Legislation S.3085A/A.3956A Provides a Local Option to Expand Eligibility for the Property Tax Exemption for People Over 65 and People with Disabilities and Limited Income
Legislation S.8890/A.9135 Extends Local Option to Provide Property Tax Exemption to First-Time Home Buyers
Legislation S.9193/A.10271 Increases the Timeline for Completion and Amount Spent on Emergency Home Repairs for Low-to-Moderate Income Seniors Through RESTOR
New Legislation Affirms Governor's Commitment to Helping New Yorkers Through Nationwide Affordability Crisis
Governor Hochul: "As a society, as a state that values our people, especially our senior citizens for all they've done for us, we need to find more ways to help them through these tough times and that's what my administration has pledged to do since our very first State of the State a few months back...today we're going to build on that even more. We're going to keep finding ways to help lift them up."
Hochul: "All these bills help people put down their roots, feel stable, feel protected because we know that this is such an important thing we can offer our citizens, give them the ability to be have a good life when they're older, but also give them an opportunity when they're younger to start on that path toward homeownership. So, that's what we're all about here today: Improving the lives of New Yorkers, our seniors, people with disabilities, young people trying to have that first home."
Earlier today, Governor Kathy Hochul signed a legislative package aimed at expanding tax relief for New York homeowners, particularly those 60 and over. The package, which was signed alongside members of the State Legislature and advocates, will help to support homeowners - from first-time homebuyers to senior citizens - as inflation, rising costs, and other factors drive a nationwide affordability crisis.
VIDEO of the event is available on YouTube here and in TV quality (h.264, mp4) format here.
AUDIO of the event is available here.
PHOTOS of the event will be available on the Governor's Flickr page.
A rush transcript of the Governor's remarks is available below :
Good morning. Now, I just realize that we're on a basketball court. Unfortunately, I'd be probably hit some members of the press if I attempt it, but I usually do when I'm on a court, but it is great to be here. Rich, this is extraordinary. For you and the entire organization, Westhab, to see the possibilities of a building, a church that's been here for over 150 years. And to bring new life, and activity, and a sense of hope and purpose and the people, the children, all the way up to the seniors who walk in these doors are going to have a better day following that adventure into this space. And I want to thank you. And I want to see places like this replicated all over the state. So, thank you for what you're doing here today. Thank you.
Always great to be back in Yonkers, especially when I'm joined by someone who knows this community and represents it with such heart and passion. As well as the rest of the state, but I know she's got a special place in heart for Yonkers, and that is our amazing Majority Leader, Andrea Stewart-Cousins. Thank you. And she also has one of the bills that we're signing today too. So, this is a special treat to have this occur in your home community here.
So also, Senator Michelle Hinchey, one of our other bill sponsors, thank you for joining us as well. Another bill sponsor, Assemblymember Tom Abinanti. So thank you, Tom. Assemblymember Steven Englebright is here, another one of our sponsors. You've heard of the other elected officials. Also, Beth Finkel, what a champ she is for our senior citizens. I mean, she does an extraordinary job as the State Director of AARP. Any seniors in the house? All right, come on. Anybody got the card? I got the card. Okay, all right.
Well, there's a real sense of pride and joy in aging in the State of New York because we do it right here. Beth knows we've been recognized a number of times for being one of those places where we just really focus on the needs of all of our citizens, but particularly those who've given so much over their lifetime, and to honor them the dignity of a good home and healthcare and services. This is how we pay back them for what they've done for all of us. And that's why I'm really delighted to be here with them as well.
I did want to also mention a couple other elected officials who are here. I'm joined by our Congressman, Jamaal Bowman. I want to thank him for -- and also, I do want to show you the Armed Bill sponsors, they've joined us here today. They represent this area. That is our Senator, Shelley Mayer, who has joined us. Senator Pete Harckham has joined us. Steve Otis is here. Senator Elijah Reichlin-Melnick is here. Assemblymember Nathalia Fernandez has joined us from the Bronx. And Assemblymember Gina Sillitti. So, I didn't realize we had so many people here. It is like the whole place is filled elected officials.
So listen, let's talk about our seniors for a minute. When you think about the pandemic and the communities and the individuals and the age groups hit the hardest by the isolation; those who were in nursing homes or senior facilities, or congregate settings, or just even if they lived on their own, but had to go through two years of isolation from seeing their family members, their children, their normal caregivers, their grandkids. All the milestones that were missed, not seeing their grandchild's graduation or a wedding or a religious celebration, like a baptism. I mean, so much was missed. And life can be lonely when you're a senior, anyhow, you may have lost a loved one, a spouse, you know, you just feel disconnected and then you come off after the pandemic, you're feeling better about life. We've got COVID under control. You've had your vaccine, you've had your booster and then another dynamic happens. I mean, you're living on a fixed income because you're not out there earning income any further.
So, you might have a pension, maybe you don't, but life is hard as it is. And then we start seeing the cost of living escalate -- everything from gasoline to your groceries, to your monthly payments, and all of a sudden, after coming through a pandemic when you wanted to open up to the rest of the world and say, "We're back, we have this crushing weight that's thrust upon you through no fault to your own." And it is tough. It's tough on everybody, but especially our seniors who can't say that I now have another way to bring in money. I mean, that's why when you go to McDonald's, it's not unlikely you're waited on by someone who already thought they were done working, but they're back there just trying to earn anything; I know because I've talked to them. Maybe they like the connection with other people, but I guarantee there's a lot more fun things to be doing than doing what they're doing. They do it out of necessity.
