Int. No. 645-B
By The Speaker (Council Member Adams) and Council Members Louis, Brewer, Sanchez, Restler, Won, Hanif, Farías, Narcisse, Avilés, Brooks-Powers, Dinowitz, Rivera and Joseph
A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to civil service examinations for justice-involved individuals
Be it enacted by the Council as follows:
Section 1. Chapter 1 of title 9 of the administrative code of the city of New York is amended by adding a new section 9-164 to read as follows:
§ 9-164 Civil service examinations. a. The commissioner of citywide administrative services, in collaboration with the commissioner, shall administer civil service examinations for individuals incarcerated for a period of 10 days or longer in any city correctional facility. The commissioner of citywide administrative services, in consultation with the commissioner, shall determine the location of the administration of such examinations. Any such individual who meets the minimum qualifications required to sit for a civil service examination shall be permitted to take such examination, absent any significant overriding security concern or exigent circumstances, provided that such individual shall be offered a makeup examination when such concern or circumstances are no longer present. The department shall make available study materials and practice examinations, as practicable, to such individuals.
b. The commissioner, in collaboration with the commissioner of citywide administrative services, shall make available information regarding civil service examinations to individuals incarcerated for a period of 10 days or longer in any city correctional facility, including basic or introductory civil service information sessions; information regarding the examination process, including how to apply for an examination; and any existing schedule of civil service examinations.
c. The department shall make available for individuals incarcerated for a period of 10 days or longer in any city correctional facility written information related to in-person assistance sessions at borough-based civil service examination testing centers, including information regarding individual examination applications and civil service examinations. Such information shall also be made available to such individuals upon release from the custody of the department.
§ 2. Chapter 2 of title 12 of the administrative code of the city of New York is amended by adding a new section 12-215 to read as follows:
§ 12-215 Civil service examinations for justice-involved individuals. a. Definitions. For purposes of this section, the term “justice-involved individual” means an individual who has been arrested, prosecuted, or incarcerated.
b. The commissioner, in collaboration with the commissioner of correction, shall make available information regarding the city’s administration of civil service examinations to individuals incarcerated for a period of 10 days or longer in any city correctional facility. Such information shall include basic or introductory civil service information sessions; information regarding the examination process, including how to apply for an examination; and any existing schedule of civil service examinations. The department shall conduct presentations with information regarding civil service examinations and the appointment process to such individuals quarterly.
c. The department may offer to waive the fee for a civil service examination for any individual who sits for such examination while incarcerated in a city correctional facility and for any individual who applies for such examination during the 12-month period after being released from the custody of the department of correction.
d. The department shall coordinate with the office of criminal justice and city-contracted programs that serve justice-involved individuals to conduct presentations and make written materials available for individuals enrolled in such services. Such presentations and materials shall contain information regarding civil service examinations and the civil service appointment process.
e. No later than January 31, 2025, and annually thereafter, the commissioner, in collaboration with the commissioner of correction and the coordinator of criminal justice, shall submit to the mayor and the speaker of the council and shall post conspicuously on the department’s website an annual report regarding any civil service examinations administered pursuant to subdivision a of section 9-164 and related programming administered pursuant to this section. Each such report shall include the following information for the previous fiscal year, when applicable and not otherwise prohibited by law:
1. The number of individuals who sat for a civil service examination while incarcerated in a city correctional facility, disaggregated by the corresponding civil service title;
2. The number of individuals who sat for a civil service examination within 12 months of release from the custody of the department of correction, disaggregated by the corresponding civil service title;
3. The number of individuals who participated in a civil service examination information session while incarcerated in a city correctional facility;
4. The number of individuals enrolled in a city-contracted program that serves justice-involved individuals who sat for a civil service examination, disaggregated by the corresponding civil service title; and
5. The number of individuals enrolled in a city-contracted program that serves justice-involved individuals who attended a civil service examination information session.
§ 3. Chapter 3 of title 9 of the administrative code of the city of New York is amended by adding a new section 9-312 to read as follows:
§ 9-312 Civil service examinations. a. Definitions. For purposes of this section, the term “justice-involved individual” means an individual who has been arrested, prosecuted, or incarcerated.
b. The office shall provide all city-contracted programs that serve justice-involved individuals with information regarding civil service examinations administered by the department of citywide administrative services and information regarding the civil service appointment process. The office, in coordination with the department of citywide administrative services, shall immediately forward all civil service examination announcements to such contracted programs upon receipt of information regarding such civil service examinations from such department.
§ 4. This local law takes effect 180 days after it becomes law, except that subdivision a of section 9-164, as added by section one of this local law, shall apply only to individuals incarcerated in city correctional facilities after the city correctional facilities located on Rikers Island are no longer in active use for the housing of incarcerated individuals.
AM/NC/RO
LS #8887
6/22/23 1:31pm