Gov. Hochul signs a nine-bill package against housing discrimination

Governor Kathy Hochul signed a bill package to fight housing discrimination in response to the Newsday investigation.

In November 2019, Newsday released a 3-year long investigation called Long Island Divided. Newsday tested 93 real estate agents and analyzed 5,763 house listings. The report identified widespread evidence of discrimination by real estate agents against Asian, Black, and Hispanic residents. 

The findings are based on the paired testing methodology that helps to determine discrimination in the real estate market. Newsday conducted 86 matching tests, where two undercover testers with similar financial profiles separately sought a broker’s assistance when looking to buy a home. The agent’s actions were later analyzed and stored for evidence.

Newsday’s investigation demonstrated that minority potential homebuyers face a substantial risk of unequal treatment by Long Island’s dominant residential brokering firms. The 240 hours of video evidence showed that real estate agents frequently offer their white customers houses in predominantly white areas. At the same time, minority buyers were directed towards more integrated neighborhoods. 

The legislative package includes nine bills and introduces the Anti-Discrimination in Housing Fund to oversee fair housing testing. In addition, the bill would also require to increase training of real estate agents and maximize the fines for misconduct from $1,000 to $2,000. The nine-bill action plan is passed with the support of Senate Housing Committee Chair Brian Kavanagh and Assembly Housing Committee Chair Steven Cymbrowitz.  

“For too long, the dream of owning a home has been out of reach for too many New Yorkers because of discrimination and bigotry," Governor Hochul said in a statement released with the bill package. "When intrepid investigative journalists uncovered housing discrimination in New York, we took action to end this unacceptable practice. I'm proud to sign strong new laws expanding access to fair housing and allowing more New Yorkers to achieve the American dream of owning their homes."

Resources:

“Governor Hochul Signs Legislative Package to Combat Housing Discrimination,” (Governor Kathy Hochul, 2021)

“Long Island Divided,” by Ann Choi, Keith Herbert, Olivia Winslow and project editor Arthur Browne (Newsday, 2019)

“Governor Hochul Signs Legislative Package to Combat Housing Discrimination,” by Brian Kavanagh (The New York State Senate, 2021)

“Gov. Hochul Signs Bill Package to Combat Housing Discrimination in Response to Newsday’s Expose,” by John Jordan (Real Estate In-Depth, 2021)

“Paired Testing and the Housing Discrimination Studies,” (U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, 2014)