S919A

The New York State Senate passed legislation requiring municipalities to submit annual zoning maps and housing construction reports to the Department of Homes and Community Renewal, with a 50 percent cut to Community Development Block Grants for non-compliance. The bill passed 37-23 on a largely party-line vote. Sponsor Sen. May argued the measure addresses a critical information gap needed to guide state housing investments, citing Onondaga County's discovery that only 1 percent of buildable land outside Syracuse was zoned for multifamily housing. She said the data is essential before the state spends billions on housing initiatives, particularly as the region prepares for population growth from the Micron semiconductor facility. Opponents, led by Sen. Walczyk and Sen. Martins, characterized the bill as an unfunded mandate that penalizes small, rural communities already struggling with limited resources. They argued it does nothing to reduce housing costs and questioned why local residents needed state-compiled data when they already know what's being built in their communities. Sen. Martins, a former mayor who oversaw 2,000 housing units in his village, said the bill "interferes with local communities and provides absolutely no support." The bill exempts communities with populations under 5,000, though debate revealed ambiguity about how the exemption applies to villages and cities. Sen. May acknowledged that federal CDBG funds may be eliminated by the federal government before the bill takes effect, potentially requiring alternative incentive mechanisms.

The Senate passed S919A, a bill to amend the Executive Law, on a 37-20 vote. Sponsored by Sen. May, the measure advanced without recorded debate. The bill takes effect January 1. Twenty senators voted in opposition, including Sens. Borrello, Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick, Chan, Gallivan, Griffo, Helming, Lanza, Martins, Mattera, Oberacker, O'Mara, Ortt, Palumbo, Rhoads, Rolison, Stec, Tedisco, Walczyk, Weber and Weik.