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A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to the provision of housing applications in multiple languages by the department of housing preservation and development

Title 8 of the New York City Administrative Code requires certain agencies to provide materials in languages other than English, but the Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) is not currently subject to this requirement. This bill would require HPD to make all applications and corresponding instruction materials available in English, Arabic, Chinese, Haitian Creole, Korean, Russian, and Spanish and allow HPD to use additional languages at its discretion. It would also require HPD to provide a notice, listing all the languages in which applications are available, with all application forms, on HPD’s website and in areas of HPD offices that are open to the public.

  • Enacted

History

Mar 18, 2017
Administration
City Charter Rule Adopted
Feb 15, 2017
City Council
Sent to Mayor by Council
Feb 15, 2017
City Council
Pass
Approved by Council

Affirmative

Paternity

Absent

Medical

Feb 14, 2017
Committee on Housing and Buildings
Pass
Approved by Committee

Affirmative

Absent

Feb 14, 2017
Committee on Housing and Buildings
Hearing Held by Committee
Feb 14, 2017
Committee on Housing and Buildings
Amendment Proposed by Comm
Feb 14, 2017
Committee on Housing and Buildings
Amended by Committee
Oct 29, 2014
Committee on Housing and Buildings
Hearing Held by Committee
Oct 29, 2014
Committee on Housing and Buildings
Laid Over by Committee
Apr 29, 2014
City Council
Referred to Comm by Council
Apr 29, 2014
City Council
Introduced by Council

Int. No. 289-A

By Council Members Cumbo, Williams, Deutsch, Chin, Cornegy, Eugene, Gibson, Koo, Levine, Reynoso, Rose, Treyger, Menchaca, Rosenthal, Rodriguez, Lander, Levin, Vallone, Salamanca and Kallos

 

A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to the provision of housing applications in multiple languages by the department of housing preservation and development

 

Be it enacted by the Council as follows:

Section 1.  Article 1 of subchapter 4 of chapter 2 of title 27 of the administrative code of the city of New York is amended by adding a new section 27-2096.1 to read as follows:

§ 27.2096.1 Application forms; languages required. a. As used in this section, the following terms have the following meanings:

Application form. The term "application form" means any application form or corresponding instruction materials that the department uses to select persons to whom it will provide services.

Mandatory language. The term "mandatory language" means English and any covered language, as defined by subdivision j of section 8-1002.

Optional language. The term "optional language" means any language other than a mandatory language.

b. The department shall make all application forms available in all mandatory languages.

c. The department may make application forms available in any optional language.

d. The department shall provide a notice with all application forms that such application forms are available in all mandatory languages and any optional language used pursuant to subdivision c of this section. Such notice shall be written in all mandatory languages and any optional language in which application forms are provided pursuant to this section.

e. The department shall prominently display, on its website and in portions of its offices that are open to the public, notices that application forms are available in all mandatory languages and any optional language in which application forms are provided pursuant to this section.

§ 2. This local law takes effect 120 days after it becomes law, except that the commissioner of housing and preservation development may take any actions necessary, including the promulgation of rules, before such effective date.

Wcj/MPC

LS# 0999-2014

11/4/16 4:49pm