"The fourth bill before me today is Introductory Number 777 sponsored by Speaker Quinn and Council Members Gennaro, Comrie, Felder, White, Yassky, James, Liu, Nelson, Seabrook, Stewart, Gerson, Garodnick and Weprin. Introductory Number 777 consolidates the Environmental Control Board (ECB) with the Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings (OATH), and enacts a range of reform efforts at ECB.

"Over the past thirty-six years the role of the Environmental Control Board has expanded to handle adjudications for hundreds of different quality of life infractions issued by twelve different City agencies. ECB is now the second largest administrative tribunal in New York City, and one of the largest in the country, processing approximately 700,000 violations and conducting more than 160,000 hearings annually.

"In 2006, the Mayor's Office of Operations partnered with the Administrative and Criminal Justice Coordinators and ECB leadership to comprehensively review ECB operations and identify areas for improvement. This legislation will enable us to pursue additional operational and organizational improvements, particularly the consolidation of ECB with OATH. By consolidating ECB with OATH, ECB will benefit from OATH's resources and expertise at tribunal administration. Furthermore, Introductory Number 777 includes additional reforms which streamline the adjudication process and ensures the highest standards of professionalism, while placing a premium on convenience, fairness, transparency and effective enforcement.

"I would like to thank Carole Post, Director of Agency Services at the Mayor's Office of Operations, David Goldin, Administrative Justice Coordinator, Roberto Velez, Chief Administrative Law Judge at OATH and their staff for all of their hard work in undertaking this important task. I would also like to thank the Council for approving this legislation."