S T A T E O F N E W Y O R K ________________________________________________________________________ 3629 2015-2016 Regular Sessions I N A S S E M B L Y January 27, 2015 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. LALOR, SKARTADOS, PALUMBO, GOODELL, McDONOUGH, DiPIETRO, GRAF, RAIA, WALTER, GIGLIO -- Multi-Sponsored by -- M. of A. ARROYO, BARCLAY, CERETTO, HAWLEY, McLAUGHLIN, SIMANOWITZ -- read once and referred to the Committee on Real Property Taxation AN ACT to amend the real property tax law, in relation to making the yearly renewals of the enhanced STAR exemption automatic THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM- BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS: 1 Section 1. Subparagraph (iv) of paragraph (b) of subdivision 4 of 2 section 425 of the real property tax law, as amended by section 10 of 3 part W of chapter 56 of the laws of 2010, is amended to read as follows: 4 (iv) Effective with applications for the enhanced exemption on final 5 assessment rolls to be completed in two thousand [three] SIXTEEN, the 6 application form shall [indicate that] NOTIFY the owners of the property 7 and any owners' spouses residing on the premises [may] THAT BY SUBMIT- 8 TING THE APPLICATION, THEY authorize the assessor to have their income 9 eligibility verified annually thereafter by the state department of 10 taxation and finance[, in lieu of furnishing copies of the applicable 11 income tax return or returns with the application. If the]. THE owners 12 of the property and any owners' spouses residing on the premises [elect 13 to participate in this program, which shall be known as the STAR income 14 verification program, they must] SHALL furnish their taxpayer identifi- 15 cation numbers in order to facilitate matching with records of the 16 department. Thereafter, their income eligibility shall be verified annu- 17 ally by the department and the assessor shall not request income 18 documentation OR A RENEWAL APPLICATION from them, unless such department 19 advises the assessor that they do not satisfy the applicable income 20 eligibility requirements, or that it is unable to determine whether they 21 satisfy those requirements. 22 S 2. Subparagraph (vi) of paragraph (b) of subdivision 4 of section 23 425 of the real property tax law, as amended by section 3 of part E of EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD00774-01-5 A. 3629 2 1 chapter 83 of the laws of 2002, clause (E) as further amended by subdi- 2 vision (b) of section 1 of part W of chapter 56 of the laws of 2010, is 3 amended to read as follows: 4 (vi) Notwithstanding the provisions of subparagraphs (iv) and (v) of 5 this paragraph, which establish a STAR income verification program, 6 income documentation must be submitted to the assessor in connection 7 with each of the following: 8 (A) Initial applications for the enhanced STAR exemption; 9 (B) [Renewal applications submitted by a person or persons who have 10 not elected to participate in the STAR income verification program; 11 (C)] Applications that would allow an enhanced exemption to resume 12 after having been discontinued; 13 [(D)] (C) Applications submitted by a person or persons who had previ- 14 ously qualified for the enhanced exemption but not in the assessing unit 15 in question; and 16 [(E)] (D) Applications with respect to which the department of taxa- 17 tion and finance has advised the assessor through the commissioner that 18 it is unable to determine whether a participant or participants in the 19 STAR income verification program satisfy the income eligibility require- 20 ments. 21 S 3. This act shall take effect on the first of January next succeed- 22 ing the date upon which it shall have become a law and shall apply to 23 all taxable years commencing on and after such date.