Bill Text: NY A00026 | 2017-2018 | General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Requires owners of multiple dwelling properties to develop, implement and distribute smoking policies to current and prospective tenants; requires a posted copy of the smoking policy; requires such policy be incorporated into all written and oral leases and contracts for sale; allows the enforcement officer the power to impose a civil penalty for violations.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 11-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2018-01-03 - referred to codes [A00026 Detail]
Download: New_York-2017-A00026-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 26 2017-2018 Regular Sessions IN ASSEMBLY (Prefiled) January 4, 2017 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. PAULIN, DINOWITZ, GALEF, ABINANTI, CRESPO, ENGLE- BRIGHT, JAFFEE, TITUS, WEPRIN, PERRY -- Multi-Sponsored by -- M. of A. BARRETT -- read once and referred to the Committee on Health AN ACT to amend the public health law, in relation to requiring owners of multiple dwelling properties to develop, implement and distribute smoking policies The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Legislative findings. Secondhand smoke is produced from 2 the lighted end of tobacco products and from smoke exhaled from a smok- 3 er. Secondhand smoke is a known carcinogen and exposure to it is linked 4 to increased risk of cancer, respiratory complications and heart 5 disease. Any level of exposure to secondhand smoke is harmful to chil- 6 dren and adults; it is estimated that 3,400 nonsmoking adults die of 7 lung cancer and up to one million asthmatic children have worsened asth- 8 ma and asthma-related problems each year in the United States as a 9 result of inhaling secondhand smoke. Private owners and public housing 10 authorities may restrict smoking in or on their properties. In buildings 11 with multifamily units, smoke can spread between units through air 12 ducts, cracks and elevator shafts and involuntarily expose nonsmoking 13 tenants. Secondhand smoke often cannot be controlled using ventilation 14 systems, air cleaning, or separating non-smokers from smokers. The 15 intent of this legislation is to require owners of multiple dwelling 16 properties to develop, incorporate into leases and condominium bylaws, 17 and to distribute smoking policies to current and prospective tenants. 18 The bill acts to help nonsmokers protect themselves and their families 19 from secondhand smoke by providing information they can weigh in select- 20 ing a new residence in a multiple dwelling building and to reduce the 21 number of conflicts between nonsmokers and smokers. EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [] is old law to be omitted. LBD01058-01-7A. 26 2 1 § 2. The public health law is amended by adding a new section 1399-y 2 to read as follows: 3 § 1399-y. Multiple dwelling smoking policy. 1. For purposes of this 4 section, the following terms shall have the following meanings: 5 (a) "Multiple dwelling" means: (i) a multiple dwelling that is occu- 6 pied for permanent residence purposes of three or more families living 7 independently of each other. 8 (ii) For purposes of this paragraph, "permanent residence purposes" 9 shall consist of occupancy of a dwelling unit by the same natural person 10 or family for thirty consecutive days or more. 11 (b) "Dwelling unit" means any room or group of rooms located within a 12 dwelling and forming a single habitable unit with facilities which are 13 used or intended to be used for living or sleeping by human occupants. 14 (c) "Owner" means: (i) in the case of a building with rental dwelling 15 units, other than a condominium or a cooperative apartment corporation, 16 the owner of record; or (ii) in the case of a condominium, the board of 17 managers; or (iii) in the case of a cooperative apartment corporation, 18 the board of directors. 19 (d) "Unit owner" means: (i) in the case of a condominium, any person, 20 including a sponsor, who, alone, jointly or severally with another or 21 others has legal title to any dwelling unit in the building, with or 22 without accompanying actual possession thereof; or (ii) in the case of a 23 cooperative apartment corporation, any person, including a sponsor, who, 24 alone, jointly or severally with another or others has the legal right 25 to occupy any dwelling unit through ownership interests in a cooperative 26 apartment corporation, with or without accompanying actual possession 27 thereof. 28 (e) When referring to a dwelling unit in a multiple dwelling, "tenant" 29 means a tenant, tenant-stockholder of a cooperative apartment corpo- 30 ration, condominium unit owner, subtenant, lessee, sublessee or other 31 person entitled to the possession or to the use or occupancy of a dwell- 32 ing unit. 33 2. An owner of a multiple dwelling property is hereby required to: 34 (a) develop and implement a written smoking policy that details where 35 and when smoking is permitted or prohibited, addressing all indoor 36 locations of the property in question, including common areas and dwell- 37 ing units, and all outdoor areas, including common courtyards, rooftops 38 and balconies, patios and other outdoor areas connected to dwelling 39 units, and that applies to all tenants and any other person on the prem- 40 ises; 41 (b) distribute the smoking policy to all current tenants of the multi- 42 ple dwelling within thirty days of the effective date of this section or 43 of development of a new or amended smoking policy; 44 (c) post a copy of the smoking policy in the following common areas of 45 the multiple dwelling, if applicable: all entrances, walls adjacent to 46 elevators and mailboxes, laundry rooms and any other common rooms; 47 (d) in the case of a rental building, incorporate the smoking policy 48 into the lease for any dwelling unit, and in the case of a condominium, 49 incorporate the smoking policy into the condominium bylaws; 50 (e) in the case of a building with rental dwelling units, other than a 51 condominium or a cooperative apartment corporation, provide a copy of 52 the smoking policy to all current and prospective tenants before they 53 enter into oral leases or agreements to rent; 54 (f) on an annual basis, provide a copy of the smoking policy to all 55 tenants;A. 26 3 1 (g) provide a copy of the smoking policy upon request to any person; 2 and 3 (h) make available for inspection by the enforcement officer copies of 4 the following: (i) the annual disclosure required by paragraph (f) of 5 this subdivision for the current year; and (ii) each notification of an 6 amendment made within the past year pursuant to paragraph (b) of this 7 subdivision. 8 3. Nothing in this section shall authorize an owner to adopt a policy 9 that the owner is not otherwise authorized to adopt. The smoking policy 10 and any amendments thereto shall be binding on a tenant renting or leas- 11 ing a dwelling unit only to the extent provided in such tenant's exist- 12 ing lease or sublease agreement, provided that the smoking policy and 13 any amendments thereto shall not be binding on any tenant in occupancy 14 of a rent controlled or rent stabilized dwelling unit prior to the 15 adoption of the initial smoking policy as required in this section. 16 4. (a) An owner who violates the provisions of this section shall be 17 subject to the imposition by the enforcement officer, as defined by 18 subdivision one of section thirteen hundred ninety-nine-t of this arti- 19 cle of a civil penalty. Before imposing such a civil penalty, the 20 enforcement officer shall notify the owner in writing of the reasons for 21 such imposition of a civil penalty and afford the owner an opportunity 22 to be heard in person or by counsel. Prior to the imposition of the 23 first civil penalty for an alleged violation of the provisions of this 24 section, the enforcement officer shall issue a warning to the owner, 25 provide information to the owner about the provisions of this section 26 and provide the owner thirty days to comply with the provisions of this 27 section. Failure to comply within such thirty day time period will 28 result in imposition of a civil penalty of not less than five hundred 29 dollars. 30 (b) Any person who desires to register a complaint under this article 31 may do so with the appropriate enforcement officer. 32 5. The provisions of this section shall not be construed to restrict 33 local jurisdictions from enacting more stringent laws, rules or regu- 34 lations regarding the subject matter referenced herein. 35 § 3. This act shall take effect one year after it shall have become a 36 law.
