City Council Passes “Parental Empowerment” Bill Package That Includes Lactation Accommodation Employer Mandates

On October 17th, the City Council passed a package of six bills relating to maternal health and family care. Two of these bills -- Int. 879 and Int. 905 -- establish employer mandates around the provision of lactation rooms and related policies. The other four bills apply only to city agencies. You can click here for the City Council's press release. Int. 879 requires employers with 15 or more employees to provide lactation rooms and refrigerators in reasonable proximity to work areas. The legislation includes an "undue hardship" exemption. This mandate will take effect 120 days from enactment. Int. 905 requires employers to develop, implement, and distribute a written policy regarding the provision of a lactation room to all new hires. This requirement will take effect on the same date as Int. 879. With the Mayor's signature expected shortly, both of these requirements will likely take effect in February of 2019. The other four bills relate to lactation room availability in city jails, DOHMH plans to increase access to doulas, DOHMH reports on maternal mortality, the provision of diapers at city shelters, and studying the feasibility of discounted child care for city employees.

Kelly Jin Appointed as City’s Chief Analytics Officer

On Wednesday, Mayor de Blasio announced the appointment of Kelly Jin as the city's Chief Analytics Officer. She will serve as the director of the Mayor's Office of Analytics, the agency  responsible for managing the city's Open Data program and maintaining analytical tools to increase transparency and efficiency in government. Previously, Jin served as a policy advisor to the U.S. Chief Technology Officer.

Next Week's City Council Hearings

Next week, the New York City Council has a full schedule planned and will hold several oversight hearings on a wide range of topics including: Repairs and Upgrades at NYC Senior Centers, Healthcare Savings Agreement: A Look Back and A Look Forward, Preparing for Winter: Heat and Hot Water at NYCHA Developments, ACS Preventive Services and Family Enrichment Centers, Local Law 30 of 2017: Language Access Implementation Plans and Ensuring the Short and Long Term Preservation of the City's Natural Forest. The council will also meet to discuss several pieces of legislation. To view the council's entire calendar, please click here.