Assemblymember Wright on Harlem outbreak and state cooling tower law

So go ahead, Assemblyman.

Thank you so much, Chair Shulman, and I want to thank the whole committee for being present and allowing for transparency during this conversation.

It's very important, and it's critical to all of our constituents.

Thank you for having me.

My name is Jordan Wright.

I represent the New York State Assembly 70th District, and that's central and west Harlem.

And unfortunately, my neighbors and loved ones in this village that I grew up in,

been have experienced a deadly Legionnaires outbreak last summer.

In Harlem, we lost 70 community members due to Legionnaires and more fell ill during that closer of this disease, with Harlem seeing 90 hospitalizations and at least 114 reported cases.

It's a tale that we all know all too well.

Black and brown communities repeatedly serve as ground zero for tragedies like these, horrific and preventable public health failures.

In 2026, in the greatest city in the world, it should no longer be the norm that when white folks get a cold, black folks get the flu.

We all deserve to be healthy.

Here are some of what we in Harlem have learned from our ground zero.

Clear communication is key.

The community deserves prompt and consistent updates from reliable sources.

This is not only key to ensuring public trust and collaboration, it is essential to containing and eradicating any cluster or outbreak.

In Harlem, I hosted regular briefings and engaged with community stakeholders day and night to ensure that the public was able to learn and adapt quickly to new facts.

We ensured that necessary resources were widely available to our community throughout the situation and that any relevant or new information was shared promptly and widely in Harlem as best as we could.

Full transparency is the only acceptable way to navigate a public health event like Legionnaires.

Full transparency is how we prevent more illnesses.

It's how we prevent death, because as we know, even one is too many.

Legionella bacteria and its

impact is well known and not uncommon.

It should not take active cases and New York lives to bring it to the forefront of this conversation.

All New York communities, but certainly the black and brown communities that are so often battered by environmental inequalities, deserve the peace of mind that comes with strong public health regulations and the funding and enforcement to make the entire city healthier for all of our families.

Last month, the governor signed into law a bill that I sponsored with Senator Cordell Clear requiring that owners and operators of cooling towers in New York City

certify their cooling towers have been inspected, tested, cleaned, and disinfected in compliance with New York City administrative code.

The bill also sets timelines for building owners to notify the New York City Department of Buildings and take steps to remedy any public health hazards in cooling towers and increases in civil

penalties on building owners who fail to report or address these issues and require biannual certifications.

Perhaps most importantly, the new law clarifies that the building owner must take steps to address maintenance deficiencies as soon as possible, but no later than 48 hours.

That's two days.

It increases fines and penalties and modernizing a process that we can no longer afford to keep antiquated.

This is not about whose plan outdoes the other.

This is about saving lives.

So thank you again for having me.

I look forward to working together on all fronts to ensure the safety of all New Yorkers.

Thank you, Chair Shulman.