S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
       ________________________________________________________________________
                                        1754--A
                              2011-2012 Regular Sessions
                                   I N  S E N A T E
                                   January 12, 2011
                                      ___________
       Introduced by Sens. DIAZ, ESPAILLAT, KLEIN, MONTGOMERY, STAVISKY -- read
         twice  and  ordered  printed,  and when printed to be committed to the
         Committee on  Aging  --  recommitted  to  the  Committee  on  Housing,
         Construction  and Community Development in accordance with Senate Rule
         6, sec. 8 -- committee discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted  as
         amended and recommitted to said committee
       AN  ACT  to  amend the real property tax law, in relation to a notice of
         exemption for senior citizens
         THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
       BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
    1    Section  1. Subdivision 4 of section 467 of the real property tax law,
    2  as amended by chapter 406 of the laws of 1995, is  amended  to  read  as
    3  follows:
    4    4.  Every municipal corporation in which such real property is located
    5  shall notify, or cause to be notified, each  person  owning  residential
    6  real  property  in  such municipal corporation of the provisions of this
    7  section.  The provisions of this subdivision may be met by a  notice  or
    8  legend sent on or with each tax bill to such persons reading "You may be
    9  eligible  for  senior citizen tax exemptions. Senior citizens have until
   10  month.........., day.......,  year......, to apply for such  exemptions.
   11  For  information  please call or write....," followed by the name, tele-
   12  phone number and/or address of a person or department  selected  by  the
   13  municipal  corporation  to  explain the provisions of this section. Each
   14  cooperative apartment corporation shall notify  each  tenant-stockholder
   15  thereof in residence of such provisions as set forth herein.  Failure to
   16  notify,  or  cause to be notified any person who is in fact, eligible to
   17  receive the exemption provided by this section or the  failure  of  such
   18  person  to  receive  the same shall not prevent the levy, collection and
   19  enforcement of the payment of  the  taxes  on  property  owned  by  such
   20  person.  A  SECOND COPY OF THE NOTICE REQUIRED BY THIS SUBDIVISION SHALL
   21  BE SENT THIRTY DAYS PRIOR TO THE FILING DEADLINE.
        EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                             [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                  LBD04460-02-1
       S. 1754--A                          2
    1    S 2. Subdivision 5-b of section 467 of the real property tax  law,  as
    2  added by chapter 571 of the laws of 1996, is amended to read as follows:
    3    5-b.  Notwithstanding  the  provisions  of  this  section or any other
    4  provision of law, a [county with an annual taxable status date of  Janu-
    5  ary  first  or  January  second  and with a population of one million or
    6  more,] MUNICIPALITY may, at its option and by amendment or adoption of a
    7  local law or ordinance, authorize its assessor  to  accept  applications
    8  for  the  exemption from real property taxes authorized pursuant to this
    9  section on a date later than such  [county's]  MUNICIPALITY'S  statutory
   10  deadline  date for receiving applications for such exemption. Any appli-
   11  cation filed later than such statutory deadline date which is in compli-
   12  ance with such local law or ordinance amended  or  adopted  pursuant  to
   13  this  subdivision  and  which meets all other necessary requirements for
   14  granting the exemption authorized by this section  shall  be  deemed  to
   15  have  been  timely  filed prior to such statutory deadline date, and any
   16  individual or individuals for whom such an application  has  been  filed
   17  shall  be granted such exemption and shall receive such exemption on the
   18  assessment [roles] ROLLS prepared for such [county] MUNICIPALITY on  the
   19  basis  of  the  taxable  status date immediately preceding the date such
   20  application was filed.
   21    S 3. This act shall take effect immediately, provided that section two
   22  of this act shall apply to the 2012-2013  tax  assessment  rolls  if  an
   23  application  for  exemption  is  filed  within 60 days of such effective
   24  date.