Int. No. 743
By Council Members De La Rosa, Gennaro, Louis, Schulman and Banks
A Local Law to amend the New York city charter and the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to requiring the department of citywide administrative services to offer career counseling to municipal employees to advise them of professional development and promotional opportunities
Be it enacted by the Council as follows:
Section 1. Subdivision a of section 814 of the New York city charter, as amended by local law number 12 for the year 2019, is amended by adding a new paragraph (12) to read as follows:
a. The commissioner shall have the following powers and duties in addition to the powers and duties of a municipal civil service commission provided in the civil service law, and those vested in the commissioner as head of the department, except where any specific power or duty is assigned to the mayor, heads of city agencies or the civil service commission pursuant to this chapter:
(1) To recruit personnel;
(2) To make studies in regard to the grading and classifying of positions in the civil service, establish criteria and guidelines for allocating positions to an existing class of positions, and grade and establish classes of positions;
(3) To schedule and conduct examinations for positions in the civil service;
(4) To establish, promulgate and certify eligible lists in the manner provided in the civil service law, and the rules of the commissioner;
(5) To determine the appropriateness of eligible lists for the filing of vacancies in the manner provided in the civil service law and the rules of the commissioner;
(6) To investigate applicants for positions in the civil service; to review their qualifications, and to revoke or rescind any certification or appointment by reason of the disqualification of the applicant or appointee under the provisions of the civil service law, and the rules of the commissioner or any other law;
(7) To review any appointment of persons as provisional employees within sixty days after appointment to assure compliance with this chapter, the civil service law, and any rule or regulation issued pursuant to this charter or civil service law;
(8) To certify payrolls in accordance with the provisions of the civil service law and the rules of the commissioner;
(9) To keep records regarding candidates for appointment to the civil service and officers and employees in the civil service;
(10) To develop and recommend to the mayor standard rules governing working conditions, vacations and leaves of absence; and career, salary and wage plans providing for the creation, abolition and modification of positions and grades and fixing salaries of persons paid from the city treasury, subject to the provisions of this charter, the civil service law, other applicable statutes and collective bargaining agreements;
(11) To administer the city-wide safety incentive, training and development, and other such personnel programs of the city[.]; and
(12) To offer career counseling to employees of the city civil service.
§ 2. Chapter 2 of title 12 of the administrative code of the city of New York is amended by adding a new section 12-217 to read as follows:
§ 12-217 Career Counseling. a. Definitions. As used in this section, the following terms have the following meanings:
Agency. The term “agency” means any agency, the head of which holds office upon appointment of the mayor and those units within the executive office of the mayor designated by the mayor to be covered by the provisions of chapter 16 of the charter. Such term does not include agencies headed by boards, commissions, or other multi-member bodies, whether appointed by the mayor or otherwise, nor to elected officials, nor to other agencies the heads of which are appointed by officials other than the mayor or by multi-member bodies.
Career Counseling. The term “career counseling” means remote or in-person consultation with, and provision of information to, individuals regarding opportunities for promotion, training, and education.
Department. The term “department” means the department of citywide administrative services.
Eligible employee. The term “eligible employee” means current employees of agencies who have been employed by such agency for at least five consecutive years.
b. The department shall offer career counseling to eligible employees. Information included in such career counseling may include, but need not be limited to, opportunities to apply for managerial or supervisory positions or positions with higher salaries, opportunities through the promotional exam process, and the availability of department- or agency-provided trainings.
c. The department shall, in coordination with relevant agencies, conduct outreach to eligible employees at least once annually regarding the availability of career counseling services, including information about how eligible employees may access such services. Eligible employees shall be informed that their request for career counseling will remain confidential.
d. Eligible employees may request career counseling from the department through either a remote or in-person format. The department shall conduct a 60-minute career counseling session with the requesting eligible employee within 60 days of an eligible employee’s request. The department shall conduct at least 1 follow-up call to an eligible employee who participates in a career counseling session within 30 days of such career counseling session.
e. The department shall, in consultation with relevant agencies, create written materials concerning the promotional exam application process, the availability of exam preparation materials, the process for enrolling in department- or agency-provided trainings, and any other relevant information as determined by the department, to be distributed at career counseling sessions or by request of any eligible employee.
f. No later than September 1, 2025, and each September 1 thereafter, the department shall submit to the mayor and the speaker of the council a report containing the following information for the prior fiscal year:
1. The number of eligible employees who sought career counseling, disaggregated by agency, race, and gender;
2. The number of eligible employees who, subsequent to their career counseling session: (i) applied to take a promotional exam; (ii) enrolled in an agency-provided training; (iii) enrolled in a department-provided training; (iv) transferred into a title offering higher pay; (v) transferred to a different agency; and (vi) were promoted;
3. The number of career counselors employed by the department; and
4. The number of career counseling sessions conducted, disaggregated by in-person or remote format.
g. The department shall offer electronic surveys to relevant employees upon completion of a career counseling session, to be completed on a voluntary basis. Survey questions shall include, but need not be limited to, questions designed to obtain the information required to be reported by subdivision f of this section.
§ 3. This local law takes effect 60 days after it becomes law.
RO
LS #15791
4/2/2024