Council Member Epstein Introduces Intro 1105, the Power Act

Thank you, acting majority leaders.

Good seeing you up there.

Not many times, but today at least.

I want to thank the speaker for introducing 1105 today.

It's called the Power Act, along with the mayor and the commissioner of DCWP.

The bill really changes some really fundamental things in consumer protection.

One, it allows a private right of action.

And two, the second component is it expands protections for small businesses across this great city.

So in real life, some of the changes that we could see is tenants are being charged fees, let's say a $40 fee.

They could be able to get that resolved through a legal services program.

Homeowners, we talk about deed theft across the board.

Homeowners would have real legal recourse with this if we changed the law.

Small businesses see predatory financing time and time again that impacts their ability to stay alive.

This change in the law could allow those small businesses to use the law to protect them.

And worker exploitation.

We see, just last week alone, the mayor announced, along with a lot of our colleagues, $130 million going back to low-wage workers.

We could, in changing the law, allow workers across our great city to be able to do this.

This would check corporate power.

This would allow people to be able to fight back and give them real authority.

I look forward to having you all look at this bill.

I encourage you all to co-sponsor this.

I want to thank leadership here, the Speaker and the Mayor, for bringing this issue forward.

It's a fundamental change that exists in 43 states and the District of Columbia, and New York deserves to have it as well.

Thank you.

Thank you, Councilman Reftstein, for reminding me that I'm temporary.

But you're all temporary.

We're all temporary.

So, you know.

This is their fact.

Councilmember Ressler, followed by Councilmember Nurse.