File #: Int 0471-2014    Version: * Name: Creating a website to produce and sign petitions seeking particular actions by city government.
Type: Introduction Status: Filed (End of Session)
Committee: Committee on Technology
On agenda: 9/10/2014
Enactment date: Law number:
Title: 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.
Sponsors: James Vacca, Peter A. Koo, Annabel Palma, Antonio Reynoso, Helen K. Rosenthal, Rosie Mendez
Council Member Sponsors: 6
Summary: This bill would require the creation of a website for the public petitioning City government and the posting of public responses from agencies after a threshold number of electronic signatures is reached.
Attachments: 1. Summary of Int. No. 471, 2. Committee Report 10/1/14, 3. Hearing Testimony 10/1/14, 4. Hearing Transcript 10/1/14
Int. No. 471
 
By Council Members Vacca, Koo, Palma, Reynoso, Rosenthal and Mendez
 
 
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 8 to read as follows:
 
CHAPTER 8
PETITIONING CITY GOVERNMENT
§23-801 Definitions. For the purposes of this chapter, the following terms shall have the following meanings:
a. "Department" means the department of information technology and telecommunications.
b. "Public authority" means any state authority or local authority as defined in section two of the New York State public authorities law that operates within the city of New York.
c. "Online petition" means a petition that satisfies the following conditions:
1. the petition calls for an action to be taken by a city agency or public authority;
2. the petition is available on the website required by subdivision a of section 23-802; and
3. individual electronic signatures may be added to the petition.
 
§23-802 Website for petitioning city government. a. The department shall establish a website that:
1. allows members of the public to create and sign online petitions; and
2. 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 city 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 city 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 city agency or public authority to each petition it received from the department, if any, and (ii) a summary of the actions taken by such city agency or public authority in response to such petition, if any.
§23-803 Reporting. a. The department shall maintain an automated reporting system, available to the public, on the website created by subdivision a of section 23-802 of this chapter. Such reporting system shall include, at a minimum, (i) the number of online petitions transmitted to each city agency or public authority, (ii) the number of such petitions to which city agency or public authority has responded, and (iii) each city agency or public authority's public response to each petition.
b. In June of each year, 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 city agency or public authority and the following information for each such petition:
1. the relevant city agency or public authority's public response to such petition, if any; and
2. a summary of the actions taken by the relevant city agency or public authority in response to such petition, if any.
 
§2. This local law shall take effect one hundred twenty days after its enactment, 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.
 
ARP
LS # 1744
09/02/2014 5:15 PM