Section 27-2056.1. Statement of findings and purposes

The council finds that
  lead  poisoning  from  paint  containing lead is a preventable childhood
  disease and a public health crisis. The council further finds  that  the
  hazard in dwellings that may occur from paint containing lead is subject
  to  many factors, such as the age of a building and its maintenance. The
  Council also finds and declares  that  City  government  must  focus  on
  primary  prevention  as  the  essential  tool  to  combat childhood lead
  poisoning and to achieve the goal of preventing children from  suffering
  the  adverse  health  and other effects of exposure to lead-based paint.
  The pursuit of primary prevention, which means eliminating lead  hazards
  before  children  are exposed, has been recommended by the United States
  Centers for Disease Control  and  Prevention  and  promoted  by  leading
  experts  in  the  field  as  a  critical course of action to protect the
  health  of  young  children.  The  Council,  therefore,  declares   that
  resources  must be directed to primary prevention, including identifying
  children who are most at risk.
    The council recognizes that it cannot legislate a  single  maintenance
  standard  for  all  dwellings  to  eliminate  this  hazard. Instead, the
  council by enacting this article makes it the  responsibility  of  every
  owner   of  a  multiple  dwelling  to  investigate  dwelling  units  for
  lead-based paint hazards and to address such hazards on  a  case-by-case
  basis  as  the  conditions  may  warrant,  taking  such  actions  as are
  necessary to  prevent  a  child  from  becoming  lead  poisoned.  Having
  established  this  responsibility,  the  council  finds  that sufficient
  information exists to guide owners in making  determinations  about  the
  existence   of  lead-based  paint  hazards.  See,  e.g.,  United  States
  environmental protection agency, "Identification of Dangerous Levels  of
  Lead;  Final  Rule"  Federal Register, Vol. 66, No. 4 (January 5, 2001);
  United States department of housing and urban  development,  "Guidelines
  for  the  Evaluation and Control of Lead-Based Paint Hazards in Housing"
  (June 1995, revised 1997).
    The New York city department of health and mental hygiene has reported
  for  the  year  2001  that  among  children  tested,  5,638  were  newly
  identified  with  elevated  blood  lead  levels  of  10  micrograms  per
  deciliter or above. The New York city department of  health  and  mental
  hygiene  has  reported for the year 2001 that among children tested, 653
  were  newly  identified  at  or  above  the  department's  environmental
  intervention  blood  lead level, which is a blood lead level equal to or
  exceeding 20 micrograms per deciliter in a single test or  two  reported
  blood  lead  levels  between 15 and 19 micrograms per deciliter at least
  three months apart, and has also reported an overall  incidence  of  931
  children  tested  with  blood  lead  levels  equal  to  or  exceeding 20
  micrograms per deciliter. When a child is identified with  environmental
  intervention  blood  lead  levels,  the city is obligated to investigate
  potential sources of the lead poisoning, incurring  the  expense  of  an
  environmental  investigation  and often times also incurring the expense
  of medical treatment and remedial education, if necessary.  The  council
  finds  that  these  blood  lead  levels  among  New  York  city children
  constitute a severe health crisis and has established as  its  goal  the
  elimination of childhood lead poisoning by the year 2010.
    In  addition, the department of health and mental hygiene has reported
  for the year 2001 that only 29% of children in New York city are  tested
  both  at  age  one  and  age  two for the disease of lead poisoning even
  though the testing of all children at age one and age two  is  mandatory
  under  state  law. The council finds that improved screening among these
  children is critical since children at these ages are at  greatest  risk
  for  lead  poisoning.  The  council  declares  that it is reasonable and
  necessary to increase the rate of blood-lead  testing.  This  local  law

  requires  the  department  of health and mental hygiene to report to the
  council on progress toward increasing screening rates and  reducing  the
  incidence  rates  of  children newly identified with elevated blood lead
  levels.
    The  council  further finds that the administration and enforcement of
  the City's lead poisoning prevention programs can be better coordinated.
  While it is intended that the department  of  housing  preservation  and
  development  remain  the  agency  responsible for the implementation and
  enforcement of this article, it is also intended that the department  of
  health  and  mental  hygiene  shall  have  a  significant  role  in  the
  promulgation and interpretation of  rules  and  in  the  development  of
  necessary procedures pursuant to this article.