Legislative Matters
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Legislative Matters
About the Council:
It looks like, for the final year of her tenure, City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito will actively, even aggressively, pursue her legislative agenda, as the Council is busy moving bills even during the budget season. A little Council trivia: Once the Council has held a hearing on a bill, they can pass it, or an amended version, at any time, as long as they have "aged" it. To age a bill, Council staff must literally place (or "lay") the bill on each Councilmembers desk at City Hall at least eight days (not counting Sunday or holidays) before the vote. Because of this, the Council always has a lot of bills that it has heard in its back pocket, ready to age and pass.
Recently, the NYC Council has been hearing and passing bills on a
variety of issues. One group of bills, on construction safety, has been moving
through the process in stages, with relatively routine bills getting passed
quickly, while others are taking longer. BOMA/NY and our Government Affairs
Committee worked with a broad range of partners in real estate, construction,
and affordable housing to make our concerns known to the Council and the
Administration. This coordinated effort was effective in eliciting revisions
that made the bills more comprehensive and less burdensome.
