Mayor de Blasio Presides Over a Bill Signing Ceremony

Mayor Bill de Blasio Holds Public Hearings and Signs Intros No. 422-A, 131-A, 363-A and 149-A

Mayor Bill de Blasio today signed legislation into law in relation to door alarms on public school buildings. The legislation was introduced in response to the Avonte Oquendo tragedy, in which a 14-year-old autistic boy left school undetected.

Introductory 131-A, also known as ‘Avonte’s Law,’ requires the Department of Education to evaluate the need for door alarms on exterior doors at elementary schools and District 75 schools serving students with special needs. By May 30, 2015, DOE must have completed the evaluation of all schools and must submit a report to the Council describing the results of the evaluation, including a list of the schools where door alarms have been deemed appropriate and the timeline for installation. By May 30, 2015 and annually thereafter, DOE must also submit a report regarding training on student safety protocols for DOE personnel. The bill was approved by the City Council at the stated meeting on July 24.

Mayor Bill de Blasio today signed legislation into law to raise the minimum income level of disabled New Yorkers eligible for the Disability Rent Increase Exemption (DRIE) program to $50,000 a year.

Introductory 422-A expands rent increase exemption benefits for disabled New Yorkers living in rent-regulated housing by raising the minimum income level to $50,000 a year—providing DRIE eligibility to at least 3,000 additional households—and simplifying eligibility determinations by setting a single income limit, regardless of household size. In May 2014, similar legislation was passed to increase the income limit for seniors in the Senior Citizen Rent Increase Exemption (SCRIE) program to $50,000, and today’s legislation will increase the DRIE income limit to match SCRIE. Intro. 422-A will take effect as of July 1, 2014 and will be in effect for those applying to DRIE for two years. The state legislature recently passed legislation authorizing the City Council to pursue this change, and Governor Cuomo signed this legislation into law on July 22, 2014. The bill was approved by the City Council at the stated meeting on July 24, 2014.

Building on his commitment to create a more transparent and effective City government that serves New Yorkers across the five boroughs, Mayor Bill de Blasio today signed Intro 363-A and Intro 149-A into law and announced a public-partnership that will enable New York City to unlock and analyze municipal decision-making information stored in the City Record—going back more than 15 years.

The first piece of legislation, Introductory 363-A, requires the Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS) to post online the City Record within 24 hours of publishing the City Record, in a searchable and downloadable format. It also mandates that the City Record data is included in the Open Data portal. The second bill, Introductory 149-A, requires the Law Department to publish the City Charter, the Administrative Code, and the Rules of the City of New York online and update the compilation of laws within 30 days of any change.

In addition to signing these two bills, the Mayor announced a new public-private partnership centered around the release of more than 4,000 daily publications of the City Record, including daily reporting on government procurement, public hearings and meetings, disposition of public property, and hiring. This body of archival data—which cannot be analyzed in their current PDF file format—will serve as a valuable tool in understanding the trends and patterns surrounding City operations and forging a smarter, more effective city fit for the 21st Century.

Blue Room, City Hall

Manhattan

August 7, 2014