Int. No. 260
By Council Member Marte
A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to creating a website to produce and sign petitions seeking particular actions by city government
Be it enacted by the Council as follows:
Section 1. Title 23 of the administrative code of the city of New York is amended by adding a new chapter 9 to read as follows:
CHAPTER 9
PETITIONING CITY GOVERNMENT
§ 23-901 Definitions. For the purposes of this chapter, the following terms have the following meanings:
Department. The term “department” means the department of information technology and telecommunications.
Public authority. The term “public authority” means a state authority or local authority as defined in section 2 of the public authorities law that operates within the city of New York.
Online petition. The term “online petition” means a petition that:
1. Calls for an action to be taken by an agency or public authority;
2. Is available on the website required by subdivision a of section 23-902; and
3. Can be signed with individual electronic signatures.
§ 23-902 Website for petitioning city government. a. The department shall establish a website that allows members of the public to create and sign online petitions and allows city agencies or public authorities to post public responses to online petitions.
b. After an online petition reaches a threshold number of electronic signatures, as determined by the department by rule, such petition shall be transmitted to the appropriate agency or public authority for a public response.
c. The department shall make a request for information at least once every six months from each agency or public authority that received at least one online petition from the department during the preceding six months. Such request shall be for information including, but not limited to, (i) the public response from each agency or public authority to each petition it received from the department, if any, and (ii) a summary of the actions taken by such agency or public authority in response to such petition, if any.
d. This section does not prohibit an agency from maintaining a separate process for public submission of petitions.
§ 23-903 Reporting. a. The department shall maintain an automated reporting system, available to the public, on the website created pursuant to subdivision a of section 23-902. Such reporting system shall include, at a minimum, (i) the number of online petitions transmitted to each agency or public authority, (ii) the number of such petitions to which each agency or public authority has responded, and (iii) each agency or public authority’s public response to each petition.
b. No later than June 30 of the year following effective date of this chapter, and each year thereafter, the department shall issue a report to the speaker of the council and the mayor containing, at a minimum, a list of online petitions transmitted to each agency or public authority, the relevant agency or public authority’s public response to such petition, if any, and a summary of the actions taken by the relevant agency or public authority in response to such petition, if any.
§ 2. This local law takes effect 120 days after it becomes law, except that the department of information technology and telecommunications shall take such measures as are necessary for its implementation, including the promulgation of rules, prior to such effective date.
Session 12
WCJ
LS #8610
4/12/2022 1:01 PM
Session 11
ARP
LS #5631
Int. #847-2018