NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A5525
SPONSOR: Richardson TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the public housing law, in relation to submitting and
tracking complaints relating to housing conditions and making such
information publicly available
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:
To increase transparency, and provide a mechanism for tracking
complaints related to housing conditions.
SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS:
Section 1 amends public housing law to add a new section where the
commissioner shall establish a system that allows individuals to submit
online and by telephone, complaints alleging housing conditions that
would if proved, violate any law, rule or regulation relating to the
maintenance, use, occupancy, safety or sanitary condition of any build-
ing or portion thereof which is occupied, arranged or intended to be
occupied as a home, residence or dwelling place.
* The commissioner shall publish on the division of housing and communi-
ty renewal website the following information relating to the complaints
made pursuant to subdivision:
* The date of the complaint
* The address of the building to which the complaint relates
* The conditions complained of including the law, rule or regulation
such conditions would, if proved violate
* Status of the complaint
* States that beginning one year after the effective date, and annually
thereafter the commissioner shall publish on the division of housing and
community renewal website a report summarizing the complaints made to
the division of housing and community renewal.
JUSTIFICATION:
Currently there isn't a system in place that tracks the numerous housing
complaints. Building owners continue to violate laws, rules, and regu-
lations because there isn't a streamlined effective system to capture
these complaints. Often times these owners deliberately violate various
jaws to harass tenants. Creating this system will make it much easier to
capture these violations, address them, and remain transparent to the
public.
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
2019-20: A02139
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after shall have become
a law.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
5525
2021-2022 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
February 19, 2021
___________
Introduced by M. of A. RICHARDSON, DE LA ROSA, COLTON, EPSTEIN, TAYLOR,
PICHARDO, REYES -- Multi-Sponsored by -- M. of A. COOK, SIMON -- read
once and referred to the Committee on Housing
AN ACT to amend the public housing law, in relation to submitting and
tracking complaints relating to housing conditions and making such
information publicly available
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. The public housing law is amended by adding a new section
2 20-a to read as follows:
3 § 20-a. Submitting and tracking housing condition complaints. 1. The
4 commissioner shall establish a system that allows individuals:
5 (a) to submit, online and by telephone, complaints alleging housing
6 conditions that would, if proved, violate any law, rule or regulation
7 relating to the maintenance, use, occupancy, safety or sanitary condi-
8 tion of any building or portion thereof which is occupied, arranged or
9 intended to be occupied as a home, residence or dwelling place; and
10 (b) obtain, online and by telephone, information relating to such
11 complaints, including the status thereof.
12 2. The commissioner shall publish on the division of housing and
13 community renewal website the following information relating to the
14 complaints made pursuant to subdivision one of this section:
15 (a) the date of the complaint;
16 (b) the address of the building to which the complaint relates;
17 (c) the conditions complained of, including the law, rule or regu-
18 lation such conditions would, if proved, violate; and
19 (d) the status of the complaint.
20 3. Beginning one year after the effective date of this section, and
21 annually thereafter, the commissioner shall publish on the division of
22 housing and community renewal website a report summarizing the
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD02374-01-1
A. 5525 2
1 complaints made to the division of housing and community renewal pursu-
2 ant to subdivision one of this section during the previous year.
3 § 2. This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall
4 have become a law.
