S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   6845
 
                        2021-2022 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                               May 19, 2021
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by Sen. KAVANAGH -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on Social Services
 
 AN ACT to amend the social services law, in  relation  to  removing  the
   requirement that rent arrears be repaid
 
   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. Section 131-w of the social services law, as added by chap-
 ter 41 of the laws of 1992, is amended to read as follows:
   § 131-w. Limitations in the payment of rent arrears. [Districts] LOCAL
 SOCIAL SERVICES DISTRICTS shall  not  provide  assistance  to  pay  rent
 arrears, property taxes or mortgage arrears for persons not eligible for
 home  relief,  aid  to dependent children, emergency assistance to needy
 families with children or emergency assistance for aged, blind and disa-
 bled persons, except to persons who  are  without  income  or  resources
 immediately  available to meet the emergency need, whose gross household
 income does not exceed one hundred twenty-five percent  of  the  federal
 income official poverty line and who sign a repayment agreement agreeing
 to  repay  the assistance in a period not to exceed twelve months.  [The
 districts shall enforce the repayment agreements  by  any  legal  method
 available  to  a  creditor, in addition to any rights it has pursuant to
 this chapter.] LOCAL SOCIAL  SERVICES  DISTRICTS  SHALL  NOT  REQUIRE  A
 RECIPIENT  TO REPAY ASSISTANCE PROVIDED TO PAY RENT ARREARS. The depart-
 ment shall promulgate regulations to implement this section which shall,
 among  other  things, [establish standards for the contents of repayment
 agreements  and]  establish  standards  to  ensure  that  assistance  is
 provided only in emergency circumstances.
   §  2.  This  act  shall take effect immediately and shall be deemed in
 effect on and after March 13, 2020 and shall  apply  to  any  assistance
 provided to pay rent arrears on and after such date.
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD10379-03-1