Int. No. 486-A
By Council Members Menin, Ayala, Schulman, Riley, Won, Narcisse, Hudson, Joseph, De La Rosa, Stevens, Gutiérrez, Cabán, Louis, Lee, The Speaker (Council Member Adams), Brooks-Powers, Krishnan, Brewer, Dinowitz, Sanchez, Nurse, Marte, Ung, Bottcher, Powers, Velázquez, Williams, Ossé, Hanif, Gennaro, Abreu, Feliz, Farías, Avilés, Mealy, Rivera, Hanks, Moya and the Public Advocate (Mr. Williams)
A Local Law to amend the New York city charter, in relation to establishing a child care advisory board
Be it enacted by the Council as follows:
Section 1. Chapter 24-b of the New York city charter is amended by adding a new section 620 to read as follows:
§ 620 Child care advisory board. a. Definitions. As used in this section, the following terms have the following meanings:
Board. The term “board” means the child care advisory board established by this section.
Child care program. The term “child care program” means any program that meets the definition provided in subdivision d of section 47.01 of the health code.
City. The term “city” means the city of New York.
b. Board established. There is hereby established a child care advisory board.
1. The board shall be comprised of the following members:
(a) The commissioner of health and mental hygiene, or such commissioner’s designee;
(b) The commissioner of the administration for children’s services, or such commissioner’s designee;
(c) The chancellor of the city school district, or such chancellor’s designee;
(d) One member to be appointed by the mayor;
(e) One member to be appointed by the speaker of the council;
(f) One member to be appointed by the comptroller;
(g) One member to be appointed by the public advocate; and
(h) Such other members as deemed necessary by the mayor, who shall also be appointed by such mayor.
2. The mayor shall designate one of the members appointed by such mayor to serve as chair.
3. All appointed members shall serve for a term of two years and shall serve without compensation.
c. Duties. The board shall have the power and duty to conduct studies on and issue reports related to child care in the city, including, but not limited to, providing an annual assessment of the needs of the city’s child care programs and the city’s progress towards providing universal child care. The board shall also have the power and duty to make recommendations to the mayor and the speaker of the council on legislation, regulation, policies, procedures and initiatives to help to make child care more affordable based on the board’s assessments.
d. Meetings. The board shall keep a record of its deliberations and determine its own rules of procedure, which shall include a procedure or mechanism by which members of the public may make submissions to the board. The first meeting of the advisory board shall be convened within 120 days after the effective date of the local law that added this section. The board shall meet quarterly, and such meetings shall be open to the public.
e. Report. No later than one year after the first meeting of the board, and annually thereafter, the board shall submit a report to the mayor and the speaker of the council setting forth its assessment of child care programs in the city and recommendations for making child care more affordable, which shall include, but need not be limited to, the following for the preceding year:
1. Any challenges child care programs faced in providing quality child care;
2. The city’s advancement towards universal child care, including any actions taken by city agencies or legislation or policies introduced;
3. The projected annual costs for the next five years associated with implementing universal child care;
4. The recommended costs associated with expanding child care subsidies to families in the city whose income equals up to 300% and 400% of the federal poverty guidelines; and
5. A summary of information the board considered in formulating its recommendations to make child care more affordable.
§ 2. The title of section 619 of the New York city charter, as added by local law number 61 for the year 2010, is amended to read as follows:
[Advisory] Juvenile justice advisory board.
§ 3. This local law takes effect immediately.
JEF / BM
LS # 6697
10/3/2022 10:15p