S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                    501
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                                (PREFILED)
 
                              January 8, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by M. of A. MAGNARELLI, ZINERMAN -- Multi-Sponsored by -- M.
   of A. DAVILA -- read once and referred  to  the  Committee  on  Social
   Services
 
 AN  ACT  to amend the social services law, in relation to the payment of
   shelter and rent arrears

   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1. The social services law is amended by adding a new section
 131-ww to read as follows:
   § 131-WW. SHELTER ARREARS. 1.  APPLICANTS  MAY  RECEIVE  AN  EMERGENCY
 GRANT  TO  PAY  FOR  RENT, PROPERTY TAXES OR MORTGAGE ARREARS ONCE EVERY
 YEAR UNLESS THE DISTRICT DETERMINES AT ITS  DISCRETION  THAT  ADDITIONAL
 SHELTER  ARREARS  PAYMENTS ARE NECESSARY BASED ON THE INDIVIDUAL CIRCUM-
 STANCES.
   2. IN AN APPLICATION FOR AN  ALLOWANCE  TO  PAY  SHELTER  ARREARS,  AN
 APPLICANT SHALL NOT BE REQUIRED TO DEMONSTRATE AN ABILITY TO REPAY SHEL-
 TER  EXPENSES, RENT, PROPERTY TAXES, OR MORTGAGE PAYMENTS GOING FORWARD,
 NOR SHALL A DISTRICT CONSIDER AN APPLICANT'S ABILITY  TO  MAKE  PAYMENTS
 UNDER ANY REPAYMENT AGREEMENT.
   3.  UNREPAID  SHELTER EXPENSES SHALL HAVE NO BEARING ON AN APPLICANT'S
 ELIGIBILITY TO RECEIVE ADDITIONAL LOANS.
   4. THE COMMISSIONER SHALL PROMULGATE REGULATIONS CONSISTENT WITH  THIS
 SECTION.
   §  2. Section 131-w of the social services law, as added by chapter 41
 of the laws of 1992, is amended to read as follows:
   § 131-w. Limitations in the payment of rent arrears.  Districts  shall
 not  provide  assistance to pay rent arrears, property taxes or mortgage
 arrears for persons not eligible for home relief, aid to dependent chil-
 dren, emergency assistance to needy families with children or  emergency
 assistance  for  aged, blind and disabled persons, except to persons who

  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
              

                                                            LBD01309-01-5
 A. 501                              2
 
 are without income or resources immediately available to meet the  emer-
 gency  need[,]  AND  whose  gross  household income does not exceed [one
 hundred twenty-five] TWO HUNDRED percent of the federal income  official
 poverty  line  [and who sign a repayment agreement agreeing to repay the
 assistance in a period not to exceed twelve months.  The districts shall
 enforce the repayment agreements by any  legal  method  available  to  a
 creditor,  in  addition  to any rights it has pursuant to this chapter].
 The department shall promulgate regulations to  implement  this  section
 which  shall,  among other things, [establish standards for the contents
 of repayment agreements and] establish standards to ensure that  assist-
 ance is provided only in emergency circumstances.
   §  3.  Subdivision  1  of section 131-r of the social services law, as
 added by chapter 81 of the laws of 1995 and as designated by chapter 340
 of the laws of 2003, is amended to read as follows:
   1. Any person who is receiving or has received,  within  the  previous
 [ten]  FIVE  years, public assistance pursuant to the provisions of this
 article, and who wins a lottery prize of [six hundred]  TWENTY  THOUSAND
 dollars  or  more  shall reimburse the department from the winnings, for
 all such public assistance benefits  paid  to  such  person  during  the
 previous [ten] FIVE years; provided, however, that such crediting to the
 department  shall  in no event exceed fifty percent of the amount of the
 lottery prize. The commissioner shall enter into an agreement  with  the
 director  of the lottery, pursuant to section sixteen hundred thirteen-b
 of the tax law, for the  crediting  of  lottery  prizes  against  public
 assistance  benefits. Nothing herein shall limit the ability of a social
 services district to make  recoveries  pursuant  to  section  [104]  ONE
 HUNDRED FOUR or section [106-b] ONE HUNDRED SIX-B of this chapter.
   § 4. This act shall take effect immediately.