S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                  1504--A
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                             January 10, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  M.  of A. ROSENTHAL, DAVILA -- read once and referred to
   the  Committee  on  Social  Services  --  committee  discharged,  bill
   amended,  ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said commit-
   tee
 
 AN ACT to amend the social services law, in  relation  to  removing  the
   requirement  that rent arrears be repaid for social services districts
   located in a municipality with a population of five million or more
 
   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, FOR SOCIAL SERVICES DISTRICTS  LOCATED
 IN  A MUNICIPALITY WITH A POPULATION OF LESS THAN FIVE MILLION, 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 LOCATED IN A MUNICIPALITY WITH A POPULATION OF FIVE MILLION OR
 MORE SHALL NOT REQUIRE A RECIPIENT  TO REPAY ASSISTANCE PROVIDED TO  PAY
 RENT  ARREARS.  The department shall promulgate regulations to implement
 this section which shall, among other things,  establish  standards  for
 the  contents  of  repayment  agreements  FOR APPLICABLE SOCIAL SERVICES
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD04179-05-5
 A. 1504--A                          2
              
             
                          
                 
 DISTRICTS 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.