Int. No. 22-A
By Council Members Brewer, The Speaker (Council Member Miller), Comrie, Jackson, Jennings, Koppell, Lopez, Martinez, Monserrate, Perkins, Quinn, Sanders Jr., Seabrook, Stewart, Vann, DeBlasio, Reyna, Moskowitz, Gonzalez, Rivera, James, Yassky, Gerson, Barron, Palma, Baez, Katz, Weprin, Clarke, Liu, Dilan, Reed, Sears, Boyland, Gentile, Recchia, Foster, Avella, Arroyo, Gioia, Gennaro and The Public Advocate (Gotbaum)
A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the City of New York, in relation to the human rights law.
Be it enacted by the Council as follows:
Section 1. The purpose of this local law, which shall be known as the "Local Civil Rights Restoration Act of 2005," is to clarify the scope of New York City’s Human Rights Law. It is the sense of the Council that New York City’s Human Rights Law has been construed too narrowly to ensure protection of the civil rights of all persons covered by the law. In particular, through passage of this local law, the Council seeks to underscore that the provisions of New York City’s Human Rights Law are to be construed independently from similar or identical provisions of New York state or federal statutes. Interpretations of New York state or federal statutes with similar wording may be used to aid in interpretation of the New York City Human Rights Law, viewing similarly worded provisions of federal and state civil rights laws as a floor below which the City’s Human Rights law cannot fall, rather than a ceiling above which the local law cannot rise.
§ 2. Section 8-102 of chapter one of title eight of the administrative code of the City of New York is amended as follows:
24. The term "partnership status" means the status of being in a domestic partnership, as defined by § 3-240(a) of the administrative code of the city of New York.
§ 3. Subdivisions 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 9 and 18 of section 8-107 of chapter one of title eight of the administrative code of the City of New York are amended to read as follows:
1. Employment. It shall be an unlawful discriminatory practice:
(a) For an employer or an employee or agent thereof, because of the actual or perceived age, race, creed, color, national origin, gender, disability, marital status, partnership status, sexual orientation or alienage or citizenship status of any person, to refuse to hire or employ or to bar or to discharge from employment such person or to discriminate against such person in compensation or in terms, conditions or privileges of employment.
(b) For an employment agency or an employee or agent thereof to discriminate against any person because of such person's actual or perceived age, race, creed, color, national origin, gender, disability, marital status, partnership status, sexual orientation or alienage or citizenship status in receiving, classifying, disposing or otherwise acting upon applications for its services or in referring an applicant or applicants for its services to an employer or employers.
(c) For a labor organization or an employee or agent thereof, because of the actual or perceived age, race, creed, color, national origin, gender, disability, marital status, partnership status, sexual orientation or alienage or citizenship status of any person, to exclude or to expel from its membership such person or to discriminate in any way against any of its members or against any employer or any person employed by an employer.
(d) For any employer, labor organization or employment agency or an employee or agent thereof to declare, print or circulate or cause to be declared, printed or circulated any statement, advertisement or publication, or to use any form of application for employment or to make any inquiry in connection with prospective employment, which expresses, directly or indirectly, any limitation, specification or discrimination as to age, race, creed, color, national origin, gender, disability, marital status, partnership status, sexual orientation or alienage or citizenship status, or any intent to make any such limitation, specification or discrimination.
2. Apprentice training programs. It shall be an unlawful discriminatory practice for an employer, labor organization, employment agency or any joint labor-management committee controlling apprentice training programs or an employee or agent thereof:
(b) To deny to or withhold from any person because of his or her actual or perceived race, creed, color, national origin, gender, age, disability, marital status, partnership status, sexual orientation or alienage or citizenship status the right to be admitted to or participate in a guidance program, an apprentice training program, on-the-job training program, or other occupational training or retraining program.
(c) To discriminate against any person in his or her pursuit of such program or to discriminate against such a person in the terms, conditions or privileges of such program because of actual or perceived race, creed, color, national origin, gender, age, disability, marital status, partnership status, sexual orientation or alienage or citizenship status.
