"Immigrant Tenant Protection Act"; provides certain protections to residential tenants and codifies certain warranty of habitability protections.
What changed between versions
New section amending P.L.1975, c.311 (C.2A:18-61.6) of the Anti-Eviction Act, adding a provision that if a tenant vacates after a landlord threatens to disclose or actually discloses immigration status information, the owner is liable for three times damages plus attorney fees and costs. This extends immigration-based eviction protections into the existing Anti-Eviction Act framework.
New section amending C.2A:42-10.13 to clarify that while the general Anti-Eviction Act excludes owner-occupied premises with two or fewer units, the immigration protection provisions of this bill apply to ALL rental premises including owner-occupied ones. Mobile home spaces are explicitly included as rental premises.
References to 'unlawful detainer action' throughout Section 3 were replaced with 'action to recover possession of a dwelling unit,' broadening the affirmative defense and rebuttable presumption to cover any type of possession recovery action, not just unlawful detainer proceedings.
Assemblywoman Quijano added as a co-sponsor of the bill.
New subsection e in Section 2 states that nothing in the pending companion bill shall be construed to limit an individual's rights or remedies under the Law Against Discrimination (P.L.1945, c.169), creating a savings clause to preserve broader anti-discrimination protections.
The word 'equitable' was struck from subsection b(4) of Section 2, removing 'other equitable relief as the court may deem appropriate and just' as an available remedy for tenants who bring civil actions against landlords.
Gender-neutral language changes: 'his' replaced with 'the tenant's' and 'his agent' replaced with 'property manager' in the amendment to C.2A:42-10.10.
