Albany, NY – Today, Assemblymember Grace Lee celebrated the passage of bill (A9570C) to extend critical property tax exemptions to clergy members living in cooperative (co-op) housing and close a long-standing loophole in the state tax code.

Currently, New York State tax law provides a $1,500 property tax exemption for eligible faith leaders who own traditional real estate, like single-family homes or condominiums. However, those residing in co-ops have been excluded from this exemption due to a legal technicality. This outdated gap has left many local clergy members—who face the same rising costs of living as their neighbors—without access to the property tax relief that other clergy members have.

After Lower Manhattan faith leaders Rabbi Ginzberg, Rabbi Spiegel, and Rabbi Stone brought this inequity to Assemblymember Lee’s attention, she immediately championed the legislation to modernize the state tax code and authorize New York City to extend this tax exemption to clergy members living in co-ops. Under her leadership, the bill passed the Assembly unanimously, while Senator Brian Kavanagh, the bill’s lead sponsor in the state Senate, passed the bill in the Senate with overwhelming bipartisan support.

“Our government works best when we listen to the community and act quickly to fix real problems,” said Assemblymember Grace Lee. “The passage of this bill is a direct result of Rabbis Ginzberg, Spiegel, and Stone bringing an issue to our attention, so that we could act quickly and make a change in our laws. I am proud to have championed this expansion of the clergy property tax exemption alongside Senator Kavanagh to bring fairness to our tax code and relief to our clergy members.”

"Co-op housing is home to so many New Yorkers, including some of our faith leaders who dedicate their lives to serving our communities. There was no good reason for clergy members in co-ops to be left out of a tax exemption available to other clergy, and I'm glad we were able to work with Assemblymember Grace Lee to close this gap, bring fairness to our tax code, and support our community,” said Senator Brian Kavanagh, Chair of the Senate Housing Committee and prime sponsor of S8527B.

“This victory is a testament to Assemblymember Grace Lee’s deep commitment and enduring partnership with the Jewish community and the clergy,” said Rabbi Ginzberg. “Assemblymember Lee has consistently proven that she is a champion for our neighborhoods, always keeping her door open to our concerns. We are deeply thankful for her partnership and her work for our community.”

“When we brought this issue to Assemblymember Grace Lee, she didn’t just listen—she immediately went to work to correct it,” said Rabbi Spiegel. “We are incredibly grateful for Assemblymember Lee’s swift advocacy and decisive leadership in pushing this bill through the Assembly. She saw an unfairness in our tax system and acted quickly to ensure that faith leaders in co-ops got the same exemption as all other clergy.”

The bill now heads to the Governor’s desk. If signed into law, the exemption will take immediate effect, delivering tangible financial relief to faith leaders in time for the April 2027 tax filings.