(d) To declare, print or circulate or cause to be declared, printed or circulated any statement, advertisement or publication, or to use any form of application for such program or to make any inquiry in connection with such program which expresses, directly or indirectly, any limitation, specification or discrimination as to race, creed, color, national origin, gender, age, disability, marital status, partnership status, sexual orientation or alienage or citizenship status, or any intent to make any such limitation, specification or discrimination.
4. Public accommodations. a. It shall be an unlawful discriminatory practice for any person, being the owner, lessee, proprietor, manager, superintendent, agent or employee of any place or provider of public accommodation, because of the actual or perceived race, creed, color, national origin, age, gender, disability, marital status, partnership status, sexual orientation or alienage or citizenship status of any person, directly or indirectly, to refuse, withhold from or deny to such person any of the accommodations, advantages, facilities or privileges thereof, or, directly or indirectly, to make any declaration, publish, circulate, issue, display, post or mail any written or printed communication, notice or advertisement, to the effect that any of the accommodations, advantages, facilities and privileges of any such place or provider shall be refused, withheld from or denied to any person on account of race, creed, color, national origin, age, gender, disability, marital status, partnership status, sexual orientation or alienage or citizenship status or that the patronage or custom of any person belonging to, purporting to be, or perceived to be, of any particular race, creed, color, national origin, age, gender, disability, marital status, partnership status, sexual orientation or alienage or citizenship status is unwelcome, objectionable or not acceptable, desired or solicited.
5. Housing accommodations, land, commercial space and lending practices. (a) Housing accommodations. It shall be an unlawful discriminatory practice for the owner, lessor, lessee, sublessee, assignee, or managing agent of, or other person having the right to sell, rent or lease or approve the sale, rental or lease of a housing accommodation, constructed or to be constructed, or an interest therein, or any agent or employee thereof:
(1) To refuse to sell, rent, lease, approve the sale, rental or lease or otherwise deny to or withhold from any person or group of persons such a housing accommodation or an interest therein because of the actual or perceived race, creed, color, national origin, gender, age, disability, sexual orientation, marital status, partnership status, or alienage or citizenship status of such person or persons, or because children are, may be or would be residing with such person or persons.
(2) To discriminate against any person because of such person's actual or perceived race, creed, color, national origin, gender, age, disability, sexual orientation, marital status, partnership status, or alienage or citizenship status, or because children are, may be or would be residing with such person, in the terms, conditions or privileges of the sale, rental or lease of any such housing accommodation or an interest therein or in the furnishing of facilities or services in connection therewith.
(3) To declare, print or circulate or cause to be declared, printed or circulated any statement, advertisement or publication, or to use any form of application for the purchase, rental or lease of such a housing accommodation or an interest therein or to make any record or inquiry in conjunction with the prospective purchase, rental or lease of such a housing accommodation or an interest therein which expresses, directly or indirectly, any limitation, specification or discrimination as to race, creed, color, national origin, gender, age, disability, sexual orientation, marital status, partnership status, or alienage or citizenship status, or whether children are, may be, or would be residing with a person, or any intent to make such limitation, specification or discrimination.
(b) Land and commercial space. It shall be an unlawful discriminatory practice for the owner, lessor, lessee, sublessee, or managing agent of, or other person having the right of ownership or possession of or the right to sell, rent, or lease, or approve the sale, rental or lease of land or commercial space or an interest therein, or any agency or employee thereof:
(1) To refuse to sell, rent, lease, approve the sale, rental or lease or otherwise deny or to withhold from any person or group of persons land or commercial space or an interest therein because of the actual or perceived race, creed, color, national origin, gender, age, disability, sexual orientation, marital status, partnership status, or alienage or citizenship status of such person or persons, or because children are, may be or would be residing with such person or persons.
