What's happening
This bill creates a pilot program for a legal hotline to provide tenants with free legal advice, operated by the Attorney General’s office.
Why it matters
Expands access to legal information for tenants. By providing a free hotline, tenants who might not otherwise afford legal counsel can get immediate advice about their housing issues, potentially preventing unlawful evictions or exploitation.
Limits but clarifies attorney involvement. Attorneys volunteering through the hotline give advice only—they are not obligated to represent tenants in court, which could increase the number of attorneys willing to assist and streamline the help process for more people.
Utilizes existing legal funds efficiently. The program is funded through the Interest on Lawyer Account (IOLA) fund, leveraging a resource already dedicated to supporting legal services for low-income individuals, rather than requiring new appropriations.
Creates a structured and accessible support system. With defined hours and an intake process, the hotline aims to ensure that tenants can reliably reach knowledgeable professionals, making it easier for vulnerable renters to understand their rights and options.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Tenant Legal Hotline Pilot
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
No co-sponsors yet.
History
- Referred to finance
- Referred to finance
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.
Tenant Legal Hotline Pilot
In Assembly Committee · Governmental Operations · Sponsor Dan Quart
Full text
1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
427
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE (Prefiled)
January 9, 2019
Introduced by Sen. HOYLMAN -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Finance
AN ACT to amend the executive law, in relation to establishing a pilot program to create a legal hotline for tenants
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. The executive law is amended by adding a new section 75 to read as follows:
§ 75. Legal hotline for tenants pilot program. 1. The attorney general shall establish a pilot program to create a legal hotline for tenants. The pilot program shall be administered by the attorney general.
2. The attorney general shall recruit attorneys to participate in the program. Attorneys will not be committed to representing any tenants that they advise through the program.
3. The legal hotline for tenants shall be accessible via a toll-free phone number that operates, at a minimum, from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
4. Tenants shall call the hotline and describe their problem to an intake counselor, who shall refer the tenants to an appropriate and available volunteer attorney. After the referral, the attorney shall contact and advise the tenant.
5. All costs of the pilot program shall be paid for by the New York interest on lawyer account fund, pursuant to section ninety-seven-v of the state finance law.
§ 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD01353-01-9
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the executive law, in relation to establishing a pilot program to create a legal hotline for tenants
Purpose
This bill creates a new program under the purview of the attorney gener- al's office that offers free legal advice to tenants involved in disputes with landlords.
Summary of provisions
Section 1 adds a new section 75 to the executive law, detailing the provisions of the legal hotline for tenants.
Section 2 sets the effective date.
Justification
Many tenants are unable to exercise their legal rights in a dispute with their landlord because they are unaware of them, or believe they need legal representation. This bill would create a program that will pair volunteer attorneys with tenants who need a short consultation to clari- fy their rights in a given situation and the procedures they can follow to secure those rights.
Prior legislative history
S.45 of 2017 (Hoylman): Died in Finance S.4248 of 2015-2016 (Hoylman): Died in Rules (2015)/Died in Finance (2016) A.2044 of 2015-2016 (Quart): Died in Governmental Operations A.8309 of 2013-2014 (Quart): Died in Governmental Operations
Fiscal implications for state and local governments
TBD
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.