Council Members Constantinides, Chin, and Levin speak at the Pre-Stated Conference on January 23, 2020, prior to the passage of their lead bills. Council Member Ritchie Torres (not pictured) also sponsored a bill for investigations of lead-based paint hazards. Image Credit: Official NYC Council Photo by John McCarten

One bill would require the results of Department of Education school inspections to be made public and distributed to parents and guardians. On January 23, 2020, the City Council voted to approve legislation to strengthen existing lead laws. While lead paint was banned in the 1960s, its use in buildings constructed prior to the ban still negatively impacts New Yorkers. Particularly, children who are affected by lead paint may have lifelong impairments. In 2018, nearly four thousand children were identified as having elevated lead levels. (more…)

Image Credit: NYC HPD

HPD adopted rules compelling owners to remediate indoor allergen hazards. The Department of Housing Preservation and Development adopted rules to require owners of multiple dwellings to investigate for and remediate indoor allergen hazards such as mold, cockroaches, mice, and rats. The new rules, which implement Local Law 55 of 2018, establish work practices for pest remediation, standards for tenant notifications, and procedures for submitting certifications of remediation and requesting extensions of time to correct violations. (more…)

Image Credit: NYCHA.

The lead paint testing initiative comes from the City’s plans to eliminate childhood lead exposure and improve quality of living in public housing. On March 15, 2019, the New York City Housing Authority announced that it will be accelerating its new lead-based paint testing plan at the Bronx River Houses located in the Soundview section of the Bronx. The Bronx River Houses is one of the first set of developments NYCHA will begin testing in April, along with Harlem River and Williamsburg Houses. The lead paint testing initiative is part of the City’s LeadFreeNYC plan, a plan to eliminate childhood lead exposure. For CityLand’s prior coverage of LeadFreeNYC, click here.

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Sparklers are prohibited in NYC. Image credit: Maxpixel.

All types of fireworks are illegal throughout New York City and any person who violates the law could be subject to fines and/or jail time. There is something special when a firework is lit and sent into the sky, exploding with a beautiful array of colors. Each firework is unpredictable. The noise can be too much to bear for some, but for others it is like you are a kid again when you see fireworks light up the sky in unimaginable ways. (more…)

New program will provide free school lunches to more than 200,000 additional students. Photo: Department of Education.

New data matching system identifies children eligible for free lunch. On September 7, 2017, the NYC Department of Education rolled out a new initiative: Free School Lunch for All. In New York City, almost 800,000 students out of 1.1 million were estimated to have qualified for free school lunch. The new program will provide free school lunches to more than 200,000 additional New York City students, so that all students will receive a nutritional meal every school day. (more…)