People gather to call for a stop to evictions on Tuesday. Photo: Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul signed a law on Thursday to extend the statewide eviction moratorium to Jan. 15, 2022.
Why it matters: The new moratorium will continue to protect tenants struggling to pay rent because of the pandemic. More than 700,000 New York households are behind on rent, per the National Equity Atlas.
- The decision buys New York time to distribute federal emergency rental assistance. The state has spent less than 1.5% of its funds per Axios' Felix Salmon.
- New York is the first state to pass a new eviction moratorium after the Supreme Court's ruling.
Driving the news: Last week, the Supreme Court rejected the Biden Administration's effort to extend the federal eviction moratorium.
- In a statement last week, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said President Biden was calling on cities, states, local courts, landlords and cabinet agencies to prevent evictions.
What they're saying: "In light of the Supreme Court ruling to strike down the federal eviction moratorium, the Senate majority is taking action to adjust and extend the state’s eviction moratorium to ensure that thousands of New Yorkers are protected from losing their homes," Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins (D) said on Wednesday, per the New York Times.
- "This legislation is as much health policy as it is economic policy, and we must do everything we possibly can to keep New Yorkers safe amidst a surge in the Delta variant," Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz (D) said.
Of note: Joseph Strasburg, president of the Rent Stabilization Association, which sued over the previous eviction moratorium, said the group would consider suing over the new moratorium, per the Times.
- "Lawmakers can’t just follow the laws that they like and disregard a ruling by the highest court in the nation," the RSA said on Wednesday.