Statement from New York City Council on Mayor Adams’ Vetoes of Legislation to Support Working-Class New Yorkers, Address Inequities, and Codify Mayor’s Office of Contract Services

Bills were passed by the City Council in October with veto-proof majorities

In response to Mayor Adams vetoing Introductions 982-A, 984-A, 1248-B, and 1372 on Friday night, the New York City Council issued the following statement from spokesperson Julia Agos:

"At a time when New Yorkers are clearly calling on our leaders to tackle affordability, income inequality, and deliver basic services they rely on, it is embarrassing that Mayor Adams would use his final days in office to stand in the way of what the city needs.

"These vetoes are just the latest display of governing incompetence and a profoundly ignorant rejection of policies that would directly benefit working-class New Yorkers. By blocking these bills that strengthen pay equity, protect tenants from becoming rent burdened, and improve accountability, Mayor Adams is once again abandoning good governance and delivering for the people he is supposed to represent. The Council will continue to stand up and deliver for New Yorkers."

The following legislation was vetoed by Mayor Adams:

Advancing Pay Equity

Two bills that would increase salary transparency for New York City private employers, excluding small businesses, to provide publicly available study of pay equity:

Introduction 982-A, sponsored by Council Member Tiffany Cabán, would require private employers with more than 200 employees working in the City to submit a pay data report to a designated agency in order to improve wage transparency.

Introduction 984-A, sponsored by Majority Leader Amanda Farías, would require a designated agency, in coordination with the Commission on Gender Equity and other relevant agencies, to conduct an annual pay equity study on private employers with 200 or more employees.

Reforming Contracting and Payment Processes

As part of the Council's efforts to reduce the City's chronically late payments to contracted non-profit service organizations, the Council passed several bills. This bill codified the existing Mayor's Office of Contract Services in law within the City Charter to increase accountability.

Introduction 1248-B, sponsored by Speaker Adrienne Adams, would establish an Office of Contract Services, the head of which would be the Director of Contract Services, who would serve as the City Chief Procurement Officer. The Office would have the authority to coordinate citywide procurement activities for mayoral agencies, including reviewing contract guidelines, conducting pre-audit and post-audit reviews of contracts, and providing training and technical assistance on procurement matters.

Preventing CityFHEPS Recipients from Being Rent Burdened

This bill sought to prevent implementation of a new agency rule, proposed earlier this year by the Department of Social Services, that would increase certain CityFHEPS voucher holders' rent contributions from 30% to 40% of their gross income after their fifth year in the program. This would have made these New Yorkers rent burdened by definition, with higher rent costs for nearly 30,000 low-income New Yorkers.

Introduction 1372, sponsored by Deputy Speaker Diana Ayala, would require that the rent contribution for CityFHEPS recipients not exceed 30 percent of the household's total monthly income, regardless of whether the household receives public assistance or has earned income.

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