What's happening
This bill expands public housing eligibility and preference to veterans (and their families) with service-connected disabilities, including those who served from September 14, 2001, to December 31, 2020.
Why it matters
Expands the definition of eligible veterans. for public housing to include those who served during the post-9/11 era, acknowledging more recent conflicts and the needs of a younger generation of veterans.
Establishes a formal housing preference. for veterans and their families with service-connected disabilities, which aims to address both housing instability and the unique challenges faced by disabled veterans.
Ensures alignment with federal housing regulations. (specifically 24 CFR 960.206), which may streamline access to both state and federal housing resources for eligible veterans and reduce administrative barriers.
Could help reduce homelessness and housing insecurity. among veterans with disabilities, a group statistically more likely to face such issues, by giving them priority access to affordable housing.
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Who cares
Veterans who served between Sept. 14, 2001, and Dec. 31, 2020
The bill would add this service period to public housing eligibility provisions requiring at least six months of service, with an exception for service shortened by death or service-related injury.
Veterans with service-connected disabilities and their families
The bill would require a tenant-selection preference if they otherwise qualify for occupancy.
Public housing authorities
Authorities would have to grant the disability-related preference subject to compliance with federal regulations governing preferences.
Headline styles
Expand Veterans’ Public Housing Access
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
No co-sponsors yet.
History
- Referred to veterans, homeland security and military affairs
- Referred to veterans, homeland security and military affairs
Full text
1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
234
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE (Prefiled)
January 9, 2019
Introduced by Sen. KENNEDY -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Veterans, Homeland Security and Military Affairs
AN ACT to amend the public housing law, in relation to veterans' eligibility for public housing
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Subparagraph 1 of paragraph b of subdivision 1 of section 156 of the public housing law, as amended by chapter 179 of the laws of 2006, is amended to read as follows:
(1) have served in the armed forces of the United States for a period of at least six months (or any shorter period which terminated due to death or injury incurred in such service), provided some portion of the period of service was between the twenty-eighth day of February, nineteen hundred sixty-one to the seventh day of May, nineteen hundred seventy-five, or between the fourteenth day of September, two thousand one to the thirty-first day of December, two thousand twenty, and
§ 2. Section 156 of the public housing law is amended by adding a new subdivision 8 to read as follows:
8. An authority shall grant a preference in the selection of tenants to veterans or families of veterans who have a military service connected disability provided that such veterans or families of veterans otherwise qualify for occupancy in such an authority's projects and provided further that such authority has complied with the provisions of section 960.206 of title 24 of the code of federal regulations relating to such preferences.
§ 3. This act shall take effect on the one hundred twentieth day after it shall have become a law.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD05521-01-9
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the public housing law, in relation to veterans' eligibility for public housing
Purpose or general idea of bill
The legislation amends the eligibility provisions of the public housing law to expand eligibility to veterans, and their surviving spouses, who served or are serving in United States Armed Forces from September 14, 2001 to December 31, 2020. The legislation also requires public housing authorities to grant preference to eligible veterans or families of veterans who have a military service related disability.
Summary of provisions
Section 1 of the bill amends subparagraph 1 of paragraph b of subdivi- sion I of section 156 of the public housing law, as amended by chapter 179 of the laws of 2006, by expanding the eligibility requirements to veterans who served in the armed forces of the United States for a peri- od of at least six months between the fourteenth day of September 2001 and the thirty-first day of December 2020.
Read the full memo (843 words)
Section 2 of the bill amends Section 156 of the public housing law by adding a new subdivision 8 that will require public housing authorities to grant a preference in the selection of tenants to veterans or fami- lies of veterans who have a military service connected disability provided that such veterans or families of veterans otherwise qualify for occupancy in such an authority's projects and provided that the authority has complied with the provisions of section 960.206 of title 24 of the code of federal regulations relating to such preferences.
Section 3 provides for this act to take effect on the 120 day after it becomes law.
Justification
Under current public housing law, veterans who served during the period covered by the Vietnam War (1961-1975) are afforded specific eligibility into public housing projects at income levels slightly higher than the income levels set for the general public. This legislation will extend those eligibility provisions to veterans who have served or are serving in the armed forces from September 14, 2001 through December 31, 2020 reflecting the period from the Joint Resolution authorizing the use of force against those responsible for the September llth terrorist attacks through December 31, 2020 which will hopefully coincide with the time that all United States armed forces are no longer engaged in active combat duties.
This bill will also mandate that an admission preference be given to veterans or families of veterans who have a military service connected disability provided they are otherwise eligible for admission as tenants to a public housing project. Currently, public housing authorities are authorized under federal law to implement various admission preferences including an admission preference for veterans and veterans' families. However, many public housing authorities, including the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA), have chosen not include such preferences in
their agency plans that must be submitted to the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for approval. (1)
Given the incredible sacrifice, which is made by our military personnel serving during a time of war, and which was made during prior military conflicts, it seems more than appropriate that we mandate and extend these specific eligibility provisions and preferences to veterans and their families.
Men and women of the United States military have made, and continue to willingly make, incredible personal sacrifices on behalf of this country in terms of their own personal safety, the emotional and financial well being of their families and their long-term futures. During the present conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, many active military personnel are currently serving their fourth, fifth and even sixth tour of duty within the past several years. They face prolonged periods away from their families and deal with daily anxiety about their families' ability to cope with their absence on a financial as well as personal level. Many soldiers serving are reservists who were pulled from their families and established careers and must won-y daily about their family's financial stability and their own future.
Extension of the veterans' eligibility and preference provisions for public housing will not take these soldiers out of harm's way, or alle- viate the suffering of those who served in prior conflicts, but it will help to ease their concerns for their families' financial futures. And just maybe this little bit of solace will help them endure the difficul- ties that they face every day in their efforts to protect us.
Prior legislative history
2017-2018: S.1482 (Avella)/A.3337 (DenDekker) 2015: S.932-A/A.7811-A - Passed Senate 2013-14: S1702 2011-12: 5.5867
Fiscal implications for state and local governments
To be determined.
Effective date
This act shall take effect on the one hundred and twentieth day after it shall have become a law. FOOTNOTE (1) However, NYCHA, for example, has recently established pref- erences for victims of domestic violence and other categories including "substandard housing, homelessness, high mat burden, working families and those unable to work because of age or disability and residents who live and/or work in the jurisdiction" among others in its PHA Annual Plan for Fiscal Year 2011. (See http://home2.nyc.gov/html/nycha/html/ahout/agencvplan.shiml)
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.