The New York State Senate

                    S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
________________________________________________________________________

                                 7992--A
                                                        Cal. No. 570

                       2017-2018 Regular Sessions

                          I N  A S S E M B L Y

                              May 25, 2017
                               ___________

Introduced  by  M. of A. LENTOL, CYMBROWITZ, SEPULVEDA -- (at request of
  the Department of Law) -- read once and referred to the  Committee  on
  Codes  --  ordered  to a third reading, amended and ordered reprinted,
  retaining its place on the order of third reading

AN ACT to amend the penal law, in relation to harassment of a rent regu-
  lated tenant

  THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

  Section  1.  This  act  shall be known and may be cited as the "tenant
protection act of 2018".
  § 2. The penal law is amended by adding a new section 241.02  to  read
as follows:
§ 241.02 HARASSMENT OF A RENT REGULATED TENANT IN THE SECOND DEGREE.
  AN  OWNER  IS  GUILTY  OF HARASSMENT OF A RENT REGULATED TENANT IN THE
SECOND DEGREE WHEN, WITH INTENT TO INDUCE A  RENT  REGULATED  TENANT  TO
VACATE  A  HOUSING  ACCOMMODATION, SUCH OWNER INTENTIONALLY ENGAGES IN A
COURSE OF CONDUCT THAT:
  1. IMPAIRS THE HABITABILITY OF A HOUSING ACCOMMODATION; OR
  2. CREATES OR MAINTAINS A CONDITION  WHICH  ENDANGERS  THE  SAFETY  OR
HEALTH OF THE DWELLING'S TENANT; OR
  3.  IS REASONABLY LIKELY TO INTERFERE WITH OR DISTURB, AND DOES INTER-
FERE WITH OR DISTURB, THE COMFORT, REPOSE, PEACE OR QUIET OF  SUCH  RENT
REGULATED  TENANT IN HIS OR HER USE AND OCCUPANCY OF SUCH HOUSING ACCOM-
MODATION INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE INTERRUPTION  OR  DISCONTIN-
UANCE  OF ESSENTIAL SERVICES. THE GOOD FAITH COMMENCEMENT AND PURSUIT OF
A LAWFUL EVICTION ACTION BY AN OWNER AGAINST A RENT REGULATED TENANT  IN
A  COURT  OF  COMPETENT  JURISDICTION SHALL NOT, BY ITSELF, CONSTITUTE A
"COURSE OF CONDUCT" IN VIOLATION OF THIS SUBDIVISION.
  HARASSMENT OF A RENT REGULATED TENANT IN THE SECOND DEGREE IS A  CLASS
A MISDEMEANOR.

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

                                                           LBD11494-06-8

A. 7992--A                          2

  §  3.  Section 241.05 of the penal law, as added by chapter 116 of the
laws of 1997, is amended to read as follows:
§ 241.05 Harassment of a rent regulated tenant IN THE FIRST DEGREE.
  An  owner  is  guilty  of harassment of a rent regulated tenant IN THE
FIRST DEGREE when [with]:
  1. WITH intent to [cause] INDUCE a rent regulated tenant to  vacate  a
housing accommodation, such owner:
  [1.]  (A)  With intent to cause physical injury to such tenant, causes
such injury to such tenant or to a third person; or
  [2.] (B) Recklessly causes physical injury to  such  tenant  or  to  a
third person[.]; OR
  2.  WITH INTENT TO INDUCE TWO OR MORE RENT REGULATED TENANTS OCCUPYING
DIFFERENT HOUSING ACCOMMODATIONS TO VACATE SUCH HOUSING  ACCOMMODATIONS,
SUCH  OWNER  INTENTIONALLY  ENGAGES  IN  A  SYSTEMATIC ONGOING COURSE OF
CONDUCT THAT:
  (A) IMPAIRS THE HABITABILITY OF SUCH HOUSING ACCOMMODATIONS; OR
  (B) CREATES OR MAINTAINS A CONDITION WHICH  ENDANGERS  THE  SAFETY  OR
HEALTH OF ONE OR MORE OF THE DWELLINGS' RENT REGULATED TENANTS; OR
  (C) IS REASONABLY LIKELY TO INTERFERE WITH OR DISTURB, AND DOES INTER-
FERE WITH OR DISTURB, THE COMFORT, REPOSE, PEACE OR QUIET OF ONE OR MORE
OF  SUCH RENT REGULATED TENANTS IN THEIR USE AND OCCUPANCY OF SUCH HOUS-
ING ACCOMMODATIONS INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO,  THE  INTERRUPTION  OR
DISCONTINUANCE OF ESSENTIAL SERVICES; OR
  3.  SUCH  OWNER  COMMITS  THE  CRIME OF HARASSMENT OF A RENT REGULATED
TENANT IN THE SECOND DEGREE AS DEFINED IN SECTION 241.02 OF THIS ARTICLE
AND HAS PREVIOUSLY BEEN CONVICTED WITHIN THE  PRECEDING  FIVE  YEARS  OF
SUCH  CRIME OR THE CRIME OF HARASSMENT OF A RENT REGULATED TENANT IN THE
FIRST DEGREE.
  THE GOOD FAITH COMMENCEMENT AND PURSUIT OF A LAWFUL EVICTION ACTION BY
AN OWNER AGAINST A RENT REGULATED TENANT IN A COURT OF COMPETENT  JURIS-
DICTION SHALL NOT, BY ITSELF, CONSTITUTE A "SYSTEMATIC ONGOING COURSE OF
CONDUCT"  IN  VIOLATION  OF  PARAGRAPH  (C)  OF  SUBDIVISION TWO OF THIS
SECTION.
  Harassment of a rent regulated tenant IN THE FIRST DEGREE is a class E
felony.
  § 4. Subdivision 1 of section 241.00 of the penal  law,  as  added  by
chapter 116 of the laws of 1997, is amended to read as follows:
  1.  "Rent  regulated  tenant"  shall mean a person occupying a housing
accommodation OR ANY LAWFUL SUCCESSOR TO THE TENANCY which is subject to
the regulations and control of residential rents and evictions  pursuant
to  the  emergency housing rent control law, the local emergency housing
rent control act, the emergency tenant protection act of nineteen seven-
ty-four, the New York city rent and rehabilitation law or the  New  York
city  rent  stabilization  law  of nineteen hundred sixty-nine, and such
person is either a party to a lease or rental agreement for such housing
accommodation, a statutory tenant or a person who lawfully occupies such
housing accommodation with such party to a lease or rental agreement  or
with  such  statutory tenant.  The definition of "rent regulated tenant"
as used in this subdivision shall be applicable only to  the  provisions
of  this  article  and shall not be applicable to any other provision of
law.
  § 5. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after
it shall have become a law; provided, however, that  the  amendments  to
article  241  of  the  penal law made by sections two, three and four of
this act shall not affect the repeal of such article and shall be deemed
repealed therewith.