Bill Text: NY A02679 | 2021-2022 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Directs the commissioner of housing and community renewal to promulgate rules and regulations regarding the use of electronic records and signatures for residential leases and lease renewals of units for which the owner is required to file annual registration statements.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Passed) 2021-12-21 - approval memo.67 [A02679 Detail]

Download: New_York-2021-A02679-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          2679

                               2021-2022 Regular Sessions

                   IN ASSEMBLY

                                    January 19, 2021
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by  M.  of  A.  CYMBROWITZ  -- read once and referred to the
          Committee on Housing

        AN ACT to amend the public housing law, in  relation  to  directing  the
          commissioner  of housing and community renewal to promulgate rules and
          regulations regarding the use of electronic records and signatures for
          certain residential leases

          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  19-a to read as follows:
     3    § 19-a. Electronic lease regulations. 1. The commissioner, in  consul-
     4  tation  with  the  electronic  facilitator  as  defined in section three
     5  hundred three of the state technology law, shall  promulgate  rules  and
     6  regulations authorizing the use of electronic records or signatures on a
     7  voluntary  basis by tenants for residential leases and lease renewals of
     8  units for which the owner is required to file annual registration state-
     9  ments, pursuant to either  section  twelve-a  of  the  emergency  tenant
    10  protection  act of nineteen seventy-four or section 26-517 of the admin-
    11  istrative code of the city of New York, in a manner that  conforms  with
    12  the requirements of article three of the state technology law.
    13    2.  Such  rules  and regulations shall include, but not be limited to,
    14  procedures to ensure that the tenant affirmatively consented to the  use
    15  of  electronic records and that the use of electronic records and signa-
    16  tures is voluntary pursuant to section three hundred nine of  the  state
    17  technology law.
    18    3.  The  division  shall  also develop a form in the top six languages
    19  other than English spoken in the state according to the latest available
    20  data from the U.S. Bureau of Census that confirms a tenant's affirmative
    21  consent to the use of electronic records. Such form shall clearly  state
    22  the  requirement  that  the  use of electronic records and signatures is
    23  voluntary and cannot be required by a landlord, cite the relevant  parts

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD01235-01-1
        A. 2679                             2

     1  of the electronic signatures and records act, and require that copies of
     2  this signed consent be provided to the tenant and the division. No elec-
     3  tronic  records  shall  be  accepted for any unit by the division unless
     4  such consent form is on file with the division.
     5    § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.