What's happening
This bill provides tax credits, insurance premium reductions, and state housing program support for removing or protecting against fire hazards known as cock lofts in residential structures.
Why it matters
Promotes proactive fire safety upgrades. by providing a direct financial incentive (tax credit) for homeowners to remove or address cock lofts, which are known to increase the risk and spread of fires in residential buildings.
Makes fire prevention measures more affordable and attractive. not only do homeowners get a tax break, but they may also pay less for fire and homeowners insurance if they install approved smoke detectors in cock loft areas.
Expands access to state-supported housing upgrades. by requiring state and affiliated housing programs to cover the repair or removal of cock lofts as a qualifying expense, potentially benefiting lower-income or subsidized housing residents who may not otherwise afford these improvements.
Albany, before your first meeting.
Every bill that moved yesterday, summarized in a sentence and ranked by impact. The Albany Scorecard follows on Sundays.
Free. Unsubscribe in one click. Want alerts on specific bills? Create an account.
Who cares
Headline styles
Prevent Home Fire Hazards
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
No co-sponsors yet.
History
- Vetoed memo.308
- Delivered to governor
- Returned to senate
- Passed assembly
- Ordered to third reading rules cal.271
- Substituted for A1878B
- Referred to ways and means
- Returned to assembly
- Repassed senate
- Amended on third reading 3065b
- Vote reconsidered - restored to third reading
- Returned to senate
Show 19 earlier actions
- Recalled from assembly
- Referred to ways and means
- Delivered to assembly
- Passed senateVote 61–0
- Ordered to third reading cal.1637
- Committee discharged and committed to rules
- Reported and committed to finance
- Notice of committee consideration - requested
- Print number 2065a
- Amend (t) and recommit to investigations and government operations
- Referred to investigations and government operations
- Returned to senate
- Died in assembly
- Referred to ways and means
- Delivered to assembly
- Passed senateVote 63–0
- Ordered to third reading cal.1623
- Committee discharged and committed to rules
- Referred to investigations and government operations
Companion bill
The same bill in the other chamber. A bill becomes law when one version passes both houses and the governor signs it, so either number can carry it.
Incentivize Home Fire Prevention
Assembly Floor Calendar · Sponsor Joseph Lentol
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
3065--B Cal. No. 1637
2017-2018 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
January 19, 2017
Introduced by Sen. ADDABBO -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Investigations and Government Operations -- recommitted to the Committee on Investigations and Government Operations in accordance with Senate… Show allHide
Introduced by Sen. ADDABBO -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Investigations and Government Operations -- recommitted to the Committee on Investigations and Government Operations in accordance with Senate Rule 6, sec. 8 -committee discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee -- reported favorably from said committee and committed to the Committee on Finance -- committee discharged and said bill committed to the Committee on Rules -- reported favorably from said committee, ordered to a third reading, passed by Senate and delivered to the Assembly, recalled, vote reconsidered, restored to third reading, amended and ordered reprinted, retaining its place in the order of third reading
AN ACT to amend the tax law, the insurance law and the executive law, in relation to enacting the residential structure fire prevention act of
2018
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. This act shall be known and may be cited as the "residential structure fire prevention act of 2018".
§ 2. Section 606 of the tax law is amended by adding a new subsection (jjj) to read as follows:
(jjj) Credit for removing certain fire hazards. (1) Any resident owner of real property as defined in section one hundred two of the real property tax law shall be allowed a credit against the tax otherwise imposed under this article in an amount equal to twenty-five percent of the cost of removing fire hazards commonly known as cock lofts, provided that such credit shall not exceed five thousand dollars. For purposes of this section the term "cock loft" shall mean a completely enclosed space between rafters and a suspended ceiling.
(2) If the amount of the credit allowed under this subsection for any taxable year shall exceed the taxpayer's tax for such year, the excess
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD03403-05-8
S. 3065--B 2
shall be treated as an overpayment of tax to be credited or refunded in accordance with the provisions of section six hundred eighty-six of this article, provided, however, that no interest shall be paid thereon.
§ 3. Section 2346 of the insurance law is amended by adding a new subsection 6 to read as follows:
6. The superintendent shall provide for an actuarially appropriate reduction in the rates of fire insurance premiums or the fire insurance component of homeowners insurance premiums applicable to residential real property equipped with smoke detecting alarm devices in cock lofts. The superintendent shall by regulation establish standards for smoke detecting alarm devices in cock lofts, including the safe and secure installation thereof. For the purposes of this subsection, "cock loft" shall mean a completely enclosed space between rafters and a suspended ceiling.
§ 4. The executive law is amended by adding a new section 170-c to read as follows:
§ 170-c. Repair of certain fire hazards. Any state agency or authority, including but not limited to the New York state energy research and development authority, division of housing and community renewal and state of New York mortgage agency, that provides a housing program shall include the repair of cock lofts for the purpose of fire prevention and safety as a qualifying expenditure under any such program. For the purposes of this section, "cock loft" shall mean a completely enclosed space between rafters and a suspended ceiling.
§ 5. This act shall take effect immediately and shall apply to taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2019.
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the tax law, the insurance law and the executive law, in relation to enacting the residential structure fire prevention act of 2018
Purpose or general idea of bill
Provides a tax credit to homeowners who repair cock loft fire hazards in their homes.
Summary of specific provisions
-Section 606 of the Tax Law is amended by adding a new subsection (jjj) to provide for a 25% tax credit, up to a maximum of $5000, for repairing fire hazards commonly known as cocklofts, which are defined as a completely enclosed space between the rafters and a suspended ceiling.
-Section 2346 of the Insurance Law is amended by adding a new section 6 to appropriate the reduction in the rates of fire insurance premiums when there is a smoke alarm in the cock loft.
-The Executive Law is amended by adding a new section 170-c to allow the repair of cocklofts for the purpose of fire prevention and safety to be a qualifying expenditure under state funding programs At NYSERDA NYS Homes and Community Renewal and NYSHCR and SONYMA
Justification
This legislation is introduced as a result of major fires that have taken place in Queens and Brooklyn. In these cases, the fire began as a single family home fire which quickly spread down the entire block of homes because of the existence of cock lofts which connected these hous- es. Homes on the block were quickly consumed by the fire. If the cock lofts were closed off, the devastation these fires caused would probably not have been so great.
Row houses are no longer designed and built with cock lofts because of the fire hazard. Closing, off these, already in existence, passage-ways is not considered by homeowners because there is no inducement to do so. This legislation will give homeowners the tax incentive they may need to correct this building flaw, which may one day prove useful in avoiding another catastrophe.
Prior legislative history
2013: S.5944-Referred to Senate Rules Committee. 2014: S.5944-B-Passed Senate. 2015-16: A.669-A
Fiscal implications
To Be Determined.
Effective date
This act shall take effect immediately and shall apply to taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2019.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.