty-four new and returning Members signed onto a platform calling for significant reforms to the Council\u2019s rules. Following Speaker Mark-Viverito\u2019s election, she charged the Committee on Rules, Privileges & Elections to develop a proposal by directly engaging the public, Members, and good-government groups. A public hearing followed in February, with testimony from a wide range of good-government groups and New Yorkers, along with a survey of Council Members in March. Extensive legal and policy research from staff.<\/p>\n

The resulting proposal is comprehensive and will enable the Council to operate in a more open and democratic manner for the public and Council Members.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe new and comprehensive reforms the Council will introduce today are needed to create a more responsive, transparent and inclusive legislative body that can be a stronger force for effective city government,\u201d said Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito. \u201cOur reforms will make the Council more democratic and will allow our body to function more efficiently and I thank Chair Lander, my Council colleagues and all those who submitted testimony on best practices for their work to make the Council the most inclusive body it can be. I look forward to discussing our proposed rules further at our public hearing on May 7th.\u201d<\/p>\n

Highlights of the reform package include:
\n\u2022 Member Item Reform
\n\u2022 Fair Consideration of Legislation
\n\u2022 More Council Transparency and Public Engagement
\n\u2022 Enhanced Empowerment of Committees and Committee Chairs
\n\u2022 Creation of a Dedicated Legislative Drafting Unit
\n\u2022 Creation of Commission to Examine Stipends and Compensation
\n\u2022 Increased Transparency of Discretionary Funding<\/p>\n

“I’m proud that the Council\u2014under the inclusive leadership of Speaker Mark-Viverito\u2014 is moving forward with historic and comprehensive reform,\u201d said Rules Committee Chair Brad Lander. \u201cBy taking punitive politics out of member items, ensuring fair consideration of legislation, empowering committee chairs, and opening up the Council to the public, these reforms will make the Council more fair and transparent, and will give New Yorkers a greater voice in their government.”<\/p>\n

\u201cI am pleased to bring my full support to this legislation being introduced today that will bring significant improvement to the democratic process by which the Council functions,\u201d said Council Member Inez Barron. \u201cFor far too long, the Council has been subject to over dominance of the Council Speaker, to the degree that district constituents have suffered from diminished allocations for important projects and programs in their districts. In 2002, some entering members of the Council, including my predecessor Charles Barron, formed the Fresh Democracy Council and were successful in introducing a few changes to the Rules. Today\u2019s introduction has the prospect of extending reforms to a far greater degree. The group of Council Members presented a broad spectrum of reforms and ran on that platform. I am pleased that the Speaker, Melissa Mark-Viverito, has embraced and advanced this legislation. It demonstrates her commitment to her pledge to bring fairness, equity and transparency to the City Council. I look forward to the hearing process that will help to refine and sharpen this legislation.\u201d
\nMember Item Reform
\nThe Council believes that discretionary funding is vital to supporting community-based organizations that enhance the quality of life in New York City\u2019s neighborhoods, in ways that cannot be captured by traditional RFPs (little leagues, soup kitchens, youth arts groups, etc.). The Council is the following reforms to ensure greater fairness and transparency in the process, and ensure that it is not manipulated for political reasons.
\nAll Discretionary Spending allocated to individual Members for distribution (\u201cMember Items\u201d) must be allocated to Members based on a fair, objective formula that is publicly disclosed. The Rules will not provide a specific formula, but require that allocations must be either equal, or by data-driven formula based on objective differences between districts, or a combination.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur rules reform package will strengthen the Council by making ours the most inclusive, equitable legislative body it can be,\u201d said Council Member Helen Rosenthal. \u201cEqual distribution of discretionary funds, with a needs-based increase determined by the number of people living in poverty in each Council district, will ensure every Council Member has access to the resources we need to help tackle income inequality across the City. I thank Speaker Mark-Viverito, Rules Chair Lander, my Council colleagues and good government groups for working on these proposals.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI am a firm believer in operating with transparency, equality, and inclusivity,\u201d said Council Member Paul Vallone. \u201cThe reforms highlighted in today\u2019s proposal, particularly those regarding member items and discretionary funding transparency, will grant New Yorkers a greater degree of engagement and awareness of the City Council\u2019s actions, and allow us Council Members to better serve our respective districts. I applaud Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito and the Committee on Rules, Privileges and Elections for spearheading this much needed reform.”
\nFor FY 2015, the following formula is proposed:
\nExpense:
\n\u2022 Equal distribution of core Member Item amounts (Local, Youth, Aging).
\n\u2022 Provide a needs-based increase to Members, based on the number of people in poverty in each district (with a minimum and a maximum), which could add up to 25 percent of a Member\u2019s core discretionary amount for anti-poverty efforts.
\n\u2022 Continue IOI, DOVE, and CASA initiatives (funding allowing), which are based on data-driven differences between districts, and disclose the allocation formulas in Schedule C.<\/p>\n

