S 1838: Authorizes municipalities to establish an emergency repair pilot program; enables municipalities to repair immediately hazardous code violations in buildings where the owner has not undertaken such repairs in a reasonable time.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 1838 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN SENATE January 14, 2025 ___________ Introduced by Sens. SKOUFIS, HINCHEY -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Finance AN ACT to amend the general municipal law, in relation to authorizing certain municipalities to establish an emergency repair pilot program; and providing for the repeal of such provisions upon expiration there- of The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. The general municipal law is amended by adding a new 2 section 99-aa to read as follows: 3 § 99-aa. Emergency repair pilot program. Subject to appropriation, 4 the secretary of state, with assistance from the division of housing and 5 community renewal, shall establish a pilot program with participating 6 municipalities for an emergency repair program. The secretary of state 7 shall only allow municipalities designated as a city to participate in 8 such pilot program. The emergency repair program shall require a munici- 9 pality that has elected to participate in the program to enact a local 10 law to enable the municipality to repair immediately hazardous code 11 violations in buildings where the owner has not undertaken such repairs 12 in a reasonable time. The municipality shall bill the owner for such 13 repair costs. The department of state, in conjunction with the division 14 of housing and community renewal, shall, as appropriation permits, 15 provide technical assistance to participating municipalities to ensure 16 successful implementation of the local law required pursuant to the 17 pilot program. Additionally, the secretary of state, with assistance 18 from the division of housing and community renewal, shall prepare a 19 model local law that municipalities may adopt to satisfy the local law 20 requirement of the pilot program. Such local law shall be published on 21 the websites of the department of state and the division of housing and 22 community renewal. Furthermore, the secretary of state, in conjunction 23 with the division of housing and community renewal, shall file a report EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD04769-01-5 
 S. 1838 2 1 annually to evaluate the effectiveness of the emergency repair pilot 2 program with the legislature and the governor. Such report shall include 3 recommendations as to whether the program shall be continued or modified 4 in any way and the reasons therefor. Nothing in this section shall be 5 applied to a residential dwelling that is owner-occupied or is the 6 primary residence of a homeowner. The secretary of state shall promul- 7 gate rules and regulations to implement the provisions of this section. 8 § 2. This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall 9 have become a law and shall expire and be deemed repealed May 1, 2029.