Bill Text: NY A06616 | 2019-2020 | General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Allows persons 60 years or older to keep and care for common household pets in buildings operated by the New York city housing authority; prevents eviction of such persons based on the ownership of pets; provides that any pet who poses a nuisance to the community may be removed; does not remove any pet owner from liability for the reasonable costs directly attributable to any damage caused by the pet.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 24-1)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2020-01-08 - referred to housing [A06616 Detail]
Download: New_York-2019-A06616-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 6616 2019-2020 Regular Sessions IN ASSEMBLY March 14, 2019 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. DE LA ROSA, ORTIZ, MOSLEY, WALKER, COLTON, CRES- PO, D'URSO, WILLIAMS, DICKENS, GOTTFRIED, BLAKE, BARRON, JOYNER, GLICK, SEAWRIGHT -- Multi-Sponsored by -- M. of A. COOK, HYNDMAN, RA, SIMON -- read once and referred to the Committee on Housing AN ACT to amend the public housing law, in relation to the keeping of certain household pets by persons sixty years of age or older in buildings operated by the New York city housing authority 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 2 223-c to read as follows: 3 § 223-c. Discrimination against persons who have certain household 4 pets in New York city housing authority buildings. 1. No person who is 5 sixty years of age or older shall be denied occupancy in a dwelling in 6 any housing project operated by the New York city housing authority or 7 be subjected to eviction from any such dwelling on the sole ground that 8 such person has a common household pet which will or does reside with 9 such person therein. 10 2. The New York city housing authority shall promulgate regulations 11 for the keeping of common household pets by persons sixty years of age 12 or older who reside in a dwelling in housing operated by such authority. 13 Such regulations may include consideration, after consultation with the 14 tenants of such housing project, of other reasonable factors to govern 15 the keeping of common household pets such as density of tenants, pet 16 size, breed, potential financial obligations of tenants, and standards 17 of pet care. Such regulations may include, but not be limited to, 18 requiring all pet owners to comply with: 19 (a) inoculations and licensing mandated by state and local laws, if 20 applicable; 21 (b) sanitary standards governing the disposal of pet waste; 22 (c) pet restraint in common areas; EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [] is old law to be omitted. LBD10289-02-9A. 6616 2 1 (d) alternate caretakers in the case of sickness or incapacity of the 2 pet owner; 3 (e) any financial responsibilities for the reasonable costs directly 4 attributable to any damage caused by the pet, including the cost of 5 repairs and replacements thereto; and 6 (f) the appeals process for the attempted removal of a pet pursuant to 7 subdivision three of this section. 8 3. Any pet whose conduct or condition is duly determined to constitute 9 a nuisance or a threat to the health or safety of the other occupants of 10 the same project, or of other persons in the community where such 11 project is located, may be removed by the New York city housing authori- 12 ty, public health officer having jurisdiction or other appropriate 13 authority of the community where such project is located; provided, 14 however, that prior to the removal of any pet, the New York city housing 15 authority, public health officer having jurisdiction or other appropri- 16 ate authority of the community, whichever the case may be, must provide 17 the pet owner with a written statement that sets forth the basis for the 18 removal. The pet owner shall be able to appeal such written findings. 19 For purposes of this section a nuisance means the substantial interfer- 20 ence with the health, safety and comfort of the other tenants of the 21 housing project, or of other persons in the community where such housing 22 project is located. 23 4. Any agreement by a lessee or tenant waiving or modifying the rights 24 contained in this section for the keeping of common household pets by 25 persons sixty years of age or older shall be void as contrary to public 26 policy. 27 5. For the purposes of this section, the term "common household pet" 28 shall include, but not be limited to, a dog, cat, bird or fish. 29 § 2. This act shall take effect on the first of June in the year next 30 succeeding the year in which it shall have become a law. Effective 31 immediately, the addition, amendment and/or repeal of any rule or regu- 32 lation necessary for the implementation of this act on its effective 33 date are authorized to be made and completed on or before such effective 34 date.