Take action

As New Yorkers, we thank everyone who appeared at the New York City Council hearing on February 24 to show support, to hear testimony, to tell their stories or offer thoughts on the proposed legislation. We immensely appreciate all the witnesses who took time from their day and collectively underscored the importance of a comprehensive policy response to the bed bug problems in our city. Intro 57A-2006 has now been passed in the New York City Council. The final bill establishes a bed bug advisory board for the city. The Mayor signed the bill on Wednesday, March 18.

It’s time to ask our city government for help. The spread of bed bugs in our city is too large and complex a problem. A task force can coordinate resources, establish best practices and launch a public information campaign to control the spread of bed bugs in our city. Let’s ask the New York City Council to establish a bed bug task force.

Our bed bug task force campaign on CitizenSpeak

If you don’t have a lot of time or don’t know where to begin, we ask you to please visit our CitizenSpeak campaign page. You can type in your name and address plus an optional personal message and a bed bug task force campaign letter will be sent to selected officials.

Tools for Action

Finding your council representative

Calls

  • With some council members, the most effective way for you to help is to pick up the phone.
  • Call the representative of your district. It might take a few minutes but will likely have a powerful effect. Your representative needs to know this issue matters to people in your neighborhood. And your voice will be amplified beyond your district by virtue of the Council’s new city-wide constituent complaints reporting system.
  • Keep it brief and simple.
  • Make sure they know you are a voter in their district.
  • Ask your representative to help form a bed bug task force.
  • Tell them you are concerned about the spread of bed bugs in our city. Tell them that Toronto has established an inter-agency Bed Bug Project and Cincinnati and Hamilton County have a Joint Bed Bug Task Force. Ask them to create a similar solution in our city. For relevant policy documents, please see our Resources page.
  • Ask them to support Intro 873, the new bed bug education bill introduced in the City Council on November 19.   Read about the bill here.

Letters

  • Write a letter, or an email. Same principles apply. Be brief and make sure you write your name and address. If you are writing a letter, asking for a reply at the end is a very good thing.
  • Please note: if you are writing an email to your New York City council representative, please copy Speaker Christine Quinn at quinn@council.nyc.gov
     and Ms. Rosalba Rodriguez, Director of the District Office of Council Member Gale Brewer, at rosalba.rodriguez@council.nyc.ny.us

If you don’t know what to say, use our sample letter. You should certainly edit our sample and add details of concern to you or describe your personal bed bug story. But, again, keep it short. You can always write a follow-up letter!

Please let us know you participated

  • Please leave us a note to let us know if you called, sent a letter, or both!
  • You can also email us if you have any questions or to let us know you made your calls or sent letters.

We urgently need a NYC bed bug task force. Let’s ask for one right now.

Thank you for your help.

Want to do more?

Thanks! There are several ways to stay in touch or join our efforts.


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