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Council Member Julie Menin discusses Intro 282 and small business accessibility challenges
0:07:52
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151 sec
Council Member Julie Menin presents her bill, Intro 282, which aims to create a fund for loans or grants to help small businesses and landlords make storefronts more accessible. She discusses the challenges faced by small businesses in New York City, particularly regarding accessibility compliance and the risk of lawsuits.
- Intro 282 would provide up to $250,000 per storefront for accessibility projects
- Nearly 1 million New Yorkers (8% of the population) are disabled
- Some businesses face frivolous lawsuits related to ADA compliance
Julie Menin
0:07:52
Thank you so much, chair Williams and chair Feliz, for holding today's important hearing.
0:07:58
New York City is home to around a 83,000 small businesses with over 1,000 more today than before the pandemic.
0:08:07
Yet there remain several challenges for small businesses to continue operating in our city that range from an increase in costs as a result of federal tariffs to navigating the many rules and regulations of the city.
0:08:21
An issue that businesses face is accessible storefronts, which can be a major issue for New Yorkers wishing to access the city's many businesses.
0:08:30
There are nearly 1,000,000 New Yorkers, around eight percent of the city's population, who are disabled according to the mayor's office for people with disabilities.
0:08:39
All New Yorkers deserve an accessible city and both the New York City Human Rights Law as well as the Americans with Disabilities Act ensure that.
0:08:47
Businesses have legal and financial risks for failure to be accessible, but so many businesses are not accessible due to significant compliance related costs.
0:08:58
My bill, intro two eighty two, would change that.
0:09:01
The bill specifically allows for an agency chosen by the mayor to create a fund of loans or grants, for example, for small businesses and landlords to work together to perform accessibility projects.
0:09:14
It creates a timeline of at most ninety days for applications to be reviewed, accepted, or denied, and funds of up to $250,000 per storefront to be dispersed.
0:09:28
In summary, the bill ensures the city gives a much needed financial opportunity to cover the costs of accessibility projects for our small businesses.
0:09:39
Unfortunately, we've had bad actors who target businesses with frivolous lawsuits.
0:09:45
In fact, one individual has filed 113 federal ADA lawsuits against businesses since 2018.
0:09:53
Some of these lawsuits happen years after the person visits the businesses and many small businesses are forced to settle because they quite frankly lack the resources to litigate in court.
0:10:05
Businesses should be encouraged to make accessibility a priority that beautifies their storefront, but not through the threat of federal lawsuits.
0:10:13
I wanna thank the chairs for allowing me to speak, and I wanna thank drafter Nicole Cata, and thank my team, Jonathan Shutt, Brandon Jordan, and Mercedes Anderson.
0:10:22
Thank you so much.