NEW YORK (WCBS 880) — The New York State Assembly will convene Wednesday at 12 p.m. to vote on an extension to the ban on evictions, which expires at midnight Tuesday.
Gov. Kathy Hochul confirmed the special legislative session in order to extend New York’s eviction moratorium in a Tuesday evening address.
The governor said that the “extraordinary” special legislative session will work to extend the eviction moratorium until Jan. 15, 2022
“We’re not going to allow people, to no fault of their own, face eviction,” said Hochul.
She added that landlords’ financial concerns need to be addressed, saying, “We need to wipe the slate clean for landlords and tenants.”
Hochul also said she wants to use a “SWAT team approach” over the next few weeks to ensure tenants who qualify are applying for the rent relief programs.
Hundreds were expected to march to Gov. Kathy Hochul's Hochul's Midtown Manhattan office to deliver a letter urging for the extension amid the looming deadline.
Deputy Senate majority Leader Michael Gianaris said he expects the measure to pass.
"It seems that the Legislature and the governor all agree that we want to get this done; and so it's just a matter nailing down the last couple of details," Gianaris said.
Joseph Strasburg, the president of the Rent Stabilization Association representing landlords, threatened to sue over the extension, saying the moratorium wouldn't be needed if the state distributed federal rent relief in a timely manner.
"We end up having to suffer for the incompetency, or the inability, of government to do that which they have been tasked to do," Strasburg said.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has been urged to extend the moratorium in recent weeks, especially after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the Biden administration’s temporary federal ban on evictions.
On Friday, she announced that she was in talks with the New York State Senate Majority Leader and Assembly Speaker to call a special session to address the “impending eviction crisis.”
In the meantime, New York has been working since the spring to dole out more than $2.4 billion to provide up to 12 months of past-due rent directly to landlords on behalf of eligible low- and moderate-income renters.
The program, however, got off to a slow start, and as of last Monday the state had only distributed $200 million to 15,500 households.
Another $600 million worth of aid has been approved based on applications from tenants but has not been distributed.
On her first day in office, Hochul said she wanted the cash to go out faster “with no more excuses and delays.”
It remains unclear if she has taken any steps to do so, but she did promise to hire more staff if necessary and to assemble teams to identify and remove barriers that have stalled the release of funds.
(The Associated Press contributed to this report.)