BILL NUMBER: S220B
SPONSOR: MYRIE
 
TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the public housing law, in relation to requiring enti-
ties responsible for the provision of vital services to coordinate and
work expeditiously to restore service whenever such service is inter-
rupted
 
PURPOSE:
The purpose of this legislation is to include gas alongside other vital
services about which the New York City Housing Authority ("NYCHA") must
publish public information regarding reported disruptions, the length of
such disruption and the steps taken to restore services.
 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section 1 amends paragraph a of subdivision 1 of section 402-e of the
Public Housing Law as amended by chapter 645 of the laws of 2023 by
establishing communication channels between NYCHA and the current resi-
dents and or resident community leaders on the status of restoring key
services when they are interrupted. This includes communication with the
resident association president, residents, notices in the respective
lobbies, along with information published on their website.
Section 2 provides the effective date.
 
JUSTIFICATION:
As of August 2021, 56 NYCHA developments across New York City experi-
enced gas outages lasting several months or longer. Like electricity and
running water, gas is a fundamental utility that directly impacts resi-
dent's safety and quality of life. Gas outages drive residents to
utilize alternative appliances like hot plates and space heaters, which
pose significant fire risks. Residents may also incur additional food
costs. This legislation aims to protect NYCHA residents from these hard-
ships by creating an incentive for NYCHA to restore vital gas service to
residents experiencing an outage.
 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
S7357 of 2021-22: Advanced to third reading
 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
To be determined.
 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after it
shall have become a law.

Statutes affected:
S220: 402-e public housing law, 402-e(1) public housing law
S220A: 402-e public housing law, 402-e(1) public housing law