NYSAR’s End of State Legislative Session Wrap up

The State Legislature was scheduled to conclude business over the weekend after extending the legislative session past its June 8 deadline. Lawmakers passed hundreds of bills over the last two weeks with the Senate concluding its work in the early hours of Saturday morning, June 10. The Assembly, however, still has outstanding legislation it would like to pass and is expected to reconvene in a special session later this month. The Senate has not released any plans to come back to Albany.

An eleventh-hour push to revive a stalled housing package with additional tenant protections, including “good cause” eviction, failed to advance as the State Legislature was unable to negotiate an agreement with Governor Hochul on a final bill. It is unclear whether major housing policy discussions will take place during a special session of the legislature.

The following is a summary of notable legislation that passed both houses during the final days of the legislative session, as well as bills that could possibly still be taken up later this month during the pending special session.

Notable bills passed by both houses (pending Governor’s approval/veto):

• S.5400/A.1967 – Eliminates the option for sellers of real property to provide a $500 credit to buyers in lieu of completing a property condition disclosure statement (PCDS) and adds new questions relating to a property’s flood history and flood insurance on the PCDS. – NYSAR opposed.
• S.4617/A.4456 – Increases the maximum fine from $11,000 to $20,000 which violators of the “Do-Not Call Registry” could be subject to.
• S.7551-A/A.1029-C – (“Clean Slate”) Requires the automatic sealing of criminal records pertaining to certain crimes.
• S.7564/A.7760 – Makes changes to the existing public campaign finance system, including providing public campaign matching funds for larger contributions over the previous $250 limit.
• S.3505-B/A.4282-B – Requires certain town and county elections, outside of NYC, to be moved to even-numbered years.

Notable bills that have not been passed by both houses:

• S.305/A.4454 – Would enact “good cause” eviction. (Did not pass either house) – NYSAR opposes.
• S.2783/A.4781 – Would prohibit landlords from collecting broker fees from tenants (Did not pass either house) – NYSAR opposes.
• S.412/A.6680 – Would permit telemarketing calls during certain states of emergency. (Passed Assembly only) – NYSAR supports.
• S.2919/A.5459 – Would impose a fine on licensed and certified real estate appraisers who violate fair housing laws and allocate a portion of such fine to the anti-discrimination in housing fund. (Passed Senate only) – NYSAR supports.
• S.885/-B/A.4130-A – Would create a statewide registration system for short term rentals. (Passed Senate only). – NYSAR is neutral.
• S.4712-B/A.4606-B – Would authorize the town of Orangetown (Rockland County) to establish a community preservation fund and impose an additional real estate transfer tax. (Passed Senate only) – NYSAR opposes.
• S.4751/A.5211 – Would authorize the town of Chester (Orange County) to establish a community preservation fund and impose an additional real estate transfer tax. (Passed Senate only) – NYSAR opposes.
• S.2353/A.4820 – Would require property owners to conduct lead paint tests and provide reports prior to selling or leasing the property. (Passed Assembly only) – NYSAR has no position.
• S.7549-A/A.7763 – Would place a 1-year moratorium on “in rem” foreclosure proceedings. (Passed Senate only). – NYSAR has no position.