NY State Legislature Calls Emergency Session For New Eviction Ban

In a press conference on Tuesday, August 31, 2021, New York State Governor Kathy Hochul announced that she was calling the New York State Senate and Assembly back to Albany, New York to participate in an emergency legislative session.

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The New York State Legislature is normally in session for the first 6 months of the year, typically from early January to the first week of June. However, with the New York State Eviction and Foreclosure Moratorium expiring today and the potential for hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers becoming in danger of losing their housing, this is an extraordinary step for the state to take.

Recently the Supreme Court rendered a heartless decision that blocked the Biden administration's eviction plan. Under my watch, here in the State of New York we are not going to exacerbate what is already a crisis ... We are not going to abandon our neighbors in need, especially since the State of New York failed in its responsibility to get the money that was allocated by Congress out to the people in need earlier this summer.
- Kathy Hochul, Governor of New York

There are at least 4 bills that are being taken up by the Senate and Assembly during this set of emergency meetings that are being held.

• Senate Bill s.7315 and Assembly Bill a.8241, if passed as they are now, would enact a new ban on foreclosures and evictions that would last until at least the end of October '21. These new laws would also make some substantial changes to housing laws in New York.
• Senate Bill s.7335 and Assembly Bill a.8240, if passed as they are now, would just extend the most recent eviction and foreclosure ban that just expired until the end of January 2022. This would also change the status of the ban from an Executive Order to official state law.

No matter what is decided by the legislature, it is clear that something needs to be done.

I spoke to a few housing advocates here in Buffalo yesterday and we discussed these exact things, along with all of the different types of assistance that are available to New Yorkers.