Statement from Senator Mike Martucci

ALBANY, NY – Senator Mike Martucci (R-C-I, Hudson Valley/Catskills) released the following statement after today’s vote on extending the State’s eviction moratorium in the New York State Senate:

“Today I voted against extending a moratorium on evictions until August 31, 2021. You may recall that this moratorium has been in place for well over a year already, meaning some landlords have received no rent in over 12 months. This is true despite the fact that those who are unemployed have been receiving enhanced benefits since last year and others have continued to work uninterrupted. The law in this state merely requires you to certify that you have been negatively impacted financially by the pandemic. If you do so, it’s virtually impossible for your landlord to evict you.

“I oppose this policy—not because I want people evicted, but because I believe landlords have a right to go to court when tenants cannot pay their rent. The extension of the eviction moratorium means no one gets their day in court. That is un-American and it’s wrong.

“In addition, the State budget approved $2.4 billion to help tenants pay their back rent. As of this writing, no process has been put in place, no application designed and not one penny in funding released by the State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA) to help tenants or landlords. Those that need help should receive it, but the law as written in New York makes it far too easy to game the system.

“We need to allow landlords and tenants to present the facts in their specific circumstances. Evictions with proper cause should move forward and those without that legal basis should not. Albany should stop interfering in that process and focus on distributing the $2.4 billion to landlords and tenants that need relief now.”

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