2021 Housing Budget Hearing Transcript
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1 1 BEFORE THE NEW YORK STATE SENATE FINANCE AND ASSEMBLY WAYS AND MEANS COMMITTEES 2 ------------------------------------------------------ 3 JOINT LEGISLATIVE HEARING 4 In the Matter of the 2021-2022 EXECUTIVE BUDGET 5 ON HOUSING 6 ------------------------------------------------------ 7 Virtual Hearing Conducted Online via Zoom 8 February 2, 2021 9 11:05 a.m. 10 PRESIDING: 11 Senator Liz Krueger 12 Chair, Senate Finance Committee 13 Assemblywoman Helene E. Weinstein Chair, Assembly Ways & Means Committee 14 PRESENT: 15 Senator Thomas F. O'Mara 16 Senate Finance Committee (RM) 17 Assemblyman Edward P. Ra Assembly Ways & Means Committee (RM) 18 Assemblyman Steven Cymbrowitz 19 Chair, Assembly Housing Committee 20 Senator Brian Kavanagh Chair, Senate Housing Committee 21 Assemblywoman Carmen N. De La Rosa 22 Assemblyman Harvey Epstein 23 Senator Pete Harckham 24 2 1 2021-2022 Executive Budget Housing 2 2-2-21 3 PRESENT: (Continued) 4 Assemblyman Colin Schmitt 5 Assemblyman Michael J. Fitzpatrick 6 Senator Brad Hoylman 7 Assemblyman Victor M. Pichardo 8 Assemblyman Eric M. Dilan 9 Senator Julia Salazar 10 Assemblyman Charles Barron 11 Senator John Liu 12 Assemblywoman Yuh-Line Niou 13 Senator Robert Jackson 14 Senator Diane J. Savino 15 Assemblywoman Linda B. Rosenthal 16 Assemblyman Kenneth Zebrowski 17 Senator Anna M. Kaplan 18 Assemblywoman Deborah Glick 19 Senator Mike Martucci 20 Assemblyman Ron Kim 21 Assemblywoman Alicia Hyndman 22 Senator Pamela Helming 23 Assemblyman Philip A. Palmesano 24 Senator James Tedisco 3 1 2021-2022 Executive Budget Housing 2 2-2-21 3 PRESENT: (Continued) 4 Assemblyman Jonathan Rivera 5 Assemblywoman Latrice Walker 6 Assemblyman Robert J. Rodriguez 7 Senator Sean Ryan 8 Assemblyman Kevin M. Byrne 9 Assemblyman Mike Lawler 10 Assemblywoman Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn 11 Senator Jabari Brisport 12 Assemblyman Demond Meeks 13 Assemblyman Chris Burdick 14 Senator John W. Mannion 15 Assemblywoman Rebecca A. Seawright 16 Senator Phil Boyle 17 Assemblyman Jeffrion L. Aubry 18 Senator Roxanne J. Persaud 19 Assemblywoman Maritza Davila 20 21 22 23 24 4 1 2021-2022 Executive Budget Housing 2 2-2-21 3 LIST OF SPEAKERS 4 STATEMENT QUESTIONS 5 RuthAnne Visnauskas Commissioner & CEO 6 New York State Homes and Community Renewal 12 19 7 Lorraine Collins 8 Senior Director of Public Policy and External Affairs 9 Enterprise Community Partners -and- 10 Laura Mascuch Executive Director 11 Supportive Housing Network of NY -and- 12 Jolie Milstein President & CEO 13 NYS Association for Affordable Housing 14 -and- Emily Goldstein 15 Director of Organizing and Advocacy 16 Association for Neighborhood and Housing Development 17 -and- Rachel Fee 18 Executive Director NY Housing Conference 159 176 19 20 21 22 23 24 5 1 2021-2022 Executive Budget Housing 2 2-2-21 3 LIST OF SPEAKERS, Cont. 4 STATEMENT QUESTIONS 5 Mark Streb Executive Director 6 Neighborhood Preservation Coalition of NYS 7 -and- Blair W. Sebastian 8 Director New York State Rural Advocates 9 -and- Anita Long 10 Volunteer Leader Community Action for Safe 11 Apartments (CASA) -and- 12 William J. Simmons President 13 NYS Public Housing Authorities Directors Association 191 205 14 Jay Flemma 15 Staff Attorney Legal Aid Society of 16 Mid-New York -and- 17 Rebecca Garrard Campaign Manager for 18 Housing Justice Citizen Action-NY 19 -and- Michael McKee 20 Treasurer Tenants Political Action 21 Committee -and- 22 Kirsten Keefe Senior Staff Attorney 23 Empire Justice Center 218 231 24 6 1 2021-2022 Executive Budget Housing 2 2-2-21 3 LIST OF SPEAKERS, Cont. 4 STATEMENT QUESTIONS 5 Michael Hollingsworth Member Organizer 6 Crown Heights Tenant Union -and- 7 Vincia Barber Member 8 1616 President Street Tenant Association 9 -and- Allie Dentinger 10 Organizer City-Wide Tenant Union of 11 Rochester -and- 12 Judith Douglas Leader 13 249 East 37th Street Tenants Association 248 261 14 Viola Bibins 15 Member Housing Organizers for 16 People Empowerment in East Brooklyn 17 -and- Sonia Perez 18 Member Make the Road NY 269 275 19 20 21 22 23 24 7 1 CHAIRWOMAN WEINSTEIN: Good morning. 2 I am Helene Weinstein, chair of the 3 New York State Assembly's Ways and Means 4 Committee and cochair of today's hearing. 5 Today we begin the fourth in a series 6 of hearings conducted by the joint fiscal 7 committees of the Legislature regarding the 8 Governor's proposed budget for fiscal year 9 2021-2022. The hearings are conducted 10 pursuant to the New York State Constitution 11 and the Legislative Law. 12 Today our committees will hear 13 testimony concerning the Governor's budget 14 proposal for housing. 