The Massachusetts Legislature’s Joint Committee on Housing will hold a virtual hearing and take testimony on 20 controversial Landlord-Tenant bills on Tuesday, January 11, 2022 at 11 a.m. These bills include some of the most controversial and radical measures ever to reach Beacon Hill, including a return to rent control, the Housing Stability Act, Just Cause Evictions, Rent Cancellation, and many others.
Members of the public can register to testify by filling out this FORM by 5 p.m. on Friday, January 7, 2022.
Despite the large number of controversial bills, testimony will be limited to three minutes per individual, and the committee reserves the right to call public officials out of turn.
The bills which will be heard are the following (click Bill number for link to bill text):
H.1374 — An act relative to senior and non-elderly disabled housing (Rep. Biele)
H.1378 — An Act enabling local options for tenant protections (Rep. Connolly)
H.1380 — An act relative to capital relief in a counterclaim (Rep. Coppinger)
H.1381 — An act relative to reducing barriers in housing (Rep. Coppinger)
H.1401 — An act relative to provide tenant ownership in government assisted housing Rep. González)
H. 1429 — An act relative to the use of credit reporting in housing (Rep. Malia)
H. 1440 — An act relative to the stabilization of rents and evictions in towns and cities facing distress in the housing market (Rep. Rogers)
H. 1443 — An act requiring notice to landlords relating to gas or electric shutoffs (Rep. Roy)
H. 3721 — An act relative to avoiding senior homelessness and maintaining senior housing-stabilization of rents (Rep. DuBois)
H.4057 — An Act facilitating local approval of condominium conversion ordinances (Rep. Connolly)
H.4148 — An Act canceling the rent and providing relief to all impacted by the COVID-19 emergency (Rep. Connolly)
H.4208 — An Act authorizing the city of Somerville to enact Right to Purchase Legislation (Rep. Uyterhoeven)
H.4229 — An Act to restore Boston’s governmentally-involved housing protection (Rep. Elugardo)
S.863 — An Act relative to the disclosure of smoking within a multi-residence building by lessor (Sen. Brownsberger)
S.866 — An Act relative to homes for all (Sen. Chang-Diaz)
S.869 — An Act relative to reducing barriers to housing (Sen. Crighton)
S.884 — An Act to reduce the financial barriers to renting homes (Sen. Eldridge)
S.886 — An Act enabling local options for tenant protections (Sen. Gomez)
S.889 — An Act relative to the stabilization of rents and evictions in towns and cities facing distress in the housing market (Sen. Jehlen)
S.894 — An Act relative to the use of credit reporting in housing (Sen. Lesser)
Please contact Luke O’Roark at luke.oroark@mahouse.gov for questions or inquires or to submit written testimony.