(2) To discriminate against any person because of actual or perceived race, creed, color, national origin, gender, age, disability, sexual orientation, marital status, partnership status, or alienage or citizenship status, or because children are, may be or would be residing with such person, in the terms, conditions or privileges of the sale, rental or lease of any such land or commercial space or an interest therein or in the furnishing of facilities or services in connection therewith.
(3) To declare, print or circulate or cause to be declared, printed or circulated any statement, advertisement or publication, or to use any form of application for the purchase, rental or lease of such land or commercial space or an interest therein or to make any record or inquiry in connection with the prospective purchase, rental or lease of such land or commercial space or an interest therein which expresses, directly or indirectly, any limitation, specification or discrimination as to race, creed, color, national origin, gender, age, disability, sexual orientation, marital status, partnership status, or alienage or citizenship status, or whether children are, may be or would be residing with such person, or any intent to make any such limitation, specification or discrimination.
(c) Real estate brokers. It shall be an unlawful discriminatory practice for any real estate broker, real estate salesperson or employee or agent thereof:
(1) To refuse to sell, rent or lease any housing accommodation, land or commercial space or an interest therein to any person or group of persons or to refuse to negotiate for the sale, rental or lease, of any housing accommodation, land or commercial space or an interest therein to any person or group of persons because of the actual or perceived race, creed, color, national origin, gender, age, disability, sexual orientation, marital status, partnership status, or alienage or citizenship status of such person or persons, or because children are, may be or would be residing with such person or persons, or to represent that any housing accommodation, land or commercial space or an interest therein is not available for inspection, sale, rental or lease when in fact it is so available, or otherwise to deny or withhold any housing accommodation, land or commercial space or an interest therein or any facilities of any housing accommodation, land or commercial space or an interest therein from any person or group of persons because of the actual or perceived race, creed, color, national origin, gender, age, disability, sexual orientation, marital status, partnership status, or alienage or citizenship status of such person or persons, or because children are, may be or would be residing with such person or persons.
(2) To declare, print or circulate or cause to be declared, printed or circulated any statement, advertisement or publication, or to use any form of application for the purchase, rental or lease of any housing accommodation, land or commercial space or an interest therein or to make any record or inquiry in connection with the prospective purchase, rental or lease of any housing accommodation, land or commercial space or an interest therein which expresses, directly or indirectly, any limitation, specification or discrimination as to race, creed, color, national origin, gender, age, disability, sexual orientation, marital status, partnership status, or alienage or citizenship status, or to whether children are, may be or would be residing with a person, or any intent to make such limitation, specification or discrimination.
(3) To induce or attempt to induce any person to sell or rent any housing accommodation, land or commercial space or an interest therein by representations, explicit or implicit, regarding the entry or prospective entry into the neighborhood or area of a person or persons of any race, creed, color, gender, age, disability, sexual orientation, marital status, partnership status, national origin, alienage or citizenship status or a person or persons with whom children are, may be or would be residing.
(d) Lending practices. It shall be an unlawful discriminatory practice for any person, bank, trust company, private banker, savings bank, industrial bank, savings and loan association, credit union, investment company, mortgage company, insurance company, or other financial institution or lender, doing business in the city and if incorporated regardless of whether incorporated under the laws of the state of New York, the United States or any other jurisdiction, or any officer, agent or employee thereof to whom application is made for a loan, mortgage or other form of financial assistance for the purchase, acquisition, construction, rehabilitation, repair or maintenance of any housing accommodation, land or commercial space or an interest therein:
(1) To discriminate against such applicant or applicants because of the actual or perceived race, creed, color, national origin, gender, disability, sexual orientation, age, marital status, partnership status, or alienage or citizenship status of such applicant or applicants or of any member, stockholder, director, officer or employee of such applicant or applicants, or of the occupants or tenants or prospective occupants or tenants of such housing accommodation, land or commercial space, or because children are, may be or would be residing with such applicant or other person, in the granting, withholding, extending or renewing, or in the fixing of rates, terms or conditions of any such financial assistance or in the appraisal of any housing accommodation, land or commercial space or an interest therein.
