September 2020
Weekly Report for September 25, 2020
NYSAR Legislative Policy Forum Speakers announced for September 30
This year’s Legislative Policy Forum during NYSAR’s Virtual Fall Business Meetings will be held on Wednesday, September 30 at 10 a.m. and will feature guest speaker Joe Goode, CEO of American Strategies, a national research firm that conducts polling and provides strategic advice to a range of clients. American Strategies has worked closely with NYSAR and NAR on many state, local, and national campaigns. Zack Rubin-McCarry, Political Representative for NAR, and Mike Kelly, NYSAR Director of Government Affairs, will also be providing legislative and political updates.
Assembly Speaker Heastie comments on rent cancellation
New York State Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie addressed housing activists outside his office this week saying that he objected to the regulatory mechanism to cancel rent and that the burden of subsidizing the canceled rents should be borne by the federal government. Heastie also pointed out that just 10 percent of banks in New York are state-chartered banks, and the state might lack the power to suspend mortgage payments owed by landlords to those banks. Heastie tried to assure activists, however, that his chamber would not allow mass evictions. Read more here.
House passes spending bill, extends NFIP
The House of Representatives passed a bill Tuesday that would fund the federal government through December 11 and avoid a shutdown before a Sept. 30 deadline. The legislation now heads to the Senate for a possible vote. The stopgap measure would also avoid a lapse in funding for the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). Read more here.
Weekly Report for September 18, 2020
NYSAR Legislative Policy Forum Speakers announced for September 30
This year’s Legislative Policy Forum during NYSAR’s Virtual Fall Business Meetings will be held on September 30 at 10 a.m. and will feature guest speaker Joe Goode, CEO of American Strategies, a national research firm that conducts polling and provides strategic advice to a range of clients. American Strategies has worked closely with NYSAR and NAR on many state, local, and national campaigns. Zack Rubin-McCarry, Political Representative for NAR, and Mike Kelly, NYSAR Director of Government Affairs, will also be providing legislative and political updates.
NYS Comptroller: Tax revenues now $3.2B less than last year
New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli released a report showing state tax receipts are $3.2 billion lower than last year. Personal income tax collections are down 6.4 percent while sales tax receipts are down 7.8 percent. New York’s budget hole for the year remains at about $14.5 billion. Read more here.
Make sure you are registered to vote #RealtorsVote
The deadline to register to vote or change your voting address is October 14. You can now request an absentee ballot from your local county board of elections if you are concerned with the risks of COVID-19. Your vote in this presidential election will also collectively determine the elections of a new state legislature, congress members, and the outcome of many local governments. That’s why #RealtorsVote.
Weekly Report for September 11, 2020
Federal judge dismisses lawsuit to overturn executive order halting evictions
A federal judge dismissed a lawsuit Wednesday that sought to overturn Gov. Cuomo’s executive order halting evictions during the COVID-19 pandemic. The lawsuit had been filed by a group of Westchester County landlords claiming the order violated their rights and deprived them of income citing the Due Process Clause and the Takings Clause of the U.S. Constitution. The judge upheld an earlier court ruling and noted that the landlords missed an August deadline for objecting to the governor’s request to dismiss the case. Read more here.
NAR opposes CDC Eviction Order
Effective September 4, 2020, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ordered a nationwide eviction moratorium through December 31, 2020. This applies to all rental units. For a renter to be eligible for relief, they must self-certify under penalty of perjury that they meet the certain income and hardship criteria. NAR has published a summary of the order issued a statement in opposition. Read more here.
Weekly Report for September 4, 2020
CDC unveils national eviction moratorium through December 31
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) established a national moratorium on most residential evictions through December 31. No landlord may evict a tenant covered under the federal order, which includes a declaration that the tenant must provide to invoke the eviction protections. New York’s Court system previously halted all evictions in the State through October 1. NAR released a statement in response to the national eviction moratorium urging Congress to enact rental assistance for property owners, which you can read here.
Governor Cuomo requests $59 billion in federal relief for New York State
Governor Cuomo joined state labor leaders to request $59 billion in federal relief from Congress on August 31. The Governor is calling for the federal government to provide $30 billion for New York State, $9 billion for New York City and $4.5 billion for local governments with the remainder going to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. The funds will be used to address budget shortfalls caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Read more, including the full letter here.