Bill Text: NY S01353 | 2021-2022 | General Assembly | Introduced

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft

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Bill Title: Relates to establishing an obligation to affirmatively further fair housing by state departments, agencies or offices administering housing laws or housing programs and by any localities receiving state funds to administer programs and activities related to housing.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 8-0)

Status: (Passed) 2021-12-21 - APPROVAL MEMO.77 [S01353 Detail]

Download: New_York-2021-S01353-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          1353

                               2021-2022 Regular Sessions

                    IN SENATE

                                    January 11, 2021
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by  Sens.  KAVANAGH,  BIAGGI, JACKSON, KAPLAN, KRUEGER, MAY,
          SEPULVEDA, STAVISKY -- read twice and ordered printed, and when print-
          ed to be committed to  the  Committee  on  Housing,  Construction  and
          Community Development

        AN  ACT  to amend the public housing law, in relation to establishing an
          obligation to affirmatively further fair housing

          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 article
     2  14 to read as follows:
     3                                 ARTICLE XIV
     4              OBLIGATION TO AFFIRMATIVELY FURTHER FAIR HOUSING
     5  Section 600. Obligation to affirmatively further fair housing.
     6    § 600. Obligation to affirmatively further fair housing. 1.   For  the
     7  purposes  of  this section, the term "covered housing agency" shall mean
     8  any state department, agency or office administering housing and  commu-
     9  nity  development  laws  or  housing  and community development programs
    10  including but not limited to New York state homes and community renewal,
    11  the division of housing and community renewal, the New York state  hous-
    12  ing  finance  agency,  the  affordable  housing corporation, the housing
    13  trust fund corporation, the municipal bond bank agency, the state of New
    14  York mortgage agency, any subsidiary  of  the  foregoing  agencies,  any
    15  public housing agency, and any localities receiving funds from any state
    16  department,  agency  or  office  to  administer  programs  or activities
    17  related to housing and community development.
    18    2. The commissioner and all covered housing agencies shall  administer
    19  all such programs and activities related to housing and community devel-
    20  opment  in  a  manner that affirmatively furthers fair housing and shall
    21  cooperate with the commissioner to further such purpose.
    22    3. The commissioner and all covered housing agencies shall take  mean-
    23  ingful actions to:

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD06432-01-1
        S. 1353                             2

     1    (a)  identify  and  overcome  patterns  of residential segregation and
     2  housing discrimination;
     3    (b) eradicate racially or ethnically concentrated areas of poverty;
     4    (c) reduce disparities in access to opportunity;
     5    (d) eliminate disproportionate housing needs;
     6    (e) provide the public reasonable and regular opportunities to comment
     7  on  fair  housing issues and participate in the development and advance-
     8  ment of affirmative fair housing policy; and
     9    (f) encourage and maintain compliance with section two  hundred  nine-
    10  ty-six of the executive law.
    11    4.  The  commissioner  and  all covered housing agencies shall take no
    12  action that is materially  inconsistent  with  the  obligation  of  this
    13  section.
    14    5.  The commissioner shall on or before October thirtieth of each year
    15  produce a draft report that shall be made available to the public.   The
    16  report  shall include any significant initiatives, policies, or programs
    17  undertaken in furtherance of fair housing and  any  recommendations  for
    18  improving the state of fair housing in New York.  The draft report shall
    19  be  open to a minimum of thirty days of public comment. The commissioner
    20  shall, on or before December  first  of  each  year,  submit  the  final
    21  version of said report to the governor, the speaker of the assembly, and
    22  the  temporary  president  of the senate.  The commissioner shall submit
    23  along with the final report,  all  comments  received  pursuant  to  the
    24  public comment period.
    25    § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.