Contact:Dina Improta, DCA, 212.487.4283
            Jim Hellegaard, New York Law School Public Affairs, 212.431.2191

New York, NY, May 19, 2003--In partnership with the Center for New York City Law at New York Law School, the New York City Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA) announced today that more than 600 agency decisions from January 2003 to the present are now available online at www.citylaw.org. Moving forward, all agency decisions will be added monthly and a link to the City Law site will be available on the DCA website on www.nyc.gov.

"Having instant accessibility to DCA decisions will serve as a great resource and efficient way of keeping consumers informed," said DCA Commissioner Gretchen Dykstra. "We thank the Center for New York City Law for providing the tools to get this project up and running and look forward to creating an extensive online database."

"The Center for New York City Law's online library of New York City decisions is the first and only searchable, comprehensive online database that allows visitors to search and read agency decisions free of charge," said Ross Sandler, Director of the Center for New York City Law.

Visitors to the site will be able to search cases by keyword such as name, date or topic. DCA administrative law judges hear hundreds of cases each year involving 60,000 businesses in 55 license categories, as well as violations of the City's Consumer Protection law, weights and measures, and other related laws. Fostering a marketplace where consumers are protected and businesses can thrive, DCA educates consumers and businesses alike about their rights and responsibilities through free community seminars, licensing forums, and other informational materials.

DCA joins six other government agencies that make their administrative decisions available on the Center for New York City Law web site including: the Tax Appeals Tribunal (decisions dating back to 1995), Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings (opinions dating back to 1978), Office of Collective Bargaining (decisions dating back to 1968), Conflicts of Interest Board (advisory opinions and enforcement actions dating back to 1989), the Commission on Human Rights (decisions dating back to 1995), and the Loft Board (decisions dating back to 1996).

For more information about DCA or to file a complaint, please call 3-1-1, the City's non-emergency helpline, or online at www.nyc.gov.

ABOUT CENTER FOR NEW YORK CITY LAW:

Founded in 1993, the Center for New York City Law publishes CityLaw, a bi-monthly journal reporting New York City legal and administrative decisions, and CityRegs, a bi-weekly newsletter on new and proposed city regulations. The Center's Web site, www.citylaw.org, makes available city administrative decisions from seven agencies: Tax Appeals Tribunal, Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings, Office of Collective Bargaining, Conflicts of Interest Board, Commission on Human Rights, Department of Consumer Affairs, and the Loft Board. The Center's Director, Professor Ross Sandler, is former Commissioner of the New York City Department of Transportation. New York Law School, old.nyls.edu, is one of the oldest independent law schools in the United States. Located near the centers of law, government, and finance in Manhattan's TriBeCa district, New York Law School enrolls 1,400 students in its day and evening divisions.

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