15 Let me introduce the members of the 16 Assembly who are here, and then I will turn 17 it over to Senator Krueger to introduce the 18 members of her conference. If I skip you, I 19 will come back to you -- I will find you 20 again as members join. 21 We're joined by our chair of Housing, 22 Assemblyman Cymbrowitz; Assemblyman Dilan; 23 Assemblyman Epstein, Assemblywoman Glick, 24 Assemblywoman Hyndman, Assemblyman Pichardo, 8 1 Assemblywoman Rosenthal, Assemblywoman 2 Walker, Assemblyman Zebrowski, and 3 Assemblymember Rivera. And I think for the 4 moment -- and Assemblyman Kim. 5 So, Senator Krueger, if you want to 6 introduce your colleagues. 7 CHAIRWOMAN KRUEGER: Thank you very 8 much. 9 Welcome, and good morning. I am 10 joined by Brian Kavanagh, the chair of 11 Housing. 12 I'll first introduce the Democrats and 13 then pass it over to Tom O'Mara, my ranker on 14 Finance, to introduce the Republican 15 Senators. 16 So we're joined by Senator Brad 17 Hoylman, Senator Diane Savino, Senator John 18 Liu, Senator Julia Salazar, Senator Pete 19 Harckham, Senator -- no, that's it for 20 Senators right now. If you don't mind my 21 just jumping to Tom O'Mara to introduce from 22 his team. 23 Tom, can you unmute yourself and read 24 off the Republican Senators? 9 1 SENATOR O'MARA: Yeah. I actually 2 muted myself today, Liz. 3 (Laughter.) 4 SENATOR O'MARA: We are joined this 5 morning by Senator Martucci with us, is all 6 right now. I expect others to join 7 throughout the day. We'll recognize them as 8 they do. 9 So thank you, and good morning. 10 CHAIRWOMAN KRUEGER: Actually, I see 11 Senator Pam Helming, who is your ranker on 12 Housing also. 13 SENATOR O'MARA: Okay, I missed her on 14 the list. Thank you. 15 CHAIRWOMAN KRUEGER: Thank you. 16 CHAIRWOMAN WEINSTEIN: Now we go to -- 17 CHAIRWOMAN KRUEGER: Helene? 18 CHAIRWOMAN WEINSTEIN: Yes, thank you. 19 We go to Assemblyman Ra for the 20 members of his conference that are here, to 21 introduce. 22 ASSEMBLYMAN RA: Good morning. We are 23 joined by Assemblymembers Palmesano, Byrne 24 and Lawler. 10 1 CHAIRWOMAN WEINSTEIN: Great. So 2 before I introduce our first witness, I just 3 want to remind everybody testifying today to 4 keep your statement within your allotted time 5 limit so everyone can be afforded the 6 opportunity to speak. 7 As I mentioned -- 8 ASSEMBLYMAN BARRON: Chairwoman? 9 Just -- Barron, you forgot to mention I was 10 here. 11 CHAIRWOMAN WEINSTEIN: Okay, 12 Mr. Barron. You weren't here a moment ago. 13 But you are here now. I -- thank you, 14 Mr. Barron. 15 So as I said, if everybody could speak 16 within their allotted time limit, that would 17 help us move our hearings along and allow for 18 some interesting back-and-forth conversation. 19 Governmental entities will get 20 10 minutes to make an oral presentation. 21 We're grateful if you don't take all the time 22 so we have more time for questions. 23 And we're going to start today with a 24 presentation from our New York State Homes 11 1 and Community Renewal Commissioner and CEO 2 RuthAnne Visnauskas. We'll then proceed to 3 hear testimony from other witnesses, I 4 believe all nongovernmental witnesses who 5 have asked to testify here today, and these 6 witnesses will each have three minutes to 7 make an oral presentation. 8 And again, members are reminded that 9 the chairs of the respective committees will 10 have 10 minutes to ask questions and receive 11 an answer, the ranker will have five minutes, 12 and all other members will have three 13 minutes. 14 And just keep an eye on the countdown 15 clock. Because it will go down to zero, and 16 then it actually will start counting up, so 17 you'll be able to see how long you've gone 18 over your time limit. And we would like to 19 not have to cut people off. 20 Just also a reminder for members that 21 we have -- the chat room is available to 22 leave a message for the chairs. It's really 23 just to be able to acknowledge that you're 24 here or if you have a question about order, 12 1 not about substance. 2 So I want to let you know that we've 3 also been joined by Assemblyman Chris Burdick 4 and Assemblyman Meeks and, as we heard, 5 Assemblyman Charles Barron. And I see 6 Assemblywoman Carmen De La Rosa has joined us 7 also. And I believe that's it, so I think 8 we're ready to get started. 9 Commissioner, the floor is yours. Or 10 the window is yours, perhaps is a better way 11 to say it. 12 COMMISSIONER VISNAUSKAS: Thank you. 13 Good morning, Chairs Krueger, Weinstein, 14 Kavanagh, Cymbrowitz and distinguished 15 members of the Legislature.