Bill Text: NY S01353 | 2021-2022 | General Assembly | Amended

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Bill Title: Relates to establishing an obligation to affirmatively further fair housing by state departments, agencies or offices administering housing laws or housing programs and by any localities receiving state funds to administer programs and activities related to housing.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 8-0)

Status: (Passed) 2021-12-21 - APPROVAL MEMO.77 [S01353 Detail]

Download: New_York-2021-S01353-Amended.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                         1353--A
            Cal. No. 112

                               2021-2022 Regular Sessions

                    IN SENATE

                                    January 11, 2021
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by  Sens.  KAVANAGH,  BIAGGI, JACKSON, KAPLAN, KRUEGER, MAY,
          SEPULVEDA, STAVISKY -- read twice and ordered printed, and when print-
          ed to be committed to  the  Committee  on  Housing,  Construction  and
          Community  Development  --  reported  favorably  from  said committee,
          ordered to first and second report, ordered to a third reading, passed
          by Senate and delivered to the Assembly, recalled, vote  reconsidered,
          restored  to  third  reading, amended and ordered reprinted, retaining
          its place in the order of third reading

        AN ACT to amend the public housing law, in relation to  establishing  an
          obligation to affirmatively further fair housing

          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  article
     2  14 to read as follows:
     3                                 ARTICLE XIV
     4              OBLIGATION TO AFFIRMATIVELY FURTHER FAIR HOUSING
     5  Section 600. Obligation to affirmatively further fair housing.
     6    §  600.  Obligation to affirmatively further fair housing. 1.  For the
     7  purposes of this section, the term "covered housing agency"  shall  mean
     8  any  state department, agency or office administering housing and commu-
     9  nity development laws or  housing  and  community  development  programs
    10  including but not limited to New York state homes and community renewal,
    11  the  division of housing and community renewal, the New York state hous-
    12  ing finance agency, the  affordable  housing  corporation,  the  housing
    13  trust fund corporation, the municipal bond bank agency, the state of New
    14  York  mortgage  agency,  any  subsidiary  of the foregoing agencies, any
    15  public housing agency, and any localities receiving funds from any state
    16  department, agency  or  office  to  administer  programs  or  activities
    17  related to housing and community development.
    18    2.  The commissioner and all covered housing agencies shall administer
    19  all such programs and activities related to housing and community devel-

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD06432-03-1
        S. 1353--A                          2

     1  opment in a manner that affirmatively furthers fair  housing  and  shall
     2  cooperate with the commissioner to further such purpose.
     3    3.  The commissioner and all covered housing agencies shall take mean-
     4  ingful actions to:
     5    (a) identify and overcome  patterns  of  residential  segregation  and
     6  housing discrimination;
     7    (b) eradicate racially or ethnically concentrated areas of poverty;
     8    (c) reduce disparities in access to opportunity;
     9    (d) eliminate disproportionate housing needs;
    10    (e) provide the public reasonable and regular opportunities to comment
    11  on  fair  housing issues and participate in the development and advance-
    12  ment of affirmative fair housing policy; and
    13    (f) encourage and maintain compliance  with  article  fifteen  of  the
    14  executive law and any other applicable anti-discrimination or fair hous-
    15  ing law.
    16    4.  The  commissioner  and  all covered housing agencies shall take no
    17  action that is materially  inconsistent  with  the  obligation  of  this
    18  section.
    19    5.  The commissioner shall on or before October thirtieth of each year
    20  produce a draft report that shall be made available to the public.   The
    21  report  shall include any significant initiatives, policies, or programs
    22  undertaken in furtherance of fair housing and  any  recommendations  for
    23  improving the state of fair housing in New York.  The draft report shall
    24  be  open to a minimum of thirty days of public comment. The commissioner
    25  shall, on or before December  first  of  each  year,  submit  the  final
    26  version of said report to the governor, the speaker of the assembly, and
    27  the  temporary  president  of the senate.  The commissioner shall submit
    28  along with the final report,  all  comments  received  pursuant  to  the
    29  public comment period.
    30    § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.