* § 612. Monthly assistance payment. 1. The amount of the monthly
assistance payment with respect to any dwelling unit shall be the
difference between the maximum monthly rent which the contract provides
that the owner is to receive for the unit and the rent the individual or
family is required to pay under section six hundred eleven of this
article.

2. The commissioner shall establish maximum rent levels for different
sized rentals in each rental area in a manner that promotes the use of
the pilot program in all localities based on the fair market rent of the
rental area. Rental areas shall be determined by the commissioner. The
commissioner may rely on data or other information promulgated by any
other state or federal agency in determining the rental areas and fair
market rent.

3. The payment standard for each size of dwelling unit in a rental
area shall not be less than ninety percent and shall not exceed one
hundred twenty percent of the fair market rent as defined in section six
hundred five of this article for the same size of dwelling unit in the
same rental area, except that the commissioner shall not be required as
a result of a reduction in the fair market rent to reduce the payment
standard applied to a family continuing to reside in a unit for which
the family was receiving assistance under this article at the time the
fair market rent was reduced.

* NB Expires May 1, 2030