Bill Seeks to Ban Evictions for One Year After COVID-19 State of Emergency

Proposed legislation recently introduced by New York State Senator Zellnor Myrie would prevent all eviction and foreclosure filings for commercial and residential tenants until a year after any part of Governor Andrew Cuomo’s statewide disaster emergency is still in place. The legislation is entitled the Emergency Housing Stability and Tenant Displacement Prevention Act, and it would be the longest timetable for leniency that has been proposed thus far. The bill would need to be signed by the governor, and be approval by both the Senate and Assembly in order to become law.

Senator Myrie wrote that the bill is a “stopgap measure” to stop evictions and foreclosures during the pandemic and state of emergency. The bill also references racial inequality and the inequities in the housing system. “This act is consistent with the state’s emerging awareness of the disparate impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on people of color, and serves as an affirmative stance against racism and inequality,” states the bill.