New law gives rent relief tied to COVID

ALBANY — Gov. Cuomo signed off on a slate of coronavirus-related bills meant to aid New Yorkers hardest hit by the crisis — including a controversial measure providing rent relief to a limited number of tenants.

The governor approved 20 pieces of legislation Wednesday that were passed by the Democrat-led Legislature late last month.

One measure calls for $100 million in federal stimulus funds to be used for rental vouchers, but only covers people who were paying more than 30% of their income in rent, lost income between April 1 and July 31 of this year, and make less than 80% of an area’s median income.

Tenant advocates, who have repeatedly urged Cuomo to cancel rent altogether, panned the bill when it was passed, saying it fell far short of the needs of New Yorkers struggling to make ends meet.

Other bills enacted into law include a ban on utility companies shutting off service during a state emergency, a measure authorizing licensed pharmacists to administer a vaccine for COVID-19 once one is approved and a bill prohibiting health care employers from penalizing employees because of complaints of employer violations.

Two other pieces of legislation will ensure that schools shuttered because of COVID-19 still receive state aid and establish a state disaster emergency loan program.

Cuomo also granted clemency to three state prisoners Wednesday afternoon.

“In New York, we believe in giving a second chance to deserving individuals who have demonstrated remorse and undergone successful rehabilitation,” the governor said. “With this action we are saying once again that the Empire State values fairness and compassion in our criminal justice system, providing these New Yorkers with an opportunity to support their families and contribute to their communities.”

Among those set to be released: Freddie Harris, a 61-year-old who served 15 and a half years of a 17-year-to-life sentence for two counts of burglary.

Harris committed two burglaries in 2004 in which no one was injured. While in prison, he has participated in Narcotics Anonymous, earned his GED, and taken several semesters of college courses through Genesee Community College, according to Cuomo.

New Yorkers United for Justice Chief Strategist Khalil Cumberbatch, who was granted clemency by the governor in 2014, applauded the move.

“Populations in prisons and jails remain one of the most vulnerable to the spread of COVID-19 and governors across the country have made broad use of executive clemency to safely, humanely address prison overcrowding and mitigate the spread of the virus,” he said in a statement.

The Release Aging People in Prison Campaign, Parole Preparation Project, and Jim Owles Liberal Democratic Club, meanwhile, said the governor has not done enough to help elderly prisoners susceptible to the virus.

“It is outrageous that the governor has only granted these three clemencies amidst the COVID-19 pandemic,” the groups said in a statement.