Source: http://legistar.council.nyc.gov/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=2264229&GUID=DD60F933-3BA9-4068-A75A-89DD26DA9EB8
Timestamp: 2017-03-27 04:36:00
Document Index: 352075758

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 20', '§ 20', '§ 20', '§ 20', '§ 20', '§ 20', '§ 20', '§ 20', '§ 20', '§ 20', '§ 20', '§ 20', '§ 20', '§ 20', '§ 20', '§ 20', '§ 20', '§ 20', '§ 2']

Int 0746-2015
Preventing the unauthorized practice of immigration law.
A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to preventing the unauthorized practice of immigration law.
Daniel Dromm , Margaret S. Chin, Julissa Ferreras-Copeland, Peter A. Koo, Annabel Palma, Ydanis A. Rodriguez, Helen K. Rosenthal, Rosie Mendez, Carlos Menchaca, Fernando Cabrera , Jumaane D. Williams, Deborah L. Rose, Andy L. King, Mark Levine, Stephen T. Levin, Karen Koslowitz, Rory I. Lancman, Corey D. Johnson, Inez D. Barron, Brad S. Lander, I. Daneek Miller, Antonio Reynoso, Ritchie J. Torres, Ben Kallos, James Vacca, Mathieu Eugene, Laurie A. Cumbo, Rafael Salamanca, Jr., Alan N. Maisel, Vincent J. Gentile, Barry S. Grodenchik, Costa G. Constantinides, Mark Treyger, Vanessa L. Gibson, Donovan J. Richards, James G. Van Bramer, Andrew Cohen, Paul A. Vallone, The Public Advocate (Ms. James)
Title 20, Chapter 5, Subchapter 14 of the New York City Administrative Code regulates Immigration Assistance Service Providers. This bill would amend Subchapter 14 to impose stricter guidelines for providers and further protect customers against immigration services fraud and unauthorized practice of the law. Providers would be required to include specific language in their contracts related to the provider’s duties and limitations, as well as the customer’s rights. Additionally, providers would have to post required signage in English, in the six most common languages spoken in the City, and in the language in which they provide or offer to provide services. Providers would be prohibited from offering and providing services that should only be provided by an attorney, and from making statements that could lead a customer to believe that the provider is an attorney or an immigration expert. Additionally, this bill would require that the Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA) provide periodic reports to the Council with information regarding the number, type, source and result of complaints against providers.
1. Summary of Int. No. 746, 2. Int. No. 746 - 4/16/15, 3. April 16, 2015 - Stated Meeting Agenda with Links to Files, 4. Committee Report 11/17/16, 5. Hearing Testimony 11/17/16, 6. Hearing Transcript 11/17/16, 7. Proposed Int. No. 746-A - 3/10/17
11/17/2016*Daniel Dromm Committee on Immigration
11/17/2016*Daniel Dromm Committee on Consumer Affairs
4/16/2015*Daniel Dromm City Council
Proposed Int. No. 746-A
By Council Members Dromm, Chin, Ferreras-Copeland, Koo, Palma, Rodriguez, Rosenthal, Mendez, Menchaca, Cabrera, Williams, Rose, King, Levine, Levin, Koslowitz, Lancman, Johnson, Barron, Lander, Miller, Reynoso, Torres, Kallos, Vacca, Eugene, Cumbo, Salamanca, Maisel, Gentile, Grodenchik, Constantinides, Treyger, Gibson, Richards, Van Bramer, Cohen, Vallone and the Public Advocate (Ms. James)
Be it enacted by the Council as follows: Section 1. Subchapter 14 of chapter 5 of title 20 of the administrative code of the city of New York, as added by local law number 31 for the year 2004, is amended to read as follows:
§ 20-779.7 Consumer Bill of Rights [§ 20-770] § 20-775 Definitions. For the purpose of this subchapter, the following terms have the following meanings:
2. [any tax-exempt, not-for-profit organization that provides immigration assistance services without a fee or other payment from individuals or at nominal fees as defined by the federal board of immigration appeals and any employee of such organization acting within the scope of his or her employment;
3.] any tax-exempt, not-for-profit organization recognized by the federal board of immigration appeals that provides immigration assistance services via representatives accredited by such board to appear before the [bureau of] United States citizenship and immigration services and/or executive office for immigration review, that does not charge a fee or charges nominal fees as defined by the board of immigration appeals and any duly accredited employee of such organization acting within the scope of his or her employment;
[4] 3. any authorized agency under subdivision ten of section three hundred seventy-one of the New York state social services law and the employees of such organization when acting within the scope of such employment;
[5] 4. any elected official who, acting within the scope of his or her official capacity, without a fee or other payment makes inquiries on behalf of an individual to [the United States citizenship and immigration services, the United States department of labor, the United States department of state or] any [other] governmental authority responsible for administering any program, law or regulation affecting the non-immigrant, immigrant or citizenship status of a person; [or]
[6] 5. any employee of the office of the mayor or an executive agency of the city of New York who, acting within the scope of his or her capacity as an employee of the office of the mayor or an executive agency of the city of New York, without a fee or other payment makes inquires on behalf of an individual to [the United States citizenship and immigration services, the United States department of labor, the United States department of state or] any [other] governmental authority responsible for administering any program, law or regulation affecting the non-immigrant, immigrant or citizenship status of a person; or
6. any individual providing representation in an immigration-related proceeding under federal law for which federal law or regulation establishes such individual’s authority to appear.
