Tuesday, May 30, 2017

MAYOR DE BLASIO SIGNS LEGISLATION TO BETTER PROMOTE SAFETY, FAIRNESS AND TRANSPARENCY FOR ALL NEW YORKERS


Signs legislation to give food carts letter grades, create a fairer workweek, give voters their voter history prior to elections, and increase safety for all vehicles on the road

  Mayor Bill de Blasio today held public hearings for, and signed, 28 pieces of legislation into law. Intro. 1396 establishes general provisions governing fair work practices and requiring certain fast food employers to provide advance notice of work schedules to employees and to provide a schedule change premium when hours are changed after required notices; Intro. 1388 regulates consecutive work shifts in fast food restaurants involving both the closing and opening of the restaurant; Intro. 1395 requires fast food employers to offer work shifts to current employees before hiring additional employees; Intro. 1384 provides fast food employees the ability to make voluntary contributions to not-for-profit organizations of their choice through payroll deductions; Intro. 1387 prohibits on-call scheduling for retail employees; Intro. 848 sends voters their voter histories; Intro. 951 requires all public phone lines be able to dial 911 directly; Intro. 1028-B creates a Sexual Health Education Task Force; Intro. 1346-A requires storm water management and control of discharges into storm sewers;Intro, 1456-A requires mobile vendor letter grades; Intro. 722-A increases the minimum apartment temperature that must be maintained by a landlord during nighttime hours; Intro. 823-A requires the city to issue a report regarding illegal conversions of dwelling units; Intro. 1218-A relates to illegal conversions; Intro. 1586 relates to the preservation of certain hotels;Intro. 518-A requires secondhand automobile dealers to disclose whether automobiles have been recalled by the automobiles’ manufacturers; Intro. 1117-A expands current delivery cyclist protections to all commercial cyclists; Intro. 1177-A requires feasibility of interval crossing systems at high-crash intersections; Intro. 1285-A requires a study on locations with significant pedestrian traffic; Intro. 1305-A relates to notice parking restrictions related to removal of trees; Intro. 282-A relates to community involvement in decisions of the BSA; Intro. 418-A relates to written responses by the BSA; Intro. 514-A relates to the expiration of variances granted by the BSA; Intro. 1200-A relates to proof of service of certain required mailings for applications the BSA; Intro. 1390-A requires Dept. of City Planning to designate a BSA coordinator; Intro. 1391-A relates to appraisals regarding BSA‎ applications; Intro. 1392-A relates to applications for variances and special permits before the BSA; Intro. 1393-A requires BSA to report on variances and special permits; Intro. 1394-A relates to adding zoning variance and special permit information on a map on a city website.

“Today we have 28 bills that to improve job conditions and scheduling practices, bills that give voters more information, and bills that make tenants, motorists, and cyclists safer – just to name a few,” said Mayor de Blasio. "I would like to thank Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito and the sponsors of these bills for continuing to fight for a fairer, safer, and more livable New York for all."

The City Council is proud to be submitting multiple packages guaranteed to go far in keeping New Yorkers feeling safe and secure in their homes and workplaces,” said Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito. “The Fair Work Week initiative will improve employment conditions for thousands of residents in the fast food and retail industries, while a set of reforms to the Board of Standards and Appeals ensures that contentious development projects will receive the comprehensive reviews they need. I applaud my colleagues for their work on these essential measures, and I thank Mayor de Blasio for signing them into law today.”

“Today we celebrate legislation that will improve the quality of life for thousands of New Yorkers,” said New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) Commissioner Maria Torres-Springer.  The increase in the minimum required overnight heat temperature to 62 degrees represents the first change in heat requirements since 1967, and will help all city residents, particularly seniors, children, and those with health conditions weather the cold winter nights. I want to thank City Council Housing Chair Jumaane Williams for working closely with HPD on this issue.”

“DOT strongly believes in cycling safety, so the safety requirements of NYC’s commercial cyclist law should of course cover all delivery cyclists, be they working for a brick-and-mortar store or an online app,” said DOT Commissioner Trottenberg. “Those key safety requirements, including retroreflective clothing, a helmet, lights, a bell, and public display of the business and the individual cyclist, are all in addition to the completion of a required safety course. We commend Majority Leader Van Bramer and the Council for extending these requirements.”  

“DOT shares the Council’s interest in protecting pedestrians by implementing crossing times that are free from conflicting vehicle movements,” said Commissioner Trottenberg. “Since no two New York City intersections are exactly alike, we approach intersection design with an open mind, always looking for the design that will get us the best and safest results. We have already gotten started on the report on the topic required under the Council’s bill -- and look forward to sharing it soon.” 


“With record jobs creation, tourism and population, New York City’s sidewalks and crosswalks are busier than ever,” said Commissioner Trottenberg. “What began as the transformation of Broadway in Times Square has continued through DOT’s Plaza Program, through which we have created the equivalent of twenty football fields’ more room for pedestrians across the city. Meanwhile, we have expanded sidewalks on Main Street in Flushing, with plans for wider sidewalks on Seventh Avenue in Midtown and as the Mayor recently announced, on Thompson Avenue near LaGuardia Community College, used by thousands of students every day. And on Broadway in Manhattan between 24th and 25th Streets, we are implementing NYC’s first official operational ‘shared street.’ We look forward to continuing to study needed improvements as required by the Council’s legislation -- and implementing those improvements.”

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