Kingston, NY – The Rent Emergency Stabilization for Tenants (REST) Act (A04877/S04659), removes the requirement of a vacancy study when localities opt in to the 2019 Emergency Tenant Protections Act (ETPA), gives them the option to cover buildings with a lower unit-size, and covers buildings older than 15 years on a rolling basis. On the Senate side, the bill has been introduced by the Chair of the Housing committee, Senator Brian Kavanaugh.

June Nemon, Kingston tenant and Co-Chair of the Mid-Hudson Valley Democratic Socialists of America, stated, “For the last few years, Hudson Valley tenants have been struggling to survive the housing crisis in our region. Rent Stabilization is the strongest protection cities and towns can offer their tenants, and since 2019 there have been many municipalities that have attempted to opt in. However, the law as written is 50+ years old and drastically outdated, and the vacancy study localities are required to do are expensive, easily manipulatable, and consistently challenged in courts. Recently, local judges overturned studies in Poughkeepsie and Newburgh based on bogus claims that have kept thousands of tenants on the brink of eviction. Despite winning an appeal, Kingston is still wrapped up in lawsuits regarding their study from 3 years ago. The REST Act would give upstate communities like ours the power to address the crisis in their district in ways that actually meets the needs of their constituents. MHV-DSA applauds the leadership of Assemblymember Shrestha in sponsoring this bill and urge other legislators to sign on!”

REST Act intro local press release: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1FzdtyVZl0RiEcYH03-SOXPmVn4_IQVDtUJnokjAhIk8/edit?tab=t.0