Also signs bill to establish electric car charging pilot program
Mayor Bill de Blasio today held public hearings for and signed 17 pieces of legislation into law – Intros. 738-A, 1079-A, 1088-A, 1090-A, 1093-A, 1094-A, 1098-A, 1100-A, 1101 and 1102, in relation to gas safety; Intro. 1124-A, in relation to establishing an electric vehicle charging station pilot program; Intro. 1138-A, in relation to establishing a task force on affordability, admissions and graduation rates at the City University of New York; Intro. 1228-B, in relation to amending the New York City charter to review the operations, policies, programs and practices of the Department of Correction; Intro. 300-A, in relation to the removal of snow and ice from fire hydrants; Intro. 1147-A, in relation to establishing an Office of Crime Victim Services; and Intros. 1213-A and 1214-A, in relation to services provided to NYCHA residents, including the Jobs-Plus program.
“Gas safety is important for all New Yorkers, and this legislative package will resolve numerous regulatory oversights. These bills will help protect tenants in the event of an outage, and require greater information sharing between City agencies and gas utilities to enhance safety,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “Most importantly, these reforms will ensure both property owners and utility companies are accountable for keeping buildings safe.”
“I would like to thank Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito for her continued support fighting for the safety of all New Yorkers and for sponsoring Intro. 1079-A. Additionally, I would like to thank Council Members Mark Levine, Rafael Espinal, Vanessa Gibson, Rosie Mendez, Donovan Richards, Ydanis Rodriguez, Jimmy Vacca and Jumaane Williams for sponsoring Intros. 738-A, 1088-A, 1090-A, 1093-A, 1094-A, 1098-A, 1100-A, 1101-A and 1102-A respectfully,” said Mayor de Blasio.
“Ensuring meaningful oversight in New York City jails is paramount to our commitment to a fair and equitable criminal justice system,” said Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito. “First proposed in my State of the City address earlier this year, establishing a permanent entity to monitor, review and report on DOC activity marks an important milestone toward achieving this goal. I thank Mayor de Blasio for signing this measure into law, and commend my fellow council members for their advocacy on this critical issue.”
The first bill, Intro. 738-A, requires that all work on gas piping systems be done by a licensed master plumber, a person with a gas work qualification or a person with a limited gas work qualification. This bill also requires that such qualifications be issued by the Department of Buildings.
The second bill, Intro. 1079-A, requires the final inspection of gas pipe systems to be conducted by the Department of Buildings in the presence of the building holder or the superintendent of the building.
The third bill, Intro. 1088-A, requires building owners to have their gas piping systems inspected by a DOB qualified inspector every five years. This bill also requires building owners to report on any fixes or corrections which were made after this inspection.
The fourth bill, Intro. 1090-A, requires dwelling owners to deliver a notice to all current and prospective tenants with written guidance of what they should do if a gas leak is suspected or discovered.
The fifth bill, Intro. 1093-A, requires gas service operators and owners to notify the DOB within 24 hours of gas service being shut off in a building. Additionally, gas service operators and owners must notify the DOB within 24 hours if gas cannot be restored due to safety concerns.
The sixth bill, Intro. 1094-A, requires an agency or office designated by the Mayor, to identify potential risk factors that may indicate a hazard to health or safety. Some risk factors include unauthorized gas usage, abandoned structures or structures condemned by the City and unusual gas usage for small buildings.
The seventh bill, Intro. 1098-A, requires gas utility corporations to provide annual reports with information on gas asset conditions, a summary of major planned infrastructure projects and investment priorities over the next year. This report will be discussed with City officials each year after being submitted.
The eighth bill, Intro. 1100-A, requires the DOB to establish or adopt a standard governing the installation and location of natural gas detectors after an industry standard has been promulgated. Intro. 1100-A also require that owners install and maintain these detectors.
The ninth bill, Intro. 1101-A, requires the Commissioner of the DOB to establish a penalty waiver program, allowing building owners an opportunity to bring appliances and systems up to code without paying a penalty. Eligibility would be restricted to building owners who own more than one building with fuel gas piping systems.
The tenth bill, Intro. 1102-A, classifies certain violations as “immediately hazardous,” including supplying or installing gas without a permit; operating an altered or newly installed gas piping system without first notifying the utility company; or operating an altered or newly installed piping system without completing a compliance inspection.