c. Fail to provide a customer with copies of documents [filed with] submitted to, or received from, a governmental entity within two weeks of submission or refuse to return original documents supplied by, prepared on behalf of, or paid for by the customer, upon the request of the customer, or upon termination of the contract. Original documents must be returned promptly upon request and upon cancellation of the contract, even if there is a fee dispute between the [immigration assistance] provider and the customer; d. Fail to provide the customer with a signed form affirming receipt of an original document, as well as a complete copy of such document, immediately upon taking possession of such original document for submission or any other purpose;
[e] f. Give any legal advice concerning an immigration matter, including selecting, or advising the customer on selecting, a governmental agency form in order to apply for an immigration-related benefit, or otherwise engage in the practice of law; [f] g. Make a determination of, or advise about, a person’s immigration status, including advising him or her on how to respond to questions on a governmental form regarding such determination; h. Make any guarantee or promise to a customer, unless there is a basis in fact for such representation, such representation does not relate to eligibility for an immigration-related benefit, and the guarantee or promise is in writing and attached to the service contract;
k. Guarantee the expedition of any immigration-related benefit, pursuant to an actual or fabricated relationship with or access to government employees who have the ability to expedite applications or other documentation, or issue a favorable decision for any reasons other than the merits of such application or documentation; l. Provide information to any person about his or her, or his or her family member’s potential eligibility for a particular immigration-related benefit or status, or other governmental benefit, with the intent to induce such person to employ the services of such provider, regardless of whether the information is true or false; m. Disclose any information to, or [file] submit any forms or documents with, any third party, including immigration or other authorities, on behalf of or relating to the customer without the knowledge [or] and consent of the customer except where such disclosure is required by law. A provider shall notify the customer in writing when such provider has disclosed any information to or submitted any form or document with immigration or other authorities when such disclosure submission was required by law and performed without the knowledge and consent of the customer. [§ 20-772] § 20-777 Written Agreement. No immigration assistance services shall be provided until the customer has executed a written contract with the provider [who will provide such services]. The contract shall be in a language understood by the customer, either alone or with the assistance of an [available] interpreter, and, if that language is not English, an English language version of the contract must also be provided. A copy of the contract shall be provided to the customer immediately upon the customer's execution of the contract. The interpreter shall provide an attestation affirming the accuracy of the translation, to be attached to the contract. The customer has the right to cancel the contract within three business days after his or her execution of the contract, without fee or penalty. The right to cancel the contract within three days without payment of any fee may be waived when services must be provided immediately to avoid a forfeiture of eligibility or other loss of rights or privileges, and the customer furnishes the provider with a separate dated and signed statement, by the customer or his or her representative, describing the need for services to be provided within three days and expressly acknowledging and waiving the right to cancel the contract within three days. The contract may be cancelled at any time after execution. If the contract is cancelled [after] more than three days after execution, or within three days after execution if the right to cancel without fee has been waived, the provider may retain fees for services rendered, and any additional amounts actually expended on behalf of the customer. All other amounts must be returned to the customer within fifteen days after cancellation. The written contract shall be in plain language, in at least twelve point [type] font and shall include the following: 1. The name, address and telephone number of the provider. 2. Itemization of all services to be provided to the customer, as well as the fees and costs to be charged to the customer for each service. 3. A statement that original documents [required to be] submitted in connection with an application for an immigration-related benefit made to [the federal bureau of citizenship and immigration services or for other certifications, benefits or services provided by government] any other governmental entity, may not be retained by the provider for any reason, including [payment of] the customer’s failure to pay fees or costs. 4. A statement that the provider shall give the customer a signed form affirming receipt of each original document, as well as a complete copy of such document, immediately upon taking possession of such original document for submission or any other purpose.
