Requires the state to handle the income verification process for the purposes of the senior citizen tax exemption

Latest action Mar 19, 2026

Shifts the conducting of the income verification process for the purposes of the senior citizen tax exemption from municipalities to the department of taxation and finance.

Not chosen yet

Where it stands

Passed one of the two chambers; it still needs the other.

Introduced
In committee
Up for a vote
Passed one chamber
Passed
Enacted

New York State Senate

Same as A4984, the matching bill in the Assembly.

Amends the Real Property Tax Law.

Committee

Aging · New York State Assembly

Also referred to Aging · New York State Senate.

Purpose, from the sponsor's memo

The purpose of this bill is to require the state to handle all income verification necessary to receive the senior citizen tax exemption.

Filed with the bill. Read it on nysenate.gov (opens in a new tab)

Recorded votes

Vote: Floor vote
NY SenateMar 19, 2026Result: passed
(61) (0) (0) (2)
Vote: Committee vote · Aging
Senate AgingMar 10, 2026Result: passed
(7) (0) (0) (0)
Vote: Floor vote
NY SenateMar 17, 2025Result: passed
(61) (0) (0) (2)
Vote: Committee vote · Aging
Senate AgingMar 4, 2025Result: passed
(7) (0) (0) (0)

Cosponsors

Grace Lee, Jessica Scarcella-Spanton and 4 more on Agora

Democratic5
Republican1

See the full list on nysenate.gov

The sponsor's argument

Why Christopher Ryan says this is needed

Currently, senior citizens in New York State who qualify for the tax exemption must visit their local town assessor to apply. With income verification falling on the local assessors rather than the state tax department, it can often become an unnecessarily egregious and difficult process for the applicant. The town assessors do not have the authority or access to the information that the state tax department has so it falls to the applicant to have to prove their low-income status. This legislation takes inspiration from the Enhanced STAR program and lessens the burden of low-income senior citizens to prove their income to local assessors and leaves verification to the state.

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.

Full history

Mar 19, 2026
Sent to the executive
DELIVERED TO ASSEMBLY
NY Senate
Mar 19, 2026
Passed a chamber
PASSED SENATE
NY Senate
Mar 19, 2026
Referred to committee
REFERRED TO AGING
NY Assembly
Mar 12, 2026
Advanced to Third Reading
ADVANCED TO THIRD READING
NY Senate
Mar 11, 2026
2ND Report CAL.
2ND REPORT CAL.
NY Senate

Show full history (12 earlier events)

Mar 10, 2026
1ST Report CAL.491
1ST REPORT CAL.491
NY Senate
Jan 7, 2026
Died in Assembly
DIED IN ASSEMBLY
NY Assembly
Jan 7, 2026
Referred to committee
REFERRED TO AGING
NY Assembly
Jan 7, 2026
Referred to committee
REFERRED TO AGING
NY Senate
Mar 17, 2025
Sent to the executive
DELIVERED TO ASSEMBLY
NY Senate
Mar 17, 2025
Passed a chamber
PASSED SENATE
NY Senate
Mar 17, 2025
Referred to committee
REFERRED TO AGING
NY Assembly
Mar 10, 2025
Advanced to Third Reading
ADVANCED TO THIRD READING
NY Senate
Mar 5, 2025
2ND Report CAL.
2ND REPORT CAL.
NY Senate
Mar 4, 2025
1ST Report CAL.450
1ST REPORT CAL.450
NY Senate
Feb 13, 2025
Referred to committee
REFERRED TO AGING
NY Senate
Feb 10, 2025
Referred to committee
REFERRED TO AGING
NY Assembly

About this record

Summary: The summary comes from NY Open Legislation, the New York State Senate's public record. For more, see How we handle summaries.
Cosponsors: The list shows the cosponsors who are on Agora, A to Z. The official record may list more.
Party colors: Parties are shown in the same neutral colors.
Source: From NY Open Legislation, the NY Senate and Assembly, and official rosters. This record was last updated Nov 1, 2026. About our data

Read the record

Read on NY Senate (opens in a new tab) The official record on nysenate.gov.

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