NJTO LEGISLATIVE UPDATE
for the Year 2012:
THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY
The Good…
S-897, sponsored by Senator Joe Vitale (D-19) would allow senior citizen buildings built after 1987 where residents are 55 and over to have rent control instead of 62 and over. Other newly constructed buildings are exempt from rent control for 30 years. This bill was released from the Senate Community and Urban Affairs Committee, and is scheduled for a full vote in the Senate. The Assembly version of this bill, A-2737, sponsored by Assemblyman Craig Coughlin (D-19), was released from the Assembly Housing Committee, but was amended on the floor to only apply to Woodbridge. It was passed by the Assembly in this form and sent to the Senate, where we succeeded in amending it back to its original form and passing it. It now awaits an Assembly “concurrence” vote.
A-547, sponsored by Connie Wagner (D-38), and S-656, sponsored by Brian Stack (D-33) would require landlords to replace old showerheads and toilets with low-flow devices, and would save billions of gallons of water each year, while costing them nothing, since they'd get their investment back in about 3 years through lower water bills due to less use. This bill is our answer to the sub-metering (scam) bill A-1967 (see under The Bad).
S-672, sponsored by Senator Brian Stack, would require landlords of senior citizen buildings over 100 units in high violent crime municipalities to provide a licensed, uniformed security guard in the lobby and video surveillance and recording of all other exits and entrances. Originally the bill gave landlords the choice of a security guard or a video surveillance system. Senator Stack amended the bill with NJTO’s amendment requiring both. It was released from the Senate Community and Urban Affairs Committee, and is assigned to the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee. A-3070, sponsored by Assemblyman Ruben Ramos (D-31), assigned to the Assembly Housing and Local Government Committee, is still in original form, and we hope to get it amended in the same way.
S-2018, sponsored by Senator Brian Stack (D-33), would require landlords to pay attorney fees and court costs to successful tenants if the lease reserves the landlord the same right.
A-992, sponsored by Assemblywoman Valerie Huttle (D-37) would protect victims of domestic violence from facing discrimination in housing. A recent law allows tenants who experience domestic violence to break a lease. This bill would protect individuals who utilize this law from facing discrimination as a result of doing so. This Bill is assigned to the Assembly Judiciary Committee. The Senate version of this Bill, S-1154, sponsored by Senator Loretta Weinberg (D-37), is assigned to the Senate Judiciary Committee.
The Bad…
Senate Bill S-108, sponsored by Senator Gerald Cardinale (R-40) would allow landlords to require tenants to prepay rent in advance. Although the bill did have a hearing we were able to stop it from being released from committee in the Senate. Dr. Cardinale, incidentally, happens to be a landlord.
S-489, sponsored by Senator Anthony Bucco (R-25), would create another “cause” for eviction. This bill would allow a landlord to arbitrarily declare a policy regarding maximum occupancy in an apartment. The tenant does not even have to sign or agree with this policy, and it can be instituted at any time. The Just Cause for Eviction Laws already allow for eviction based on legitimate overcrowding as set out by State and Local occupancy standards, a more objective standard than some random rule implemented by a landlord looking to evict a tenant. This Bill also allows for additional fines for overcrowding and allows them to be passed to the tenant. The Assembly companion bill is A-766, sponsored by Assemblywoman Nancy Munoz (R-21).
A-603, sponsored by Assemblywoman L. Grace Spencer (D-29), and the Senate version, S-159, sponsored by Senator Robert Singer (R-30), was not originally a “bad” bill. However, all the changes to it have morphed it into a piece of legislation that would provide ways to switch responsibility from the landlord to the tenant for eradication of bedbugs.
A-1967 in the Assembly, sponsored by John McKeon (D-27) would permit landlords to install one or more water sub-meters in tenants' apartments and charge them separately for water and sewerage use. Purporting to promote conservation of water, it would actually cause more water to be used, since the landlords would no longer have the incentive to conserve by replacing water wasting toilets & showerheads and by fixing leaks promptly. It is only about making tenants pay for a cost that is rising faster than the rents.
A-1290, sponsored by Assemblywoman Mila Jasey (D-27), assigned to the Assembly Housing and Local Government Committee, would restrict municipalities ability to have their own maintenance codes with regular inspections.
The Ugly…
The really dangerous news is that the Law Revision Commission has recently “reviewed” all tenant Laws, including the Eviction for Just Cause Law and the Security Deposit Law. The commission has proposed sweeping changes to our hard earned tenant protections. We expect it to be introduced in Bill form soon. This Law Revision Commission bill could essentially dismantle tenant protections in New Jersey.
New Jersey Tenants Organization
