BILL NUMBER: S1939
SPONSOR: BAILEY
 
TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the executive law, in relation to increasing the state
code enforcement powers of the secretary of state
 
PURPOSE:
Relates to increasing the state code enforcement powers of the secretary
of the state.
 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section 1 requires the department of the state to create a standard for
the adequate number of code enforcement staff required to meet the needs
of a locality by looking at factors including population and geographic
area.
Section 2 authorizes the secretary of the state to place an oversight
official within a local government to monitor the local government's
compliance with minimum standards for the administration and enforcement
of the uniform code.
Section 3 creates the office of the State Code Enforcement Ombudsperson
to resolve complaints related to local code enforcement programs.
 
JUSTIFICATION:
On August 5, 2019, the Committees on Investigation sand Government Oper-
ations and Housing, Construction, and Community Development released a
report on code enforcement in New York State. The investigation
concluded the lack of prioritization of code enforcement in munici-
palities across the State is significantly contributing to the culture
of poor compliance that ultimately endangers the lives of residents and
first responders. The report recommended establishing measures to
increase the required number of code enforcement personnel serving local
communities, to allow the secretary of state to implement an oversight
official within a local code enforcement program to ensure compliance,
and to increase opportunities for the secretary of the state to deter-
mine whether a locality should continue to conduct its own code enforce-
ment. The provisions of the bill effectuate these recommendations.
 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
2021-22: S3606 - Passed Senate, Delivered to Assembly Gov. Operations
 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
To be determined.
 
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:
S1939: 381 executive law, 381(4) executive law