Week of October 27, 2025

This proposed law would impose strict new rules on NYPD high-speed vehicle pursuits, requiring supervisor approval beforehand, limiting pursuits to only violent felonies, capping pursuits to 2 police units, and banning dangerous ramming tactics. The bill also mandates body camera use, quick review of every pursuit within 48 hours, and public release of pursuit footage within 30 days.

This bill proposes to expand NYC's delivery service licensing requirements beyond just food delivery to cover all delivery services (courier, grocery, etc.) that arrange 50+ trips weekly. It would create new definitions and regulatory standards for 'delivery services' and 'contracted delivery workers,' potentially subjecting more delivery platforms to city oversight and worker protections.

The City Council approved a resolution this week setting a public hearing for November 12 to consider budget increases for eight business improvement districts and special assessment districts across the city. These districts—serving areas like Bryant Park, Fulton Mall, and several Brooklyn neighborhoods—are seeking combined annual budget increases totaling $13.335 million starting July 2026.

The City Council approved a resolution this week that finalizes which organizations will receive discretionary funding under the city's 2026, 2025, and 2024 budgets. The resolution adds new nonprofit and community group recipients and changes funding designations for existing organizations across various city programs.

The City Council approved a resolution this week establishing a public hearing for the proposed Coney Island Business Improvement District (BID) in Brooklyn. A BID is a designated area where property owners fund improvements like street cleaning, security, and maintenance through an additional tax on their properties.

The City Council approved a resolution this week that sets a 1% cap on how much any class of commercial or residential property can increase its share of the city's tax burden in Fiscal 2026. The resolution exercises new authority from the state to adjust how the city allocates real property taxes among different property classes, preventing any single class from absorbing more than a 1% increase in its tax share.

The City Council approved this resolution this week, which certifies property tax assessment percentages for Fiscal 2026. The resolution implements a 1% cap on how much any property class's tax burden can increase year-over-year, a lower limit than the 5% cap previously adopted in June.

The City Council approved this resolution today, certifying the adjusted property tax base proportions for Fiscal 2026—a technical requirement under state law. The resolution updates tax assessment calculations after the final assessment rolls were filed, accounting for properties added or removed during the year.

The City Council approved the city budget resolution this week, which sets spending levels for NYC government operations and debt payments for the fiscal year. This resolution authorizes the amounts needed to fund city agencies, services, and existing financial obligations.

The City Council approved this resolution this week, setting November 12, 2025 for a public hearing on changes to the Lincoln Square Business Improvement District. The resolution would allow the district to change how it calculates fees on property owners and add new services—but the actual decision to approve those changes will come after the hearing.

The City Council approved a tax exemption extension for a housing development at Block 1827, Lot 1 in Manhattan. The property, owned by Charles H. Housing Associates L.P., will receive a partial real property tax exemption for up to 40 years, with the owner paying a reduced tax based on contract rents rather than full assessed value.

The City Council approved a 40-year tax exemption for a housing development at Block 1594, Lot 17 in Manhattan this week. The Seneca Open Door project, run by a housing development fund company, will be exempt from property taxes as long as it operates as affordable housing under city oversight and completes construction within five years.

The City Council approved a real property tax exemption for multiple residential blocks in Queens (Districts 6 and 9) this week. The exemption, requested by the Department of Housing Preservation and Development, allows a housing development fund company to avoid property taxes for 40 years in exchange for paying a 5% gross rent tax annually, keeping housing affordable.

This bill would require the Department of Environmental Protection to publish online a public report on green infrastructure sites (like rain gardens, green roofs, and permeable pavement) showing inspection dates, maintenance history, and whether work was complaint-driven or routine. The goal is to increase transparency and accountability for stormwater management systems that help prevent flooding and manage runoff.

This bill would strengthen how New York City tracks and maintains its buildings, infrastructure, and other capital assets. It aims to modernize decades-old reporting rules by requiring agencies to provide detailed condition assessments, create centralized accessible inventories, and develop an advanced planning tool to guide maintenance decisions and capital budgeting.

This bill would shift responsibility for improving street medians from the Department of Transportation to the Department of Parks and Recreation. It would require the Parks Department to upgrade at least 1 linear mile of paved medians every 2 years through 2046, prioritizing lower-income neighborhoods, and would make Parks responsible for maintaining those improved medians.

This proposed bill would create a new parking permit program for medical residents (interns and fellows) who don't qualify for special medical license plates. The city would have 120 days to establish an application process, set eligibility rules, and determine permit fees.

This bill would require NYC's Department of Social Services to send applicants a confirmation notice within 24 hours of any benefits interview for cash assistance or food stamps. The notice would include interview details like date, time, location, and a confirmation number. The aim is to give low-income New Yorkers a paper or digital record of their benefits application process.

This bill proposes to create a city grant program that would fund veterans service organizations and community groups to support volunteer mentors working in veterans treatment courts. The grants would cover mentor recruitment, training, expense reimbursement, and sharing best practices—aiming to help justice-involved veterans navigate the criminal justice system with peer support.

This proposal would require delivery services licensed by the city to submit detailed data on every delivery trip, including worker ID, pickup/dropoff times and locations, GPS routes, time limits, and vehicle type. The city would use this data to monitor delivery operations and worker conditions.

This bill would prohibit companies and individuals from using surveillance technology like facial recognition, license plate readers, and geofencing to track people within 750 feet of hospitals, nursing homes, mental health facilities, and reproductive health clinics. Health care facilities themselves could still use these tools for their own operations, but couldn't share the data they collect without a person's written consent, with violations subject to fines up to $1,500.

