UPDATE: On February 1, 2017, the City Council voted 47-0 to approve four bills that would help protect tenants of three-quarter houses in New York City. During the vote, Council Member Donovan Richards called three-quarter houses a wide spread problem that would not be cured by the bills and that the City would need to track progress on the issue to determine future responses. Council Member Ritchie Torres called predatory operators of three-quarter houses the … <Read More>
Search Results for: Oversight Hearing
Schneiderman Announces Three-Quarter House Scheme Indictments
A rehabilitation provider and three-quarter house operators were indicted for three-year Medicaid fraud scheme in Brooklyn, and their other properties frozen. On January 13, 2017, New York State Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman announced the indictment and arraignment of attorney Anthony Cornachio, as well as the NRI Group, LLC and Canarsie A.W.A.R.E., Inc., both Medicaid-enrolled drug treatment programs companies controlled by Cornachio. Also indicted were three-quarter housing operators Yury Baumblit and Rimma Baumblit, of Brooklyn … <Read More>
City Council Unanimously Approves Legislation to Prevent Gas Explosions [UPDATE: Mayor Signs Legislation]
UPDATE: On December 6, 2016, Mayor Bill de Blasio signed the package of bills to increase gas safety in New York City. “Gas safety is important for all New Yorkers, and this legislative package will resolve numerous regulatory oversights,” said the Mayor. “These reforms will ensure both property owners and utility companies are accountable for keeping buildings safe.”
“In a relatively short time we’ve seen a number of gas explosions take place in the City; … <Read More>
New Affordable Housing in East Harlem [UPDATE: City Council Approves Application]
UPDATE: On November 29, 2016, the City Council voted 49-0 to approve the Lexington Gardens II project. The approval will allow Tahl Propp Equities and L+M Development Partners to proceed with the proposed development which will provide 400 new affordable units. One quarter of the affordable units will be permanently affordable under the Mandatory Inclusionary Housing law, and the remainder will be affordable for 40 years under a regulatory agreement with the Department of Housing … <Read More>
The Impact of the 2016 Amendments to the Ethics Laws
On August 24, 2016, Governor Andrew Cuomo signed Chapter 286 of the Laws of 2016 which amends the State’s ethics laws. The legislation is not a transformational game changer in the ethics arena, but does make significant changes in the State’s laws. The new law vests the Attorney General with authority to disclose sources of funding for various not-for-profit entities, expands the disclosure of all sources of funding by those engaging in lobbying, and codifies … <Read More>
Mayor Bill de Blasio Reports on Progress of Housing New York Plan
The Mayor’s Administration is ahead of schedule in achieving its goal to build 200,000 affordable homes in 10 years. On July 26, 2016, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced an update on the progress that has been made to achieve the goals set forth in his Housing New York plan, which seeks to build 200,000 affordable homes in 10 years. The Housing New York plan met the conclusion of its second fiscal year on June 30, … <Read More>