The NYC Council introduced nine measures this week spanning data transparency, contractor accountability, and climate resilience.
Three bills would establish new reporting requirements: schools would report on parent outreach for scholarship accounts, the city would track pay equity disparities at contractors by race and gender, and the Health Department would publish annual suicide statistics by demographic categories and method.
The Council also advanced four resolutions urging state action on climate and energy issues, including calls to fund building electrification upgrades, expand renewable energy targets, revive a sea level rise task force, and authorize the city to use street-cleaning cameras for parking enforcement.
A fifth resolution condemned federal mass deportation plans and pledged Council support for immigrant communities.
This bill would require the city to collect, analyze, and publicly report pay and employment data from city contractors—breaking down employees by pay level, race, ethnicity, and gender—to identify and address wage and hiring disparities. The city would also need to recommend equity action plans based on findings.
This bill would require the Health Department to publish detailed annual reports on suicides in NYC, breaking down deaths by age, occupation, race/ethnicity, borough, sex, and method. The aim is to create public data that could help identify trends and inform suicide prevention efforts.
This bill proposes requiring the Parks Department to report annually on instances where developers are allowed to meet street tree planting requirements through alternatives—such as planting trees elsewhere, paying a fee, or other options—instead of planting on their own property. The reports would detail each approval, including the location, type of alternative used, and outcomes, giving the Council visibility into how often and where these exemptions are granted.
This resolution urges the New York State Legislature to pass a bill allowing NYC to use cameras mounted on street cleaning vehicles to enforce alternate side parking rules. Violators would receive warnings for 60 days, then face fines up to $50 per violation. The cameras would help street sweepers access curbs and reduce flooding caused by debris-clogged storm drains.
This resolution urges New York State to revive a dormant sea level rise task force that last met in 2009. The task force would update projections on how rising seas will flood NYC neighborhoods and recommend strategies to protect the city's $101.5 billion in coastal property from increased tidal and storm surge flooding.
Bill would require schools to report on parent outreach for scholarship account program through 2027
This bill would require NYC public schools participating in the NYC Scholarship Account program to report annually on how they're reaching out to eligible families about the program's benefits. The Department of Education would compile these reports and assess which outreach methods work best, then propose improvements for the following year. The requirement expires in 2027.
This resolution calls on New York State to pass the 'Bucks for Boilers Act,' which would fund the replacement of fossil fuel heating systems with electric alternatives in buildings citywide. The bill would provide up to $50,000 per unit for private buildings and full funding for disadvantaged communities, while banning new fossil fuel heating equipment in existing buildings by 2029–2034, helping NYC meet its climate goals and improve air quality.
This resolution condemns President Trump's threatened mass deportation operations and expresses Council solidarity with NYC's immigrant communities. It is a non-binding statement opposing federal immigration enforcement actions, including border suspension, termination of asylum programs, expanded detention, and pressure on sanctuary cities.
This resolution urges the New York Power Authority to increase its renewable energy capacity target from 3.5 gigawatts to at least 15 gigawatts by 2030, redirect corporate incentive funds toward renewable buildout and bill assistance for low-income New Yorkers, and prioritize 5 gigawatts of generation in downstate areas. The push aims to help New York meet its climate goals while creating green jobs and lowering energy costs.