S T A T E O F N E W Y O R K
________________________________________________________________________
824--A
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
I N A S S E M B L Y
(PREFILED)
January 8, 2025
___________
Introduced by M. of A. KIM, LEVENBERG, DILAN, DeSTEFANO, REYES, LEE --
Multi-Sponsored by -- M. of A. DAVILA -- read once and referred to the
Committee on Aging -- recommitted to the Committee on Aging in accord-
ance with Assembly Rule 3, sec. 2 -- committee discharged, bill
amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said commit-
tee
AN ACT to amend the real property tax law, in relation to providing
language access services to individuals relating to certain tax abate-
ment programs for senior citizens or persons with disabilities
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
Section 1. Subdivision 3 of section 467-b of the real property tax law
is amended by adding a new paragraph j to read as follows:
J. THE ENTITY RESPONSIBLE FOR THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE TAX ABATEMENT
PROGRAM SHALL DEVELOP AND IMPLEMENT A PLAN TO ENSURE ADEQUATE ACCESS TO
INFORMATION BY INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE LIMITED ENGLISH PROFICIENCY OR
OTHERWISE REQUIRE COMMUNICATION ASSISTANCE. SUCH ENTITY SHALL:
(1) TRANSLATE NECESSARY DOCUMENTS, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO, FORMS
AND INSTRUCTIONS PROVIDED TO OR COMPLETED BY THE PROGRAM BENEFICIARIES
OR PARTICIPANTS, INTO THE SIX MOST COMMON NON-ENGLISH LANGUAGES SPOKEN
BY INDIVIDUALS WITH LIMITED ENGLISH PROFICIENCY IN THE MUNICIPALITY THAT
OFFERS THIS PROGRAM PURSUANT TO SUBDIVISION TWO OF THIS SECTION;
(2) OFFER, UPON REQUEST, INTERPRETATION SERVICES BETWEEN THE ENTITY
ADMINISTERING THE PROGRAM AND AN INDIVIDUAL IN THE INDIVIDUAL'S PRIMARY
LANGUAGE WITH RESPECT TO THE PROVISION OF SERVICES OR BENEFITS; AND
(3) OFFER, UPON REQUEST OR DEMONSTRATED NEED, SERVICES TO AN INDIVID-
UAL WHO REQUIRES ADDITIONAL ASSISTANCE DUE TO PARTIAL OR TOTAL DEAFNESS,
BLINDNESS, SPEECH IMPEDIMENT, OR COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT.
EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD01863-03-6
A. 824--A 2
§ 2. Subdivision 5 of section 467 of the real property tax law, as
amended by section 4 of part K of chapter 59 of the laws of 2023, is
amended to read as follows:
5. (A) Application for such exemption must be made by the owner, or
all of the owners of the property, on forms prescribed by the commis-
sioner to be furnished by the appropriate assessing authority and shall
furnish the information and be executed in the manner required or
prescribed in such forms, and shall be filed in such assessor's office
on or before the appropriate taxable status date. Notwithstanding any
other provision of law, at the option of the municipal corporation, any
person otherwise qualifying under this section shall not be denied the
exemption under this section if such person becomes sixty-five years of
age after the appropriate taxable status date and on or before December
thirty-first of the same year.
(B) THE ASSESSING AUTHORITY RESPONSIBLE FOR THE ADMINISTRATION OF SUCH
TAX EXEMPTION SHALL DEVELOP AND IMPLEMENT A PLAN TO ENSURE ADEQUATE
ACCESS TO INFORMATION BY INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE LIMITED ENGLISH PROFICIEN-
CY OR OTHERWISE REQUIRE COMMUNICATION ASSISTANCE. SUCH AUTHORITY SHALL:
(1) TRANSLATE NECESSARY DOCUMENTS, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO, FORMS
AND INSTRUCTIONS PROVIDED TO OR COMPLETED BY PARTICIPANTS, INTO THE SIX
MOST COMMON NON-ENGLISH LANGUAGES SPOKEN BY INDIVIDUALS WITH LIMITED
ENGLISH PROFICIENCY IN THE AUTHORITY THAT OFFERS THIS PROGRAM;
(2) OFFER, UPON REQUEST, INTERPRETATION SERVICES BETWEEN THE AUTHORITY
AND AN INDIVIDUAL IN THE INDIVIDUAL'S PRIMARY LANGUAGE WITH RESPECT TO
THE PROVISION OF SERVICES OR BENEFITS; AND
(3) OFFER, UPON REQUEST OR DEMONSTRATED NEED, SERVICES TO AN INDIVID-
UAL WHO REQUIRES ADDITIONAL ASSISTANCE DUE TO PARTIAL OR TOTAL DEAFNESS,
BLINDNESS, SPEECH IMPEDIMENT, OR COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT.
§ 3. Subdivision 7 of section 459-c of the real property tax law, as
amended by section 2 of part B of chapter 686 of the laws of 2022, is
amended to read as follows:
7. (A) Application for such exemption must be made annually by the
owner, or all of the owners of the property, on forms prescribed by the
commissioner, and shall be filed in such assessor's office on or before
the appropriate taxable status date; provided, however, proof of a
permanent disability need be submitted only in the year exemption pursu-
ant to this section is first sought or the disability is first deter-
mined to be permanent.
(B) THE ASSESSING AUTHORITY RESPONSIBLE FOR THE ADMINISTRATION OF SUCH
TAX EXEMPTION SHALL DEVELOP AND IMPLEMENT A PLAN TO ENSURE ADEQUATE
ACCESS TO INFORMATION BY INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE LIMITED ENGLISH PROFICIEN-
CY OR OTHERWISE REQUIRE COMMUNICATION ASSISTANCE. SUCH AUTHORITY SHALL:
(1) TRANSLATE NECESSARY DOCUMENTS, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO, FORMS
AND INSTRUCTIONS PROVIDED TO OR COMPLETED BY PARTICIPANTS, INTO THE SIX
MOST COMMON NON-ENGLISH LANGUAGES SPOKEN BY INDIVIDUALS WITH LIMITED
ENGLISH PROFICIENCY IN THE AUTHORITY THAT OFFERS THIS PROGRAM;
(2) OFFER, UPON REQUEST, INTERPRETATION SERVICES BETWEEN THE AUTHORITY
AND AN INDIVIDUAL IN THE INDIVIDUAL'S PRIMARY LANGUAGE WITH RESPECT TO
THE PROVISION OF SERVICES OR BENEFITS; AND
(3) OFFER, UPON REQUEST OR DEMONSTRATED NEED, SERVICES TO AN INDIVID-
UAL WHO REQUIRES ADDITIONAL ASSISTANCE DUE TO PARTIAL OR TOTAL DEAFNESS,
BLINDNESS, SPEECH IMPEDIMENT, OR COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT.
§ 4. This act shall take effect immediately.