Transcript: Mayor de Blasio Holds Public Hearings For and Signs Intros. 923-A, 976-A, 981-B, 1005-A, 1019-A, 1020-A, 405-A, 695-A, 795-A, 997-A, 948-A, 961-A and 968-A

September 28, 2016

Mayor Bill de Blasio: Welcome everyone. We have a huge agenda today. That was for you.

Huge agenda.

Okay, everyone – just leave me that one. You can have any other one. Okay.

Everyone's going to sort themselves out here. Come on – everyone come in, find a place, make yourself comfortable.

Unknown: [Inaudible] Do I have to?

Mayor: You don't have to do. You can stand up if you want to.

Unknown: Thank you.

Mayor: Okay. We've got a lot to do today.

Unknown: [Inaudible]

Mayor: No, you can be wherever you want. Don't worry about it. We got a lot to do today.

First, we have a set of bills that seek to strengthen our City's contracting with minority- and women-owned businesses, M/WBEs. And for far too long, it was very hard for M/WBEs to get contracts from the City of New York. We have a new vision now to distribute opportunity fairly and widely and these pieces of legislation are going to help us to do that.

This morning we announced our new goal of awarding 30 percent of qualifying City contracts to M/WBEs by 2021. Today's legislation will certainly help us reach that goal.

First there's Intro 923-A, which requires the small business department – Small Business Services – to report annually on M/WBE goals met by beneficiaries of EDC loans, grants, tax benefits, leases, or sales. Sponsor is Councilmember Laurie Cumbo.

Next, Intro 976-A requires SBS to train agency chief contracting officers and agency M/WBE officers on how best to meet M/WBE goals. Sponsor is Public Advocate Letitia James.

Intro 981-B establishes an advisory board that would work to expand procurement opportunities for M/WBEs. The sponsor is Councilmember Laurie Cumbo.

Intro 1005-A requires certain agencies to publish online their plans to increase M/WBE participation in City contracts. The sponsor is Councilmember Elizabeth Crowley.

Intro 1019-A requires the City to report on each agency's contract, showing the number and dollar value awarded to each type of M/WBE and non-M/WBE. This sponsor is Councilmember Helen Rosenthal.

Intro 1020-A requires detailed explanations of decisions made by the City's Chief Procurement Officer regarding whether to divide big contracts into smaller contracts. The sponsor is Councilmember Helen Rosenthal.

Together, these bills will bring greater transparency and accountability to our City's M/WBE contracting.
I want to thank Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, EDC President Maria Torres-Springer, Councilmember Elizabeth Crowley. And now I'd like to introduce Deputy Mayor Richard Buery, who will be leading this huge – huge new initiative. Deputy Mayor.

Deputy Mayor Richard Buery: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Huge, indeed.

This is a great day – a great day for economic opportunity.

[Laughter]

Mayor: He's from Brooklyn too.

Deputy Mayor Buery: That's right.

Mayor: You, you, Bernie – it's all going around.

Deputy Mayor Buery: It's all going around. We're taking over the world.

Public Advocate James: With our hands.

[Laughter]

Deputy Mayor Buery: We fold it; we eat it with our hands.

[Laughter]

This is a great day for economic opportunity in New York City. Just a few hours ago, I had the honor of joining the Mayor and many of the folks up here today to announce the new Mayor's Office of Minority- and Women-Owned Business Enterprises.

It's truly an initiative that goes to the heart of ending the tale of two cities – the tale of two cities that this administration came into office to fight and to end. This new office will work towards the ambitious new goal of ensuring that within the next five years, 30 percent of the dollar amounts of new City contracts go to minority- and women-owned businesses.

Today's bills will help us to get there. Together, with the new office and the other initiative announced today. We have by far the most comprehensive plan, the most comprehensive set of initiatives we've ever had to make sure that the City's contract process is fair, transparent, and equitable.

Minority- and women-owned businesses have long been essential to the vitality of our rich and diverse economy. Unfortunately, for too long, the talent of that sector has not been matched with opportunity from City government. Well today, we are here to announce that that is changing and it is changing forever. Together, we will create an economy that truly works for all New Yorkers.

