STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
3933--C
2017-2018 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
January 30, 2017
___________
Introduced by Sens. YOUNG, BONACIC, LITTLE, MARCHIONE -- read twice and
ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on
Veterans, Homeland Security and Military Affairs -- committee
discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted
to said committee -- recommitted to the Committee on Veterans, Home-
land Security and Military Affairs in accordance with Senate Rule 6,
sec. 8 -- committee discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as
amended and recommitted to said committee -- committee discharged,
bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said
committee
AN ACT to amend the private housing finance law, in relation to disabled
veteran access to home for heroes contracts
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. The private housing finance law is amended by adding a new
2 article 29 to read as follows:
3 ARTICLE XXIX
4 NEW YORK ACCESS TO HOME FOR HEROES PROGRAM
5 Section 1260. Statement of legislative findings and purpose.
6 1261. Definitions.
7 1262. Access to home for heroes contracts.
8 § 1260. Statement of legislative findings and purpose. The legislature
9 hereby finds and declares that many disabled veterans in New York state
10 face a significant impediment to accessible and affordable housing as a
11 result of service related injuries, age or health related disabilities.
12 These men and women have served our country and state with honor and
13 distinction and deserve to achieve maximum independence, social inter-
14 action and community integration. Providing financial assistance with
15 the cost of adapting the dwelling units of our disabled veterans, is
16 fundamental to providing for the promise of living safely, comfortably
17 and productively in the most integrated setting of their choice.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD09257-06-8
S. 3933--C 2
1 § 1261. Definitions. As used in this article:
2 1. "Corporation" shall mean the housing trust fund corporation estab-
3 lished in section forty-five-a of this chapter.
4 2. "Eligible applicant" shall mean a city, town, village or not-for-
5 profit corporation in existence for a period of one or more years prior
6 to application, which is, or will be at the time of award, incorporated
7 under the not-for-profit corporation law and has substantial experience
8 in adapting or retrofitting homes for persons with disabilities.
9 3. "Veteran" shall mean a resident of this state who (a) has served in
10 the United States army, navy, marine corps, air force or coast guard or
11 (b) has served on active duty or ordered to active duty as defined in 10
12 USC 101 (d)(1) as a member of the national guard or other reserve compo-
13 nent of the armed forces of the United States or (c) has served on
14 active duty or ordered to active duty for the state, as a member of the
15 state organized militia as defined in subdivision nine of section one of
16 the military law and has been released from such service documented by
17 an honorable or general discharge.
18 4. "Disabled veteran" shall mean a veteran with a permanent anatomical
19 or physiological impairment, which substantially limits a major life
20 activity, demonstrable by medically accepted clinical or diagnostic
21 techniques. A recent professional evaluation must be provided which
22 identifies the disability, describes the substantial limitation caused
23 by the disability, and recommends potential structural modifications to
24 improve the activities of daily living within and/or access to such
25 residence in consideration of such disability.
26 5. "Access to home for heroes programs" or "programs" shall mean a
27 series of activities by an eligible applicant to administer funds to
28 provide grants to homeowners and renters and to oversee the adaptation
29 or retrofitting of eligible properties.
30 6. "Eligible property" shall mean a housing unit that is the primary
31 residence of a disabled veteran and a total household income that does
32 not exceed one hundred and twenty percent of area median income. A prop-
33 erty shall not be considered an eligible property if the owner of the
34 property is otherwise obligated by federal, state or local law to
35 provide the improvements funded under this article.
36 § 1262. Access to home for heroes contracts. 1. Within the limit of
37 funds available in the access to home for heroes program, the corpo-
38 ration is hereby authorized to enter into contracts with eligible appli-
39 cants to provide financial assistance for the actual costs of an access
40 to home for heroes program. The financial assistance shall be in the
41 form of grants. No more than fifty percent of the total amount awarded
42 pursuant to this article in any fiscal year shall be allocated to access
43 to home programs located within any single municipality.
44 2. The total payment pursuant to any one contract shall not exceed
45 five hundred thousand dollars and the contract shall provide for
46 completion of the program within a reasonable period, as specified ther-
47 ein, which shall not in any event exceed three years from its commence-
48 ment. Upon request, the corporation may extend the term of the contract
49 for up to two additional one year periods for good cause shown by the
50 eligible applicant.
51 3. The corporation shall authorize the eligible applicant to spend
52 seven and one-half percent of the contract amount for approved adminis-
53 trative costs associated with administering the program.
54 4. The corporation shall require that, in order to receive funds
55 pursuant to this article, the eligible applicant shall submit a plan
56 which shall include, but not be limited to, program feasibility, impact
S. 3933--C 3
1 on the community, budget for expenditure of program funds, a schedule
2 for completion of the program, affirmative action and minority business
3 participation.
4 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.