Resolution authorizing the Speaker to commence legal action on behalf of the Council of the City of New York to compel the Mayor and his Administration to implement Local Law 99 of 2023, Local Law 100 of 2023, Local Law 101 of 2023, and Local Law 102 of 2023, the CityFHEPS Expansion Laws.

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Preconsidered Res. No. 4 ..Title Resolution authorizing the Speaker to commence legal action on behalf of the Council of the City of New York to compel the Mayor and his Administration to implement Local Law 99 of 2023, Local Law 100 of 2023, Local Law 101 of 2023, and Local Law 102 of 2023, the CityFHEPS Expansion Laws. ..Body By Council Members Ayala and Gennaro Whereas, In recent years, the City of New York has been experiencing a sharp increase in homelessness, accompanied by a record number of individuals and families seeking refuge in our shelter system, and high housing costs as an outgrowth of the COVID pandemic; and Whereas, The Council of the City of New York ("Council") sought to tackle these pressing issues by reforming and expanding the City's Family Homelessness and Eviction Prevention Supplement program ("CityFHEPS), which offers rental assistance vouchers to New Yorkers in need; and Whereas, The Council's legislative solution would not only provide a cost-effective method of alleviating the strain on our shelter system but also facilitate an easier pathway for the most vulnerable members of our society to secure housing; and Whereas, After extensive public debate and consultation with experts, this package of legislation-Local Laws 99, 100, 101, and 102 of 2023 ("CityFHEPS Expansion Laws")-was passed into law over a Mayoral veto on July 13, 2023, by a vote of 42 to 8; and Whereas, Mayor Adams openly refuses to implement the CityFHEPS Expansion Laws, as made clear by the Commissioner of Social Services in her December 15, 2023 letter to the Council; and Whereas, The CityFHEPS Expansion Laws technically went into effect on January 9, 2024, but New Yorkers have not benefited from the reforms as a result of Mayor Adams; and Whereas, The Mayor is duty bound to implement valid local laws like the CityFHEPS Expansion Laws, and his failure to do so is illegal; and Whereas, Speaker Adams, in a letter dated January 9, 2024, offered the Adams Administration one final opportunity to comply with the law before the Council took legal action; and Whereas, Mayor Adams has not responded to the Speaker and has left the Council with no other alternative but to seek relief from the courts; now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the Council of the City of New York authorizes the Speaker to commence legal action on behalf of the Council to compel the Mayor and his Administration to implement Local Law 99 of 2023, Local Law 100 of 2023, Local Law 101 of 2023, and Local Law 102 of 2023, the CityFHEPS Expansion Laws. NGE LS 15949 2/7/24

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