(2) To use any form of application for a loan, mortgage, or other form of financial assistance, or to make any record or inquiry in connection with applications for such financial assistance, or in connection with the appraisal of any housing accommodation, land or commercial space or an interest therein, which expresses, directly or indirectly, any limitation, specification or discrimination as to race, creed, color, national origin, gender, disability, sexual orientation, age, marital status, partnership status, or alienage or citizenship status, or whether children are, may be, or would be residing with a person.
(e) Real estate services. It shall be an unlawful discriminatory practice to deny a person access to, or membership in or participation in, a multiple listing service, real estate brokers' organization, or other service because of the actual or perceived race, creed, color, national origin, gender, disability, sexual orientation, age, marital status, partnership status, or alienage or citizenship status of such person or because children are, may be or would be residing with such person.
(f) Real estate related transactions. It shall be an unlawful discriminatory practice for any person whose business includes the appraisal of housing accommodations, land or commercial space or interest therein or an employee or agent thereof to discriminate in making available or in the terms or conditions of such appraisal on the basis of the actual or perceived race, creed, color, national origin, gender, disability, sexual orientation, age, marital status, partnership status, or alienage or citizenship status of any person or because children are, may be or would be residing with such person.
7. Retaliation. It shall be an unlawful discriminatory practice for any person engaged in any activity to which this chapter applies to retaliate or discriminate in any manner against any person because such person has (i) opposed any practice forbidden under this chapter, (ii) filed a complaint, testified or assisted in any proceeding under this chapter, (iii) commenced a civil action alleging the commission of an act which would be an unlawful discriminatory practice under this chapter, (iv) assisted the commission or the corporation counsel in an investigation commenced pursuant to this title, or (v) provided any information to the commission pursuant to the terms of a conciliation agreement made pursuant to section 8-115 of this chapter. The retaliation or discrimination complained of under this subdivision need not result in an ultimate action with respect to employment, housing or a public accommodation or in a materially adverse change in the terms and conditions of employment, housing, or a public accommodation, provided, however, that the retaliatory or discriminatory act or acts complained of must be reasonably likely to deter a person from engaging in protected activity.
9. Licenses and permits. It shall be an unlawful discriminatory practice:
(a) Except as otherwise provided in paragraph (c), for an agency authorized to issue a license or permit or an employee thereof to discriminate against an applicant for a license or permit because of the actual or perceived race, creed, color, national origin, age, gender, marital status, partnership status, disability, sexual orientation or alienage or citizenship status of such applicant.
(b) Except as otherwise provided in paragraph (c), for an agency authorized to issue a license or permit or an employee thereof to declare, print or circulate or cause to be declared, printed or circulated any statement, advertisement or publication, or to use any form of application for a license or permit or to make any inquiry in connection with any such application, which expresses, directly or indirectly, any limitation, specification or discrimination as to race, creed, color, national origin, age, gender, marital status, partnership status, disability, sexual orientation or alienage or citizenship status, or any intent to make any such limitation, specification or discrimination.
(c) Nothing contained in this subdivision shall be construed to bar an agency authorized to issue a license or permit from using age or disability as a criterion for determining eligibility for a license or permit when specifically required to do so by any other provision of law.
18. Unlawful boycott or blacklist. It shall be an unlawful discriminatory practice (i) for any person to discriminate against, boycott or blacklist or to refuse to buy from, sell to or trade with, any person, because of such person's actual or perceived race, creed, color, national origin, gender, disability, age, marital status, partnership status, sexual orientation or alienage or citizenship status or of such person's partners, members, stockholders, directors, officers, managers, superintendents, agents, employees, business associates, suppliers or customers, or (ii) for any person willfully to do any act or refrain from doing any act which enables any such person to take such action. This subdivision shall not apply to:
(a) Boycotts connected with labor disputes;
(b) Boycotts to protest unlawful discriminatory practices; or
(c) Any form of expression that is protected by the First Amendment.