8. Each contract shall contain a separate final page titled “Cancellation Form.” The cancellation form shall contain the following statement: “I hereby cancel the contract of (date of contract) between (name of provider, address of provider, and phone number of provider) and (name of customer).” Below the statement shall be a customer signature and date line. Below the signature and date line, the form shall contain the statement required by this paragraph, printed in 12 point font or larger. [7] 9. A statement that the provider has financial surety in effect for the benefit of any customer in the event that the customer is owed a refund, or is damaged by the actions of the provider, together with the name, address and telephone number of the surety.
[8] 10. The statement: "The individual providing assistance to you under this contract is not an attorney licensed to practice law or accredited by the board of immigration appeals to provide representation to you before [the bureau of citizenship and immigration services, the department of labor, the department of state] the federal government or any immigration [authorities] authority and may not give legal advice or accept fees for legal advice.["] For a free legal referral call the Office for New Americans hotline at (phone number of the Office for New Americans), the New York State Office of the Attorney General (phone number of the Office of the Attorney General), or your local district attorney or prosecutor.” The provider shall be responsible for providing the most recent and accurate information required by this paragraph. [9] 11. The statement: "The individual providing assistance to you under this contract is prohibited from disclosing any of your personal information to, or [filing] submitting any forms or documents on your behalf with, immigration or other authorities without your knowledge and consent except as required by law." A provider shall promptly notify the customer in writing when such provider has disclosed any information to or submitted any form or document with immigration or other authorities when such disclosure or submission was required by law and done without the knowledge and consent of the customer.
14. Each contract shall contain the department’s publicly available “Consumer Bill of Rights” on a separate page. The provider shall be responsible for providing the most recent version of the document available on the department’s website. [§ 20-773] § 20-777.1 Posting of Signs. a. A provider must post signs conspicuously at every location where that provider meets with customers. Such signs shall be made available by the department in English and in the top six limited English proficiency languages spoken by the population of New York city as determined by the department of the city planning and the office of the language services coordinator, based on United States census data. Providers shall post such signs in English and in any language in which services are offered by the provider. To the extent the department has made available a sign in a language required to be posted by such provider, such provider must use such sign. There shall be a separate sign for each language, and each sign shall be posted in a location where it will be visible to customers. Such signs shall [that] state[s] the following: "THE INDIVIDUAL PROVIDING ASSISTANCE TO YOU UNDER THIS CONTRACT IS NOT AN ATTORNEY LICENSED TO PRACTICE LAW OR ACCREDITED BY THE BOARD OF IMMIGRATION APPEALS TO PROVIDE REPRESENTATION TO YOU BEFORE THE [BUREAU OF] UNITED STATES CITIZENSHIP AND IMMIGRATION SERVICES, THE EXECUTIVE OFFICE FOR IMMIGRATION REVIEW, THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY, THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE, THE DEPARTMENT OF LABOR, THE DEPARTMENT OF STATE OR ANY IMMIGRATION AUTHORITIES AND MAY NOT GIVE LEGAL ADVICE OR ACCEPT FEES FOR LEGAL ADVICE.["] FOR A FREE LEGAL REFERRAL CALL THE OFFICE FOR NEW AMERICANS HOTLINE AT (PHONE NUMBER OF THE OFFICE FOR NEW AMERICANS). TO FILE A COMPLAINT ABOUT AN IMMIGRATION ASSISTANCE SERVICE PROVIDER CALL NEW YORK STATE OFFICE FOR NEW AMERICANS AT (PHONE NUMBER OF THE OFFICE FOR NEW AMERICANS), THE NEW YORK STATE OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL AT (PHONE NUMBER OF THE OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL), OR YOUR LOCAL DISTRICT ATTORNEY OR PROSECUTOR’S OFFICE AT (PHONE NUMBER OF THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY IN THE COUNTY WHERE THE PROVIDER PROVIDES SERVICES).” The provider shall be responsible for providing the most recent and accurate information required by this section. A separate sign shall be posted in a location visible to customers in conspicuous size [type] font and [which] that contains the schedule of fees for services offered and the statement: "YOU MAY CANCEL ANY CONTRACT WITHIN 3 BUSINESS DAYS AND GET BACK YOUR DOCUMENTS AND ANY MONEY YOU PAID."
b. Signs required by this section must be at least 11 inches by 17 inches [and must be posted in a conspicuous location in English and in every other language in which immigration assistance services are provided at the location], in no less than 60 point font. [§ 20-774] § 20-777.2 Advertisements. a. Every provider who advertises immigration assistance services by signs, pamphlets, newspapers or any other means shall post or otherwise include with the advertisement a notice in English and in the language in which the advertisement appears. The notice must be of a conspicuous size and must state: "The individual [providing] offering to provide immigration assistance [to you] services is not an attorney licensed to practice law or accredited by the board of immigration appeals to provide representation [to you] before the [bureau of] United States citizenship and immigration services, the executive office for immigration review, the department of homeland security, the department of justice, the department of labor, the department of state or any immigration authorities and may not give legal advice or accept fees for legal advice."
b. No advertisement for immigration assistance services may expressly or implicitly guarantee any particular governmental action, including but not limited to the granting of [residency] employment authorization, lawful permanent resident status or citizenship [status]. [§ 20-775] § 20-778 Document Retention. Every provider shall retain copies of all documents prepared or obtained in connection with a customer's request for assistance for a period of three years after a written contract is executed by the provider and the customer, whether or not such contract is subsequently cancelled.
[§ 20-777] § 20-779.1 Penalties. a. (1) Criminal Penalties. Any provider who violates any provision of this subchapter shall be guilty of a class A misdemeanor. (2). Civil Penalties. Any provider of immigration assistance services who violates any provision of this subchapter or any rule or regulation promulgated hereunder shall be liable for a civil penalty of not less than [two hundred fifty] five hundred dollars nor more than [two thousand five hundred] five thousand dollars for the first violation and for each succeeding violation a civil penalty of not less than [five hundred] one thousand dollars nor more than [five] ten thousand dollars.
[§ 20-780] § 20-779.4 Severability. If any section, subsection, sentence, clause, phrase or other portion of this subchapter is, for any reason, declared unconstitutional or invalid, in whole or in part, by any court of competent jurisdiction, such portion shall be deemed severable, and such unconstitutionality or invalidity shall not affect the validity of the remaining portions of this law, which shall continue in full force and effect. § 20-779.5 Reporting. a. In conjunction with the mayor’s office of immigrant affairs, the department shall prepare and submit to the mayor and the speaker of the city council a report that includes the following information related to providers of immigration assistance services: 1. the number of complaints received related to providers of immigration assistance services, disaggregated by source and type; 2. the number of proactive investigations that do not stem from a complaint conducted by the department;
3. the number of violations issued, disaggregated by type; 4. the number of the violations issued that originated with a consumer complaint; 5. the number of violations issued as a result of a proactive investigation by the department; 6. the length of time the department required to investigate and determine whether to issue a violation for each complaint received; 7. a description of the department’s efforts to proactively investigate providers of immigration assistance services;
9. a description of changing trends in the provision of services and common fraudulent schemes. b. Such report shall be submitted on or before October 1, 2017 and every six months thereafter until the year 2020, and shall include the information required by subdivision a of this section as it relates to the six month period prior to the submission of such report. § 20-779.6 Community Outreach and Education. a. In conjunction with the mayor’s office of immigrant affairs, the department shall engage in community outreach and education efforts to raise awareness about topics including but not limited to common fraudulent schemes committed by providers of immigration assistance services and the department’s complaint mechanisms and services.
§ 20-779.7 Consumer Bill of Rights. a. In conjunction with the mayor’s office of immigrant affairs, the department shall create a “Consumer Bill of Rights” for customers seeking assistance from providers of immigration assistance services. Such bill of rights shall be posted on the department’s website in English, as well as in the top six limited English proficiency languages spoken by the population of New York city as determined by the department of the city planning and the office of the language services coordinator, based on United States census data. § 2. This local law takes effect 120 days after it becomes law.
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