So, as a society, as a state that values our people, especially our senior citizens for all they've done for us, we need to find more ways to help them through these tough times and that's what my administration has pledged to do since our very first State of the State a few months back. Working with the legislature, too. Legislature, this is your priority as well. You've always put a spotlight on our seniors and I'm grateful for that. But now they need more support than ever. We've already completed construction of over 13 units of senior housing just this year alone, 1300 new housing units. That's part of our $25 billion housing plan, $300 million for senior housing alone. That's why we've also expanded eligibility for heating and cooling benefits. I mean, my God, it's so hot out. The bills are going through the roof. So now, we've helped our seniors be able to stay a little cooler during this heat wave and warmer during the winter months.
We also raised the Medicaid income limit. No one had touched that for a long time. You know, a lot of these are like, "Oh, it's just too much." Well, sometimes things are expensive, but they need to be done. Just take care of people. We raised it for seniors, 65 and up and people with disabilities. So it's over 139 percent of the poverty level. This needed to be done, long overdue. We raised the income limit for the Medicaid savings program, as well. And we improved assistance for food as well, helping increase eligibility for the SNAP program for older adults and people with disabilities.
So, today we're going to build on that even more. We're going to keep finding ways to help lift them up. In a few moments, I'll be signing three bills, two of which are dedicated to what I'm talking about. Just making a little easier, a little less expense, for older homeowners in our state and one will just make it easier to become a homeowner in the first place. So the first - yeah, there you go. Amen to that. Amen. Amen to that.
For the first one, I want to thank Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins for being the sponsor in the Senate. Assemblymember Tom Abinanti in the Assembly. And this expands the property tax exemptions for people over 65 and people living with disabilities. This has not been touched since 2009. Do you know what the cap is to be able to receive a property tax exemption in the State of New York? It is $29,000. Okay. I don't think we're covering a lot of people with that cap. That's roughly our state's minimum wage, but we said - and the Leader was such a strong proponent in making sure this happened. She says, we need to raise this. We're allowing local governments to raise that minimum, not $29,000, not $30,000, but up to $50,000 and we'll sign that and make that the law. So, let's give them the tax relief they deserve.
The second program is going to improve something known as the "Residential Emergency Services to Offer Repairs to the Elderly." Why is that such a long title? Because if you shorten it, it stands for RESTORE. Okay, that's a nicer sound. We're going to talk about the RESTORE program, but a lot of seniors live in their homes, and maybe the first home they were married in. I've seen that plenty of times. They've raised their children there, the children are gone, maybe a spouse is gone, and they're still living in that home. But the cost of repairs -- things start breaking down. It just can be something that thrusts someone into poverty if they can't fix something that's essential. So, I want to thank Senator Michelle Hinchey for her leadership, and Assemblymember Carrie Woerner, who couldn't be with us here today for helping improve the flexibility there because a lot of times there's violations and if they don't fix the violation, they can't stay in their home. That's really a tragedy when living conditions do become unsafe, though, when they have to be fixed.
So, we're going to be providing financial resources for low and moderate income senior citizen homeowners, so they can afford to do this, help with housing emergencies, help them with the code violations they might be cited for. So right now, they're supposed to have certain construction deadlines with supply chains. They're not likely to meet them, so expanding those to 60 days, as well as doubling the maximum cost as well, from $10,000, we'll give them $20,000 under this program. So, we'll expand more money, more time to get the construction done, and so that's just a recognition that life is changing.
So, that'll help more seniors stay in their homes, which is a great outcome as well. Something we want to see so they can be independent. Like my dad's living in his home right now, I just talked to him. He's still living in his home at 86, which we're very blessed that that is what is occurring.
But the third bill you want to sign here today -- not to do with current seniors, but certainly helps future seniors and the young people that are trying to build wealth. How do you build wealth? You buy that first home. And it improves, you take care of it and increases in value. And that's how you start building wealth. And that has been a dream that has been too elusive for too many New Yorkers for too long. So, the third bill we have will extend the property tax exemptions for first-time home buyers, all the way through 2028 instead of having it expire. And I want to thank, Steve Englebright, I want to thank him. And also, Senator Brian Kavanagh, who sponsored this in the Senate. So before that, these are for new homes, these would have expired by the end of this year, so that would have been all over. It would have made it a lot tougher, especially when interest rates are going up. So, that would have just been the combination that would have kept too many people from being able to buy that first home.
So, it helps these -- all these bills help people put down their roots, feel stable, feel protected because we know that this is such an important thing we can offer our citizens, give them the ability to be have a good life when they're older, but also give them an opportunity when they're younger to start on that path toward homeownership. So, that's what we're all about here today: Improving the lives of New Yorkers, our seniors, people with disabilities, young people trying to have that first home, maybe like their parents were able to do. And that is why I'm so proud today to be joined by the leaders who brought this to the forefront from our State Legislature. And with that, I want to call up the leader of all leaders. And that is the majority leader, Andrea Stewart Cousins. Thank you.
Contact the Governor’s Press Office
Contact us by phone:
New York City: (212) 681 - 4640