STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
1704--A
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
January 14, 2025
___________
Introduced by M. of A. ROSENTHAL, HUNTER, MEEKS, DINOWITZ, LUPARDO,
RAMOS, GLICK, BICHOTTE HERMELYN, KELLES, MITAYNES, SIMON, KIM, DAVILA,
GALLAGHER, CRUZ, LEVENBERG, WEPRIN, BRONSON, SEAWRIGHT, GONZALEZ-RO-
JAS, PAULIN, HEVESI, WALKER, REYES, COLTON, R. CARROLL, TAYLOR, JACK-
SON, LEE, ROZIC, JACOBSON, CLARK, FORREST, OTIS, ANDERSON, ZINERMAN,
SEPTIMO, DILAN, BORES, LUNSFORD, SHRESTHA, BURDICK, SIMONE, CHANDLER-
WATERMAN, TAPIA, BENEDETTO, DE LOS SANTOS, GIBBS, LUCAS, RAGA, SHIM-
SKY, ALVAREZ, CUNNINGHAM, FALL, BARRETT, ROMERO, LASHER, TORRES,
VALDEZ, ZACCARO, GRIFFIN, BURROUGHS, WRIGHT, WOERNER, KAY, WIEDER,
STIRPE, SANTABARBARA, KASSAY, DAIS, McDONALD, STECK -- Multi-Sponsored
by -- M. of A. COOK -- read once and referred to the Committee on
Housing -- reported and referred to the Committee on Ways and Means --
recommitted to the Committee on Ways and Means in accordance with
Assembly Rule 3, sec. 2 -- committee discharged, bill amended, ordered
reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee
AN ACT to amend the public housing law, in relation to making the hous-
ing access voucher pilot program permanent; and to amend section 2 of
part HH of chapter 56 of the laws of 2025, amending the public housing
law relating to establishing the housing access voucher pilot program,
in relation to the effectiveness thereof
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. The article heading of article 14-A of the public housing
2 law, as added by section 1 of part HH of chapter 56 of the laws of 2025,
3 is amended to read as follows:
4 HOUSING ACCESS VOUCHER [PILOT] PROGRAM
5 § 2. Subdivisions 5 and 13 of section 605 of the public housing law,
6 as added by section 1 of part HH of chapter 56 of the laws of 2025, are
7 amended to read as follows:
8 5. "Housing access voucher local administrator" means a public housing
9 agency, as defined in subdivision three of this section, or Section 8
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD00017-05-6
A. 1704--A 2
1 local administrator designated to administer the housing access voucher
2 [pilot] program within a community, county or region, or statewide, on
3 behalf of and under contract with the housing trust fund corporation. In
4 the city of New York, the housing access voucher local administrator
5 shall be the New York city department of housing preservation and devel-
6 opment, or the New York city housing authority, or both.
7 13. "Voucher" means a document issued by the housing trust fund corpo-
8 ration pursuant to this article to an individual or family selected for
9 admission to the housing access voucher [pilot] program, which describes
10 such [pilot] program and the procedures for approval of a unit selected
11 by the family and states the obligations of the individual or family
12 under the [pilot] program.
13 § 3. Section 606 of the public housing law, as added by section 1 of
14 part HH of chapter 56 of the laws of 2025, is amended to read as
15 follows:
16 § 606. Housing access voucher [pilot] program. The commissioner,
17 subject to the appropriation of funds for this purpose, shall implement
18 a [four-year pilot] program to provide rental assistance in the form of
19 housing vouchers for eligible individuals and families who are homeless
20 or who face an imminent loss of housing in accordance with the
21 provisions of this article. The housing trust fund corporation shall
22 issue vouchers pursuant to this article beginning March first, two thou-
23 sand twenty-six, subject to appropriation of funds for this purpose, and
24 may contract with the division of housing and community renewal to
25 administer any aspect of this [pilot] program in accordance with the
26 provisions of this article. The commissioner shall designate and
27 contract with housing access voucher local administrators in the state
28 to make vouchers available to such individuals and families beginning
29 March first, two thousand twenty-six and to administer other aspects of
30 the [pilot] program in accordance with the provisions of this article.
31 § 4. Section 607 of the public housing law, as added by section 1 of
32 part HH of chapter 56 of the laws of 2025, is amended to read as
33 follows:
34 § 607. Eligibility. The commissioner shall promulgate standards for
35 determining eligibility for assistance under this [pilot] program.
36 Individuals and families who meet the standards shall be eligible
37 regardless of immigration status. Eligibility shall be limited to indi-
38 viduals and families who are homeless or facing imminent loss of hous-
39 ing. Housing access voucher local administrators may rely on a certif-
40 ication from a social services provider serving homeless individuals,
41 including, but not limited to, homeless shelters to determine whether an
42 applicant qualifies as a homeless individual or family.
43 1. An individual or family shall be eligible for this [pilot] program
44 if they are homeless or facing imminent loss of housing and have an
45 income of no more than fifty percent of the area median income, as
46 defined by the United States department of housing and urban develop-
47 ment.
48 2. An individual or family in receipt of rental assistance pursuant to
49 this [pilot] program shall be no longer financially eligible for such
50 assistance under this [pilot] program when thirty percent of the indi-
51 vidual's or family's adjusted income is greater than or equal to the
52 total rent for the dwelling unit.
53 3. When an individual or family becomes financially ineligible for
54 rental assistance under this [pilot] program pursuant to subdivision two
55 of this section, the individual or family shall retain rental assistance
A. 1704--A 3
1 for a period no shorter than one year, subject to appropriation of funds
2 for this purpose.
