What's happening
This bill authorizes the creation of community liaisons between the State Liquor Authority and NYC community boards, and amends procedures for investigating problem premises.
Why it matters
Strengthens community influence over liquor licensing. By creating dedicated community liaisons, local NYC community boards will have a direct line to the State Liquor Authority, improving their ability to receive timely information, raise concerns, and participate in decisions about bars and alcohol-serving establishments in their neighborhoods.
Improves government accountability and transparency. The liaisons are required to attend meetings, submit reports on community issues, and provide advance notice and agendas for relevant authority meetings, making state oversight processes more visible and responsive at the neighborhood level.
Speeds up and clarifies investigations of problem establishments. The bill sets clear timelines for task force investigations when a bar or club is identified as a threat to public welfare, but also allows limited extensions with documented reasons—balancing due process for business owners with the need for swift action to protect communities.
Elevates community boards’ role in public safety. By explicitly including community boards as local legislative bodies with authority to trigger investigations, the bill formalizes their power in addressing problematic premises and ensures their concerns must be acted upon by the state.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Appoint Liquor Board Liaisons
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
Assembly Member · Assembly District 40
No co-sponsors yet.
History
- Referred to economic development
- Referred to economic development
Companion bill
The same bill in the other chamber. A bill becomes law when one version passes both houses and the governor signs it, so either number can carry it.
Connect Liquor Authority, Community Boards
In Senate Committee · Investigations And Government Operations · Sponsor Leroy Comrie
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
2244
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
January 22, 2019
Introduced by M. of A. KIM -- read once and referred to the Committee on Economic Development
AN ACT to amend the alcoholic beverage control law, in relation to authorizing the establishment of a liaison between the state liquor authority and local community boards, and the New York alcoholic beverage control problem premises task force
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. The alcoholic beverage control law is amended by adding a new section 110-c to read as follows:
§ 110-c. Community liaison. 1. The authority is authorized to designate a community liaison for each community board located in the city of New York.
2. The community liaison, upon request of a community board, shall ensure that such board receives all or a select number of notifications of relevant license and permit applications, hearing notices and license or permit application dispositions related to license or permit issuance, renewal, modifications or alterations that are required under the provisions of this chapter.
3. The community liaison shall:
(a) attend a meeting of the community board, upon the request of such board, for which he or she is acting as the liaison;
(b) attend, at least once each year, upon the request of each community board, a meeting of such board, to help build a knowledgeable and meaningful relationship between the authority and such board, and to understand the issues faced by the surrounding community;
(c) submit reports to the authority with respect to issues or concerns raised by such board; and
(d) upon request of the community board, notify such board of regularly scheduled meetings of the authority that could be of interest to such
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD03881-01-9
A. 2244 2
board and provide an agenda for such meeting at least fifteen days prior to the meeting.
§ 2. Section 131 of the alcoholic beverage control law, as added by section 1 of part J of chapter 56 of the laws of 2006, is amended to read as follows:
§ 131. New York alcoholic beverage control problem premises task force. 1. There is hereby created within the authority the New York alcoholic beverage control problem premises task force (hereinafter "task force"), which shall consist of employees of the authority as designated by the members of the authority, provided however, that the task force shall include at least one investigator each from the Albany office, [one investigator from] the Buffalo office, and [one investigator from] the New York city office.
2. In any case where the authority receives notification from the mayor, chief of police, police commissioner, sheriff, or local legislative body of any city, town or village which certifies that continued operation of an on-premises establishment poses [a] an actual or potentially significant threat to the public health, safety, or welfare [requiring] of the surrounding community that requires immediate action, the authority shall assign responsibility for conducting an investigation concerning such premises to the task force. In the city of New York, the community board established pursuant to section twenty-eight hundred of the New York city charter with jurisdiction over the area in which such premises is located shall be considered the appropriate local legislative body.
3. Not more than fourteen calendar days after receipt by the authority of a notification as provided in this section, the task force shall commence an investigation into the operation of the establishment. The task force shall complete its investigation and the authority shall commence a disciplinary hearing proceeding pursuant to this chapter for revocation or other appropriate action within forty-five calendar days, unless the task force determines in written findings that more time is needed to satisfactorily complete such investigation or that no disciplinary charges are warranted. Such extension of time for completion of the investigation shall be for no more than sixty calendar days. A copy of any such determination shall be sent to the mayor, chief of police, police commissioner, sheriff, or local legislative body of the city, town or village that filed the notification with the authority. The authority shall notify the mayor, chief of police, police commissioner, sheriff, or local legislative body of the city, town or village that filed the notification to the authority of the final disposition of the disciplinary proceeding within ten business days of the completion of this process.
§ 3. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after it shall have become a law.
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.