Wins for street vendors, affordable housing and worker protection as slew of laws pass at final NYC council meeting of year amNewYork

"The outgoing New York City Council used its last meeting of the 2024-2025 session on Thursday to pass landmark legislation expanding permitting and agency support for street vendors, affordable housing policy and worker protection laws. When you think about issues that affect working-class New Yorkers, this is a day to be proud of, said new Council Member Harvey Epstein. We're talking about worker protections, opportunities for more affordable housingThese are real ways to manage the affordability crisis, keep people in their homes"

"Known as the Street Vendor Reform Package and made up of Intros. 431-2024, 408-2024, 1251-2024, the package will increase the number of available street vending permits to 17,000 over the next five years, create a Division of Street Vendor Assistance within the Department of Small Business Services that would provide training, outreach and workshops on complying with local laws and regulations for newly permitted vendors and authorize the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene to issue more applications for supervisory licenses."

"The majority of the city's over 2o,000 street vendors are unpermitted and struggle to navigate the city agencies involved in their regulation. After years of pressure from vendors and advocates, the council passed a set of bills on Thursday designed to improve permit access and agency support for those selling food and goods on the streets every day. Known as the Street Vendor Reform Package"

The outgoing City Council approved measures expanding permitting and agency support for street vendors, advancing affordable housing policy, and strengthening worker protection laws. The vendor package targets a majority-unpermitted street vending population by increasing available permits to 17,000 over five years and creating a Division of Street Vendor Assistance within the Department of Small Business Services to provide training, outreach and compliance workshops. The Department of Health and Mental Hygiene would be authorized to accept more supervisory license applications. Passage of the measures faces a potential veto by the outgoing mayor, which only the next Council could override.

Read at www.amny.com