Capital:
\n\u2022 Equal distribution (with \u00b15% allowance from average amount b\/c Capital projects come in lump sums).
\nOther Rules Changes to Discretionary Funding
\n\u2022 \u201cSpeaker\u2019s List\u201d limited to 50% of total discretionary Member expense allocations (i.e. funding directed by individual Members, outside of Council initiatives).<\/p>\n

\u2022 Increase transparency of discretionary funding.
\no Add discretionary spending awards to NYC Open Data Plan.
\no Add new \u201copen data\u201d requirements for searches & downloading of discretionary spending awards.
\no Add City capital projects, so all discretionary spending is included.
\no Require grantees to provide a short report on their use of the grant.
\nFair Consideration of Legislation
\nThe following changes will be made to ensure fair consideration of legislation proposed by all Members, and more transparency to the public:<\/p>\n

\u2022 Create a dedicated legislative drafting unit, to draft legislation requested by Members, on an equal and transparent basis. Unit would not be the only drafters (committee staff would still draft bills), but their primary function would be drafting<\/p>\n

\u2022 Create a new LS request tracking database by the end of 2014 which will enable Members to regularly review status of their requests<\/p>\n

\u2022 First named sponsors would be able to request and receive preliminary fiscal estimates within 60 days at any time after introduction<\/p>\n

\u2022 First named sponsors will be able to request & view a privileged legal memo, addressing questions of the Council\u2019s powers to adopt legislation they propose.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Clarification that first named sponsors may request bills amendments at any time prior to committee vote, and the process by which they can do so.<\/p>\n

\u2022 New \u201csupermajority bill sponsorship\u201d rule would provide that bills with 34 co-sponsors must have Committee decide whether to hold a hearing on the bill.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Replace \u201cMemorandum of Support\u201d for bills (currently required by rules, but never viewed or used by public or other Members) with a 50-100 word, plain-language summary, which will be made public, for better understanding of legislation.<\/p>\n

\u2022 New \u201copen data\u201d provisions for releasing information and keeping the public informed about the legislative process (including hearings, transcripts, testimony & voting records, etc.).<\/p>\n

\u201cAs a long-time advocate for government reform, I want to thank Speaker Mark-Viverito and Councilmember Lander and the Rules Committee for their leadership in making the Council\u2019s practices more equitable, transparent, and accountable to the public,\u201d said Council Member Antonio Reynoso. \u201cI am pleased about the proposed reforms in general, and am particularly excited that we as legislators will be more empowered to participate in the process of drafting bills, and we as committee chairs will be more empowered to oversee our assigned agencies in a way that moves the City forward. Additionally, through the use of Open Data and more accessible information about proposed legislation, the public will be better empowered to participate alongside the Council and keep us accountable. I believe these changes, along with those involving budget allocations, will allow me to more proactively address issues in my community and citywide, and better provide for my district\u2019s needs.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe City of New York has entered a new season embracing transparency for a more responsive legislature. The rules reform would decentralize power allowing members to effectively push for legislation that New Yorkers need. It would also allocate funds more equally and objectively. I\u2019m grateful to Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito for allowing this to happen and I feel proud to be part of this effort to make the City Council stronger,\u201d said Council Member Fernando Cabrera.<\/p>\n

