New Laws
The legal system in the United States has a number of different levels. At the federal level, laws are passed by Congress and periodically codified in the United States Code. At the state level, laws are passed by New York’s legislature and periodically codified in the New York Consolidated Laws. Laws at the city level are passed by a New York City Council and periodically codified in the City Charter and Administrative Code. New York City’s laws also include a variety of rules, regulations and laws that have been adopted by the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection, the Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings, and other departments.
Earlier this year, two new laws took effect, one requiring that certain debt collectors provide notice to consumers regarding the availability of student loan forgiveness programs and the other requiring that all third-party food delivery services be licensed in the City. In order to comply with these laws, the Uncontested Packet forms were revised. They can be found here.
In addition, the law was amended to clarify that City agencies are required to promptly disclose a data breach involving private identifying information when the agency reasonably believes it has been accessed, disclosed or used by an unauthorized person. It also updated the penalty schedule to align it with requirements in the City’s SHIELD Act and to reflect changes made to State law.
A new rule was added to implement Local Law 144 of 2021 that requires anyone who wants to use an automated employment decision tool to do a bias audit and notify job applicants of the results of such an analysis. It also amends the penalty schedule for violations of the Department’s existing laws and rules relating to third-party food delivery service licensing and to newsstand licenses.
Another new rule is a clarification of the requirement that attorneys and other professional persons who have acted as mediators in divorce cases be licensed by the City Bar Association. The new rule also establishes a procedure for the removal of lawyers or other professionals who are no longer licensed by the City Bar Association.