State Senate OKs Skoufis bills to strengthen code enforcement

Originally published in Daily Freeman

KINGSTON, N.Y. — A package of bills aiming to strengthen housing code enforcement, pushed by a Mid-Hudson Valley lawmaker, has won Senate approval.

State Sen. James Skoufis, D-Cornwall, who spearheaded passage of the dozen or so bills, said they received Senate approval after his six-month investigation into code enforcement issues across the state. Skoufis represents the 39th Senate District.

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“The new legislation focuses on improving safety and creating effective oversight by addressing specific code enforcement failures outlined in the investigation,” Skoufis’ office said in a press release.

Skoufis said his investigation took a comprehensive look at the full cycle of the code enforcement process, as well as a close examination of four municipalities: the city of Newburgh, town of Ramapo, city of Mount Vernon, and city of Albany.