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A10290 Summary:

BILL NOA10290B
 
SAME ASSAME AS S08192-B
 
SPONSORDinowitz
 
COSPNSRSeawright, Epstein, Lentol, Simotas, Jaffee, Gottfried, Ortiz, Ramos, Simon, Otis, Bichotte, Rosenthal L, Mosley, DenDekker, Colton, Perry, Reyes, Blake, Jacobson, Frontus, Glick, Weinstein, Bronson, Fall
 
MLTSPNSR
 
 
Provides that no court shall issue a warrant of eviction or judgment of possession against a residential tenant that has suffered a financial hardship for the non-payment of rent that accrues or becomes due during the COVID-19 covered period.
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A10290 Memo:

NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY
MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION
submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
 
BILL NUMBER: A10290b
 
SPONSOR: Dinowitz
  TITLE OF BILL: An act in relation to prohibiting the eviction of residential tenants who have suffered financial hardship during the COVID-19 covered period   PURPOSE OF BILL: The purpose of this bill is to help keep residential tenants in their homes following the COVID19 pandemic by allowing only money judgments, and not evictions, for unpaid rent that comes due during the COVID.-19 state disaster emergency   SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS: Section 1 of the bill defines the COVID-19 covered period. Section 2 of the bill prohibits a court from issuing a warrant of eviction or judgment of possession against a residential tenant or other lawful occupant, that has suffered a financial hardship during the COVID 19 covered period, for nonpayment of rent that accrues or becomes due during the COVID 19 covered period. The tenant may raise financial hard- ship as a defense in a summary proceeding. The bill also lists some of the factors the court shall consider when determining if a financial hardship does exist but does not limit the court to only those factors. The bill does not prohibit a court from ordering a judgment for the rent due and owing to a successful petitioner under article 7 of the real property actions and procedure law. Section 3 of the bill is the effective date   JUSTIFICATION: ON MARCH 7, 2020, GOVERNOR CUOMO ISSUED EXECUTIVE ORDER 202, DECLARING A STATEWIDE DISASTER EMERGENCY DUE TO THE IMPENDING THREAT OF THE COVID-19 GLOBAL PANDEMIC. AS COVID-19 HAS SPREAD THROUGHOUT NEW YORK, GOVERNOR CUOMO HAS ISSUED A SERIES OF EXECUTIVE ORDERS TO SUSPEND OR MODIFY EXISTING LAW:S AS NECESSARY TO SLOW THE SPREAD OF THE VIRUS. EXECUTIVE ORDER 202.8, ISSUED ON MARCH 20, 2020, INCLUDED .A DIRECTIVE THAT THERE SHALL BE NO ENFORCEMENT OF AN EVICTION FOR A PERIOD OF NINETY DAYS. THE SUBSEQUENT EXECUTIVE ORDER 202.28, ISSUED ON MAY 7, 2020, INCLUDED A DIRECTIVE THAT THERE SHALL BE NO INITIATION OF A PROCEEDING OR ENFORCE- MENT OF AN EVICTION BY SOMEONE THAT IS ELIGIBLE FOR UNEMPLOYMENT INSUR- ANCE OR BENEFITS UNDER STATE OR FEDERAL LAW OR OTHERWISE FACING FINAN- CIAL HARDSHIP DUE TO THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC FOR A PERIOD OF SIXTY DAY BEGINNING ON JUNE 20, 2020. THE EVICTION MORATORIA PROVIDED IN EOS 202.8 AND 202.28 ARE IMPORTANT MEASURES TO HELP KEEP NEW YORKERS SECURE IN THEIR HOMES AT A TIME WHEN THE LEADING PUBLIC HEALTH GUIDANCE IN THE FIGHT AGAINST COVID-19 URGES SOCIAL DISTANCING AND SELF-ISOLATION. AT THE SAME TIME, NEW YORK IS EXPERIENCING AN UNPRECEDENTED SPIKE IN UNEMPLOYMENT CLAIMS AS THE NY STATE ON PAUSE ORDER REQUIRES NON-ESSENTIAL BUSINESSES TO TEMPORARILY SHUTTER, AND OTHER BUSINESSES HAVE HAD TO CLOSE PERMANENTLY, LAY OFF EMPLOYEES, OR DRAMATICALLY SCALE BACK AVAILABLE WORK HOURS DUE TO THE FISCAL IMPACT OF THE COVID-19 RESPONSE. MANY TENANTS MAY FIND THEMSELVES FACING SEVERAL MONTHS' WORTH OF ACCRUED UNPAID RENT AT THE END OF THE EVICTION MORATORIA. SUCH A SCENARIO WOULD PUT TENANTS AT HIGH RISK OF BEING EVICTED, AT A TIME WHEN IT IS UNLIKELY THAT THE ECONOMY AND JOB MARKET WILL HAVE RECOVERED FROM THE IMPACT OF COVID-19. THIS LEGISLATION WOULD DISALLOW LANDLORDS FROM SEEKING OR OBTAINING POSSESSORY JUDGMENTS (I.E. EVICTIONS) FOR UNPAID RENT THAT WAS during the COVID-19 period. LANDLORDS WOULD STILL BE ABLE TO OBTAIN MONEY JUDG- MENTS FOR UNPAID RENT THAT ACCRUED DURING THAT TIME PERIOD, BUT TENANTS WOULD REMAIN STABLY LOCATED IN THE MEANTIME.   PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY: This is a new bill   FISCAL IMPLICATIONS: None.   EFFECTIVE DATE: This act shall take effect immediately.
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A10290 Text:



