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Council adopts package of bills on tenant protections, after-school reporting and environmental planning
Summary
On Sept. 25 the New York City Council adopted a bundle of bills and resolutions covering tenant protections, earned safe and sick time, after-school reporting, and environmental planning; several measures passed with recorded tallies noted on the floor.
The New York City Council on Sept. 25 adopted a package of introductions and resolutions covering tenant protections, worker benefits, education reporting and climate planning as part of the meeting's general-orders calendar.
Highlights and vote results: Intro 6-21A (adding unlawful evictions to the city's tenant harassment code) and Intro 4-29A (requirements for gas-piping and plumbing inspections) were both recorded as adopted, with the clerk announcing a 47-1-0 vote for those two items. Intro 7-80A (amendments to the Earned Safe and Sick Time Act) was adopted by a recorded vote of 42-6-0. Intro 9-55A (after-school program reporting) was coupled on general orders and adopted as part of the package. A set of climate and environmental planning bills (including Intro 12-71A, Intro 13-02A and Intro 13-27A) were also adopted; the clerk announced Intro 12-71A passed 41-7-0.
What the measures do (as presented): - Intro 6-21A (sponsored by Council Member Nurse) would expand the definition of tenant harassment to include unlawful evictions and was framed on the floor as a tool to help tenants hold landlords accountable for illegal removal from homes. - Intro 4-29A (sponsored by Council Member Petrina Sanchez) would tighten standards for gas-piping inspections, require licensed master plumbers for certain gas-work filings, and expand the Department of Buildings' authority related to unlicensed work. - Intro 7-80A (sponsored by Council Member Sandy Nurse) would expand the uses and availability of paid safe and sick time to cover activities such as attending housing or public-benefit hearings and responding to workplace violence; sponsors said the change would provide up to 32 additional unpaid hours made available upon hire. - Intro 9-55A (sponsored by Council Member Kevin Riley) requires annual reporting by the Department of Education and Department of Youth and Community Development on after-school programs, including locations, seats and enrollment. - A set of sustainability bills (sponsored by Council Member James Gennaro) would formally connect the Environmental Justice Advisory Board to Plan NYC and streamline environmental-planning processes and stormwater permitting.
Sponsors and floor remarks: Council Member Sandy Nurse summarized the tenant- and worker-protection measures as necessary responses to federal rollbacks and said, "It's on us to not only safeguard the protections we have in the city for our people, but to also win more." Kevin Riley said his after-school bill would "affirm the value of our after school programs as pillars of learning, safety, and community." Petrina Sanchez said Intro 4-29A would "strengthen gas piping inspection" and codify department practice regarding appliance replacement.
Other procedural items and transparency: The council also adopted a pre-considered transparency resolution (Resolution 10-59) by a recorded vote of 41-7-0 and approved a number of land-use items and rezoning packages that were coupled on the general-orders calendar; many items were adopted unanimously or by large majorities as announced by the clerk.
What the council did not do at the stated meeting: For the packages adopted, members did not provide detailed budgetary breakdowns on the floor for every item; where funding or implementation details were not given during debate, the clerk and sponsors recorded the vote and the measure moves to the next procedural or implementation steps described in the legislation or agency practice.