“I want to thank Mayor de Blasio and our partners in the City Council and in the construction industry for their effort on these bills. This package of legislation builds upon the Department’s work to enhance gas safety for all New Yorkers, while further enhancing coordination between DOB’s inspectors and utility companies,” said Rick Chandler, P.E., Commissioner of the Department of Buildings.
"In a relatively short time we've seen a number of gas explosions take place in the City; many of them due to failures to report and handle gas leaks properly. To ensure the well-being of New Yorkers and first responders, it's vital we pass legislation that will implement and enforce a system of safety procedures followed by all building owners and plumbers," said Council Member Jumaane Williams, Chair of the Committee on Housing and Buildings.
The eleventh bill, Intro.1124-A, requires the establishment of an electric vehicle charging station pilot program. This program requires the City to install at least 25 electric charging stations across the city, with at least two stations in each borough. The pilot program will end on March 1, 2020. The Electric Vehicle Advisory Committee will monitor the results of the program. In his remarks, the Mayor thanked the bill’s co-sponsors, Council Members Costa Constantinides and Ydanis Rodriguez.
“Reaching our 80 x 50 greenhouse gas reduction goal requires greater use of electric vehicles and the infrastructure to support them. This new local law launches an important effort to provide a public-access electric vehicle charging network that will empower New Yorkers to go electric when they purchase vehicles,” said Daniel Zarrilli, Senior Director for Climate Policy and Programs and the Chief Resilience Officer for the Mayor’s Office. “We applaud Council Members Constantinides and Rodriguez on their stewardship to make sure we can meet the growing demand for sustainable transportation options in all five boroughs.”
“The adoption of electric vehicles is a critical component of the City’s commitment to green the transportation sector within our 80 x 50 greenhouse gas emissions reduction plan,” said Mark Chambers, Director of the Mayor’s Office of Sustainability. “The pilot program that goes into effect with today’s signing keeps us on the path to delivering cleaner transportation options for all New Yorkers. We thank Council Members Constantinides and Rodriguez for their efforts, and look forward to working with them to implement, support and grow these types of sustainable programs.”
“The City currently operates 356 charging stations for City owned fleet vehicles, the largest single EV charging network in NY State,” said DCAS Commissioner Lisette Camilo. “As DCAS grows this fleet network even further, we look forward to also supporting public access to charging through this bill.”
The thirteenth bill, Intro. 1228-B, requires that the Commissioner of the Department of Investigation permanently maintain a position to monitor and investigate the operations, policies and practices of the DOC. In his remarks, the Mayor thanked the bill’s sponsor, Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito.
DOI Commissioner Mark G. Peters said, “As the City’s independent Inspector General, DOI’s work to date on Rikers has resulted in 36 arrests for violence and contraband smuggling as well as better hiring procedures going forward. To that end, I particularly appreciate that this bill reflects that confidence through the commitment of additional resources to carry out further work on these issues.”
“We thank the Council for its support of our reforms. The legislation strengthens oversight by ensuring that our partnership with the Department of Investigation continues during future administrations,” said Department of Correction Commissioner Joseph Ponte.
The fourteenth bill, Intro. 1147-A, creates an Office of Crime Victim Services. This new office will be a resource to connect crime victims to services designed to support them. In his remarks, the Mayor thanked the bill’s co-sponsors, Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito and Council Member Laurie Cumbo.
The fifteenth bill, Intro. 1138-A, creates a task force to examine ways to increase affordability, admissions and graduation rates at CUNY schools. In his remarks, the Mayor thanked the bill’s sponsor, Council Member Inez Barron.
The sixteenth bill, Intro. 1213-A, requires the City of New York to report on utilization of services and the outcomes of services provided to public housing residents. This report will be completed on an annual basis. In his remarks, the Mayor thanked the bill’s sponsor, Council Member Ritchie Torres.
The seventeenth bill, Intro. 1214-A, calls for the City’s Center for Economic Opportunity to develop a recommendation for how the City might expand the Jobs-Plus program for public housing residents. Jobs-Plus is a comprehensive employment program including job and career support. In his remarks, the Mayor thanked the bill’s sponsor, Council Member Ritchie Torres.
"The Center for Economic Opportunity, housed within the Mayor's Office of Operations, is committed to building effective programs through data-driven and evidence-based decision making," said Mindy Tarlow, Director of the Mayor's Office of Operations. "Intro. 1214-A advances these goals by asking for a plan that shows how Jobs-Plus, a robust employment program, could expand to serve all eligible public housing residents."
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