What's happening
This bill requires annual water, lead paint, and air quality testing in NYCHA buildings, mandates tenant notifications, and imposes penalties for falsifying records.
Why it matters
Ensures early detection and prevention of health hazards. By requiring annual testing for water contamination, lead paint, and indoor air quality, the bill aims to catch dangerous conditions before they worsen, potentially protecting thousands of tenants—especially children and vulnerable populations—from long-term health effects associated with lead, poor air, or contaminated water.
Promotes transparency and tenant empowerment. The mandate to provide tenants with timely notices about unsafe conditions (lead paint, poor air quality) means residents are better informed and can take precautions or demand remediation, increasing tenant agency and trust in public housing management.
Strengthens accountability for public housing authorities. Civil liability for tenant health impacts and criminal penalties for employees who falsify test results or records create strong incentives for NYCHA and its staff to conduct thorough, honest inspections—addressing past scandals over falsified safety reports.
Aligns public housing standards with broader health guidelines. By referencing both Department of Health and OSHA standards for air quality, the bill ensures NYCHA buildings are held to recognized, science-based safety thresholds, bringing public housing closer to best practices seen in other sectors.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Test NYCHA Water and Air
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
3 Multi-sponsors
History
- Referred to housing
- Print number 7054a
- Amend (t) and recommit 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.
Test NYCHA Water and Air
In Senate Committee · Housing, Construction And Community Development · Sponsor James Sanders Jr.
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
S. 5053--A A. 7054--A
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
SENATE - ASSEMBLY
April 4, 2019
IN SENATE -- Introduced by Sen. SANDERS -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Housing, Construction and Community Development -- committee discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee
IN ASSEMBLY -- Introduced by M. of A. FRONTUS -- Multi-Sponsored by -- M. of A. EPSTEIN, RICHARDSON, WALKER, WRIGHT -- read once and referred to the Committee on Housing -- committee discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee
AN ACT to amend the public housing law, in relation to water contamination, lead paint and air quality testing in New York city housing authority buildings
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 two new sections 402-e and 402-f to read as follows:
§ 402-e. Water contamination, lead paint and air quality testing. 1. The New York city housing authority shall provide for annual water testing to monitor for lead or copper contamination in the water of each building under the jurisdiction of the authority. The authority shall transmit a copy of such results to the commissioner of health. For purposes of this section, tap water shall be considered contaminated if such water exceeds the lead or copper action level based on first-draw tap samples as provided in rules and regulations of the department of health authorized under section two hundred one of the public health law.
2. The authority, in conjunction with the commissioner of health, shall conduct lead paint testing to monitor for the presence of lead paint in each building under the jurisdiction of the authority. The authority shall provide notice to all tenants where such testing indi-
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD10903-02-9
S. 5053--A 2 A. 7054--A
cates the presence of lead paint in a building under the jurisdiction of the authority.
3. The authority, in conjunction with the commissioner of health shall be required to conduct annual indoor air quality testing to monitor for air quality in each building under the jurisdiction of the authority. The authority shall transmit a copy of such results to the commissioner of health. The authority shall provide notice to all tenants where such air quality test results exceed department of health indoor air guidelines or the occupational safety and health administration.
4. The authority shall be civilly liable for actual damages of any tenant, if it is determined that such tenant has suffered adverse health conditions caused by the indoor air quality, lead paint presence or water contamination of a building under the jurisdiction of the authority.
§ 402-f. Falsifying authority records notification. 1. The New York city housing authority shall provide information to all employees that any employee of the authority who falsifies records, including, but not limited to: (a) providing inaccurate water contamination results, lead paint test results or indoor air quality reports; (b) falsifying any signature; or (c) making a false entry in or falsely altering any record or other written instrument filed with the authority shall be guilty of tampering with public records in the second degree pursuant to section 175.20 of the penal law.
2. The authority shall refer any case of an employee falsifying records to local law enforcement.
§ 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
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.