Relates to tenant representative on city of New York housing authority

BILL NUMBER:S8350

Title of bill

An act to amend the public housing law, in relation to tenant representatives on the New York city housing authority

Purpose or general idea of bill

This bill would increase the membership of NYCHA to include a tenant representative.

Summary of specific provisions

This bill would amend subdivisions 3 and 4 of section 402 of the public housing law, as amended by Chapter 916 of the laws of 1958.

Justification

This bill would increase the participation of a public housing tenant in the decision making process of public housing complexes. At the present time, tenants of public housing have limited input into the operation of their housing complexes. They are restricted to an "advisory" role and therefore are removed from any substantive input into the problems and programs for their complexes. By providing a public housing tenants representation on the authority they will play a greater role in the operation of their complexes. There will be a corresponding identification with the problems they are confronting and policies enacted to resolve such problems. By providing such direct representation, the tenant representative will act as a voice of public housing complexes which will in turn shift the accountability not only onto those who will run public housing but to the tenant representatives who has the direct link to the Housing Authority that they have never had.

The bill provides that one tenant representative may be appointed by the Mayor of New York City. The representative must be eighteen years of age or older, be a resident of public housing, and shall serve a term of three years. The representative shall receive a monthly stipend of $250. The person shall serve at the Mayors pleasure. If the seat is vacant the Mayor has thirty days to replace the representative.

Prior legislative history

A4230-b in the 1995/96 Session A1033-a in the 1997/98 Session A1874-a in the 1999/00 Session A1443-a in the 2001/02 Session A2130-a in the 2005/06 Session A4721 in the 2007/08 Session

Fiscal implications

The newly elected tenant representative shall receive a monthly stipend of $250. The cost to the City of New York will be $3,000 per year - ($250 x 12 months) x 1 representative.

Effective date

This act shall take effect on the same date and in the same manner as a chapter of the laws of 2010, amending the public housing law relating to modifying the composition of the membership of the New York city housing authority to specifically include tenant representatives, as proposed in legislative bills numbers S.1104 and A.4687, takes effect.