Council Passes Contractor Fraud Rules, Procurement Database in Active Week

Week of Feb 9–15, 2026

The City Council had a busy week, passing nine bills and land use measures, advancing five rezoning applications through committee, and holding hearings on a wide range of housing and transportation proposals. A wave of 167 new introductions signals a packed legislative calendar ahead.

---

Government Operations: Transparency and Accountability

Two significant government-operations bills cleared the full Council this week.

The Council passed a bill tightening contractor fraud penalties and subcontractor disclosure rules by a vote of 48-0-1. The measure strengthens oversight of city contracting by requiring more detailed disclosure from subcontractors and imposing stiffer penalties for fraudulent conduct.

Separately, the Council unanimously approved a searchable online procurement database (49-0-0), giving the public a centralized tool to track city contracts and spending. Together, the two bills represent the Council's most direct action this session on contracting transparency.

Both bills passed with near-unanimous or unanimous support, reflecting broad agreement across the Council on strengthening procurement oversight.

---

Housing: Hearings Signal a Busy Agenda Ahead

No housing bills passed the full Council this week, but the Housing Committee held six hearings — the most of any committee — signaling that housing legislation is a major priority for the session.

Bills discussed in committee included:

• A shared housing rooming units proposal, which would establish rules for a new category of smaller, more affordable housing units
• A cellar occupancy bill for small buildings, which would allow certain basement and cellar spaces to be used as legal residences
• An in-person housing portal assistance program, which would provide residents with direct help navigating the city's affordable housing application system
• Affordable housing portal vacancy rules, which would set requirements for how quickly vacant affordable units must be listed and filled
• Emergency tenant relocation services, which would formalize city assistance for tenants displaced by building emergencies
• A bill addressing tree damage caused by construction sheds, which would set standards for protecting street trees during building work

All six bills were laid over or deferred for further review. None advanced to a vote this week.

---

Land Use: Queens and Brooklyn Rezonings Move Forward

Land use was the most active area for final votes this week, with four rezoning measures passing the full Council and five more clearing committee.

Passed by the full Council:

The Council approved three linked measures — a rezoning, a companion zoning resolution, and a land disposition — for a development site at Linden Boulevard in Queens, each by a 49-0-0 vote. A separate rezoning at 247-56 90th Avenue in a Queens commercial district also passed unanimously. In Manhattan, the Council approved a special permit for Ethyl's Alcohol & Food, a restaurant/bar use, without dissent.

Advanced through committee:

Five Brooklyn and Queens rezoning applications cleared the full Council's land use process and advanced to the City Planning Commission for review. Three components of an Avenue U rezoning in Brooklyn — including a companion measure and a third component with modifications — moved forward, as did a Broadway rezoning in Queens and its companion measure.

---

Transportation and Small Business: Sidewalks, Signage, and E-Bikes

Passed: The Council unanimously approved a Sanitation Department power-washing pilot program for commercial corridor sidewalks (49-0-0), directing the agency to test regular mechanical cleaning on high-traffic commercial strips.

In committee: The Transportation Committee held hearings on two bills without advancing either. A proposal on newsrack owner contact information requirements — rules that would require street newsracks to display current owner contact details — was laid over. An e-bike safety task force bill was held for further study. A bill setting bus lane signage and visibility standards was also deferred.

---

Child Care: Permitting Streamlined

The Council passed a bill directing clearer permitting guidance for child care providers navigating multi-agency approval processes (49-0-0). The measure responds to longstanding complaints from child care operators about inconsistent and duplicative requirements across city agencies.

---

Introduced Bills: 167 New Proposals

Members introduced 167 bills this week, the largest single-week introduction total of the young session. The introductions spanned every major topic area, with government operations (68), environment (42), and housing (40) leading the count. Land use, civil rights, transportation, small business, and consumer protection each saw more than two dozen new proposals.

Introduced bills have no immediate legal effect — they must clear committee hearings and a full Council vote before becoming law. The volume of introductions reflects members staking out legislative priorities early in the 2026 session.

{
  "ai_model": "claude-sonnet-4-6",
  "bill_count": 190,
  "topic_counts": {
    "aging": 1,
    "parks": 10,
    "health": 17,
    "animals": 1,
    "finance": 18,
    "housing": 40,
    "children": 8,
    "land-use": 31,
    "education": 12,
    "disability": 1,
    "sanitation": 9,
    "technology": 12,
    "environment": 42,
    "immigration": 5,
    "civil-rights": 29,
    "transparency": 1,
    "accessibility": 1,
    "public-health": 1,
    "public-safety": 23,
    "animal welfare": 1,
    "animal-welfare": 2,
    "infrastructure": 1,
    "small-business": 25,
    "transportation": 29,
    "workers-rights": 12,
    "criminal-justice": 10,
    "consumer-protection": 24,
    "government-operations": 68
  },
  "section_counts": {
    "passed": 9,
    "committee": 14,
    "introduced": 167
  }
}