Council Legislation To Stop ‘Net Sweepstakes’
The City Council voted last Wednesday, May 22, to improve the delivery of services available to veterans by formalizing and enhancing the veteran coordinator program at all city agencies.
City legislators also approved legislation to crack down on operators of certain gaming cafes and arcades- known as “internet sweepstakes cafes”-that offer cash prizes. This practice is illegal under city and state law.
As the intercity bus business has grown exponentially in the past several years and accidents involving these buses are common, the City Council also passed a bill to allow greater access to bus safety information.
Finally, the Council voted to enhance reporting requirements for youth in Administration of Children’s Services (ACS) non-secure and limited secure placement facilities. Veterans liaisons for city agencies
A 2008 executive order requires each agency to designate a coordina- tor to work with the Mayor’s Office of Veteran’s Affairs (MOVA) to provide information on the agency’s available services for veterans and its personnel policies that apply to veterans. However, subsequent administrations are not required to follow executive orders, and the informal program has become largely ineffective.
The bill passed by the City Council last Wednesday (Intro. No. 480-A) requires each city agency to appoint a liaison responsible for connecting veterans to the benefits and services it offers. Appointees would also be required to assist the 7,875 veterans and more than 1,000 reservists employed by the city with personnel matters related to their veteran status.
This initiative would ensure that veterans’ needs are addressed regardless of whether they contact MOVA or an agency directly.
“This Memorial Day, as we honor those heroes who have fallen in the line of duty, we also have an obligation to honor the heroes who are still with us,” said City Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn. “We hope this legislation will help to alleviate any burdens veterans have faced in the past when navigating city government and allow them to seamlessly access the services they need and deserve.”
Internet sweepstakes cafés
The city has recently seen a proliferation of internet sweepstakes cafés, particularly in low-income neighborhoods, which blatantly advertise the chance to win money. While it is currently at the discretion of the Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA) Commissioner to revoke licenses of gaming cafés or arcades illegally offering cash rewards, the City Council’s bill (Intro. 1035-A) will now require the DCA to revoke the license of any gaming cafe or arcade operator who does so.
Several states have taken steps to stem the spread of internet sweepstakes cafés, most recently Florida and Ohio. New York City already has a licensing structure in place for gaming cafés and arcades, but this muchneeded bill will strengthen it by facilitating stricter enforcement by the DCA.
Intercity bus bill
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) maintains a website that provides information about the safety of intercity bus companies. However, the information is difficult to access. The Council voted to require DOT’s website to link to FMCSA’s website.
Specifically, the bill (Intro. No. 591-A) would require a listing of federal passenger carrier safety ratings, a link to an explanation of these ratings and a link to the FMCSA’s Safety and Fitness Electronic Records System.
Juvenile facilities reporting
Last year, Gov. Cuomo enacted the “Close to Home” initiative which allows ACS to operate non-secure and limited secure placement facilities for adjudicated juveniles in New York City so that they may be placed in facilities closer to their families and communities.
The Council approved last Wednesday a bill (Intro. No. 981-A) to require ACS to report demographic and safety data for youth in the new facilities pursuant to Close to Home.
Additionally, the legislation would require the reporting of two very important metrics. Currently, ACS does not collect data when youth are targeted because of their LGBT status. This bill would require the agency to report such information if it is voluntarily reported by a child.
This data would allow ACS to identify any patterns of maltreatment and to explore ways to better serve this at-risk population. The bill would also require ACS to publish data on the number of youth who transfer between facilities. There is little information about transfers between juvenile facilities, and this data could be useful for policymakers to examine in order to improve services for youth under ACS care.