Thank you, Mr. Mayor.

Mayor: Thank you. Well done. Thank you.

All right, now to hear from the new director of the Mayor's Office for Minority and Women-Owned – excuse me – Minority- and Women-Owned Business Enterprises – our new director Jonnel Doris.

[Applause]

There you go. You can come this way. We can do this.

Director Jonnel Doris, Office of Minority- and Women-Owned Business Enterprises: Still new – figuring out which way to go.

[Laughter]

Good afternoon, everybody. It's an exciting day for M/WBEs. I'm honored to stand here with the Mayor whose dedication to M/WBE community has been seen here today. I think we are so excited in the community, in the staff – everyone that's going to be working on this particular initiative. We heard today from many M/WBEs about how excited they are.

So I just want thank the Mayor again for the opportunity to serve this administration. Also, want to thank Deputy Mayor Buery for his commitment to this. He is certainly one who has done many things for the city – many great things for the city. And I'm so happy to be on his team because I know they are winners, #winners. I am very, very appreciative of them. We also want to thank all of the elected officials who are gathered here as well, who support our initiatives. But also specifically to Letitia James, our Public Advocate; Helen Rosenthal, Council member and also advisory Council member; and also Laurie Cumbo, our Council member; and also Elizabeth Crowley, our Council member, who've put together a package of bills who we know is going to help M/WBEs. And we're very excited about that.

I'm so excited about the 30 percent goal that we've set – know that we can do that within five years. Certainly looking for the necessary assistance we need from the State. But we are doing everything we can to make that happen. So once again today, thank you all for being here and to the Mayor for the opportunity to serve. Thank you.

Mayor: Thank you. All right. And now our Small Business Services Commissioner Gregg Bishop.

Commissioner Gregg Bishop, Small Business Services: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. At SBS, we are working hard to open doors for New Yorkers across the five boroughs, focusing on stronger businesses, connecting New Yorkers to good jobs, and investing in neighborhoods.

The legislation being signed today will ensure greater accountability as New York City continues to be the national leader in promoting diversity amongst City contractors. I want to thank the sponsors of the bills – Public Advocate James, Councilmember Cumbo, Councilmember Rosenthal, Councilmember Crowley.

Along with these bills and today's announcement, SBS offers a number of services to support our city's M/WBEs. To build a capacity for M/WBE firms and strengthen their ability to win government contracts, SBS offers a range of selling to government services. SBS also offers construction mentorship programs and a bond-readiness program. For the first time this fall, SBS will also offer a goods and services mentorship program. When you are ready to bid – and you meaning M/WBEs – we provide one-on-one technical assistance services to support business owners in submitting the most compelling and competitive proposals for government contracts. Cash flows, often a challenge for many small businesses, especially when contracting with the city – through our newly announced contract financing program, SBS provides small businesses access up to $500,000 in capital to cover contract-related costs, at the lowest interest rate of three percent.

So once again, I'd like to thank the Council and the Mayor for continuing to support the City's M/WBEs. Thank you.

Mayor: Thank you. And now the President of the Economic Development Corporation, Maria Torres-Springer.

Wait, wait. [Inaudible]

[Applause]

Your cheering section is here.

President Maria Torres-Springer, Economic Development Corporation: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. It's a real honor to be here today to join everyone as the Mayor signs such an important piece of legislation into law.

The Mayor has charged us at the Economic Development Corporation with making sure that our City's growth is equitable, that our economy is diverse, and that we're working hard every single day to build access and opportunity. And what we know is that when we support M/WBEs, we are not just providing opportunities for great work on projects, but we are also helping level the economic playing field and ensuring that the contracting of our City, the spending of our City reflects the great diversity of business owners across the five boroughs. At EDC, we've been hard at work. I'm proud to say that in the last fiscal year, Fiscal Year '16, 25 percent of our construction contracts were awarded to M/WBEs. We know we can do better. The Mayor has charged us with doing better, of course with today's momentous announcement, and we will do that.

