NEW YORK — Mayor Bill de Blasio’s administration has agreed to delay the implementation of a law regulating carwashes in New York City as part of an ongoing lawsuit against New York City, according to POLITICO New York.
Filed in October by the New York City Association of Carwash Owners, stated the article, the lawsuit alleges that the carwash law illegally favors unionized businesses.
The association is a group representing about 90 carwashes throughout New York City, added the article.
The Professional Carwashing & Detailing team covered the filing of this lawsuit in a past edition of Carwash eNews. You can find this coverage here.
The lawsuit centers on regulations requiring owners of nonunionized carwashes to post a $150,000 surety bond before obtaining a license, reported the article, and unionized washes must obtain a $30,000 surety bond.
The law, known as the Car Wash Accountability Act, passed in June and was expected to take effect in December, continued the article.
The Department of Consumer Affairs will draft and promulgate a new set of regulations for the industry in the meantime, informed the article, which will “include rules about worker safety and disposal of chemicals used in the process.”
“The parties have agreed that it makes more sense to wait until the city promulgates the rules that implement the carwash law before proceeding in the litigation,” said Nick Paolucci, a spokesman for the city’s law department, in the article.
According to Michael Cardozo, a lawyer who represents the association, said the Department of Consumer Affairs will likely publish the revised regulations in January, stated the article, and once completed the association will serve additional documents in the lawsuit depending on the regulations.
Before the lawsuit goes in front of a judge again, the city will have four weeks to answer, continued the article.
The delay from the lawsuit has put a temporary hold on the bill, noted the article.
Read the entire article here.