#Albany lawmakers pass bills aimed at cleaning up housing bias

ALBANY — State Senate Democrats passed a package of bills Monday designed to clean up discriminatory and predatory practices in the housing market. 

The 11 bills includes a measure that would require the state attorney general’s office to conduct a yearly investigation into how minorities or other protected class members are treated in the housing market.

Another bill would mandate that all real estate brokers and sales agents take so-called “implicit bias” training as past of their licensing courses and a separate piece of legislation would order real estate brokers to collect client demographic data and submit it to the secretary of state.

Lawmakers crafted legislation and held several hearings following a years-long expose by Newsday, which unearthed a pattern of alleged prejudice and unfair treatment of prospective minority home buyers on Long Island.

“There is no place in New York for housing discrimination and predatory practices,” said state Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins (D-Westchester).

“Buying a new home should be a special achievement in a person’s life without the risk of becoming a victim of abhorrent discrimation. I am proud of the Democratic Majority Conference for holding these hearings and issuing an extensive report that has led this continued swift action to end these discriminatory practices and hold bad actors accountable.”

A spokesman for Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie (D-The Bronx) told The Post the chamber “takes these issues very seriously” and plans to review the proposals. 

Following passage in both chambers, the bills will need to be signed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo before becoming law.