§ 4. Section 8-109 of chapter one of title eight of the administrative code of the City of New York is amended as follows:
(g) In relation to complaints filed on or after September first, nineteen hundred ninety one, the commission shall commence proceedings with respect to the complaint, complete [the] a thorough investigation of the allegations of the complaint and make a final disposition of the complaint promptly and within the time periods to be prescribed by rule of the commission. If the commission is unable to comply with the time periods specified for completing its investigation and for final disposition of the complaint, it shall notify the complainant, respondent, and any necessary party in writing of the reasons for not doing so.§ 5. Section 8-120 of chapter one of title eight of the administrative code of the City of New York is amended as follows:
§ 8-120 Decision and order.
a. If, upon all the evidence at the hearing, and upon the findings of fact, conclusions of law and relief recommended by an administrative law judge, the commission shall find that a respondent has engaged in any unlawful discriminatory practice or any act of discriminatory harassment or violence as set forth in chapter six of this title, the commission shall state its findings of fact and conclusions of law and shall issue and cause to be served on such respondent an order requiring such respondent to cease and desist from such unlawful discriminatory practice or acts of discriminatory harassment or violence. Such order shall require the respondent to take such affirmative action as, in the judgment of the commission, will effectuate the purposes of this chapter including, but not limited to:
(1) hiring, reinstatement or upgrading of employees;
(2) the award of back pay and front pay;
(3) admission to membership in any respondent labor organization;
(4) admission to or participation in a program, apprentice training program, on-the-job training program or other occupational training or retraining program;
(5) the extension of full, equal and unsegregated accommodations, advantages, facilities and privileges;
(6) evaluating applications for membership in a club that is not distinctly private without discrimination based on race, creed, color, age, national origin, disability, marital status, partnership status, gender, sexual orientation or alienage or citizenship status;
(7) selling, renting or leasing, or approving the sale, rental or lease of housing accommodations, land or commercial space or an interest therein, or the provision of credit with respect thereto, without unlawful discrimination;
(8) payment of compensatory damages to the person aggrieved by such practice or act; and
(9) submission of reports with respect to the manner of compliance.
§ 6. Section 8-126 of chapter one of title eight of the administrative code of the City of New York is amended as follows:
a. Except as otherwise provided in subdivision thirteen of section 8-107 of this chapter, in addition to any of the remedies and penalties set forth in subdivision a of section 8-120 of this chapter, where the commission finds that a person has engaged in an unlawful discriminatory practice, the commission may, to vindicate the public interest, impose a civil penalty of not more than [fifty] one hundred and twenty-five thousand dollars. Where the commission finds that an unlawful discriminatory practice was the result of the respondent’s willful, wanton or malicious act or where the commission finds that an act of discriminatory harassment or violence as set forth in chapter six of this title has occurred, the commission may, to vindicate the public interest, impose a civil penalty of not more than [one hundred thousand] two hundred and fifty thousand dollars.
§ 7. Section 8-130 of chapter one of title eight of the administrative code of the City of New York is amended as follows:
§ 8-130. Construction. The provisions of this [chapter] title shall be construed liberally for the accomplishment of the uniquely broad and remedial purposes thereof, regardless of whether federal or New York State civil and human rights laws, including those laws with provisions comparably-worded to provisions of this title, have been so construed.