And aside from this goal, we have launched a number of new programs to build capacity to open new doors, to provide real opportunities in different areas of our business – again, to make sure that our work, the work of rebuilding neighborhoods, the work of growing our economy is work that is being done by the diverse businesses across the five boroughs.

So thank you so much, Mr. Mayor. Thank you to all of our partners across government. It's an honor to be here and we're ready to get to work. Thank you.

Mayor: Thank you. Thank you very much.

[Applause]

Now the Director of the Mayor's Office of Contract Services Michael Owh.

[Applause]

Mayor: Contract Services.

Director Michael Owh, Office of Contract Services: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. That's the most excited I've ever seen anyone about me coming up here.

[Laughter]

Actually.

At the Mayor's Office of Contract Services, we work to ensure that all of the City agencies are doing their best to foster an inclusive and effective contracting environment. To that end, all of our agencies have been doing – working aggressively to raise the level of M/WBE participation throughout the city. And you saw that with our announcement today. And we will continue to make sure that we are reducing barriers to entry by using every tool at our disposal to expand our vendor base.

We appreciate our partnership with the City Council and the Public Advocate. And these bills will help achieve even greater transparency around the City's program and our efforts to create more opportunity for M/WBE vendors. We look forward to providing additional information about regular trainings that MOCS and SBS provide to the City's procurement professionals about the M/WBE program. And we thank the Public Advocate for Intro 976-A.

I have appreciated the great working relationship that I have with Councilmember Rosenthal. And Intros 1019-A and 1020-A will make reporting about the M/WBE program under Local Law 1 clearer and more informative. And I thank her for her passion to improve the M/WBE program, and I look forward to continuing this partnership.

Thank you very much.

[Applause]

Mayor: Thank you.

Now, the sponsor of Intro 976-A, our Public Advocate Letitia James.

[Applause]

[...]

Mayor: Thank you.

And now, the Sponsor of Intros 1019-A and 1020-A and Chair of the Committee on Contracts, Councilmember Helen Rosenthal.

[Applause]

[...]

Mayor: Thank you for announcing it.

[...]

Mayor: Thank you.

Councilmember Helen Rosenthal: Sure, no problem.

Mayor: Councilmember, in the interest of full disclosure, are you on antibiotics?

Councilmember Rosenthal: [Inaudible]

Mayor: You're not on antibiotics. This is turning into a bad situation.

[Laughter]

Councilmember Rosenthal: I'm going to go to urgent care later tonight.

Mayor: Could you do that before the press conference next time?

[Laughter]

Public Advocate: Mr. Mayor.

Mayor: Thank you. Public Advocate is looking out for me, thank you.

[Laughter]

And now – we should be sympathetic to her, but you know it's just – it's not happening right now.

Now the sponsor of Intro 923-A and 981-B and the Chair of the Committee on Women's Issues, Councilmember Laurie Cumbo.

[Applause]

[...]

Mayor: Finally, we want to hear from the sponsor of Intro 1005-A, Councilmember Liz Crowley.

[Applause]

[...]

Mayor: Thank you very much. Let's sign the bill.

[Applause]

[...]

Mayor: All of these bills are now law.

[Applause]

Okay, here we go. Ready, okay? Now, we have three bills – three more bills that make New York City even more bike friendly. Intro 405-A requires office buildings to allow foldable bikes in passenger elevators. The sponsor is Councilmember Helen Rosenthal. Intro 795-A requires office buildings to allow bikes in passenger elevators when no freight elevator is available. The sponsor is Councilmember Jumaane Williams. Intro 695-A requires residential buildings to allow bikes in passenger elevators. The sponsor is Councilmember Ydanis Rodriguez.

More New Yorkers are reading bikes – riding bikes I should say – than ever before. We celebrate that as a very positive development for the city, but there are some real obstacles to bike riding that don't occur on the road, they occur in our buildings and they have to be addressed. These bills will allow more New Yorkers to safely store their bikes whether at work or at home. I want to thank Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, DOT Commissioner Polly Trottenberg, Buildings Commissioner Rick Chandler, and Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer. With that I want to introduce the sponsor of Intro 795-A and the Chair of the Committee on Housing and Buildings Council Member Jumaane Williams.

