Bill Text: NY A04062 | 2021-2022 | General Assembly | Introduced


Bill Title: Authorizes guidelines for granting contracts to disabled veterans eligible under the access to home for heroes program.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2022-01-05 - referred to veterans' affairs [A04062 Detail]

Download: New_York-2021-A04062-Introduced.html



                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          4062

                               2021-2022 Regular Sessions

                   IN ASSEMBLY

                                    February 1, 2021
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by M. of A. DICKENS -- read once and referred to the Commit-
          tee on Veterans' Affairs

        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 31 to read as follows:
     3                                ARTICLE XXXI
     4                 NEW YORK ACCESS TO HOME FOR HEROES PROGRAM
     5  Section 1280. Statement of legislative findings and purpose.
     6          1281. Definitions.
     7          1282. Access to home for heroes contracts.
     8    § 1280. 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    § 1281. 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
    23  to  application, which is, or will be at the time of award, incorporated
    24  under the not-for-profit corporation law and has substantial  experience
    25  in adapting or retrofitting homes for persons with disabilities.

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD03697-01-1

        A. 4062                             2

     1    3. "Veteran" shall mean a resident of this state who (a) has served on
     2  active  duty in the United States army, navy, marine corps, air force or
     3  coast guard or (b) has served on active duty or ordered to  active  duty
     4  as  defined  in  10  USC 101 (d)(1) as a member of the national guard or
     5  other  reserve component of the armed forces of the United States or (c)
     6  has served on active duty or ordered to active duty for the state, as  a
     7  member  of the state organized militia as defined in subdivision nine of
     8  section one of the military law and has been released from such  service
     9  documented by an honorable or general discharge.
    10    4.  "Disabled  veteran"  shall  mean a veteran who is certified by the
    11  United States Department of Veterans Affairs documented by a  Letter  of
    12  Certification  or the United States Department of Defense certificate of
    13  release or discharge from active duty, including but limited to a DD-214
    14  form or an honorable certificate/report of casualty.
    15    5. "Access to home for heroes programs" or  "programs"  shall  mean  a
    16  series  of  activities  by  an eligible applicant to administer funds to
    17  provide grants to homeowners and renters and to oversee  the  adaptation
    18  or retrofitting of eligible properties.
    19    6.  "Eligible  property" shall mean a housing unit that is the primary
    20  residence of a disabled veteran and a total household income  that  does
    21  not exceed one hundred and twenty percent of area median income. A prop-
    22  erty  shall  not  be considered an eligible property if the owner of the
    23  property is otherwise obligated  by  federal,  state  or  local  law  to
    24  provide the improvements funded under this article.
    25    §  1282.  Access  to home for heroes contracts. 1. Within the limit of
    26  funds available in the access to home for  heroes  program,  the  corpo-
    27  ration is hereby authorized to enter into contracts with eligible appli-
    28  cants  to provide financial assistance for the actual costs of an access
    29  to home for heroes program. The financial assistance  shall  be  in  the
    30  form  of  grants. No more than fifty percent of the total amount awarded
    31  pursuant to this article in any fiscal year shall be allocated to access
    32  to home programs located within any single municipality.
    33    2. The total payment pursuant to any one  contract  shall  not  exceed
    34  five  hundred  thousand  dollars  and  the  contract  shall  provide for
    35  completion of the program within a reasonable period, as specified ther-
    36  ein, which shall not in any event exceed three years from its  commence-
    37  ment.  Upon request, the corporation may extend the term of the contract
    38  for up to two additional one year periods for good cause  shown  by  the
    39  eligible applicant.
    40    3. The corporation may authorize the eligible applicant to spend up to
    41  seven  and one-half percent of the contract amount for approved adminis-
    42  trative costs associated with administering the program.
    43    4. The corporation shall require  that,  in  order  to  receive  funds
    44  pursuant  to  this  article,  the eligible applicant shall submit a plan
    45  which shall include, but not be limited to, program feasibility,  impact
    46  on  the  community,  budget for expenditure of program funds, a schedule
    47  for completion of the program, affirmative action and minority  business
    48  participation.
    49    § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
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