 
                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                        10290--B
 
                   IN ASSEMBLY
 
                                      April 8, 2020
                                       ___________
 
        Introduced  by  M.  of A. DINOWITZ, SEAWRIGHT, EPSTEIN, LENTOL, SIMOTAS,
          JAFFEE, GOTTFRIED, ORTIZ, RAMOS, SIMON -- read once  and  referred  to
          the  Committee  on  Judiciary  --  committee discharged, bill amended,
          ordered reprinted as amended and  recommitted  to  said  committee  --
          again  reported from said committee with amendments, ordered reprinted
          as amended and recommitted to said committee

        AN ACT in relation to prohibiting the eviction  of  residential  tenants
          who have suffered financial hardship during the COVID-19 covered peri-
          od
 
          The  People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:
 
     1    Section 1. For the purposes of this  act,  "COVID-19  covered  period"
     2  means  March 7, 2020 until the date on which none of the provisions that
     3  closed or otherwise restricted public or private businesses or places of
     4  public accommodation, or required postponement or  cancellation  of  all
     5  non-essential  gatherings  of  individuals of any size for any reason in
     6  Executive Orders 202.3,  202.4,  202.5,  202.6,  202.7,  202.8,  202.10,
     7  202.11,  202.13  or  202.14,  as extended by Executive Orders 202.28 and
     8  202.31 and as further extended by any future Executive Order, issued  in
     9  response to the COVID-19 pandemic continue to apply in the county of the
    10  tenant's or lawful occupant's residence.
    11    § 2. Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary:
    12    1.  No  court  shall  issue  a  warrant  of  eviction  or  judgment of
    13  possession against a residential tenant or other  lawful  occupant  that
    14  has suffered a financial hardship during the COVID-19 covered period for
    15  the  non-payment of rent that accrues or becomes due during the COVID-19
    16  covered period.
    17    2. (a) A tenant or lawful occupant may raise financial hardship during
    18  the COVID-19 covered period as a defense in a summary  proceeding  under
    19  article 7 of the real property actions and proceedings law.
    20    (b)  In  determining  whether  a  tenant or lawful occupant suffered a
    21  financial hardship during the COVID-19 covered period, the  court  shall
    22  consider, among other relevant factors:

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD16113-12-0

        A. 10290--B                         2
 
     1    (i)  the  tenant's  or  lawful occupant's income prior to the COVID-19
     2  covered period;
     3    (ii)  the  tenant's  or  lawful  occupant's income during the COVID-19
     4  covered period;
     5    (iii) the tenant's or lawful occupant's liquid assets; and
     6    (iv) the tenant's or lawful occupant's eligibility for and receipt  of
     7  cash assistance, supplemental nutrition assistance program, supplemental
     8  security  income, the New York State disability program, the home energy
     9  assistance program, or unemployment insurance or benefits under state or
    10  federal law.
    11    3. This act shall not prohibit any court from awarding a judgment  for
    12  the  rent due and owing to a successful petitioner in a summary proceed-
    13  ing under article 7 of the real property actions and proceedings law.
    14    § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.
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