Int. No. 468

By Council Members Gennaro, Nurse, Sanchez, Dinowitz and Schulman

A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to an invasive species advisory board

Be it enacted by the Council as follows:

Section 1. Chapter 1 of title 18 of the administrative code of the city of New York is amended by adding new section 18-107.1 to read as follows:

§ 18-107.1 Invasive species advisory board. a. There shall be an invasive species advisory board consisting of 11 members as follows:

1. The commissioner of parks and recreation or the commissioner’s designee, who shall serve as chair;

2. The commissioner of environmental protection or the commissioner’s designee;

3. The commissioner of transportation or the commissioner’s designee;

4. The director of the department of city planning or the director’s designee;

5. The director of the office of long term planning and sustainability or the director’s designee;

6. A representative from the New York city soil and water conservation district, appointed by the mayor;

7. A specialist in terrestrial invasive species, appointed by the speaker of the council;

8. Two representatives from environmental advocacy organizations, one appointed by the mayor and one appointed by the speaker of the council; and

9. Two representatives from the nursery industry, one appointed by the mayor and one appointed by the speaker of the council.

b. The mayor may invite representatives from the Brooklyn botanic garden, the New York botanical garden, the nature conservancy, the New York state department of environmental conservation, the federal fish and wildlife service and the federal department of agriculture to participate in the work of the advisory board.

c. All appointments required by this section shall be made no later than 90 days after the effective date of the local law that added this section.

d. Each member of the advisory board shall serve at the pleasure of the officer who appointed the member. In the event of a vacancy on the advisory board, a successor shall be appointed in the same manner as the original appointment for the remainder of the unexpired term. All members of the advisory board shall serve without compensation.

e. The chair shall convene the first meeting of the advisory board no later than 30 days after the last member has been appointed, except that where not all members of the advisory board have been appointed within the time specified in subdivision c of this section, the chair shall convene the first meeting of the task force within 10 days of the appointment of a quorum.

f. The advisory board shall meet at least quarterly, keep a record of its proceedings, and determine the rules of its own proceedings with special meetings to be called by the chair upon such chair’s own initiative or upon receipt of a written request signed by at least four members of the board. Written notice of the time and place of such special meetings shall be given by the secretary to each member at least two weeks before the date fixed by the notice for such special meeting.

g. The invasive species advisory board may conduct such hearings and meetings at any place or places within the city designated by the advisory board for the purpose of obtaining necessary information or other data to assist it in the proper performance of its duties and functions as it deems necessary.

h. The meeting requirement of subdivision f of this section shall be suspended when the advisory board submits its report as required by subdivision i of this section.

i. No later than two years after the first meeting of the invasive species advisory board, the advisory board shall submit a written report of its findings and determinations, together with its recommendations for action, to the mayor and the speaker of the council. Such report may include a list of invasive species for which the advisory board recommends a prohibition on the import, sale, purchase or possession in the city.

j. The invasive species advisory board shall develop recommendations for:

1. A control policy designed to eradicate, suppress, reduce or manage invasive plant species populations, including preventing the spread of invasive species where they are present, including the restoration of native species or habitats;

2. Detecting and responding rapidly to and controlling populations of invasive species in a cost-effective and environmentally sound manner;

3. Enhancing monitoring of invasive species populations accurately and reliably;

4. Restoring native species and habitat conditions in ecosystems that have been invaded and conducting research on invasive species and detection protocols to prevent introduction; and

5. Making taxonomic information more readily available to the public and promoting public education on invasive species control.

k. The invasive species advisory board shall also work to foster greater coordination between agencies and the public, examine existing staff and funding resources needed to implement the proposed programs and recommend ways to close any potential staff or funding gaps which could impede implementation.

l. The invasive species advisory board shall terminate 180 days after the date on which it submits its report as required by subdivision i of this section.

§ 2. This local law takes effect immediately.

Session 12

MHL

LS #8571

05/02/22

Session 11

SS / BM

LS# 564

Int. 703-2018