Prohibits certain persons from membership on county rent guidelines boards

1 Co-sponsor

• Ruben Diaz

Title of bill

An act to amend the emergency tenant protection act of nineteen seventy-four, in relation to additional qualifications for members of local rent guidelines boards

Summary of provisions

This bill eliminates the present statutory prohibition against owners or managers of covered real estate or officers of owner organizations from serving as the two designated owner representatives on a county guidelines board. Likewise, the bill eliminates the restriction of officers of tenant organizations from serving as the two tenant representatives. These prohibitions would be continued with respect to the five public members on each board.

Justification

Owners and tenants have had difficulty in securing bona fide representatives to serve on the guidelines board. This is primarily due to the restrictions contained in current law. While the majority of public members on each board must be kept free of conflicts of interest, this is not the case with those members specifically appointed to represent the points of view of owners and tenants. These interest groups should have wider latitude in securing representation on the boards. This ought to result in a perception that the boards are constituted in a manner that is fair to all concerned.

Fiscal implications

None.

Effective date

This act shall take effect immediately and shall apply to public members of rent guidelines boards appointed prior to, or after the effective date of this act and members of this act or rent guidelines boards other than public members appointed after the effective date of this act; provided that the amendment to section 4 of the emergency tenant protection act of nineteen seventy-four made by section one of this act shall expire on the same date as such act expires and shall not affect the expiration of such act as provided in section 17 of chapter 576 of the laws of 1974, as amended.