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a. For the purposes of this section, the term "utility" means a provider of electric, gas, or steam service in the city.
b. The mayor shall establish an office of the utility advocate. Such office may be established within any office of the mayor or as a separate office of any department the head of which is appointed by the mayor. Such office shall be headed by an individual who shall be appointed by the mayor or, if the office is established within an agency other than the office of the mayor, by the head of such agency. Such office shall:
1. Establish a website, email address and telephone number to receive communications from utility customers on their utility services;
2. Advocate on behalf of utility customers by providing testimony for public hearings. Such public hearings shall include, but need not be limited to, rate cases conducted by the public service commission;
3. Conduct outreach and provide educational materials to the public on choosing, starting and stopping utility services; methods to lower the cost of their utility bills; and utility complaint procedures; and
4. Assist consumers with accessing and navigating financial aid available to cover utility costs.
c. In performing the duties of the office, the director shall regularly consult with 311; the department of social services; the office of financial empowerment at the department of consumer and worker protection; the mayor's office of long-term planning and sustainability, or its successor office or agency; and any other agency or office the director deems necessary to further the duties of the office.
(L.L. 2022/080, 8/14/2022, eff. 9/1/2023)
a. Definition. As used in this section, the term "executive director" means the executive director of the office of not-for-profit organization services.
b. The mayor shall establish an office of not-for-profit organization services. Such office may be established in the executive office of the mayor and may be established as a separate office or within any other office of the mayor or within any department the head of which is appointed by the mayor. Such office shall be headed by an executive director who shall be appointed by the mayor or the head of such department. Subject to appropriation, such office shall also include such other employees as may be appointed or designated to assist in the performance of the duties of the office.
c. The executive director shall have the power and duty to:
1. Serve as a liaison to not-for-profit organizations in relation to city policies, procedures, regulations, contracting and funding opportunities, programs and benefits affecting the not-for-profit sector and, in such capacity, shall:
(a) Conduct outreach to not-for-profit organizations to provide information and assistance to such organizations in relation to existing city policies, procedures, regulations, contracting and funding opportunities, and programs and benefits, including but not limited to maintaining a central website containing information and assistance that can be accessed by not-for-profit organizations;
(b) Work with agencies to refer not-for-profit organizations to city services that assist such organizations in obtaining relevant exemptions, waivers, permits, registrations or approvals from agencies; and
(c) Make referrals to relevant state agencies and other organizations that provide information and assistance to individuals or groups who are seeking to incorporate or register as not-for-profit organizations;
2. Advise and assist the mayor, offices established within the executive office of the mayor, including the mayor's office of contract services, and agencies that interface with not-for-profit organizations on simplifying and streamlining interactions between not-for-profit organizations and any such offices and agencies, including such interactions regarding applications, contracts, and regulations;
3. Develop standing advisory committees comprised of representatives from agencies and not-for-profit organizations representing the range of not-for-profit organizations doing business with the city, and the range of services provided, including but not limited to health and human services, cultural, capacity building and technical support, and education, that shall serve as a central source for:
(a) Identifying challenges affecting not-for-profit organizations, including any challenges associated with procurement platforms, or with applications, contracts, and regulations, and supporting efforts to devise solutions to such challenges; and
(b) Encouraging communication, collaboration and consultation between the city and not-for-profit organizations, including the sharing and receiving of information related to not-for-profit organizations including, but not necessarily limited to, ways in which the city could improve its interaction and engagement with not-for-profit organizations;
4. Study conditions affecting the not-for-profit sector in the city and assess its health and economic well-being;
5. Recommend to the mayor policies, programs and projects which promote the well-being of not-for-profit organizations and not-for-profit service delivery in the city; and
6. Perform other duties as the mayor may assign.
d. Within 12 months of the effective date of the local law that added this section, and annually thereafter, the executive director shall prepare and submit a report to the mayor and the speaker of the council that shall include, but not be limited to, the activities of the office of not-for-profit organization services, any recommendations made by the executive director pursuant to this section, and the implementation of any such recommendations.
(L.L. 2021/164, 12/24/2021, eff. 3/24/2022; Am. L.L. 2023/046, 4/16/2023, eff. 4/16/2023)
a. Definitions. As used in this section, the following terms have the following meanings:
Abandon. The term "abandon" means the permanent relinquishment of possession or control.
Director. The term "director" means the director of the office of marine debris disposal and vessel surrendering.
Littoral waters. The term "littoral waters" means any waters within or bounding the city.
Marine debris. The term "marine debris" means any debris or other material or substance that is abandoned in or on littoral waters or shores, other than a vessel.
