Bill Text: NY S02555 | 2019-2020 | General Assembly | Amended


Bill Title: Provides that any qualified homeowner in the city of New York shall be eligible to be exempted from any future increases in water rate fees.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2020-01-08 - REFERRED TO CITIES [S02555 Detail]

Download: New_York-2019-S02555-Amended.html



                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                         2555--A

                               2019-2020 Regular Sessions

                    IN SENATE

                                    January 28, 2019
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by Sen. STAVISKY -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
          printed to be committed to the Committee on Cities -- reported favora-
          bly from said committee and committed to the Committee on  Finance  --
          committee  discharged,  bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and
          recommitted to said committee

        AN ACT to amend the administrative code of the  city  of  New  York,  in
          relation  to  providing  certain elderly individuals with an exemption
          from increases in water rates

          The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and  Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:

     1    Section  1. The administrative code of the city of New York is amended
     2  by adding a new section 24-340 to read as follows:
     3    § 24-340 Senior citizen water rate freeze. a.  For  purposes  of  this
     4  section the following terms shall have the following meanings:
     5    (1)  "Qualified  homeowner" means a person who: (a) is at least sixty-
     6  five years of age; (b) owns real property;  and  (c)  has  had  a  total
     7  household income of less than fifty thousand dollars for two consecutive
     8  income tax years beginning in two thousand seventeen, as verified by the
     9  New York city department of finance;
    10    (2) "Real property" means a one, two, three, or four family home owned
    11  by  a  qualified  homeowner that serves as the primary residence of such
    12  homeowner;
    13    (3) "Water rate increase" means an increase in water rates that  takes
    14  effect  subsequent  to  a  qualified  homeowner's eligibility under this
    15  section.
    16    b. Real property owned by a qualified homeowner shall be  exempt  from
    17  any charges due to a water rate increase.
    18    c. The exemption provided by this section may be suspended for no more
    19  than one calendar year by the commissioner of the department of environ-
    20  mental protection of the city of New York (1) in the event of a drought,
    21  or  (2)  in  the  event of a disaster or catastrophe other than drought,

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD02931-03-9

        S. 2555--A                          2

     1  which causes or may cause an actual and immediate shortage of  available
     2  and usable water.
     3    d.  Eligibility  for  the exemption provided by this section shall not
     4  preclude a qualified homeowner's eligibility for any other exemption  or
     5  credit to which they are entitled.
     6    § 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2021.
feedback