BILL NUMBER: S6914
SPONSOR: COMRIE
 
TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the real property law, in relation to the rental assist-
ance payment standard pilot program; and providing for the repeal of
such provisions upon expiration thereof
 
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:
To provide improved access to permanent housing for low-income house-
holds with a rental assistance payment housing voucher. The bill aims to
enhance housing availability and improve housing quality for rental
voucher recipients while also preserving the affordable housing stock by
keeping apartments subject to rent regulations and maintaining low legal
rents for future tenancies.
 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
This bill creates the Rental Assistance Payment Standard (RAPS) pilot
program, which allows rental voucher recipients to use their full vouch-
er amount to find housing.
Section 1: Adds a new Section 226-d to the Real Property Law that estab-
lishes the RAPS pilot program.
Section 226-d, paragraph 1, establishes the ability of a housing provid-
er participating in the RAPS pilot program to collect the approved hous-
ing voucher amount as rent, subject to rent reasonableness requirements,
notwithstanding local rent regulation restrictions.
Section 226-d, paragraph 2, establishes eligibility requirements for
apartments to qualify for RAPS, including that the unit must be regis-
tered as vacant with the state housing agency in 2025 and subsequently
rented to a tenant receiving a housing voucher.
Section 226-d, paragraph 3, establishes that the legal regulated rent
for the unit shall not be increased by the rent amount collected during
participation in the RAPS program. Once the unit no longer qualifies for
RAPS, the legal regulated rent is reinstated.
Section 2: Sets forth the pilot program's effective date and expiration
date.
 
JUSTIFICATION:
According to the NYU Furman Center, tenant-based rental housing vouchers
are one of the most effective way to address housing affordability
issues for low-income households. Their 2024 report indicates that 90%
of voucher holders experience no rent-burden. However, nearly half of
all new voucher recipients are unsuccessful in finding housing and lose
their voucher. Meanwhile, the New York City Housing Authority re-opened
its waitlist in 2024, and hoped to issue 1,000 new vouchers per month in
2025, but the lack of available housing for voucher recipients has frus-
trated these intentions. This pilot program incentivizes property owners
with vacant apartments to participate in rental assistance voucher
programs by allowing them to accept voucher rents up to the program's
prescribed amount as long as the unit is rented to a voucher recipient.
By temporarily adjusting rent limitations while maintaining long-term
regulatory protections, this legislation promotes fair housing opportu-
nities and increased access to housing for households with rental vouch-
ers.
 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
This is a new bill.
 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
Minimal fiscal impact is anticipated, as this program relies on existing
rental assistance funding streams.
 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately and expire on June 15, 2027, with
protections for rental agreements entered into before that date.