What's happening
This bill authorizes the New York City Council to oversee and require reporting from the New York City Housing Authority.
Why it matters
Increases transparency and accountability. By empowering the City Council to require detailed reports from the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA), the bill aims to provide more public insight into NYCHA’s operations, including conditions in public housing and project-based Section 8 properties.
Expands council oversight authority. The legislation codifies a new, specific oversight function for the City Council, mandating regular reviews and hearings on NYCHA’s performance, service goals, and management efficiency rather than leaving such oversight as optional or informal.
Improves coordination and public record access. Required reports must be shared not only with designated local authorities but also with the commissioner, and will be classified as agency documents under New York’s Freedom of Information Law—potentially making critical information about public housing more accessible to residents, advocates, and the general public.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Let Council Oversee NYCHA
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
Senator · Senate District 14
No co-sponsors yet.
History
- Referred to housing, construction and community development
- Referred to housing, construction and community development
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.
Give City Council NYCHA Oversight
In Assembly Committee · Housing · Sponsor Robert J. Rodriguez
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
2760
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
January 29, 2019
Introduced by Sen. COMRIE -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Housing, Construction and Community Development
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
S. 2760 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.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
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 activ- ities of the New York city housing authority
Purpose or general idea of bill
This legislation grants the New York City Council greater oversight over the activities of the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) by giving the council the ability to mandate that NYCHA produce reports and provide information to the Council.
Summary of specific provisions
Section one amends the public housing law by adding a new section 402-d that gives the NYC Council the power to mandate that NYCHA produce reports about any of its operations by passing a local law. Such a local law shall determined the information to be included in the report, whether it is a recurring report or not, and to whom it will be issued. The commissioner of the Division of Housing and Community Renewal shall be given copies of any such reports, and the reports shall be treated as public documents.
Section two amends section twenty nine of the NYC Charter by granting the NYC Council the same oversight powers over NYCHA that it currently has over any agency of the NYC government.
Section three sets an effective date of thirty days after this act shall have become law.
Justification
NYCHA is the largest housing authority in the United States, and its over 179,000 units are home to more than 400,000 New Yorkers, which represents almost 5% of the population of New York City as a whole. Unfortunately, the local elected legislators representing these resi- dents have little oversight powers over NYCHA. While NYCHA as an entity is chartered under State law, the Mayor of NYC has complete control over its board, appointing all seven members and choosing the chair at his or her discretion. For all intents and purposes NYCHA functions as an agen- cy of NYC, but the ability of the Council to oversee the operations of NYCHA are strictly limited because it was established as an authority by the State. This legislation is meant to grant the NYC Council and its members greater oversight powers over NYCHA.
This bill would grant the NYC Council the same power to review the oper- ations of NYCHA on a continuous basis that it has over city agencies. The legislation would also give the NYC council the power to mandate the creation of reports by NYCHA through the passage of a local law.
Currently the NYC Council can not mandate that NYCHA produce any reports on its operations. Giving the local elected legislators of NYCHA's resi- dents greater powers to oversee the Authorities operations will increase the voice of residents and hopefully make NYCHA's operations more trans- parent.
Prior legislative history
S. 1989 of 2017-18 - Passed Senate.
Fiscal implications
No fiscal implications for the State.
Effective date
This act shall take effect on the thirtieth day after it shall have become a law.
Fiscal implications
None to the State.
Effective date
This act shall take effect immediately.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.