This proposal would expand New York City's 'safe time' law to allow employees to use paid leave for school-related events involving their children—such as parent-teacher conferences, disciplinary hearings, or school interviews—when these events cannot be scheduled outside work hours. Currently, safe time covers only domestic violence and family emergencies; this bill would add parental school involvement as a new qualifying reason.

This bill proposes to let certain small mixed-use buildings—under 5,000 sq ft, 3 stories or fewer, with ground-floor commercial space—get waivers from NYC's containerization rules (using rigid bins with tight lids) if they can prove there's nowhere on their property to safely store containers without violating fire code or blocking tenant access. Building owners could apply online, get a sticker if approved, and appeal denials.

This bill would require ferry service contractors to pay all employees at least the city's living wage rate. It aims to ensure ferry workers earn a livable income by applying the same wage standards already used for other city-contracted services.

This bill would make it easier for restaurant owners to apply for sidewalk and roadway cafe permits by removing requirements that drawings be done by licensed professionals, allowing online applications with save-and-return features, and ensuring in-person help at city offices. The goal is to reduce barriers for small businesses trying to expand outdoor dining.

This bill would require NYC's 311 service to route non-emergency traffic complaints—like drag racing, chronic speeding, congestion, and truck route violations—directly to the NYPD's transportation bureau for investigation and enforcement. Currently, it's unclear how these complaints are handled; this proposal aims to create a formal system to address traffic violations reported by residents.

This bill would cap the minimum pedestrian walkway width required next to sidewalk cafes at 8 feet. Currently, the city can require larger clear paths, which limits how many cafes can operate on narrower blocks. The proposal aims to expand sidewalk cafe opportunities while maintaining basic pedestrian access.

This bill would require the city to assign at least one school crossing guard to every public and private school serving K–8 students by September 2026. The proposal aims to improve pedestrian safety for younger students at school arrival and dismissal times.

This bill would overhaul how New York City regulates non-tobacco hookah establishments by shifting oversight from the Department of Health to the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection and streamlining the licensing requirements. It would eliminate several current permitting rules and update definitions to align with a new licensing framework, while continuing to allow non-tobacco shisha smoking in specific licensed venues like restaurants and bars.

This bill would create a business improvement district (BID) in Coney Island, Brooklyn. A BID is a defined neighborhood where property owners pay an additional assessment to fund local services like street cleaning, security, and marketing. The proposal aims to enhance the commercial district's appearance and economic vitality.

This bill proposes to move oversight of outdoor dining (sidewalk cafes and roadway cafes) from the Department of Transportation to the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection. The shift would consolidate restaurant dining regulations under one agency that already handles food service and worker protections, potentially streamlining permitting and enforcement for restaurants and the city.

This resolution would authorize the city to extend CityBridge's franchise agreement for operating public communications structures (like public WiFi kiosks) across all five boroughs for an additional five years. The extension would allow the city to update the agreement's terms while maintaining public infrastructure access.

This bill would amend the Lincoln Square business improvement district's operating plan to change how it calculates fees charged to property owners and authorize the district to provide additional services. The changes would take effect July 1, 2026, pending City Council approval.

The City Council approved a resolution this week calling on NYC Health and Hospitals to report maternal health complications to the state tracking system using a standardized definition that includes problems up to 30 days after childbirth. This aims to close a data gap: maternal mortality and severe complications in NYC have risen sharply, but inconsistent reporting definitions mean some cases go undocumented, leaving policymakers unable to fully address the crisis.

The City Council approved a resolution this week calling on New York State to create a separate tracking code for maternal deaths and standardize how hospitals report these cases. Currently, maternal mortality is buried within a larger reporting category, leading to inconsistent data collection and missed cases—some hospitals report death rates 20 times higher than comparable facilities, suggesting hospitals are interpreting reporting rules differently.

The City Council approved a resolution this week calling on the New York State Department of Health to share confidential data on maternal health complications with NYC's Maternal Mortality Review Committee. Currently, the state health department doesn't provide this data to the city agency, creating a gap that could help identify maternal mortality trends and health disparities.

The City Council approved a resolution calling on the New York State Department of Health to regularly review hospital patient safety data and require hospitals to fill in missing reports. The resolution aims to address long-standing underreporting of adverse medical events in NYC hospitals, which a 2009 state audit found was significantly lower than in other parts of New York State.

This resolution urges New York State's Comptroller to increase the automatic payout threshold for unclaimed property from $250 to $2,500. The change would allow the state to return more abandoned funds directly to residents without requiring formal claims, potentially speeding up access to the $20 billion in unclaimed money currently held by New York State.

This resolution urges New York State lawmakers to pass legislation that would create an independent agency to protect Mitchell-Lama residents—tenants in affordable housing developments serving over 100,000 New Yorkers. The proposal would establish a complaint system, require comptroller approval for rent increases, provide legal aid, and assign specialized judges to handle resident disputes.

This proposal would strengthen enforcement of newsrack regulations by requiring owners to provide email addresses, mandating annual reporting to the city, and shortening repair deadlines from a vague timeline to 7 business days (or 2 days for safety hazards). The city could remove and sell abandoned newsracks faster if owners don't comply.

This resolution urges New York State lawmakers to pass a bill requiring police officers to use lethality assessments—evidence-based questionnaires—when responding to domestic violence calls. If a victim is deemed high-risk, they would be immediately connected to domestic violence services. Studies show this approach could reduce domestic homicides by 40%.