On Wednesday, Assemblyman Matt Simpson (R,C,I-Horicon) voted against the extension of the state eviction moratorium through January 15, 2022. The extension comes while New York state has yet to allocate nearly all of the $2.6 billion in rental relief funds it received from the federal government. These funds were allocated for renters and landlords who were struggling to pay bills in the height of the pandemic. Simpson believes extending the moratorium is irresponsible and will further devastate the thousands of upstate small landlords who have not received rental payments in over 18 months.

“Since March, we have called on the Cuomo and Hochul administrations to release the over $2.6 billion in federally allocated rental relief funds,” said Simpson. “Inexcusably, they have sat on their hands and brought us to this shameful day in Albany. Today, the Majority Conference, alongside the executive branch, made it abundantly clear that they are not in the business of problem solving, rather problem making.

“Small landlords across my district have expressed their inability to pay the most basic of bills, let alone mortgage payments that the banks are still coming to collect on. Extending this moratorium through mid-January is not fair, equitable or just to the thousands of small landlords statewide who desperately need our help.”