Weekly Report
Weekly Report for March 17, 2023
Senate and Assembly release their one-house budgets
The State Senate and Assembly released their respective one-house budget proposals on Tuesday signaling the Legislature’s response to Governor Hochul’s initial Executive Budget proposal released in February. The deadline to pass a final budget is April 1, 2023. Notably, neither house included “good cause” eviction legislation in their budget proposals, however lawmakers still have the opportunity to negotiate its inclusion prior to April 1 or consider the bill outside the budget. Among some of the more contentious issues being negotiated between the Legislature and Governor include increasing income taxes on New Yorkers earning over $5 million, amending the state’s bail reform laws, increasing housing development, and electrification of homes and buildings.
Housing
Both the Senate and Assembly gutted Governor Hochul’s “Housing Compact” plan by removing language that would have provided the state authority to override local zoning and proposes providing state aid incentives for regional housing growth rather than a mandated requirement. Both houses proposed $250 million for a housing-access voucher program which would subsidize rent for people at risk of eviction and/or homelessness. The Legislature also removed many of the governor’s proposals to incentivize and expand affordable housing and multi-family development throughout the state.
Climate
Both the Senate and Assembly rejected the governor’s proposal to require the electrification of existing homes, however, both houses proposed to require new construction homes and buildings to be all-electric by 2025 for smaller buildings and 2028 for larger buildings.
To read a full budget summary of these issues and more, click here.
Take Action – REALTORS® call Governor Hochul urging opposition to “good cause” eviction
On Wednesday, NYSAR promoted a Call for Action asking REALTORS® across the state to call Governor Hochul’s office to express their opposition to the inclusion of “good cause” eviction in this year’s state budget, which could be voted on April 1. The Call for Action is part of a broader coalition effort that NYSAR is a partner of called Homeowners for an Affordable New York. If you have not taken action yet, click here to send an email to your state lawmakers and Governor Hochul urging them to say NO to “good cause” eviction.
NY faces rising customer bills for gas as New York electrifies, report says
As policymakers continue to negotiate decarbonization in New York, they have so far declined to outline in detail the costs to individual households and ratepayers to shift away from fossil fuels. According to a report by the Building Decarbonization Coalition, which supports building electrification, remaining gas ratepayers could see monthly utility bills rise to $8,000 in 2050 if 90 percent of customers leave the gas system. A hybrid approach of electrification with the gas system decarbonized with alternative fuels is estimated to have a lower cost impact on ratepayers, according to the report. For more information, visit NYSAR’s website: https://nyelectrificationfacts.com/.