§ 8. Section 8-502 of chapter five of title eight of the administrative code of the City of New York is amended as follows: b. Notwithstanding any inconsistent provision of subdivision a of this section, where a complaint filed with the city commission on human rights or the state division on human rights is dismissed by the city commission on human rights pursuant to subdivisions a, b or c of section
8-113 of chapter one of this title, or by the state division of human rights pursuant to subdivision nine of section two hundred ninety-seven of the executive law either for administrative convenience or on the grounds that such person's election of an administrative remedy is annulled, an aggrieved person shall maintain all rights to commence a civil action pursuant to this chapter as if no such complaint had been filed.c. The city commission on human rights and the corporation counsel shall each designate a representative authorized to receive copies of complaints in actions commenced in whole or in part pursuant to subdivision a of this section. Within 10 days after having commenced [Prior to commencing] a civil action pursuant to subdivision a of this section, the plaintiff shall serve a copy of the complaint upon such authorized representatives [the city commission on human rights and the corporation counsel].
f. In any civil action commenced pursuant to this section, the court, in its discretion, may award the prevailing party costs and reasonable attorney's fees. For the purposes of this subdivision, the term "prevailing" includes a plaintiff whose commencement of litigation has acted as a catalyst to effect policy change on the part of the defendant, regardless of whether that change has been implemented voluntarily, as a result of a settlement or as a result of a judgment in such plaintiff’s favor.
§ 9. Section 8-602 of chapter five of title eight of the administrative code of the City of New York is amended as follows:
§ 8-602 Civil action to enjoin discriminatory harassment or violence; equitable remedies.
a. Whenever a person interferes by threats, intimidation or coercion or attempts to interfere by threats, intimidation or coercion with the exercise or enjoyment by any person of rights secured by the constitution or laws of the United States, the constitution or laws of this state, or local law of the city and such interference or attempted interference is motivated in whole or in part by the victim's actual or perceived race, creed, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, whether children are, may or would be residing with such victim, marital status, partnership status, disability, or alienage or citizenship status as defined in chapter one of this title, the corporation counsel, at the request of the city commission on human rights or on his or her own initiative, may bring a civil action on behalf of the city for injunctive and other appropriate equitable relief in order to protect the peaceable exercise or enjoyment of the rights secured.
§ 10. Section 8-603 of chapter five of title eight of the administrative code of the City of New York is amended as follows:
§ 8-603 Discriminatory harassment; civil penalties.
a. No person shall by force or threat of force, knowingly injure, intimidate or interfere with, oppress, or threaten any other person in the free exercise or enjoyment of any right or privilege secured to him or her by the constitution or laws of this state or by the constitution or laws of the United States or by local law of the city when such injury, intimidation, interference, oppression or threat is motivated in whole or in part by the victim's actual or perceived race, creed, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, partnership status, disability or alienage or citizenship status, as defined in chapter one of this title.
b. No person shall knowingly deface, damage or destroy the real or personal property of any person for the purpose of intimidating or interfering with the free exercise or enjoyment of any right or privilege secured to the other person by the constitution or laws of this state or by the constitution or laws of the United States or by local law of the city when such defacement, damage or destruction of real or personal property is motivated in whole or in part by the victim's actual or perceived race, creed, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, partnership status, or whether children are, may be, or would be residing with such victim, disability or alienage or citizenship status, as defined in chapter one of this title.
c. Any person who violates subdivision a or b of this section shall be liable for a civil penalty of not more than one hundred thousand dollars for each violation, which may be recovered by the corporation counsel in an action or proceeding in any court of competent jurisdiction.
§ 11. Section 8-701 of chapter five of title eight of the administrative code of the City of New York is amended as follows:
§ 8-701 Legislative declaration.
Boycotts or blacklists that are based on a person's race, color, creed, age, national origin, alienage or citizenship status, marital status, partnership status, gender, sexual orientation, or disability pose a menace to the city's foundation and institutions. In contrast to protests that are in reaction to an unlawful discriminatory practice, connected with a labor dispute or associated with other speech or activities that are protected by the first amendment discriminatory boycotts cause havoc, divide the citizenry and do not serve a legitimate purpose. The council declares that discriminatory boycotts are a dangerously insidious form of prejudice and hereby establishes a procedure for expeditiously investigating allegations of this type of prejudice, assuring that the council and mayor are duly alerted to the existence of such activity and combating discriminatory boycotts or blacklists.
§ 12. This local law shall take effect upon enactment.
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