Relates to providing language access services to individuals relating to the tax abatement program for rent-controlled and rent-regulated property occupied by senior citizens or persons with disabilities.

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S7203-2011 Actions

• May 14, 2012: REPORTED AND COMMITTED TO FINANCE
• May 2, 2012: REFERRED TO AGING

S7203-2011 Meetings

Aging: May 14, 2012

S7203-2011 Votes

S7203-2011 Memo

BILL NUMBER:S7203

TITLE OF BILL:
An act
to amend the real property tax law, in relation to providing language
access services to individuals relating to the tax abatement program for
rent-controlled and rent-regulated property occupied by senior citizens
or persons with disabilities

PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:
This bill would require municipalities that have the senior citizen
rent increase exemption (SCRIE) and disabled rent increase exemption
(DRIE) program to ensure that individuals who have difficulty
speaking or understanding English would have the same opportunity to
participate in the SCRIE/DRIE program as other individuals.

SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS:
Section 1. This bill would require municipalities that offer the
SCRIE/DRIE program to develop and implement a plan to make sure that
individuals who have trouble speaking or understanding English have
adequate access to the program. This plan would include:

o Translation of necessary documents into the six most common
non-English languages spoken in the municipality;
o Provision of interpretive services upon request; and
o Provision of assistive services upon request or demonstrated
need to individuals
who require such assistance due to partial or total deafness,
blindness, speech impediment, or cognitive impairment.

Section 2. Effective Date

JUSTIFICATION:
New York City contains a vibrant array of cultures and ethnicities
across the boroughs.
All of these communities have senior citizens on fixed incomes that
would benefit from participation in the SCRIE program. Many of these
individuals speak languages other than English. It is unacceptable
for seniors in need to be denied access to such an important program
because they cannot understand the forms or cannot readily speak with
agency staff

While some strides have been made to correct this disparity, with all
of the services and technology available, the municipalities can do
more. Any senior who is eligible,
regardless of their language or assistance needs, should have the
opportunity to participate in the SCRIE program. It is vital that
municipalities make this kind of inclusiveness a priority.

PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
New bill.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
To be determined.

EFFECTIVE DATE:


Immediately.

S7203-2011 Text

                      S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
  ________________________________________________________________________

                                    7203

                              I N  SENATE

                                 May 2, 2012
                                 ___________

  Introduced  by  Sen.  SAVINO -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
    printed to be committed to the Committee on Aging

  AN ACT to amend the real property tax  law,  in  relation  to  providing
    language  access services to individuals relating to the tax abatement
    program for rent-controlled and rent-regulated  property  occupied  by
    senior citizens or persons with disabilities

    THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
  BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:


    Section 1. Subdivision 3 of section 467-b of the real property tax law
  is amended by adding a new paragraph i to read as follows:

    I. THE ENTITY RESPONSIBLE FOR THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE TAX  ABATEMENT
  PROGRAM  SHALL DEVELOP AND IMPLEMENT A PLAN TO ENSURE ADEQUATE ACCESS TO
  INFORMATION BY INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE DIFFICULTIES SPEAKING OR UNDERSTAND-
  ING ENGLISH. SUCH ENTITY SHALL:

    (1) TRANSLATE NECESSARY DOCUMENTS, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO, FORMS
  AND INSTRUCTIONS PROVIDED TO OR COMPLETED BY THE  PROGRAM  BENEFICIARIES
  OR  PARTICIPANTS,  INTO THE SIX MOST COMMON NON-ENGLISH LANGUAGES SPOKEN
  BY INDIVIDUALS WITH LIMITED-ENGLISH PROFICIENCY IN THE MUNICIPALITY THAT
  OFFERS THIS PROGRAM PURSUANT TO SUBDIVISION TWO OF THIS SECTION;
    (2) OFFER, UPON REQUEST, INTERPRETATION SERVICES  BETWEEN  THE  ENTITY
  ADMINISTERING  THE  PROGRAM  AND  AN  INDIVIDUAL  IN  HIS OR HER PRIMARY
  LANGUAGE WITH RESPECT TO THE PROVISION OF SERVICES OR BENEFITS; AND
    (3) OFFER, UPON REQUEST OR DEMONSTRATED NEED, SERVICES TO AN  INDIVID-
  UAL WHO REQUIRES ADDITIONAL ASSISTANCE DUE TO PARTIAL OR TOTAL DEAFNESS,
  BLINDNESS, SPEECH IMPEDIMENT, OR COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT.
    S  2.  This act shall take effect immediately; provided, however, that
  the amendments to subdivision 3 of section 467-b of  the  real  property
  tax  law made by section one of this act shall not affect the expiration
  and reversion of such section and shall be deemed to expire therewith.


   EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                        [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                             LBD14355-01-2