The New York City Council had a busy day Tuesday, approving a slew of new legislation impacting everything from the pets you can legally buy in the five boroughs to vehicle idling, park bathrooms, ticket price transparency and more.
Here's a wrap of some of the most notable bills, all of which await Mayor Eric Adams' signature and will take effect at various times once that happens. Get more details on those and other council agenda items here.
You Can't Buy Guinea Pigs From Pet Stores
Pet shops are now banned from selling guinea pigs across the five boroughs, under the law sponsored by Deputy Speaker Diana Ayala. You can still adopt them from city animal shelters and rescue groups, however.
Why the ban for pet stores? People got them as comfort animals during the height of the COVID pandemic, found out they're a whole lot of work and started to abandon them en masse, reports say.
One report from The CITY cited Animal Care Centers of NYC (ACC) data showing shelters received triple the number of guinea pigs in the 30-month period that ended in December (900) compared with the year before the pandemic started (300). Ayala, whose motion passed by a vote of 42-7, said people were dumping their unwanted pets in public places.
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The ban takes effect 30 days after Adams signs it into law. Beyond sales, pet shops won't even be allowed to give guinea pigs away.
"Banning the sale of guinea pigs in pet stores will help facilitate the adoption of the high number of guinea pigs abandoned in recent years, giving New Yorkers and guinea pigs the lifetime friend they both deserve," Ayala said.
'No Standing:' NYC Idling Cut to 1-Minute Near Schools, Parks
This comes as part of the city council's overarching effort to fight climate change and is one of several new related measures approved. The bill, sponsored by Council Member Alexa Avilés, restricts vehicle idling time near or within NYC parks to one minute, which climatologists say will help promote clean air around these public spaces.
It enacts the same idling restriction near any New York City public schools and any non-public schools providing education to students in Pre-K through 12th grade. School bus idling is a bit different. See the details of the bill here. It passed by a vote of 42-6 and takes effect 90 days after the mayor signs it into law.
Avilés called the bill "common sense." (You can also cash in on commercial violators. Here's how.)
"Passing Intro 606 will do more to protect our children from the harmful impact of exhaust and particulate matter, as well as prevent the exacerbation of asthma symptoms for children who suffer from this condition," she said. "We must always work to put the health of our residents and our children first, not only in April, but all the time."
No More 'Bait and Switch' Ticket Pricing
With the memory of the Taylor Swift Ticketmaster debacle still fresh in many minds, and fallout involving the company continuing to unfold around other artists, lawmakers are taking steps to protect New Yorkers from surprise fees.
One means of doing that will be a bill requiring disclosure of full ticket prices whenever they are displayed in ads for ticketed events. Under the bill, sponsored by Council Member Justin Brannan, ads have to show the total price, including taxes and fees, rather than just the base cost. Brannan says the bill is especially important as the concert season and outdoor sporting events kick into higher gear with improving weather.
"Whether you’re going to see The Cure or catch a Mets game, these ticket companies need to stop fleecing the fans," Brannan said. "By requiring sellers to advertise tickets inclusive of all the fees up front, my bill will end the era of bait and switch advertising on ticket prices. Don’t advertise that tickets are $20 when by the time I’m done paying all sorts of surprise fees they’re actually gonna cost $50."
Violations will be subject to penalties ranging from zero dollars for first-time offenders to $500.
That bill passed unanimously (49-0), and takes effect 180 days once the mayor signs it into law. Read the full text.
Family-Friendly Bathrooms in NYC Parks
It's the bane of many parents. You're out at a public park in the city, enjoying the gorgeous weather, you need to change your baby's diaper and A) The park's public bathroom is inexplicably locked; B) It's disgusting; C) There's no changing table or D) Anything else. A bill passed Tuesday targets C on that list.
Sure, it's a while out, but come December 2027, all bathrooms at parks run by the city must have diaper-changing tables, meaning parents won't have to use their portable changing pads to change kids' diapers on the pavement -- or picnic table any longer. Half of that job must be completed by the end of 2025, two-thirds of it by December 2026.
Right now, fewer than half of roughly 1,400 parks under the city's jurisdiction have changing tables, says bill sponsor Council Member Rafael Salamanca, which he says makes it harder for young families to get the most out of parks.
Salamanca points out that such family-friendly restrooms are required now in new or recently renovated public buildings where merchandise is sold and places like theaters, bowling alleys, museums and malls.
"The one place they are not required: New York City parks’ bathrooms," he said. "Despite being a place where families spend a great deal of their time, the lack of changing stations has left parents changing their children’s diapers on park benches and equipment, their laps, or even on the ground, all of which are unsanitary locations."
This law takes effect immediately once Adams' signs it. It's on his desk now, having passed by unanimous vote.
