Standardizes the language across the relevant court acts to allow tenants statewide to sue in the county where the real property at issue is located in matters relating to a tenancy or lease; requires the Office of Court Administration to develop necessary forms, procedures and deliver a report.
Summary
This bill amends the Uniform City Court Act and the Uniform Justice Court Act to change where certain small claims notices may be sent when the dispute arises from a tenancy or lease. Under current language, if a claimant is or was a tenant or lessee and the claim relates to that tenancy or lease, notice could be sent only to a place in the county or an adjoining county where rent may be mailed or delivered. The bill expands that option statewide, allowing notice to be sent to any place in New York State where the claimant may mail or otherwise deliver rent. It also makes conforming language changes throughout the two court acts, including gender-neutral wording and updated references to the applicable employee small-claims provisions.
The bill also directs the Office of Court Administration to create the forms, procedures, court staff guidance, and public information materials needed to implement the change, and to report those implementation steps to the chairs of the Senate and Assembly Judiciary Committees. The act would take effect 90 days after becoming law. In practical terms, the measure is aimed at making small-claims procedures more workable for tenants involved in landlord-tenant disputes by broadening the permissible location for notice delivery in tenancy-related cases.
Impact
The bill would amend sections 1803 of both the Uniform City Court Act and the Uniform Justice Court Act, changing the notice provisions for small claims involving tenancy or lease disputes. Its main legal effect is to expand the geographic scope of where notice may be delivered from a county or adjoining county to anywhere in the state, which could make it easier for tenants to commence small claims against landlords or property owners when rent is mailed or delivered at a location outside the original county-based limits. It also requires administrative implementation by the Office of Court Administration, which may affect court forms, filing procedures, and public-facing guidance statewide.
Sentiment
The available voting history suggests the bill has meaningful support but not unanimous agreement: the Assembly Judiciary Committee voted 14-6 to favorably report it to Rules. The bill’s purpose, as reflected in the caption and text, appears procedural and tenant-focused rather than controversial in a broad policy sense, and there is no transcript evidence of debate in the provided materials. Overall, the sentiment appears generally favorable among supporters who view it as a modernization and access-to-courts measure, with some committee opposition indicating at least some concern about the change.
Contention
The most likely point of contention is the expansion of venue/notice options for tenancy-related small claims from a county-based rule to a statewide rule. Supporters likely see this as improving access to justice for tenants and aligning court procedure with modern mobility and mailing practices, while opponents may worry it broadens where landlords and property owners can be brought into small-claims proceedings and could increase administrative burden or forum-shopping concerns. A secondary issue is the implementation mandate on the Office of Court Administration, which requires new forms, procedures, staff guidance, and reporting before the law takes effect.
Same As
Standardizes the language across the relevant court acts to allow tenants statewide to sue in the county where the real property at issue is located in matters relating to a tenancy or lease; requires the Office of Court Administration to develop necessary forms, procedures and deliver a report.
Same As
Standardizes the language across the relevant court acts to allow tenants statewide to sue in the county where the real property at issue is located in matters relating to a tenancy or lease; requires the Office of Court Administration to develop necessary forms, procedures and deliver a report.
Standardizes the language across the relevant court acts to allow tenants statewide to sue in the county where the real property at issue is located in matters relating to a tenancy or lease; requires the Office of Court Administration to develop necessary forms, procedures and deliver a report.
Standardizes the language across the relevant court acts to allow tenants statewide to sue in the county where the real property at issue is located in matters relating to a tenancy or lease; requires the Office of Court Administration to develop necessary forms, procedures and deliver a report.
Requires judges or justices in a court that exercises criminal jurisdiction, including town and village justices, family court judges, and justices of the supreme court who regularly handle matrimonial matters, and court clerks of such courts to attend a program approved by the chief administrator of the courts addressing issues relating to domestic violence totaling at least ten hours every two years; requires law enforcement officers to complete ten hours of domestic violence training every two years.
Requires that the tax imposed upon the conveyance of any real property that is located in more than one municipality to be allocated between or among the municipalities in proportions to the assessed value of the property located in each municipality.
Requires that the tax imposed upon the conveyance of any real property that is located in more than one municipality to be allocated between or among the municipalities in proportions to the assessed value of the property located in each municipality.
Expands the civil jurisdiction of county courts to matters of up to fifty thousand dollars and district courts to matters of up to thirty-five thousand dollars.
Expands the civil jurisdiction of county courts to matters of up to fifty thousand dollars and district courts to matters of up to thirty-five thousand dollars.
Individual income tax: home heating credit; adjustments based on Detroit Consumer Price Index; change to United States Consumer Price Index. Amends sec. 527a of 1967 PA 281 (MCL 206.527a).