3 4. Income eligibility shall be verified prior to a housing access
4 voucher local administrator's initial determination to provide rental
5 assistance for this [pilot] program and upon determination of such
6 eligibility, an individual or family shall annually certify their income
7 for the purpose of determining continued eligibility and any adjustments
8 to such rental assistance.
9 5. The commissioner may collaborate with the office of temporary and
10 disability assistance and other state and city agencies to allow a hous-
11 ing access voucher local administrator to access income information for
12 the purpose of determining an individual's or family's initial and
13 continued eligibility for the [pilot] program.
14 6. Reviews of income shall be made no less frequently than annually.
15 § 5. Subdivision 4 of section 608 of the public housing law, as added
16 by section 1 of part HH of chapter 56 of the laws of 2025, is amended to
17 read as follows:
18 4. Up to ten percent of the funds allocated may be used by the commis-
19 sioner and the housing access voucher local administrator for adminis-
20 trative expenses attributable to administering the housing access vouch-
21 er [pilot] program.
22 § 6. The opening paragraph of section 611 of the public housing law,
23 as added by section 1 of part HH of chapter 56 of the laws of 2025, is
24 amended to read as follows:
25 The monthly rental obligation for an individual or family receiving
26 housing assistance pursuant to the housing access voucher [pilot]
27 program shall be the greater of:
28 § 7. Subdivision 2 of section 612 of the public housing law, as added
29 by section 1 of part HH of chapter 56 of the laws of 2025, is amended to
30 read as follows:
31 2. The commissioner shall establish maximum rent levels for different
32 sized rentals in each rental area in a manner that promotes the use of
33 the [pilot] program in all localities based on the fair market rent of
34 the rental area. Rental areas shall be determined by the commissioner.
35 The commissioner may rely on data or other information promulgated by
36 any other state or federal agency in determining the rental areas and
37 fair market rent.
38 § 8. Section 621 of the public housing law, as added by section 1 of
39 part HH of chapter 56 of the laws of 2025, is amended to read as
40 follows:
41 § 621. Applicable codes. Housing eligible for participation in the
42 housing access voucher [pilot] program shall comply with applicable
43 state and local health, housing, building and safety codes.
44 § 9. Subdivision 1 of section 622 of the public housing law, as added
45 by section 1 of part HH of chapter 56 of the laws of 2025, is amended to
46 read as follows:
47 1. The commissioner shall administer the housing access voucher
48 [pilot] program under this article to promote housing choice for voucher
49 holders. The commissioner shall affirmatively promote fair housing to
50 the extent possible under this [pilot] program.
51 § 10. Section 623 of the public housing law, as added by section 1 of
52 part HH of chapter 56 of the laws of 2025, is amended to read as
53 follows:
54 § 623. Annual reports. The commissioner shall, on or before November
55 first, two thousand twenty-six and annually thereafter [until the
56 conclusion of the pilot program created pursuant to this article],
A. 1704--A 4
1 submit a report on the implementation of this article in counties
2 located outside of the city of New York to the governor, the temporary
3 president of the senate, the speaker of the assembly, the chair of the
4 senate committee on housing, the chair of the senate finance committee,
5 the chair of the assembly committee on housing, and the chair of the
6 assembly ways and means committee. The commissioner of the New York city
7 department of housing preservation and development, or the chief execu-
8 tive officer of the New York city housing authority, or both, shall, on
9 or before November first, two thousand twenty-six and annually thereaft-
10 er [until the conclusion of the pilot program created pursuant to this
11 article], submit a report on the implementation of this article in the
12 city of New York to the governor, the temporary president of the senate,
13 the speaker of the assembly, the chair of the senate committee on hous-
14 ing, the chair of the senate finance committee, the chair of the assem-
15 bly committee on housing, and the chair of the assembly ways and means
16 committee. Such report shall include, but need not be limited to, the
17 following: (i) the amount of funding allocated for each county or the
18 city of New York for vouchers pursuant to this article, (ii) the number
19 of individuals or families who applied for vouchers pursuant to this
20 article, (iii) the number of individuals or families placed on waiting
21 lists for vouchers pursuant to this article, if any such waiting lists
22 exist, (iv) the number of individuals or families issued vouchers pursu-
23 ant to this article, (v) the number of individuals or families who were
24 homeless prior to receiving a voucher pursuant to this article, (vi) the
25 voucher utilization rate for vouchers pursuant to this article, (vii)
26 the median income of individuals or families issued vouchers pursuant to
27 this article, (viii) the median payment standard per dwelling unit,
28 including the monthly assistance payment and monthly rent obligation,
29 for vouchers pursuant to this article, and (ix) the number of individ-
30 uals or families who had been issued vouchers pursuant to this article
31 but who became no longer financially eligible for vouchers pursuant to
32 this article during the reporting period.
33 § 11. Section 2 of part HH of chapter 56 of the laws of 2025, amending
34 the public housing law relating to establishing the housing access
35 voucher pilot program, is amended to read as follows:
36 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately [and shall remain in full
37 force and effect until May 1, 2030]. Any rule, regulation, plan or
38 guidance document necessary for the implementation of this act promul-
39 gated by the commissioner of the division of housing and community
40 renewal shall apply only to those counties located outside of the city
41 of New York. The New York city department of housing preservation and
42 development and the New York city housing authority, as applicable,
43 shall promulgate or release rules, regulations, plans or guidance docu-
44 ments as necessary for the implementation of this act within the city of
45 New York.
46 § 12. This act shall take effect immediately.
