City Hall – The New York City Council voted to pass legislation that would require the advice and consent of the Council as part of the appointment process for 20 additional city agency commissioners, upon subsequent approval by voters in a citywide election. Currently, the Council already has advice and consent power for more than a dozen roles, including the Corporation Counsel, Department of Investigations (DOI) Commissioner, and Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) Commissioner.
The Council also voted to approve modifications to the City of Yes for Economic Opportunity citywide zoning text amendment. The Council’s modifications to 14 of the 18 proposals address concerns about the initial proposal by including limitations and safeguards, striking the right balance to expand opportunities for small businesses, create jobs, and protect neighborhoods and quality of life for all New Yorkers. The Council also secured commitments to regulate last-mile facilities, support the city’s industrial sector, and boost enforcement resources.
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Additionally, the Council passed packages of legislation to address the pay disparity in the municipal workforce and to support the needs of migrants and new arrivals.
“Advice and consent is a safeguard of good government, ensuring the city’s agency leaders are qualified and their priority is the public interest,” said Speaker Adrienne Adams. “When you cut through the noise, the truth is that advice and consent is a common feature of representative democracy in cities and states across this country, including New York, and New York City is an outlier. Today’s vote to pass this legislation supports the Council’s efforts to advance transparency and is a first step in this important conversation about representative democracy that is accountable to its people, and the final decision ultimately must be made by voters.
“In our ongoing commitment to achieve pay equity for our municipal workforce, the Council is proud to pass a package of legislation to ensure our city employees, especially women of color, have equitable access to the opportunities and tools that help them advance their careers,” continued Speaker Adams. As a women-majority Council, and the most diverse in history, our goal is to make government and our entire city work for all New Yorkers.”
Increasing Transparency in Appointment Process for 20 City Agency Commissioners
Introduction 908-A, sponsored by Speaker Adrienne Adams, would require the advice and consent of the Council as part of the appointment process for 20 additional city agency commissioners, upon subsequent approval by voters in a citywide election. During this administration, the Council has approved over 35 appointments of nominees put forward by the mayor without issue. This bill takes an incremental approach to expanding advice and consent and includes guardrails to ensure the process does not delay appointments by requiring Council action within 30 days of receiving a nomination.
The council vote is a major step in a longer process that could lead to a power play between the Mayor’s office and City Council who he has already said is overstepping their boundaries. Adams is expected to veto the bill, but Council members are ready to override the veto at their July 18 meeting, with confidence they can do so.
The commissioners of the following agencies are covered by the bill: Aging; Buildings; Children’s Services; Citywide Administrative Services; Consumer and Worker Protection; Cultural Affairs; Design and Construction; Environmental Protection; Finance; Health and Mental Hygiene; Homeless Services; Housing Preservation and Development; Information Technology and Telecommunications; Parks and Recreation; Sanitation; Small Business Services; Social Services; Transportation; Youth and Community Development; City Planning.
The legislation seeks to move the appointment process for commissioners out of the shadows for greater public transparency. It can ensure appointments of highly qualified commissioners, potential conflicts of interests and ethical issues are proactively resolved and provide an opportunity for appointees to demonstrate their qualifications, build working relationships of trust with stakeholders, and learn more about the range of diverse issues they will be expected to address.
Municipal Pay Disparity Solutions: Improving Workplaces and Promotional Opportunities
In April, the Council released its 2024 Pay Disparities Report, which found that persistent gender and racial wage gaps in the municipal workforce are largely the result of women of color being paid less, given their concentration in job titles that consistently provide lower wages. The report shows that for every dollar earned by white male employees, all other workers earn, on average, 82 cents, demonstrating that people of color – and women of color, more deeply – are experiencing the overwhelming impact of municipal pay disparities. The following package of bills seeks to address these gender and racial wage gaps by increasing access to opportunities in the municipal workforce.
Introduction 743-A, sponsored by Council Member Carmen De La Rosa, would require municipal agencies to coordinate with the Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS) to offer career counseling to eligible municipal employees to advise them of career advancement processes and opportunities. This bill would also require agencies and DCAS to conduct outreach to eligible employees regarding the availability of career counseling services, and to create written materials to provide guidance. Furthermore, this legislation would require DCAS to submit a report regarding municipal employees’ utilization of career counseling services and summarize the feedback the agency has received.
Assessing and Supporting the Workforce and Health Needs of New Arrivals
Sustainable employment and a comprehensive understanding of the physical and mental health needs of immigrant newcomers are vital to supporting the arrival of people seeking asylum. The following bills seek to equip city agencies and the Council with a full picture of new arrivals’ abilities, the impediments they face in accessing jobs and in addressing health-related needs, and potential solutions that would bolster their economic security, upward mobility, and their physical and mental health.
Introduction 84-A, sponsored by Council Member Carlina Rivera, would require a mayoral office or agency designated by the mayor, in consultation with the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs (MOIA), to develop a survey of newly arrived migrants, including those who have arrived recently and those seeking asylum, to elicit information related to skills, economic opportunities, and workforce development obstacles. The bill would require the designated mayoral office or agency to conduct the survey annually in multiple languages in locations serving migrants. It would also require an annual report to the Council that includes the survey results and recommendations of policies and investments to support the economic well-being and success of migrants residing in New York City.
Introduction 85-A, sponsored by Council Member Carlina Rivera, would require a mayoral office or agency designated by the mayor, in consultation with MOIA, to develop a health survey of migrants to elicit information related to migrants’ long-term health needs, chronic conditions, and healthcare access needs. The bill would require the survey to be administered annually in multiple languages in locations serving migrants. The bill would also require an annual report to the Council that includes the survey results and recommendations for ways to identify and anticipate the health needs of migrants residing in New York City.
Resolution 340-B, sponsored by Council Member Carlina Rivera, calls on the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to eliminate filing fees for humanitarian benefit applications and subsequent employment authorization applications. The resolution also calls on Congress and the President to move significant funding to USCIS to cover the funding lost by the eliminated filing fees.