Empowering Chairs and Committees
\n\u2022 Topics & schedule: Clarify process by which Chairs select meeting topics & schedule.
\no Chairs retain the right to select topics and schedule hearings.
\no Scheduling request made through committee staff.
\no Scheduling request can only be rejected for cause (e.g. agency overseen by a different committee, scheduling conflict, exceeds monthly meeting staffing capacity).
\no Response can include feedback, concerns, even recommendation not to schedule. But Chair retains the right to schedule.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Staffing: Clarify that senior Committee Counsel is assigned from central staff, subject to the (ongoing) approval of the Chair
\no Need to maintain professional staff, hired & supervised by experienced attorneys.
\no Chairs have right to veto the assignment of a new staff person to their Committee (can recommend, but do not have the right to choose their own person).
\no If Chair becomes dissatisfied, he\/she has right to have the senior committee staff changed, through a request to the Speaker.
\no Chair does not hire or fire staff.
\no Clearer and more durable than current language of \u201cdesignate.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2022 Meeting requirements: Change Committee meeting requirement from monthly to bi-monthly (except for Land Use which would remain monthly).
\no Would reduce meeting burdens and eliminate some overlapping\/unnecessary hearings and tours, to allow Members better focus on more important oversight (as consistently requested by good government advocates).
\no Chairs may still schedule monthly hearings. They are simply no longer required by Rule. There is no reduction in staffing levels. Staffing will still be provided to allow for monthly hearings.
\no Requests for more than one hearing per month subject to staff resource availability.
\n\u2022 Committee chairs given the responsibility of directing City government officials to affirm that they will tell the truth before testimony (aka \u201cswearing in\u201d).
\no Chairs retain discretion on other witnesses
\n\u2022
\n\u2022 Limit removal of chairs: Chairs may only be removed within a session by a 2\/3 uncoupled vote of the full Council
\nMore Transparent & Inclusive Council
\n\u2022 Provide deadlines and clearer requirements for Council operating budget & an annual financial report
\no New deadlines will better ensure compliance (financial reports outlined in the Rules have not been provided in the past).
\no More detail than currently required.
\n\u2022 Addition of Member Items to Council\u2019s \u201cOpen Data Plan\u201d submission. Implementation of legislative open data provisions. A Council Public Technology Plan will be developed to improve public access
\n\u2022 Grievance Procedure: Members may request & receive an Advisory Opinion from counsel to Rules Committee on questions about any Council rule, including compliance<\/p>\n

Stipends and Compensation
\nThe Council will be asked to go on record expressing support for the establishment of a Quadrennial Advisory Commission for the Review of Compensation of Elected Officials (as required by the City Admin Code 3-601), in January 2015. Further, we encourage the Quadrennial Commission to review & make recommendations for stipends, as well as compensation.
\nOther
\n\u2022 Establish a written attendance policy. The existence of a policy will be required by rule, but promulgated separately.
\n\u2022 A number of technical changes to eliminate outmoded sections, clarify vague passages, and match rules to long-standing practice. Wherever possible (i.e. where State Law does not conflict), requirements for printing & paper notice have been replaced by equivalent requirements for e-mail notice and\/or posting to the Council\u2019s website.<\/p>\n

\u201cCitizens Union commends the City Council and Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito for proposing substantial improvements to reforming the Council\u2019s rules and making it a more democratically-run legislative body,\u201d said Citizens Union Executive Director Dick Dadey. \u201cThe rule changes announced today give rank-and-file members a more meaningful role in the Council\u2019s legislative process and ensure needed and greater equity in the allocation of discretionary funding, including for the first time the very large pot of capital funding. It is truly a rare event when a legislative leader voluntarily shares power and gives up a portion of her authority, and in so doing Speaker Mark-Viverito is making the Council a more effective branch of government that will enable members to better represent the districts they serve.\u201d<\/p>\n

“A strong Council Speaker makes sure all the Members have the tools and the resources they need to fully represent their constituents,\u201d said Gene Russianoff, NYPIRG. \u201cThe rules reforms being proposed today should result in a more productive, effective and responsive City Council.”<\/p>\n

\u201cThe secretive retribution and reward system of the previous leadership had a deleterious effect on the democratic functioning of the Council. Although Common Cause\/NY supports eliminating member items entirely, the equal distribution of resources as proposed is an important step forward toward greater equity for all New Yorkers. The proposed rules revision provides significantly more information and transparency to the public about the Council’s activities and spending, as well as more independence to individual members. Common Cause\/NY applauds Speaker Mark-Viverito and Rules Committee Chair Brad Lander for putting the public interest first,\u201d said Susan Lerner, Executive Director of Common Cause\/NY.<\/p>\n

##<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Proposals Will Make Council More Responsive, Transparent, Fair and Inclusive
\nGood Government Groups Praise Council for Increasing Equity and Transparency
\nCouncil Will Hold Public Hearings on Proposals May 7th<\/em><\/p>\n

City Hall \u2013 New York City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, along with Rules Committee Chair Brad Lander and Council Members Barron, Vallone, Cabrera, Rosenthal, Reynoso announced a historic reform package proposal today that will help make the City Council more responsive to the needs of New Yorkers in all communities, more transparent in how it operates and more fair and inclusive for all members enabling them to better serve their districts.<\/p>\n

…<\/p>\n

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