New York State Assembly

 
•  Summary 
 
•  Actions 
 
•  Committee Votes 
 
•  Floor Votes 
 
•  Memo 
 
•  Text 
 
•  LFIN 
 
•  Chamber Video/Transcript 

A01686 Summary:

A01686 Actions:

A01686 Committee Votes:

Committee:HOUSING   Chair:Rosenthal L      
DATE:04/25/2023AYE/NAY:26/0  Action: Favorable refer to committee Ways and Means        
Rosenthal
Aye
Fitzpatrick
Excused
Cook
Aye
Byrnes
Aye
Kim
Aye
Brown K 
Aye
Walker
Aye
Gallahan
Aye
Joyner
Aye
Brown E 
Aye
Bichotte Hermel
Aye
Brook-Krasny
Aye
Davila
Aye
Chang
Aye
Taylor
Aye
Novakhov
Aye
Epstein
Aye
Eichenstein
Aye
Meeks
Aye
Burdick
Aye
Rivera
Aye
Jackson
Aye
Kelles
Aye
Tapia
Aye
Lucas
Excused
Chandler-Waterm
Aye
Lee
Aye
Levenberg
Aye

Committee:WAYS AND MEANS   Chair:Weinstein      
DATE:05/17/2023AYE/NAY:34/0  Action: Favorable refer to committee Rules        
Weinstein
Aye
Ra
Aye
Glick
Aye
Fitzpatrick
Aye
Pretlow
Aye
Hawley
Aye
Colton
Aye
Blankenbush
Aye
Cook
Aye
Norris
Aye
Aubry
Aye
Brabenec
Aye
Benedetto
Aye
Palmesano
Aye
Weprin
Aye
Walsh
Aye
Ramos
Aye
DeStefano
Aye
Braunstein
Aye
Manktelow
Aye
McDonald
Aye
Smullen
Aye
Rozic
Aye
Dinowitz
Aye
Joyner
Aye
Magnarelli
Aye
Zebrowski
Aye
Bronson
Aye
Dilan
Aye
Seawright
Aye
Hyndman
Aye
Walker
Excused
Bichotte Hermel
Aye
Simon
Aye
Cruz
Aye

Committee:RULES   Chair:Pretlow      
DATE:05/22/2023AYE/NAY:27/0  Action: Favorable         
Heastie
Excused
Barclay
Aye
Weinstein
Aye
Hawley
Excused
Pretlow
Aye
Giglio
Aye
Cook
Aye
Blankenbush
Aye
Glick
Excused
Norris
Aye
Aubry
Aye
Ra
Aye
Dinowitz
Aye
Brabenec
Aye
Colton
Aye
Palmesano
Aye
Magnarelli
Aye
Reilly
Aye
Paulin
Aye
Peoples-Stokes
Aye
Benedetto
Aye
Lavine
Aye
Lupardo
Aye
Zebrowski
Aye
Thiele
Aye
Braunstein
Aye
Dickens
Aye
Davila
Aye
Hyndman
Excused
Rozic
Aye
Bronson
Aye

A01686 Floor Votes:

A01686 Memo:

NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY
MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION
 submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)



 
BILL NUMBER: A1686A
 
SPONSOR: Hunter

 
TITLE OF BILL:
 
An act to amend the private housing finance law, in relation to requir-
ing the division of housing and community renewal to provide an annual
report on the New York access to home programs
 
 
PURPOSE:
 
This legislation requires the division of housing and community renewal
to issue an annual report on the access to home programs regarding
certain data and program progress for the previous year and promote the
access to home program
 
 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section 1. Amends the private housing finance law by adding a new
section, § 1203, to require the division of housing and community
renewal to issue an annual report on the access to home programs regard-
ing certain data and program progress for the previous year.  Estab-
lishes the necessary components of such a report. Mandates that the
report be posted and made publicly available on the division of housing
and community renewals website in a clear and visible manner.
 
Section 2. Amends section 1200 of the private housing finance law
requiring DHCR to promote the access to home program
 
Section 3. Effective date.
 
 
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ORIGINAL AND AMENDED VERSION (IF APPLICABLE):
 
Section 2 is amended to include promotion of services to people with
disabilities and including applicable information on NCR's website.
 
