Bill Text: NY S03933 | 2017-2018 | General Assembly | Amended

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft
Bill Title: Authorizes guidelines for granting contracts to disabled veterans eligible under the home for heroes program.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 4-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2018-03-14 - PRINT NUMBER 3933C [S03933 Detail]

Download: New_York-2017-S03933-Amended.html


                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
                                         3933--A
                               2017-2018 Regular Sessions
                    IN SENATE
                                    January 30, 2017
                                       ___________
        Introduced  by Sens. YOUNG, MARCHIONE -- read twice and ordered printed,
          and when printed to be committed to the Committee on  Veterans,  Home-
          land  Security  and  Military  Affairs  --  committee discharged, bill
          amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said  commit-
          tee
        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 28 to read as follows:
     3                               ARTICLE XXVIII
     4                 NEW YORK ACCESS TO HOME FOR HEROES PROGRAM
     5  Section 1240. Statement of legislative findings and purpose.
     6          1241. Definitions.
     7          1242. Access to home for heroes contracts.
     8    § 1240. 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.
    18    § 1241. Definitions. As used in this article:
    19    1.  "Corporation" shall mean the housing trust fund corporation estab-
    20  lished in section forty-five-a of this chapter.
    21    2. "Eligible applicant" shall mean a city, town, village  or  not-for-
    22  profit  corporation in existence for a period of one or more years prior
         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD09257-03-7

        S. 3933--A                          2
     1  to application, which is, or will be at the time of award,  incorporated
     2  under  the not-for-profit corporation law and has substantial experience
     3  in adapting or retrofitting homes for persons with disabilities.
     4    3. "Veteran" shall mean a resident of this state who (a) has served on
     5  active  duty in the United States army, navy, marine corps, air force or
     6  coast guard or (b) has served on active duty or ordered to  active  duty
     7  as  defined  in  10  USC 101 (d)(1) as a member of the national guard or
     8  other reserve component of the armed forces of the United States or  (c)
     9  has  served on active duty or ordered to active duty for the state, as a
    10  member of the state organized militia as defined in subdivision nine  of
    11  section  one of the military law and has been released from such service
    12  documented by an honorable or general discharge.
    13    4. "Disabled veteran" shall mean a veteran who  is  certified  by  the
    14  United  States  Department of Veterans Affairs documented by a Letter of
    15  Certification or the United States Department of Defense certificate  of
    16  release or discharge from active duty, including but limited to a DD-214
    17  form or an honorable certificate/report of casualty.
    18    5.  "Access  to  home  for heroes programs" or "programs" shall mean a
    19  series of activities by an eligible applicant  to  administer  funds  to
    20  provide  grants  to homeowners and renters and to oversee the adaptation
    21  or retrofitting of eligible properties.
    22    6. "Eligible property" shall mean a housing unit that is  the  primary
    23  residence  of  a disabled veteran and a total household income that does
    24  not exceed one hundred and twenty percent of area median income. A prop-
    25  erty shall not be considered an eligible property if the  owner  of  the
    26  property  is  otherwise  obligated  by  federal,  state  or local law to
    27  provide the improvements funded under this article.
    28    § 1242. Access to home for heroes contracts. 1. Within  the  limit  of
    29  funds  available  in  the  access to home for heroes program, the corpo-
    30  ration is hereby authorized to enter into contracts with eligible appli-
    31  cants to provide financial assistance for the actual costs of an  access
    32  to  home  for  heroes  program. The financial assistance shall be in the
    33  form of grants. No more than fifty percent of the total  amount  awarded
    34  pursuant to this article in any fiscal year shall be allocated to access
    35  to home programs located within any single municipality.
    36    2.  The  total  payment  pursuant to any one contract shall not exceed
    37  five hundred  thousand  dollars  and  the  contract  shall  provide  for
    38  completion of the program within a reasonable period, as specified ther-
    39  ein,  which shall not in any event exceed three years from its commence-
    40  ment. Upon request, the corporation may extend the term of the  contract
    41  for  up  to  two additional one year periods for good cause shown by the
    42  eligible applicant.
    43    3. The corporation may authorize the eligible applicant to spend up to
    44  seven and one-half percent of the contract amount for approved  adminis-
    45  trative costs associated with administering the program.
    46    4.  The  corporation  shall  require  that,  in order to receive funds
    47  pursuant to this article, the eligible applicant  shall  submit  a  plan
    48  which  shall include, but not be limited to, program feasibility, impact
    49  on the community, budget for expenditure of program  funds,  a  schedule
    50  for  completion of the program, affirmative action and minority business
    51  participation.
    52    § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
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