The Legal Aid Society praised New York State lawmakers for returning to work and enacting a new statewide residential eviction moratorium that will protect thousands of tenants, as reported by The New York Times.

The new law contains a provision that complies with the Supreme Court’s recent ruling which invalided New York’s previous moratorium.

“In reconvening to pass this critical legislation, Albany lawmakers have done the right thing and taken action to protect struggling families throughout the state, said Judith Goldiner, Attorney-in-Charge of the Civil Law Reform Unit at The Legal Aid Society. “Enacting a new moratorium on evictions that complies with the Supreme Court’s recent ruling provides a lifeline to New York’s vulnerable tenants and allows additional time for the state to disburse billions in emergency rent relief money to those who need it desperately.

The state legislature also extended the time period for which tenants who suffered financial hardship due to COVID-19 can use the Tenant Safe Harbor Act as a defense. A successful defense under safe harbor means that a tenant cannot be evicted for nonpayment of rent that accrued from March 2020-January 15, 2022. A tenant will still owe the money so LAS urges tenants to apply for rent relief money.

Legal Aid commended new Governor Kathy Hochul, Senator Brian Kavanagh, Assemblymember Jeffrey Dinowitz, Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, and Speaker Carl Heastie for their leadership during this critical moment.

“By passing this moratorium and extending Safe Harbor, lawmakers have avoided the disaster of widespread eviction during a surging COVID season and protected thousands of our fellow New Yorkers from losing their homes,” Goldiner said.

The Governor officially signed the new moratorium on Thursday morning.

For more information about what New York’s moratorium means for tenants click here.