Council Passes School, Religious-Site Security Bills; 13 Land-Use Items Clear

Public Safety & Civil Rights: Security and Hate Crime Bills Advance

The week's most significant legislative action centered on security and civil rights, with the Council passing several measures in a single session.

• The Council passed a bill establishing security perimeters for religious sites by a 44–5 vote, requiring the city to develop plans to protect houses of worship.
• A more contested measure — a parallel security perimeter plan for schools — passed 30–19, the narrowest margin of the week.
• The Council unanimously approved a new citywide hotline for reporting hate crimes and discrimination, 46–3.
• Emergency planning support for religious and nonprofit organizations passed 49–1, directing the city to assist those groups in preparing for emergencies.

The school security perimeter bill was the only measure this week to draw significant opposition, falling short of a unanimous vote by a wide margin.

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Education & Student Services

Two education-related bills passed without opposition.

• The Council unanimously approved a requirement that schools warn students about social media risks and online hate, 50–0.
• A citywide student loan counseling program also passed 50–0, directing the city to provide guidance to residents navigating student debt.

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Land Use: Williamsburg, Midtown, Lower Manhattan, and Staten Island

The Council cleared 13 land-use items this week, all unanimously.

• A cluster of three bills — a zoning amendment, a rezoning approval, and a special permit — together greenlit the 20 Berry Street development in Williamsburg.
• Two items approved the Allen Street mall demapping in Lower Manhattan, clearing the way for changes to the pedestrian mall configuration (zoning map change and text amendment).
• The Council approved a zoning text amendment for 1325 Avenue of the Americas in Midtown.
• Landmarks approvals cleared for the Hill Top Apartments on Amsterdam Avenue and for two components of the DEP Newtown Creek CSO pollution tunnel project, a major infrastructure effort to reduce combined sewer overflows.
• A 754-seat school facility on Staten Island received unanimous Council approval.
• A special permit for Le Dive, a restaurant/bar, was ratified with modifications.

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Introduced: 28 Bills Enter the Pipeline

Twenty-eight bills were introduced this week and referred to committee. None have been voted on. Notable proposals include:

Environment & Consumer Protection

• A bill to ban plastic confetti sales citywide starting January 2027.
• A proposal to restrict light pollution from residential fixtures, with $50 civil penalties.
• A measure to test cool pavements in heat-vulnerable parks across all five boroughs.
• A bill targeting synthetic food dyes in city-procured meals.
• An energy storage safety bill that would require independent inspections and 24/7 monitoring.

Public Safety & Civil Rights

• A bill that would restrict NYPD crowd control tactics at First Amendment events.
• A proposal requiring NYPD to report quarterly on targeted traffic stops.
• A framework to help incarcerated voters fix defective ballots, and a separate voter registration tracking bill for city jails.

Animals

• A package of five animal-related bills covering dog bite reporting, dog licensing education, animal cruelty liaison officers in every precinct, a public animal abuse registry, and a wildlife management framework for urban animal conflicts.

Government Operations

• A proposal to make email the default channel for official city agency notices.
• A bill to improve 311 complaint routing and agency accountability.
• A support fund for small businesses affected by road construction.

Other

• A bill requiring licensing and registration for e-bikes and scooters.
• A proposal to install 500 outdoor drinking fountains in city parks by 2035.
• A warming centers reporting bill addressing cold-weather shelter capacity.