Shores. The term "shores" means the land, within or bounding the city, between the mean high water mark and mean low water mark.
b. The mayor shall establish an office of marine debris disposal and vessel surrendering. Such office may be established in the executive office of the mayor or may be established as a separate office, within any other office of the mayor or within any department, the head of which is appointed by the mayor. Such office shall be headed by a director, who shall be appointed by the mayor or the head of such department.
c. Powers and duties. In addition to any powers and duties the mayor may assign, the director shall have the power and duty to:
1. Collaborate with relevant agencies including, but not limited to, the department of small business services, the department of finance, the department of sanitation, the department of environmental protection, the department of parks and recreation, and the department of citywide administrative services, as well as relevant federal and state agencies, to effectuate the purposes of this section;
2. Coordinate the removal of marine debris in or on littoral waters or shores;
3. Develop a plan to recycle or reuse marine debris and options to dispose of any such marine debris that is unable to be recycled or reused;
4. Recommend policies to enforce against persons who abandon marine debris or vessels in or on littoral waters or shores;
5. Recommend programs to track and monitor vessels in order to prevent abandonment, and provide information to vessel owners and marina operators regarding solutions for proper disposal of such vessels;
6. Evaluate the feasibility of and develop recommendations for a program for persons to surrender vessels to the city for disposal; and
7. Coordinate with and promote organizations and volunteer groups involved in removing marine debris from the shores.
(L.L. 2023/046, 4/16/2023, eff. 4/16/2023)
a. Definitions. For purposes of this section, the following terms have the following meanings:
Director. The term “director” means the director of healthcare accountability.
Hospital. The term “hospital” has the same meaning as the term “general hospital,” as defined in subdivision 10 of section 2801 of the public health law.
Major insurance provider. The term “major insurance provider” means a health insurance company whose business accounts for a significant portion of hospital payments in the city, as determined by the office.
Office. The term “office” means the office of healthcare accountability, except where otherwise provided.
b. Establishment of office. The mayor shall establish an office of healthcare accountability. Such office may be established as a standalone office or within any office of the mayor or within any department. Such office shall be headed by a director of healthcare accountability, who shall be appointed by the mayor or, if the office is established within an agency other than the office of the mayor, by the head of such agency.
c. Powers and duties. The director shall have the power and duty to:
1. Provide recommendations to the mayor, council, comptroller, or trustees of the city pension systems regarding healthcare and hospital costs, including, but not limited to, the proportion of healthcare costs spent on hospital care. Such recommendations shall acknowledge and differentiate the needs of safety net hospitals and their reimbursements from Medicaid, and provide recommendations to the New York state commissioner of health to stabilize safety net hospitals;
2. Analyze city expenditures on healthcare costs for city employees, city retirees, and their dependents to the extent such information is publicly available;
3. Provide on the office’s website in a simplified and publicly accessible format, information on the publicly available price of common hospital procedures. Such information shall be based on any publicly available information relating to the price of hospital procedures, including disclosures required pursuant to state and federal law, and shall be formatted in a way to allow for price comparisons between hospitals for such common procedures;
4. Convene key stakeholders in healthcare, including, but not limited to, representatives of hospitals, healthcare providers, health plans, and self-insured entities, to examine the costs of healthcare services in the city; and
5. Collect and make available, upon request, each hospital’s United States internal revenue service form 990, Schedule H as required pursuant to section 501(r) of the internal revenue service code, audited financial statements as required pursuant to section 6033(b)(15)(b) of the internal revenue service code, and annual cost reports as required by centers for medicare and medicaid services.
d. Reporting. No later than 1 year after the effective date of the local law that added this section and by January 1 annually thereafter, the director shall submit to the mayor, the speaker of the council, and the attorney general of the state of New York, and shall post conspicuously on the office’s website, a report detailing the pricing practices of hospital systems in the city. Such report shall include, but not be limited to, the following:
1. A summary of any analyses conducted pursuant to paragraph 2 of subdivision c of this section, including the price of common hospital procedures paid for by the city disaggregated by hospital, utilizing a baseline price, such as Medicare;
2. To the extent publicly available, a summary of prices charged for common hospital procedures disaggregated by:
(a) Hospital;
(b) Type of procedure;
(c) To the extent publicly available, the average rate of reimbursement received by the hospital from each major insurance provider or other classification of payer for each common procedure, including reimbursements from Medicaid and Medicare and an analysis of whether such reimbursements meet the cost of caring for patients on such programs, and where practicable, negotiated price by payer and health plan, the cash price, and the Medicare price; and
(d) To the extent publicly available and where practicable, the average rate of denial by major insurance providers or payers of medically necessary care;
3. To the extent publicly available, a summary of each hospital’s and each major insurance provider’s or other payer’s pricing transparency requirements pursuant to state and federal law;
4. To the extent publicly available, a breakdown of each major insurance provider’s and other payer’s profit margins, employee headcounts, overhead costs, and executive salaries and bonuses;
5. To the extent publicly available, a summary of each hospital’s community benefit information as publicly reported on the United States internal revenue service’s Form 990, Schedule H, as required pursuant to section 501(r) of the internal revenue code, and each hospital’s publicly available implementation report regarding the hospital’s performance in meeting the healthcare needs of the community, providing charity care services, including the number of public benefit beneficiaries and uninsured individuals treated by each hospital, and improving access to healthcare services by the underserved, as required pursuant to subdivision 3 of section 2803-l of the public health law; and
6. To the extent publicly available, a summary of the impact of pharmaceutical pricing, insurance premiums, and the cost of medical devices on the city’s healthcare costs and individuals’ out-of-pocket spending.
(L.L. 2023/078, 6/23/2023, eff. 2/18/2024)