Bill Text: NY S08622 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Amended

---

Bill Title: Relates to the payment of shelter and rent arrears; provides that all shelter arrears payments authorized for applicants to receive an emergency grant to pay for rent, property taxes or mortgage arrears shall be limited to once every year unless the district determines at its discretion that additional shelter arrears payments are necessary based on the individual circumstances.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced) 2024-03-11 - PRINT NUMBER 8622A [S08622 Detail]

Download: New_York-2023-S08622-Amended.html

---

                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                         8622--A

                    IN SENATE

                                    February 22, 2024
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by  Sen.  RYAN  --  read twice and ordered printed, and when
          printed to be committed to the Committee on Social Services -- commit-
          tee discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and  recom-
          mitted to said committee

        AN  ACT  to amend the social services law, in relation to the payment of
          shelter and rent arrears

          The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and  Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:

     1    Section  1. The social services law is amended by adding a new section
     2  131-ww to read as follows:
     3    § 131-ww. Shelter arrears. 1.  Applicants  may  receive  an  emergency
     4  grant  to  pay  for  rent, property taxes or mortgage arrears once every
     5  year unless the district determines at its  discretion  that  additional
     6  shelter  arrears  payments are necessary based on the individual circum-
     7  stances.
     8    2. In an application for an  allowance  to  pay  shelter  arrears,  an
     9  applicant shall not be required to demonstrate an ability to repay shel-
    10  ter  expenses, rent, property taxes, or mortgage payments going forward,
    11  nor shall a district consider an applicant's ability  to  make  payments
    12  under any repayment agreement.
    13    3.  Unrepaid  shelter expenses shall have no bearing on an applicant's
    14  eligibility to receive additional loans.
    15    4. The commissioner shall promulgate regulations consistent with  this
    16  section.
    17    §  2. Section 131-w of the social services law, as added by chapter 41
    18  of the laws of 1992, is amended to read as follows:
    19    § 131-w. Limitations in the payment of rent arrears.  Districts  shall
    20  not  provide  assistance to pay rent arrears, property taxes or mortgage
    21  arrears for persons not eligible for home relief, aid to dependent chil-
    22  dren, emergency assistance to needy families with children or  emergency
    23  assistance  for  aged, blind and disabled persons, except to persons who
    24  are without income or resources immediately available to meet the  emer-
    25  gency  need[,]  and  whose  gross  household income does not exceed [one
    26  hundred twenty-five] two hundred percent of the federal income  official

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD14611-04-4
        S. 8622--A                          2

     1  poverty  line  [and who sign a repayment agreement agreeing to repay the
     2  assistance in a period not to exceed twelve months.  The districts shall
     3  enforce the repayment agreements by any  legal  method  available  to  a
     4  creditor,  in  addition  to any rights it has pursuant to this chapter].
     5  The department shall promulgate regulations to  implement  this  section
     6  which  shall,  among other things, [establish standards for the contents
     7  of repayment agreements and] establish standards to ensure that  assist-
     8  ance is provided only in emergency circumstances.
     9    §  3.  Subdivision  1  of section 131-r of the social services law, as
    10  added by chapter 81 of the laws of 1995 and as designated by chapter 340
    11  of the laws of 2003, is amended to read as follows:
    12    1. Any person who is receiving or has received,  within  the  previous
    13  [ten]  five  years, public assistance pursuant to the provisions of this
    14  article, and who wins a lottery prize of [six hundred]  twenty  thousand
    15  dollars  or  more  shall reimburse the department from the winnings, for
    16  all such public assistance benefits  paid  to  such  person  during  the
    17  previous [ten] five years; provided, however, that such crediting to the
    18  department  shall  in no event exceed fifty percent of the amount of the
    19  lottery prize. The commissioner shall enter into an agreement  with  the
    20  director  of the lottery, pursuant to section sixteen hundred thirteen-b
    21  of the tax law, for the  crediting  of  lottery  prizes  against  public
    22  assistance  benefits. Nothing herein shall limit the ability of a social
    23  services district to make  recoveries  pursuant  to  section  [104]  one
    24  hundred four or section [106-b] one hundred six-b of this chapter.
    25    § 4. This act shall take effect immediately.