Prohibits landlords or their agents from inquiring or requiring disclosure about citizenship or immigration status, requiring specific immigration documentation to be presented, disclosing immigration or citizenship status to third parties, or threatening to report a tenant's citizenship or immigration status in retaliation for asserting their rights.
S T A T E O F N E W Y O R K
________________________________________________________________________
11176
I N A S S E M B L Y
May 1, 2026
___________
Introduced by M. of A. ROMERO -- read once and referred to the Committee
on Governmental Operations
AN ACT to amend the executive law, in relation to unlawful discriminato-
ry practices against tenants relating to citizenship or immigration
status
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
Section 1. Paragraph (a) of subdivision 5 of section 296 of the execu-
tive law is amended by adding a new subparagraph 5 to read as follows:
(5) (I) TO INQUIRE ABOUT OR REQUIRE DISCLOSURE OF CITIZENSHIP OR IMMI-
GRATION STATUS;
(II) TO REQUIRE SPECIFIC IMMIGRATION DOCUMENTATION, INCLUDING BUT NOT
LIMITED TO A GREEN CARD OR SIMILAR DOCUMENTATION, AS THE SOLE ACCEPTABLE
FORM OF IDENTIFICATION;
(III) TO DISCLOSE A TENANT'S IMMIGRATION OR CITIZENSHIP STATUS TO
THIRD PARTIES, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO FEDERAL AUTHORITIES, EXCEPT
WHEN REQUIRED BY COURT ORDER; OR
(IV) TO REPORT OR THREATEN TO REPORT A TENANT'S CITIZENSHIP OR IMMI-
GRATION STATUS TO IMMIGRATION AUTHORITIES IN RETALIATION FOR ASSERTING
RIGHTS UNDER THIS CHAPTER OR ANY OTHER PROVISION OF LAW.
§ 2. Subdivision 5 of section 296 of the executive law is amended by
adding a new paragraph (i) to read as follows:
(I) THE PROVISIONS OF SUBPARAGRAPH FIVE OF PARAGRAPH (A) OF THIS
SUBDIVISION SHALL NOT BE CONSTRUED TO PROHIBIT AN OWNER, LESSEE, SUB-
LESSEE, ASSIGNEE, OR MANAGING AGENT OF, OR OTHER PERSON HAVING THE RIGHT
TO SELL, RENT OR LEASE A HOUSING ACCOMMODATION, CONSTRUCTED OR TO BE
CONSTRUCTED, OR ANY AGENT OR EMPLOYEE THEREOF, FROM:
(1) VERIFYING THE IDENTITY OF A POTENTIAL TENANT OR CONDUCTING OTHER
STANDARD TENANT SCREENING PRACTICES THAT ARE OTHERWISE LAWFUL; PROVIDED,
HOWEVER, THAT SUCH IDENTITY VERIFICATION OR OTHER STANDARD TENANT
SCREENING PRACTICE SHALL NOT IMPOSE HEIGHTENED REQUIREMENTS BASED ON
CITIZENSHIP OR IMMIGRATION STATUS; OR
EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD14712-01-6
A. 11176 2
Open Legislation is a forum for New York State legislation. All comments are subject to review and community moderation is encouraged.
Comments deemed off-topic, commercial, campaign-related, self-promotional; or that contain profanity, hate or toxic speech; or that link to sites outside of the nysenate.gov domain are not permitted, and will not be published. Attempts to intimidate and silence contributors or deliberately deceive the public, including excessive or extraneous posting/posts, or coordinated activity, are prohibited and may result in the temporary or permanent banning of the user. Comment moderation is generally performed Monday through Friday. By contributing or voting you agree to the Terms of Participation and verify you are over 13.
Create an account. An account allows you to sign petitions with a single click, officially support or oppose key legislation, and follow issues, committees, and bills that matter to you. When you create an account, you agree to this platform's terms of participation.