A 8208: Requires persons with housing vouchers be informed of their rights and provided with a bill of such rights.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 8208 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN ASSEMBLY May 5, 2025 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. RAGA -- read once and referred to the Committee on Housing AN ACT to amend the public housing law and the executive law, in relation to requiring persons with housing vouchers be informed of their rights and provided with a bill of such rights The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Paragraphs (e) and (f) of subdivision 3 of section 600 of 2 the public housing law, as added by chapter 690 of the laws of 2021, are 3 amended and a new paragraph (g) is added to read as follows: 4 (e) provide the public reasonable and regular opportunities to comment 5 on fair housing issues and participate in the development and advance- 6 ment of affirmative fair housing policy; [and] 7 (f) encourage and maintain compliance with article fifteen of the 8 executive law and any other applicable anti-discrimination or fair hous- 9 ing law[.]; and 10 (g) inform persons with housing vouchers from a covered housing agency 11 of their rights relating to such vouchers. 12 § 2. Section 170-e of the executive law, as added by chapter 243 of 13 the laws of 2021, is amended to read as follows: 14 § 170-e. Disclosure of lawful source of income rights to prospective 15 and current tenants. 1. The division of human rights shall promulgate 16 regulations requiring any state, county, municipal or other governmental 17 entity, including but not limited to the division of housing and commu- 18 nity renewal, or any agency or instrumentality of such an entity, and 19 any public or private non-profit entity authorized to administer any 20 public housing program or assistance, including, but not limited to, the 21 section eight housing choice voucher program, or any other form of hous- 22 ing assistance, payment, subsidy or credit, regardless of whether or not 23 such assistance, payment, subsidy or credit is paid or attributed 24 directly to a landlord, to ensure that individuals who have applied for EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD10446-01-5 
 A. 8208 2 1 and are eligible to receive such assistance, payment, subsidy or credit 2 are [informed] provided a bill of rights, in writing, [of] detailing 3 their rights and remedies available under law, with regard to lawful 4 source of income discrimination pursuant to this section. 5 2. Such bill of rights shall: 6 (a) be made available on the website of the division of human rights 7 and any state, county, municipal or other governmental entity, including 8 but not limited to the division of housing and community renewal, or any 9 agency or instrumentality of such an entity, and any public or private 10 non-profit entity authorized to administer any public housing program or 11 assistance. 12 (b) be provided to prospective and current tenants and made available 13 under paragraph (a) of this subdivision in English, as well as in the 14 eleven languages other than English most frequently spoken in the state 15 according to the latest available data from the United States Census 16 Bureau. 17 § 3. This act shall take effect on the first of January next succeed- 18 ing the date on which it shall have become a law. Effective immediately, 19 the addition, amendment and/or repeal of any rule or regulation neces- 20 sary for the implementation of this act on its effective date are 21 authorized to be made and completed on or before such effective date.