Meeting Name: Committee on Consumer Affairs (inactive) Agenda status: Final
Meeting date/time: 4/14/2015 1:00 PM Minutes status: Final  
Meeting location: Committee Room - City Hall
Jointly with the Committee on Small Business and the Committee on Governmental Operations
Published agenda: Agenda Agenda Published minutes: Minutes Minutes  
Meeting video:  
Attachments:
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            Roll call Not available
Int 0456-2014 *Helen K. Rosenthal Proposed Int. No. 456-ARequiring an annual analysis of, and recommendations based on, OATH tribunal dismissals.IntroductionThis bill would require the Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings to issue a monthly report analyzing the civil violations dismissed in its tribunals. The report would be required to include the applicable agency and reason for dismissal for each violation. This report would be sent to, among others, the agencies whose violations were dismissed. This bill would also require these same agencies to work with the Mayor’s Office of Operations to prepare a one-time report documenting each agency’s planned steps to minimize the issuance of violations that are ultimately dismissed.Hearing Held by Committee  Action details Not available
Int 0456-2014 *Helen K. Rosenthal  Requiring an annual analysis of, and recommendations based on, OATH tribunal dismissals.IntroductionThis bill would require the Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings to issue a monthly report analyzing the civil violations dismissed in its tribunals. The report would be required to include the applicable agency and reason for dismissal for each violation. This report would be sent to, among others, the agencies whose violations were dismissed. This bill would also require these same agencies to work with the Mayor’s Office of Operations to prepare a one-time report documenting each agency’s planned steps to minimize the issuance of violations that are ultimately dismissed.Amendment Proposed by Comm  Action details Not available
Int 0456-2014 *Helen K. Rosenthal  Requiring an annual analysis of, and recommendations based on, OATH tribunal dismissals.IntroductionThis bill would require the Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings to issue a monthly report analyzing the civil violations dismissed in its tribunals. The report would be required to include the applicable agency and reason for dismissal for each violation. This report would be sent to, among others, the agencies whose violations were dismissed. This bill would also require these same agencies to work with the Mayor’s Office of Operations to prepare a one-time report documenting each agency’s planned steps to minimize the issuance of violations that are ultimately dismissed.Laid Over by Committee  Action details Not available
Int 0723-2015 *Melissa Mark-Viverito  Development of protocols for inspector interactions with non-English speakers during agency inspections.IntroductionThis bill would require that the business owner’s bill of rights, which advises business owners of their rights as they relate to agency inspections, include translations in at least the top six languages spoken by limited-English proficient individuals as those languages are determined by the Department of City Planning based on United States census data. The bill would also require that the standardized customer service training curriculum developed by the Mayor’s Office of Operations for training agency inspectors include specific protocols for inspectors to follow when interacting with non-English speakers to ensure that such inspectors provide language translation services during inspections.Hearing Held by Committee  Action details Not available
Int 0723-2015 *Melissa Mark-Viverito  Development of protocols for inspector interactions with non-English speakers during agency inspections.IntroductionThis bill would require that the business owner’s bill of rights, which advises business owners of their rights as they relate to agency inspections, include translations in at least the top six languages spoken by limited-English proficient individuals as those languages are determined by the Department of City Planning based on United States census data. The bill would also require that the standardized customer service training curriculum developed by the Mayor’s Office of Operations for training agency inspectors include specific protocols for inspectors to follow when interacting with non-English speakers to ensure that such inspectors provide language translation services during inspections.Laid Over by Committee  Action details Not available
Int 0724-2015 *Margaret S. Chin  Creating, within the dept of small business services, small business advocates dedicated to helping business owners obtain appropriate services from the dept and other city, state and federal agencies.IntroductionThis bill would establish that there be small business advocates within the Department of Small Business Services dedicated to helping business owners obtain appropriate services from the Department and other government agencies. The bill would require that the contact information for such advocate be prominently displayed on the websites of the Department of Buildings, the Department of Consumer Affairs, the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, the Department of Environmental Protection, the Department of Sanitation, the Bureau of Fire Prevention of the Fire Department, and the Department of Small Business Services. It would also require the Department to report on the number of requests received, the type of requests, and the assistance provided in response to each request.Hearing Held by Committee  Action details Not available
Int 0724-2015 *Margaret S. Chin  Creating, within the dept of small business services, small business advocates dedicated to helping business owners obtain appropriate services from the dept and other city, state and federal agencies.IntroductionThis bill would establish that there be small business advocates within the Department of Small Business Services dedicated to helping business owners obtain appropriate services from the Department and other government agencies. The bill would require that the contact information for such advocate be prominently displayed on the websites of the Department of Buildings, the Department of Consumer Affairs, the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, the Department of Environmental Protection, the Department of Sanitation, the Bureau of Fire Prevention of the Fire Department, and the Department of Small Business Services. It would also require the Department to report on the number of requests received, the type of requests, and the assistance provided in response to each request.Laid Over by Committee  Action details Not available
