What's happening
This bill authorizes the New York City Council to oversee and require reports from the New York City Housing Authority, including regular hearings and reviews of its activities.
Why it matters
Increases transparency and accountability. By empowering the City Council to require specific reports and hold regular hearings on NYCHA’s operations, the bill creates new mechanisms for public oversight of how public housing is managed.
Addresses recurring issues in public housing. Regular reviews and mandated reports could help identify persistent problems—like maintenance delays, health hazards, or financial mismanagement—so they can be addressed more proactively.
Aligns NYCHA oversight with other city agencies. The legislation puts NYCHA under the same level of scrutiny as other city agencies, which may help ensure that public housing receives sustained attention and resources from city lawmakers.
Potentially improves resident outcomes. Increased oversight may lead to improved living conditions and services for NYCHA residents by making the authority more responsive to both council directives and public concerns.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Give City Council NYCHA Oversight
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
1 Co-sponsor
History
- Referred to housing
- Referred to housing
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.
Let Council Oversee NYCHA
In Senate Committee · Housing, Construction And Community Development · Sponsor Leroy Comrie
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
2319
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
January 22, 2019
Introduced by M. of A. RODRIGUEZ, BICHOTTE -- read once and referred to the Committee on Housing
AN ACT to amend the public housing law and the New York city charter, in relation to authorizing the New York city council to oversee the activities of the New York city housing authority
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. The public housing law is amended by adding a new section 402-e to read as follows:
§ 402-e. New York city council oversight. The New York city council as established in section twenty-one of the New York city charter is empowered to mandate that the New York city housing authority produce reports about any facets of its operations or the condition of the projects under its management, including any project based section eight voucher developments in which the authority has an ownership stake, through the passage of a local law. Such a law shall determine which information is to be included in the report, the deadline for the production of the report, whether the reporting mandate applies once or is recurring, and which local authorities shall receive copies. A copy of any such reports must be provided to the commissioner and shall be considered an agency document for the purposes of article six of the public officers law.
§ 2. Subdivision a of section 29 of the New York city charter, as added by a vote of the people of the city of New York at the general election held in November 1989, is amended to read as follows:
a. The council, acting as a committee of the whole, and each standing or special committee of the council, through hearings or otherwise:
1. [may] May investigate any matters within its jurisdiction relating to the property, affairs, or government of the city or of any county within the city, or to any other powers of the council, or to the effec-
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD06089-01-9
A. 2319 2
tuation of the purposes or provisions of this charter or any laws relating to the city or to any county within the city.
2. [shall] Shall review on a regular and continuous basis the activities of the agencies of the city, including their service goals and performance and management efficiency. Each unit of appropriation in the adopted budget of the city shall be assigned to a standing committee. Each standing committee of the council shall hold at least one hearing each year relating to the activities of each of the agencies under its jurisdiction.
3. Shall review on a regular and continuous basis the activities of the New York city housing authority, including the service goals, performance and management efficiency of such authority. Such authority shall be assigned to a standing committee. Such standing committee of the council shall hold at least one hearing each year relating to the activities of the New York city housing authority.
§ 3. This act shall take effect on the thirtieth day after it shall have become a law.
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.