File #: Int 0736-2024    Version: * Name: Establish a rat contraceptive pilot program.
Type: Introduction Status: Laid Over in Committee
Committee: Committee on Sanitation and Solid Waste Management
On agenda: 4/11/2024
Enactment date: Law number:
Title: A Local Law in relation to establishing a rat contraceptive pilot program
Sponsors: Shaun Abreu, Kalman Yeger , James F. Gennaro, Robert F. Holden, Oswald Feliz, Farah N. Louis, Gale A. Brewer, Shekar Krishnan, Christopher Marte, Amanda Farías, Alexa Avilés, Julie Menin, Diana I. Ayala, Pierina Ana Sanchez, Mercedes Narcisse, Chris Banks, Keith Powers , Tiffany Cabán, Lynn C. Schulman, Yusef Salaam, Carlina Rivera , Julie Won, Kamillah Hanks, Chi A. Ossé, Nantasha M. Williams, Rafael Salamanca, Jr., Sandy Nurse, Sandra Ung, Inna Vernikov, Vickie Paladino
Council Member Sponsors: 30
Summary: This bill would require the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, in consultation with the Department of Sanitation, to establish a pilot program to deploy rat contraceptives and report to the Mayor and Speaker of the Council on the outcomes of the program. The pilot program would require the monthly inspection of the pilot program areas and pilot comparison areas for signs of rats for 6 months before the application of rat contraceptives, and then the monthly inspection of such areas for the 12 month period during the application of the rat contraceptive.
Indexes: Report Required
Attachments: 1. Summary of Int. No. 736, 2. Int. No. 736, 3. April 11, 2024 - Stated Meeting Agenda, 4. Hearing Transcript - Stated Meeting 4-11-24, 5. Committee Report 5/1/24

Int. No. 736

 

By Council Members Abreu, Yeger, Gennaro, Holden, Feliz, Louis, Brewer, Krishnan, Marte, Farías, Avilés, Menin, Ayala, Sanchez, Narcisse, Banks, Powers, Cabán, Schulman, Salaam, Rivera, Won, Hanks, Ossé, Williams, Salamanca, Nurse, Ung, Vernikov and Paladino

 

A Local Law in relation to establishing a rat contraceptive pilot program

 

Be it enacted by the Council as follows:

 

Section 1. Rat contraceptive pilot program. a. Definitions. For the purposes of this local law, the following terms have the following meanings:

Rat contraceptive. The term “rat contraceptive” means an agent for the reduction of reproductive capacity in rats that is approved for such use by the United States environmental protection agency.

Rat mitigation zones. The term “rat mitigation zones” means the zones designated pursuant to section 17-133.2 of the administrative code of the city of New York.

Rat signs. The term “rat signs” means the observable indicators used by the department of health and mental hygiene to determine the presence of rats, including burrows, rub marks, runways, tracks, gnaw marks, droppings, and the presence of live rats.

b. Pilot program. The department of health and mental hygiene, in consultation with the department of sanitation, shall establish a pilot program to deploy rat contraceptives and track the efficacy of such program in reducing the rat population. Such program shall involve the following:

1. The program installation shall take place in pilot program areas, to be designated by the department of health and mental hygiene, within rat mitigation zones. There shall be at least 2 pilot program areas, where each area shall cover at least 10 city blocks in surface area. The boundaries of each pilot program area shall be located at least 500 feet from the boundaries of the rat mitigation zone;

2. The department of health and mental hygiene shall designate at least 1 pilot program comparison area with similar building types to the pilot program areas, and shall make reasonable efforts to implement similar mitigation efforts, other than the implementation of rat contraceptive, across the pilot program areas and the comparison area or areas to allow for a controlled comparison;

3. For no less than 6 months immediately before the deployment of the rat contraceptive, the department of health and mental hygiene shall perform monthly inspections of the pilot program areas and shall tally all rat signs observed in each pilot program area and pilot program comparison area, disaggregated by type of rat sign;

4. Following at least 6 months of inspections, as required in paragraph 3 of this subdivision, the department of health and mental hygiene shall deploy rat contraceptive in the pilot program areas;

                     5. For no less than 12 months immediately after the deployment of the rat contraceptive, the department of health and mental hygiene shall perform monthly inspections of the pilot program areas and shall tally all rat signs observed in each pilot program area and pilot program comparison area, disaggregated by type of rat sign; and

                     6. The department of health and mental hygiene shall track all interventions in all rat mitigation zones, including the application of rat contraceptive, any change in sanitation procedures, and any other rat mitigation interventions, including the dates and locations of such interventions, during the periods designated by paragraphs 3, 4 and 5 of this subdivision.

c. Implementation. The pilot program established pursuant to subdivision b of this section shall commence no later than 180 days after the effective date of this local law. The duration of such program shall be no less than 18 months unless the department of health and mental hygiene terminates or suspends the program on an earlier date; provided that the department of health and mental hygiene shall notify the speaker of the council in writing of such termination or suspension within 7 days after taking such action and indicate the reasons for taking such action.

d. Report. No later than 1 year after the termination of the pilot program established pursuant to this section, the commissioner of health and mental hygiene, in consultation with the commissioner of sanitation, shall submit to the mayor and the speaker of the council a report regarding the outcomes of such pilot program, the existing rat mitigation zones, and inspections during the period of such program. Such report shall include, but need not be limited to, the following information:

1. The cost of such program;

2. Any challenges experienced by the department of health and mental hygiene and department of sanitation during the implementation of such program; and

3. A table in which each separate row references a unique pilot program area or pilot program comparison area. Each such row shall include the following information, as well as any additional information the commissioner of health and mental hygiene deems appropriate, set forth in separate columns:

(a) A unique identification code for the area;

(b) Whether the area is a pilot program area or pilot comparison area;

(c) The location of such area; and

(d) A description of the building classes present in such area.

4. A table on all rat inspections in which each separate row references a unique inspection in all rat mitigation zones, including the inspections required by subdivision b and any regular inspections by the department of health and mental hygiene. Each such row shall include the following information, as well as any additional information the commissioner of health and mental hygiene deems appropriate, set forth in separate columns:

(a) A unique identification code for the inspection;

(b) The date of such inspection;

(c) The borough, block, and lot number of such inspection;

(d) The location of such inspection, given as longitude and latitude; and

(e) The tally of all rat signs, disaggregated by type of rat sign.

5. A table on all interventions in which each separate row references a unique intervention in all rat mitigation zones, including the application of rat contraceptive, any change in sanitation procedures, and any other rat mitigation interventions. Each such row shall include the following information as well as any additional information the commissioner of health and mental hygiene deems appropriate, set forth in separate columns:

(a) A unique identification code for the intervention;

(b) A description of the intervention, including whether it is an application of rat contraceptive, a change in sanitation procedures, or any other rat mitigation intervention;

(c) The dates of such intervention;

(d) The borough, block, and lot number for such intervention; and

(e) The location of such intervention, given as longitude and latitude.

§ 2. This local law takes effect immediately.

 

 

 

JGP

LS #12873

12/6/2023 10:00 AM