Proposed NYC bill would require buildings to report Legionella bacteria sooner

New York City lawmakers will discuss a new bill Monday requiring building owners to report Legionella bacteria sooner to try to prevent future outbreaks.

Owners are already required to test their cooling towers for the bacteria.

But under a new bill from Council Member Lynn Schulman, they would have to report the results to the city at lower levels of bacteria than currently required. 

The goal is for health officials to act before more people get sick.

The legislation comes as more than 100 New Yorkers were sickened and 13 died after getting Legionnaires' disease within a few months. 

In July, an outbreak on the Upper East Side left 94 people sick and 11 dead. Health officials tested more than 180 cooling towers and found live Legionella bacteria in 59 of them.

In late August and September, another cluster emerged in the Bronx, which grew to at least 23 cases and two deaths.

Two cases were also confirmed earlier in October at North Shore Towers in Queens. That investigation focused on the building's hot water system, rather than cooling towers.

The City Council's health committee will discuss the new bill at 10 a.m.