Establishes a jobs and housing pilot program to create jobs in the construction industry and address the housing crisis

Showing the cosponsors who are on Agora, A to Z. The official record may list more.

• Democratic46
• Republican1

This bill has cosponsors from more than one party.

Shown in neutral colors by design; Agora is non-partisan.

◆ The sponsor's argument

Why Jessica Ramos says this is needed

New York state is in the midst of a jobs and housing crisis. More than half of renters statewide are rent-burdened, spending more than 30% of their income on rent. Over 60,000 New Yorkers are homeless. Homeowner- ship has slipped out of reach for an entire generation, cracking the foundation of the American Dream and threatening to deepen the racial wealth gap. The backbone of New York state's existing supply of afford- able housing is in jeopardy; new unfunded renewable energy mandates threaten to impose extraordinary capital costs on limited equity cooper- atives built by labor unions that will push them out of affordability. The housing crisis is exacerbating a crisis of good jobs, which in turn exacerbates the housing crisis. Median real household income has declined by 7.2% in New York state since 2019. Workers are squeezed by skyrocketing housing costs on the one hand, and stagnant real wages on the other. Historically, union careers in the construction industry have been a pathway to the middle class for thousands of New Yorkers, partic- ularly immigrant workers, workers of color, and workers without college degrees, but since 2019, the industry has lost over 44,400 jobs due to the pandemic. Public spending on residential housing construction is urgently needed to close the gap by creating good jobs for working people in New York state, which will result in a virtuous cycle of increased consumer spending to sustain economic growth. This legislation would create good-paying jobs and homes for working people.

This is the sponsor's own case for the bill, quoted from their memorandum. It is not Agora's description of what the bill does.