Night Mayor Legislation Moves Forward
NYC Council Committee on Consumer Affairs Passes Council Member Espinal’s Bill Creating an Office of Nightlife, Nightlife Director and Nightlife Advisory Board
Today the members of the Consumer Affairs Committee voted to pass Intro No. 1648-A, which establishes an Office of Nightlife and a Nightlife Task Force.
Introduced just over a month ago, this marks a major milestone in achieving long-term support for the city’s nightlife industry and bridging the gaps between venues and their local communities. The bill is slated to pass the full City Council on August 24th.
Intro 1648:
Establishes an Office of Nightlife to be headed by a Director who shall be appointed by Mayor or the head of the agency within which the office is placed. Powers and duties include:
Conduct outreach to nightlife establishments and provide information and assistance in relation to existing city policies and procedures for responding to complaints, violations and other enforcement actions and assist in the resolution of enforcement actions
Serve as a point of contact for nightlife establishments and ensure adequate access to the office that is responsive to the nature of the nightlife industry
Work with other city agencies to refer such establishments to city services that exist to help them in seeking to obtain relevant licenses, permits or approvals
Review information obtained from 311 or other agencies on complaints and develop recommendations to address recurring problems or trends
Review and convey to the office of labor standards information relating to nightlife industry workforce conditions and assist such office in developing recommendations
Hold at least one public hearing in each borough
Establishes a permanent Nightlife Advisory Board. The Board will be an independent and diverse body comprised of 12 members; 4 to be appointed by the Mayor and 8 by the Speaker of the Council to serve for a two year term. Powers and duties include:
Make annual recommendations to the Mayor and Council on ways to improve laws and policies that relate to the nightlife industry by evaluating: Workforce conditions, zoning and community development concerns, common complaints, public safety concerns, enforcement of industry related laws and rules.
Keep a record of its deliberations and develop a procedure by which members of the public may make submissions to the board.