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NYC Council tackles bills on policing, homeless rights and charity gambling
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Brittany Kriegstein
Published Apr 27, 2023
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By Felix Lipov
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Brittany Kriegstein
Published Apr 27, 2023
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The City Council will be hopping today with a series of bills touching on matters from traffic safety to policing and homelessness.The measures could have a significant impact on daily life for people across the five boroughs.
The bills are scheduled for a vote in their respective committees and could be voted through by the full Council as early as Thursday afternoon, when the city's legislature is expected to meet.
Here’s a list of some of the bills that are up for a vote.
Public Safety Committee:
A bill sponsored by Councilmember Mercedes Narcisse would require that the NYPD provide its officers with special training to interact with individuals on the autism spectrum. The training would include enhancing officers’ awareness and understanding of the disorder, development of the interpersonal skills to safely interact with individuals on the spectrum, and instruction on interview and investigative techniques to apply to cases involving such individuals.
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure:
A bill sponsored by Councilmember Rita C. Joseph would require the Department of Transportation to work with the Department for the Aging to designate specific pedestrian zones around the city for seniors. The DOT would be responsible for installing “traffic calming” devices in each zone, such as speed bumps, to slow and decrease vehicles and make the area safer for pedestrians.
A second transportation bill sponsored by Public Advocate Jumaane Williams would require the DOT to conduct more frequent studies of traffic crashes that have caused a serious injury or death. The current law calls for those studies to take place every five years, but this bill would increase that pace to every four years.
A third transportation bill sponsored by Councilmember Selvena Brooks-Powers would require the DOT to study the safety benefits of “daylighting,” the practice of removing parking spaces near intersections to make them safer for both drivers and pedestrians. Parked cars near intersections can cause accidents when they block people on foot from being able to see oncoming traffic. The bill would require the DOT to implement daylighting in at least 100 intersections beginning on January 1, 2025, reporting annually on the locations where the practice is being implemented or discontinued.
Committee on General Welfare
Another bill sponsored by Public Advocate Jumaane Williams would order the Department of Homeless Services (DHS) to produce a statement of rights for people living in shelters, which would also inform them of the services available to them. DHS would have to make the document available on its website, and to distribute it to shelters and social services offices.
A bill sponsored by Councilmember Shaun Abreu would require the Human Resources Administration to give landlords the option to accept rental assistance payments via an electronic bank account transfer.
Committee on Consumer and Worker Protection:
A bill sponsored by Councilmember Rafael Salamanca Jr. would allow sports venues throughout the city to conduct raffles for charity during professional or college-level events. Exemptions would be provided around advertising, the value of prizes, the sale of alcohol on the premises, the cost of admission, the number of raffles allowed per year and the length of the license period. Raffles could start two hours before the event and last until the end of play.
Tagged
traffic
homelessness
City Council
police
affordable housing
Brittany Kriegstein
Brittany Kriegstein covers all breaking news around New York City, with a focus on crime and gun violence. Got a tip? Email Brittany at [email protected].
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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