BILL NUMBER: S8444
SPONSOR: SEPULVEDA
 
TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the executive law, the civil rights law and the educa-
tion law, in relation to prohibiting discrimination based on housing
status
 
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:
To prohibit discrimination based on housing status.
 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section one provides legislative findings and intent.
Section two amends subdivisions 9 and 10 of section 63 of the executive
law.
Section three amends subdivisions 1 and 2 of section 291 of the execu-
tive law.
Section four amends section 292 of the executive law.
Section five amends subdivisions 8 and 9 of section 295 of the executive
law.
Section six amends paragraphs (a), (b), (c), (d) and (h) of subdivision
1 of section 296 of the executive law.
Section seven amends paragraphs (b), (c) and (d) of subdivision 1-a of
section 296 of the executive law.
Section eight amends paragraph (a) of subdivision 2 of section 296 of
the executive law.
Section nine amends paragraphs (a), (b), (c) and (c-1) of subdivision
2-a of section 296 of the executive law.
Section ten amends subdivision 3-b of section 296 of the executive law.
Section eleven amends subdivision 4 of section 296 of the executive law.
Section twelve amends subdivision 5 of section 296 of the executive law.
Section thirteen amends paragraph (a) of subdivision 9 of section 296 of
the executive law.
Section fourteen amends subdivision 13 of section 296 of the executive
law.
Section fifteen amends subdivisions 1, 2 and 3 of section 296-a of the
executive law.
Section sixteen amends paragraphs a, b and c of subdivision 2 and para-
graph b of subdivision 3 of section 296-c of the executive law.
Section seventeen amends section 40-c of the civil rights law.
Section eighteen amends paragraph (a) of subdivision 1 of section 313 of
the education law.
Section nineteen amends subdivision 3 of section 313 of the education
law.
Section twenty establishes the effective date.
 
JUSTIFICATION:
Without legal protections, discrimination based on housing status may
continue to lead to devastating consequences. A 2023 study published in
the American Journal of Preventive Medicine revealed that among unhoused
populations, 31.8% of respondents reported experiencing discrimination
daily, and 53.9% weekly. Nearly half of those who experienced discrimi-
nation believed their lack of housing was the reason they were targeted.
For instance, in 2019, four men experiencing homelessness were brutally
murdered as they slept in Chinatown. Such violence is only compounded by
the fact that it often goes unpunished. In 2019, the Bureau of Justice
reported that less than half of violent victimizations toward people
experiencing homelessness are reported to the police.
To address this issue, this legislation updates New York's anti-discri-
mination protections to include housing status. By defining "housing
status" and integrating it into our state's human rights law, we will
grant the necessary protections to those at constant risk of violence
and discrimination.
 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
New bill.
 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
None to the State.
 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.

Statutes affected:
S8444: 292 executive law, 296 executive law, 296(2) executive law, 296(3-b) executive law, 296(4) executive law, 296(5) executive law, 296(9) executive law, 296(13) executive law, 40-c civil rights law, 313 education law, 313(1) education law