Bill Text: NY S01895 | 2017-2018 | General Assembly | Introduced


Bill Title: Relates to designating the county of Queens a cease and desist zone and extending non-solicitation orders to ten year periods; establishes an affirmative defense to violations of nonsolicitation orders and cease and desist zones.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2018-01-03 - REFERRED TO JUDICIARY [S01895 Detail]

Download: New_York-2017-S01895-Introduced.html


                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
                                          1895
                               2017-2018 Regular Sessions
                    IN SENATE
                                    January 11, 2017
                                       ___________
        Introduced  by  Sen.  AVELLA -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
          printed to be committed to the Committee on Judiciary
        AN ACT to amend the real property law, in relation  to  designating  the
          county  of Queens a cease and desist zone and establishing an affirma-
          tive defense to violations of nonsolicitation  orders  and  cease  and
          desist zones
          The  People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:
     1    Section 1. The real property law is amended by adding  a  new  section
     2  442-hh to read as follows:
     3    §  442-hh.  Designating  the county of Queens a cease and desist zone.
     4  Notwithstanding any other law, rule or regulation to the  contrary,  the
     5  county of Queens shall be included on the cease and desist list compiled
     6  by  the  secretary of state pursuant to section four hundred forty-two-h
     7  of this article.
     8    § 2. Paragraph (a) of subdivision 2 and paragraph (c) of subdivision 3
     9  of section 442-h of the real property law, as amended by chapter 505  of
    10  the laws of 2001, are amended to read as follows:
    11    (a)  If,  after  a  public hearing and a reasonable investigation, the
    12  secretary of state determines that the owners of residential real  prop-
    13  erty  within  a  defined  geographic  area  are  subject  to intense and
    14  repeated solicitations by real estate brokers and salespersons or others
    15  to place their property for sale with such real estate brokers or sales-
    16  persons, or otherwise to sell their property, and  that  such  solicita-
    17  tions  have caused owners to reasonably believe that property values may
    18  decrease because persons of different race, ethnic, social, or religious
    19  backgrounds are moving or are about to move  into  the  neighborhood  or
    20  geographic area, the secretary of state may adopt a rule, to be known as
    21  a nonsolicitation order, directing all real estate brokers, salespersons
    22  and  other  persons regularly engaged in the trade or business of buying
    23  and selling real estate to  refrain  from  soliciting  residential  real
         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD00962-01-7

        S. 1895                             2
     1  estate  listings  or  otherwise  soliciting the sale of residential real
     2  estate within the subject area. Each area subject to such an order shall
     3  be bounded or otherwise specifically defined in the order. The nonsolic-
     4  itation  order  shall  be  subject  to  such terms and conditions as the
     5  secretary of state may determine are, on balance, in the  best  interest
     6  of  the  public,  including  but  not limited to the affected owners and
     7  licensees. A nonsolicitation order may prohibit  any  or  all  types  of
     8  solicitation  directed towards particular home-owners, including but not
     9  limited to letters, postcards, telephone calls, door-to-door calls,  and
    10  handbills. Every nonsolicitation order shall contain a provision setting
    11  forth  the day, month and year that the order shall become effective, as
    12  well as the day, month and year that the order shall expire. A nonsolic-
    13  itation order shall not be effective for more  than  [five]  ten  years.
    14  However, a nonsolicitation order and the boundaries of the area where it
    15  applies  may  be  re-adopted  or amended from time to time in accordance
    16  with the procedures set forth herein.
    17    (c) No rule establishing a cease and desist zone  shall  be  effective
    18  for  longer  than  [five] ten years. However, the secretary of state may
    19  re-adopt the rule to continue the cease and desist zone  for  additional
    20  periods  not to exceed [five] ten years each. Whenever a rule establish-
    21  ing a cease and desist zone  shall  have  expired  or  shall  have  been
    22  repealed,  all  owner's  statements  filed  with  the secretary of state
    23  pursuant to that rule shall also expire. However, an owner  may  file  a
    24  new  statement  with  the  secretary  of  state if a new rule is adopted
    25  establishing a cease and desist zone containing  the  owner's  property.
    26  Once  the boundaries of a cease and desist zone have been established by
    27  rule of the secretary of state, the boundaries may not be changed except
    28  by repeal of the existing rule and adoption of a new  rule  establishing
    29  the new boundaries.
    30    § 3. Section 442-h of the real property law is amended by adding a new
    31  subdivision 4 to read as follows:
    32    4.  In any action alleging a violation of this section, it shall be an
    33  affirmative defense that the owner of residential real property included
    34  in a nonsolicitation order or cease and desist zone publicized that such
    35  property was for sale through means including but not limited to  adver-
    36  tisements or real estate listings.
    37    §  4.  This  act shall take effect on the thirtieth day after it shall
    38  have become a law and shall apply to all nonsolicitation  orders  issued
    39  on and after such effective date.
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