“No real estate broker or salesperson shall engage in an unlawful discriminatory practice, as proscribed by any federal, state or local law applicable to the activities of real estate licensees in New York State. A finding by any federal, state or local agency or court of competent jurisdiction that a real estate broker or salesperson has engaged in unlawful discriminatory practice in the performance of licensed real estate activities shall be presumptive evidence of untrustworthiness and will subject such licensee to discipline, including a proceeding for revocation. Nothing herein shall limit or restrict the Department from otherwise exercising its authority pursuant to section 441-c of the Real Property Law.”

1. The collaboration between the Department of State and the Division of Human Rights in investigating claims of discrimination and enforcing the law. To date, the Department of State has referred 5 complaints to the Division of Human Rights. 
2. The Department of State's right, even without subpoena, to request documents from a licensee (including to document requests pertaining to documents that are unrelated to the practice of real estate brokerage) and that a licensee's failure to cooperate may result in a license suspension. 
3. A new licensing requirement of a 1 hour course on licensee safety is being added to curriculum and to make room for such additional hour the property insurance requirement is being reduced from 2 hours to 1 hour.
4. The comments period for regulatory changes, [to 175.1 (commingling money), 175.7 (disclosure to clients before accepting money), 176.3 (1 hour license safety course), 177.3 (minimum instruction time of 1 hour rather than 3 hours), 177.7 (computation of time being 50 minutes for an hour requirement) and 175.25 (licensee disclosure of license type on business cards)], has expired and such regulations are expected to be effective in mid January 2017. 
5. Brokerage firms can utilize cloud storage of their records so long as such cloud technology creates an accurate reproduction of paper records and has technology to permit discovery of any alterations of such records.
6. The Board of Real Estate meeting schedule for 2017 is April 12, 2017, September 13, 2017 and December 6, 2017. 

The next meeting is expected on April 12, 2017. 

1. Enforcement activity report;
2. Equalizing points for salespersons seeking a real estate broker's license for acting on the selling and listing sides of deals;
3. Updates on the continuing education topics of agency and diversity;
4. The new broker's curriculum; and
5. Fair Housing regulations, which were passed.

1. Enforcement:
• 5 new investigators are on the enforcement staff;
• Approximately 70% of DOS enforcement is related to real estate brokerage;
• The majority of enforcement has recently addressed client funds (a/k/a, escrow) - it was suggested that a brokerage creates a job of escrow accounts supervisor to minimize organizational confusion and it was suggested that such individual needn't be licensed in brokerage;
• Secondarily enforcement has mostly addressed brokers failing to immediately terminate their salespersons upon request by the salesperson;
• Enforcement contacts respondents often through the email address provided to DOS, so brokers need to check their email (not just physical mail);
2. Curriculum:
• Changes to the broker's curriculum are in the works:
• Curriculum will maintain 45 hour requirement; 
• Curriculum is expanding the topic of broker's operations to 16 hours, which includes license law and agency; 
3. The Real Estate License Law updates from 5/2015 address changes to part 19 NYCRR sections:
• 175.12 - key change of duplicate original to only require a copy (strangely the title stayed at "Delivering duplicate original of instrument")
• 175.20
• 175.24(a)
• 177.2
• 179.1
• 179.2(b)
• 179.3(a)