Int 0724-2015

Be it enacted by the Council as follows: Section 1. Chapter 56 of the New York city charter is amended by adding a new section 1307 to read as follows: � 1307. Dedicated small business advocates. a. There shall be in the department small business advocates dedicated to helping business owners obtain appropriate services from the department and other city, state and federal agencies. The duties of such dedicated small business advocates shall include, but need not be limited to: 1. receiving requests for assistance from small businesses with respect to their interactions with the city, including, but not limited to, agency inspections, rules, adjudications of violations, technical assistance programs, workforce development programs, language access, and customer service; 2. taking appropriate action to resolve requests for assistance, including referring such requests to appropriate city, state and federal agencies; and 3. identifying opportunities for policy and program development to assist the small business sector and improve interactions between small businesses and city agencies. b. The department shall conduct outreach and education targeted to small business owners and the general public related to the duties of such dedicated small business advocates and their role as a central point of contact for businesses seeking assistance from city agencies. Information indicating how to contact the small business advocates established pursuant to subdivision a of this section shall be prominently posted on the websites of relevant agencies. For purposes of this subdivision, relevant agencies shall include the department of buildings, the department of consumer affairs, the department of health and mental hygiene, the department of environmental protection, the department of sanitation, the bureau of fire prevention of the fire department and the department of small business services. c. The department shall provide an initial written report to the council not later than April1, 2017, and a second report not later than April1, 2018, each documenting requests for assistance received by the small businesses advocates in the immediately preceding calendar year. Each report shall include, but need not be limited to: (i) the total number of requests for assistance received by the small business advocates during the reporting period; (ii) a general description of the type of each such request; and (iii) a general description of the actions taken by the small business advocates, if any, in response to each such request. � 2. This local law takes effect 90 days after it becomes law. JHC LS#808/1302 6/2/2015