Bill Text: NY A00247 | 2019-2020 | General Assembly | Amended

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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 2-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2020-01-08 - referred to cities [A00247 Detail]

Download: New_York-2019-A00247-Amended.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                         247--A

                               2019-2020 Regular Sessions

                   IN ASSEMBLY

                                       (Prefiled)

                                     January 9, 2019
                                       ___________

        Introduced by M. of A. BRAUNSTEIN, BARNWELL -- read once and referred to
          the Committee on Cities -- 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.
                                                                   LBD02931-02-9
        A. 247--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.