Int 0725-2015 *Robert E. Cornegy, Jr.  Incorporating feedback from businesses into agency inspector customer service training.IntroductionThis bill would update existing requirements for customer service training given to inspectors at agencies that interact regularly with small businesses. Specifically, it would require that this customer service training be reviewed annually, and updated as necessary, based on customer service survey feedback received through the City’s website. This survey is currently operational, and its continued operation would be required by this bill. Inspected businesses are directed to this customer service survey when they are handed a “Business Owners Bill of Rights,” which is required to be distributed during inspections. The bill would further require that, if fewer than 500 survey responses are received during designated two-year periods, the Office of Operations would be required to conduct outreach until that number is met for up to three months.Hearing Held by Committee  Action details Not available
Int 0725-2015 *Robert E. Cornegy, Jr.  Incorporating feedback from businesses into agency inspector customer service training.IntroductionThis bill would update existing requirements for customer service training given to inspectors at agencies that interact regularly with small businesses. Specifically, it would require that this customer service training be reviewed annually, and updated as necessary, based on customer service survey feedback received through the City’s website. This survey is currently operational, and its continued operation would be required by this bill. Inspected businesses are directed to this customer service survey when they are handed a “Business Owners Bill of Rights,” which is required to be distributed during inspections. The bill would further require that, if fewer than 500 survey responses are received during designated two-year periods, the Office of Operations would be required to conduct outreach until that number is met for up to three months.Laid Over by Committee  Action details Not available
Int 0726-2015 *Rafael L. Espinal, Jr.  Requiring the dept of consumer affairs to hold multiple business education events each year throughout the five boroughs.IntroductionThis bill would require DCA and SBS to organize and conduct business education days in at least two separate locations in each borough every year. These events would provide local businesses with information regarding the laws, rules, regulations that are enforced by DCA, including but not limited to: • Consumer protection laws • Truth in pricing laws • Licensing regimes The first of these events would be held on or before June 30, 2015. Any lectures or materials produced for the events would be available on DCA’s website and provided in English and in the six most common languages spoken by limited English proficient individuals in the city. The bill would also require DCA to submit an annual report to the Council detailing: (i) the number of business education days held, (ii) the location of each event, (iii) the number of participants in each event; and (iv) the information provided at each event.Hearing Held by Committee  Action details Not available
Int 0726-2015 *Rafael L. Espinal, Jr.  Requiring the dept of consumer affairs to hold multiple business education events each year throughout the five boroughs.IntroductionThis bill would require DCA and SBS to organize and conduct business education days in at least two separate locations in each borough every year. These events would provide local businesses with information regarding the laws, rules, regulations that are enforced by DCA, including but not limited to: • Consumer protection laws • Truth in pricing laws • Licensing regimes The first of these events would be held on or before June 30, 2015. Any lectures or materials produced for the events would be available on DCA’s website and provided in English and in the six most common languages spoken by limited English proficient individuals in the city. The bill would also require DCA to submit an annual report to the Council detailing: (i) the number of business education days held, (ii) the location of each event, (iii) the number of participants in each event; and (iv) the information provided at each event.Laid Over by Committee  Action details Not available
Int 0729-2015 *Vincent J. Gentile  Requiring an annual analysis of, and recommendations based on, violations dismissed by the dept of consumer affairs’ tribunal.IntroductionThis bill would require the Department of Consumer Affairs to issue an annual report analyzing the violations dismissed by its tribunal. The report would be required to include an analysis of trends and the characteristics of violations dismissed and reasons for dismissal and a comparison to previous reports issued pursuant to this law. Finally, it would be required to include planned actions that the Department will take to minimize the issuance of violations that are ultimately dismissed.Hearing Held by Committee  Action details Not available
Int 0729-2015 *Vincent J. Gentile  Requiring an annual analysis of, and recommendations based on, violations dismissed by the dept of consumer affairs’ tribunal.IntroductionThis bill would require the Department of Consumer Affairs to issue an annual report analyzing the violations dismissed by its tribunal. The report would be required to include an analysis of trends and the characteristics of violations dismissed and reasons for dismissal and a comparison to previous reports issued pursuant to this law. Finally, it would be required to include planned actions that the Department will take to minimize the issuance of violations that are ultimately dismissed.Laid Over by Committee  Action details Not available
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