 
JUSTIFICATION:
 
The New York State Access to Home Program provides grants to eligible
applicants to make permanent accessibility modifications to existing
owner-occupied or rental dwelling units occupied by low-income individ-
uals with disabilities. Grants are made to municipalities and eligible
not-for-profit entities that have experience in adapting or retrofitting
homes for persons with disabilities. Some of the eligible activities
include the installation of ramps, or lifts, modifications to kitchens
and bathrooms to provide access, or other interior accessibility modifi-
cations.
 
Currently, the Access to Home program receives only $100 million per
year for the entire State of New York. This funding is broken up by
regions and each eligible region is to receive a maximum of $125,000.
Recent applicants who have attempted to access this funding have been
told of a waitlist over 100 individuals long. Modifications are extreme-
ly costly. Ramps to facilitate access to a home can range from as $7,000
to $8,000.

The Division of Housing and Community Renewal (HCR) has not been able to
provide critical information regarding the number of people served
through the Access to Home program or how many projects were paid for in
recent years. This legislation will increase transparency by requiring
the division to issue an annual report on the access to home programs
regarding certain data and program progress for the previous year and
publishing this information on their website.
 
Throughout the years, the Access to Home program has had great success
in providing individuals with disabilities with the opportunity to stay
in their homes rather . It is of paramount importance that there be
absolute transparency between HCR and the public regarding the progress
of the Access to Homes program of each previous year.
 
 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
 
2021-22: A9631
 
 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
 
To be determined
 
 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
Immediately.

A01686 Text:

 
                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                         1686--A
 
                               2023-2024 Regular Sessions
 
                   IN ASSEMBLY
 
                                    January 17, 2023
                                       ___________
 
        Introduced  by  M.  of A. HUNTER, SIMON -- read once and referred to the
          Committee on Housing -- 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 requir-
          ing the division of housing and community renewal to provide an annual
          report on the New York access to home programs
 
          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  section 1203 to read as follows:
     3    § 1203. Report. 1. The division of housing and community renewal shall
     4  issue an annual report on the access to home programs regarding  certain
     5  data  and  program  progress  for  the  previous year. Such report shall
     6  include, but not be limited to:
     7    (a) the number of contracts the corporation entered into with eligible
     8  applicants and the amount  of  funding  both  awarded  and  expended  by
     9  successful applicants;
    10    (b) the number of projects each eligible recipient completed;
    11    (c)  the  types  of  projects  completed  by  each eligible recipient,
    12  including the average cost of each type of project;
    13    (d) the geographic diversity of the beneficiaries  of  each  completed
    14  project;
    15    (e) the demographic information of the beneficiaries of each completed
    16  project, including differentiating between renters and homeowners;
    17    (f) the unmet demand for access to home programs who applied for fund-
    18  ing through an access to home programs;
    19    (g)  how  many  persons  with  eligible properties were denied and the
    20  demographic information regarding such denied individuals; and
    21    (h) the average timeline for completion of each project.
 
         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD05162-02-3
        A. 1686--A                          2
 
     1    2. Such report required pursuant to subdivision one  of  this  section
     2  shall  be  posted and made publicly available on the division of housing
     3  and community renewal's website in a clear and conspicuous manner.
     4    §  2.  Section  1200  of  the private housing finance law, as added by
     5  chapter 159 of the laws of 2006, is amended to read as follows:
     6    § 1200. Statement of legislative findings and purpose. The legislature
     7  hereby finds and declares that there exists in New York state a  serious
     8  need for financial and technical resources to assist renters and proper-
     9  ty  owners to make dwelling units accessible for low and moderate income
    10  persons with disabilities. Providing assistance with the cost of  adapt-
    11  ing  homes  will enable many New Yorkers with disabilities to safely and
    12  comfortably continue to, or return to, live in their residences  instead
    13  of  residing  in  an  institutional setting. The division of housing and
    14  community renewal shall undertake  an  ongoing  effort  to  promote  the
    15  availability  of  the access to home programs to all eligible applicants
    16  and persons with eligible properties, as those terms are  defined  under
    17  this  article,  both to encourage participation in the program and gauge
    18  unmet need.  Such actions shall include working  with  any  other  state
    19  agencies  that  provide services to persons with disabilities to promote
    20  the access to home programs. Such actions shall also include but are not
    21  limited to providing contact and application information on the  website
    22  for  the  division  of housing and community renewal for eligible appli-
    23  cants and persons with eligible properties which shall be updated  annu-
    24  ally.
    25    § 3. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after
    26  it shall have become a law.

A01686 LFIN:

 
NO LFIN

A01686 Chamber Video/Transcript: