Establishes the "one city act"

• Democratic5

◆ The sponsor's argument

Why Andrew Gounardes says this is needed

This bill would provide a new, lawful pathway for New York City agencies to share data while retaining important safeguards on data privacy and security. While confidentiality restrictions exist to protect constitu- ent information and create a safe environment to seek government assist- ance, many of these laws fail to take into account new technology, and their inconsistent frameworks can make the sharing of certain data between agencies difficult, if not impossible. The new pathway for data sharing envisioned by the One City Act will replace this patchwork of restrictions with a single, consistent process that permits data sharing for the narrow purposes of benefits, services, and care coordination to constituents as well as research studies concerning the same. As one example, mental health information protected under Mental Hygiene Law § 33.13 may be disclosed by an agency in limited circumstances, but those circumstances do not include disclosure to coordinate with other city agencies participating in a social services initiative to improve services or care to a person receiving mental health services. The One City Act could enhance coordination among agencies supporting mental health initiatives. Information governed by state sealed records statutes is expressly excluded from the data sharing authorized by this legislation, and any data sharing must still be conducted in accordance with federal law. Data would not be able to be shared among agencies without such agencies first entering into a data sharing agreement, which would impose requirements for the secure transmission, storage, use, and access of the data by limited personnel and which must be approved by legal coun- sel and information security officers at each agency as well as the city's Chief Privacy Officer prior to being finalized.

This is the sponsor's own case for the bill, quoted from their memorandum. It is not Agora's description of what the bill does.