Senator Zellnor Y. Myrie and Senate Majority Pass Strongest Tenant Protection Bill In State History

ALBANY, NY — Brooklyn State Senator Zellnor Y. Myrie, lifelong rent-stabilized tenant and housing advocate, today joined the Senate in passing the "Housing Stability and Tenant Protection Act of 2019," the most sweeping package of rent reforms in a generation.

The bill would dramatically expand and make permanent rent regulations that affect millions of tenants in New York City and across the state.

“This bill is the strongest package of tenant protections New York has seen in nearly a century,” said Senator Myrie. “For decades, our communities have lost hundreds of thousands of rent regulated units, but with this legislation, we are putting power back in the hands of tenants. We are taking a historic step forward in the fight for housing as a human right, and I am proud to have stood with colleagues, advocates, and, most importantly, tenants, to lead this fight.”

In Senator Myrie’s district, 57 percent of tenants pay more than a third of their income on rent, and 33 percent of tenants pay more than half their income on rent, according to analysis by the Community Service Society. The majority of those who live in rent-stabilized units are considered low-income tenants, and people of color are more likely than their white counterparts to live in rent-stabilized housing.

The Senate Majority held a series of hearings across New York State, led by Chair of the Committee on Housing, Construction and Community Development, Senator Brian Kavanagh, on rent regulation and tenant protections so that the final legislation would reflect the perspectives of a wide range of stakeholders. Hearings were held in Syracuse, New York City, Albany, Newburgh, and Greenburgh. The hearings provided an opportunity for tenants, property owners, stakeholders, and New Yorkers from around the state the opportunity to provide testimony and discuss affordable housing concerns directly with their State Senators.

For additionol information on the historic tenant protections and affordable housing legislation, please visit: https://www.nysenate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/andrea-stewart-cousins/joint-statement-senate-majority-leader-andrea-0

###

Contact: Jonathan Timm, 313-618-7005, jt.nysenate@gmail.com