Bill Text: NY S03933 | 2017-2018 | General Assembly | Amended


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

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 4-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2018-03-14 - PRINT NUMBER 3933C [S03933 Detail]

Download: New_York-2017-S03933-Amended.html


                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
                                         3933--C
                               2017-2018 Regular Sessions
                    IN SENATE
                                    January 30, 2017
                                       ___________
        Introduced  by Sens. YOUNG, BONACIC, LITTLE, MARCHIONE -- read twice and
          ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee  on
          Veterans,   Homeland   Security  and  Military  Affairs  --  committee
          discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted
          to said committee -- recommitted to the Committee on  Veterans,  Home-
          land  Security  and Military Affairs in accordance with Senate Rule 6,
          sec. 8 -- committee discharged, bill  amended,  ordered  reprinted  as
          amended  and  recommitted  to  said committee -- committee discharged,
          bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended  and  recommitted  to  said
          committee
        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 29 to read as follows:
     3                                ARTICLE XXIX
     4                 NEW YORK ACCESS TO HOME FOR HEROES PROGRAM
     5  Section 1260. Statement of legislative findings and purpose.
     6          1261. Definitions.
     7          1262. Access to home for heroes contracts.
     8    § 1260. 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.
         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD09257-06-8

        S. 3933--C                          2
     1    § 1261. Definitions. As used in this article:
     2    1.  "Corporation" shall mean the housing trust fund corporation estab-
     3  lished in section forty-five-a of this chapter.
     4    2. "Eligible applicant" shall mean a city, town, village  or  not-for-
     5  profit  corporation in existence for a period of one or more years prior
     6  to application, which is, or will be at the time of award,  incorporated
     7  under  the not-for-profit corporation law and has substantial experience
     8  in adapting or retrofitting homes for persons with disabilities.
     9    3. "Veteran" shall mean a resident of this state who (a) has served in
    10  the United States army, navy, marine corps, air force or coast guard  or
    11  (b) has served on active duty or ordered to active duty as defined in 10
    12  USC 101 (d)(1) as a member of the national guard or other reserve compo-
    13  nent  of  the  armed  forces  of  the United States or (c) has served on
    14  active duty or ordered to active duty for the state, as a member of  the
    15  state organized militia as defined in subdivision nine of section one of
    16  the  military  law and has been released from such service documented by
    17  an honorable or general discharge.
    18    4. "Disabled veteran" shall mean a veteran with a permanent anatomical
    19  or physiological impairment, which substantially  limits  a  major  life
    20  activity,  demonstrable  by  medically  accepted  clinical or diagnostic
    21  techniques. A recent professional  evaluation  must  be  provided  which
    22  identifies  the  disability, describes the substantial limitation caused
    23  by the disability, and recommends potential structural modifications  to
    24  improve  the  activities  of  daily  living within and/or access to such
    25  residence in consideration of such disability.
    26    5. "Access to home for heroes programs" or  "programs"  shall  mean  a
    27  series  of  activities  by  an eligible applicant to administer funds to
    28  provide grants to homeowners and renters and to oversee  the  adaptation
    29  or retrofitting of eligible properties.
    30    6.  "Eligible  property" shall mean a housing unit that is the primary
    31  residence of a disabled veteran and a total household income  that  does
    32  not exceed one hundred and twenty percent of area median income. A prop-
    33  erty  shall  not  be considered an eligible property if the owner of the
    34  property is otherwise obligated  by  federal,  state  or  local  law  to
    35  provide the improvements funded under this article.
    36    §  1262.  Access  to home for heroes contracts. 1. Within the limit of
    37  funds available in the access to home for  heroes  program,  the  corpo-
    38  ration is hereby authorized to enter into contracts with eligible appli-
    39  cants  to provide financial assistance for the actual costs of an access
    40  to home for heroes program. The financial assistance  shall  be  in  the
    41  form  of  grants. No more than fifty percent of the total amount awarded
    42  pursuant to this article in any fiscal year shall be allocated to access
    43  to home programs located within any single municipality.
    44    2. The total payment pursuant to any one  contract  shall  not  exceed
    45  five  hundred  thousand  dollars  and  the  contract  shall  provide for
    46  completion of the program within a reasonable period, as specified ther-
    47  ein, which shall not in any event exceed three years from its  commence-
    48  ment.  Upon request, the corporation may extend the term of the contract
    49  for up to two additional one year periods for good cause  shown  by  the
    50  eligible applicant.
    51    3.  The  corporation  shall  authorize the eligible applicant to spend
    52  seven and one-half percent of the contract amount for approved  adminis-
    53  trative costs associated with administering the program.
    54    4.  The  corporation  shall  require  that,  in order to receive funds
    55  pursuant to this article, the eligible applicant  shall  submit  a  plan
    56  which  shall include, but not be limited to, program feasibility, impact

        S. 3933--C                          3
     1  on the community, budget for expenditure of program  funds,  a  schedule
     2  for  completion of the program, affirmative action and minority business
     3  participation.
     4    § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
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