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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PR- 485-07
December 31, 2007

MAYOR BLOOMBERG SIGNS LEGISLATION AMENDING CITY'S LANDMARK LEGISLATION CONCERNING PAY TO PLAY

Remarks by Mayor Bloomberg at a Public Hearing on Local Laws

"The next bill before me is Introductory Number 651-A, sponsored at the request of the Administration by Council Members Felder and Sears.  Introductory Number 651-A makes several necessary amendments to the City's landmark "Pay to Play" legislation, Local Law 34 of 2007.

"Local Law 34 of 2007 required the disclosure of contributions from those who do business with the City, reduced the amounts that candidates may accept from such contributors, and eliminated public matching funds for such contributions.  These new provisions will strengthen the integrity of City government and enhance its transparency - two critically important goals of our Administration.  Furthermore, Local Law 34 requires the creation of a Doing Business Database, containing the names of entities and people considered to be doing business with the City, for the purpose of enforcing new limitations on campaign contributions. 

"Introductory Number 651-A revises the timeline for the completion of the Doing Business Database by extending the deadline for the "senior managers" portion of the database from January 3, 2008 until July 3, 2008.  We are confident that, even without the senior manager data, the January 3rd version of the database will still contain information sufficient to meet Local Law 34's ambitious goal of curbing "Pay to Play" practices by those who do business with the City, as it will contain the names of the entities, officers and owners to whom all of the senior managers report.

"Furthermore, Introductory Number 651-A provides the Director of the Mayor's Office of Contracts Services with the authority to promulgate rules that would permit, in certain narrow circumstances, for compliance with Local Law 34 to be waived and also provides the Department of Housing Preservation and Development with the authority to establish rules governing the kinds of discretionary affordable housing projects that will be subject to doing business restrictions.

"I would like to thank Marla Simpson, the Director of the Mayor's Office of Contract Services and Jesse Schaffer, the Doing Business Project Director and their staff for their work on this bill.  I would also like to thank Department of Housing Preservation and Development Commissioner Shaun Donovan and his staff for their work as well.  Finally, I would like to thank the Council for approving this legislation."







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