N.Y. Emergency Tenant Protection Act 576/74 § 2: Legislative finding

§ 2. Legislative finding. The legislature hereby finds and declares

that a serious public emergency continues to exist in the housing of a

considerable number of persons in the state of New York, that such

emergency necessitates the intervention of federal, state and local

government in order to prevent speculative, unwarranted and abnormal

increases in rents; that there continues to exist in many areas of the

state an acute shortage of housing accommodations caused by continued

high demand, attributable in part to new household formations and

decreased supply, in large measure attributable to reduced availability

of federal subsidies, and increased costs of construction and other

inflationary factors; that a substantial number of persons residing in

housing not presently subject to the provisions of this act or the

emergency housing rent control law or the local emergency housing rent

control act are being charged excessive and unwarranted rents and rent

increases; that preventive action by the legislature continues to be

imperative in order to prevent exaction of unjust, unreasonable and

oppressive rents and rental agreements and to forestall profiteering,

speculation and other disruptive practices tending to produce threats to

the public health, safety and general welfare; that in order to prevent

uncertainty, hardship and dislocation, the provisions of this act are

necessary and designed to protect the public health, safety and general

welfare; that the transition from regulation to a normal market of free

bargaining between landlord and tenant, while the ultimate objective of

state policy, must take place with due regard for such emergency; and

that the policy herein expressed shall be subject to determination of

the existence of a public emergency requiring the regulation of

residential rents within any city, town or village by the local

legislative body of such city, town or village.