Week of December 8, 2025

A hearing was held this week on a bill that would let immigrants and detainees sue the NYPD and city if they're arrested or detained based on federal immigration requests. Currently, city law blocks such lawsuits. The bill would allow people harmed by the city's cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement to seek damages, attorney fees, and other compensation in civil court.

The Immigration Committee held a hearing this week on a bill that would ban NYC employers from using E-Verify or similar systems to check immigration status before offering a job. The bill allows verification only after a job offer is made and requires employers using E-Verify to post notices and properly handle verification failures, with $10,000 penalties per violation.

The City Council held a hearing this week on a bill that would expand the definitions of 'identifying information' and 'private information' in city law. The changes would add biometric data (like facial recognition and gait patterns), device identifiers, surveillance footage, and social media accounts to what counts as sensitive personal information that the city must protect.

The Health Committee held a hearing this week on a bill requiring the city Health Department to educate New Yorkers about fertility treatment options and insurance coverage. The bill would mandate a public awareness campaign in multiple languages across transit, media, and clinics explaining IVF, fertility preservation, Medicaid and private insurance coverage, and why early access to fertility care matters.

The Committee on Immigration held a hearing this week on a bill requiring city agencies to post signage in multiple languages explaining immigrants' constitutional and legal rights when encountering federal immigration authorities. The signage would describe protections under city law, identify public versus non-public areas in city buildings, and explain Fourth Amendment rights. City agencies and schools would need to display and distribute these materials by September 30, 2025.

The Technology Committee held a hearing this week on a bill requiring all NYC city agency websites to use the '.gov' domain instead of other web addresses. The bill aims to standardize government web presence and boost public trust by making it clear which websites are official city resources, though it exempts social media accounts and third-party platforms.

The Technology Committee held a hearing this week on a bill that would require the city to assess whether artificial intelligence tools used by city agencies create gender-based discrimination. The bill would create a new interagency taskforce to examine how AI affects city workers by gender, and mandate a report every two years on AI tools that use gender as a factor in decision-making.

The Health Committee held a hearing this week on a bill requiring the city to provide free blood glucose test strips in five high-need neighborhoods. The measure aims to improve diabetes management access for New Yorkers in areas with high rates of uninsured residents and limited healthcare resources.

A subcommittee held a hearing this week on a resolution to extend CityBridge's franchise agreement to install and maintain public communications structures (like LinkNYC kiosks) across all five boroughs for an additional five years. This is a binding authorization that would allow the city to formalize the contract extension, pending final approvals from the Franchise and Concession Review Committee and the Mayor.

A Health Committee hearing was held this week on a bill requiring chain restaurants to display warning icons on high-sodium menu items. The proposal would mandate a red and white triangle icon next to items containing 1,800+ mg of sodium, with a warning statement about health risks like high blood pressure and stroke. The committee laid the bill over for further consideration.

A subcommittee hearing was held this week on a resolution to extend the city's street furniture franchise deal—the one that puts bus shelters, newsboxes, and public toilets on sidewalks. The resolution would let DOT renew the current contract with JCDecaux Street Furniture New York through March 2035, about four years longer than the current expiration date of June 2031. This is a continuation of a deal originally signed in 2006.

The City Council held a hearing this week on a resolution calling on the State Legislature to pass a data protection law. The bill would give New Yorkers the right to know what personal information state agencies collect about them and to request deletion of that data, while restricting how agencies share and use this information.

The City Council held a hearing this week on a resolution calling on New York State to lower the age for insurance coverage of colorectal cancer screening from 45 to 35. The resolution urges the state legislature to pass a bill that would require insurers to cover early detection screenings for younger adults, citing rising colorectal cancer rates among people under 50 and higher survival rates when cancer is caught early.

The Health Committee held a hearing this week on a resolution calling on New York State to require doctors to offer pain management options for in-office gynecologic procedures like IUD insertions. The resolution notes that most U.S. doctors don't offer effective pain relief options during these procedures, despite recent recommendations from medical organizations, and argues New York should lead on patient-centered reproductive healthcare.

The City Council held a hearing this week on a resolution calling New York State to pass the Right to Your Own Image Act, which would protect New Yorkers from having their images, voices, or likenesses used without permission in AI-generated deepfakes for commercial purposes. The bill would expand existing privacy law to cover AI-created or altered digital replicas used in scams, advertising, or other commercial ventures.

The Health Committee held a hearing this week on a resolution urging New York State to create a tax credit for fertility treatment costs, then laid the bill over for further consideration. The resolution calls on state lawmakers to help New Yorkers afford IVF and other fertility treatments, which can cost $15,000–$30,000+ per cycle and often require multiple attempts.