[Applause]

[...]

Mayor: Thank you very much. And now, I want to introduce the sponsor of Intro 695-A, Councilmember Ydanis Rodriguez.

[...]

Thank you very much.

[Applause]

And now the sponsor of Intro 405-A, Councilmember Helen Rosenthal.

[Applause]

[...]

Mayor: Thank you very much.

[Applause]

I'd like to welcome public testimony. One individual signed up, Peter Frishauf of StreetsPAC. Right over there.

[...]

Mayor: You will get your wish now.

[Applause]

[...]

Mayor: And these bills are now law.

[Applause]

I want to thank Councilmember Ruben Wills for joining us. Thank you very much. And Helen Rosenthal – you must go to a doctor right now.

[Laughter]

Okay. Here we go now. Now, we have a package of legislation that makes public safety statistics even more transparent. Intro 869-A requires the NYPD to report quarterly on all sex offenses broken down by specific felony or misdemeanor. The sponsor is Councilmember Laurie Cumbo. Intro 948-A requires the NYPD to report monthly, quarterly, semi-annually, and annually on domestic violence and quarterly and annually on hate crimes. The sponsor is Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito. Intro 961-A requires the NYPD to report quarterly and annually on intimate partner domestic violence. The sponsor is Councilmember Antonio Reynoso. Intro 968-A requires the NYPD to report semi-annually and annually on domestic violence in public housing and quarterly and annually on the percent of reported felony crimes citywide related to domestic violence. The sponsor is Councilmember Ritchie Torres. The data required by these bills will not only deepen our understanding of important public safety issues, but also help us to identify ways to address them.

I want to thank Speaker Melissa Mark Viverito, our Commissioner of the NYPD Jimmy O'Neill, our Director for the Mayor's Office to Combat Domestic Violence Cecile Noel – thank you very, very much for your support and your leadership. I want to thank members of the NYPD – NYPD leadership who are with us today: Chief Tom Chan and on my right, Deputy Chief Morales – welcome, thank you.

And now it is my pleasure to introduce Councilmember Vanessa Gibson, Chair of the Committee on Public Safety.

[Applause]

[...]

Mayor: Thank you very much.

[Applause]

And now, the sponsor of Intro 869-A, Councilmember Laurie Cumbo.

[...]

Mayor: Thank you very much. Okay, we are now going to sign these bills.

[...]

Mayor: These bills are now law, congratulations.

[Applause]

Okay, one more.

[...]

Mayor: Okay we're ready. Here we go. Okay. Finally we have a bill that updates pedestrian safety laws to better reflect how New Yorkers actually cross the street. Intro 997-A clarifies that pedestrians crossing the street have the right of way when a crossing signal displays a walking person, or a flashing hand, or a countdown clock. The sponsor is Public Advocate Letitia James. 2015 was the safest year on New York City streets since recordkeeping began, but our Vision Zero goal is not to have a single traffic fatality or serious injury in our streets. Now, right now legally pedestrians have the right of way only when they step off the curb while the crossing signal displays a walking person. This bill requires all traffic to continue to yield to pedestrians who begin to cross the street once the signal changes to a flashing hand or a countdown clock. Every New Yorker deserves to cross a street in confidence and safety knowing that the law is on their side. I want to thank Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, Police Commissioner Jimmy O'Neill, DOT Commissioner Polly Trottenberg, and NYPD Chief Tom Chan. And now, it is my pleasure to introduce the sponsor of the legislation, Public Advocate Tish James.

[...]

Mayor: Thank you.

And now, I want to introduce the co-prime sponsor of the bill and the Chair of the Transportation Committee, Councilmember Ydanis Rodriguez.

[...]

Mayor: Thank you very much. And now, I just want to give you a few words in Spanish about all the legislation that we have done today before we sign the last bill.

[Mayor de Blasio speaks in Spanish]

With that, we will sign the last piece of legislation.

[...]

Mayor: The bill is now law, congratulations.

[Applause]