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The Housing Committee on Thursday plans to accept written testimony on a Rep. Lindsay Sabadosa bill that would authorize state- and city- level freezes on rent increases during the COVID-19 state of emergency and for 30 days after state and federal emergency declarations are lifted.

Sabadosa’s bill (H.4718) would temporarily suspend the sections of state law prohibiting rent control.

“The Department of Housing and Community Development shall be empowered to issue, maintain, and enforce a rent freeze and/or rent control within the Commonwealth for the duration and 30 days following the COVID-19 state and federal state of emergency declarations of March, 2020,” the bill says. It continues, “A city or town may enact, maintain, or enforce rent freezes and/or rent control for the duration and 30 days following the COVID-19 state and federal state of emergency declarations of March, 2020.”

The bill has 29 co-sponsors, including two Republicans – Rep. Elizabeth Poirier and Sen. Patrick O’Connor. The Housing Committee is accepting testimony by email to Kelly.Mallon@mahouse.gov.

The news comes as large multifamily developer Equity Residential report its rents have fallen more in Greater Boston than anywhere else in the nation thanks to the pandemic, and real estate analytics firm Yardi Matrix predicts rents will fall about 1 percent for the rest of 2020.

Significant uncertainty surrounds the rental markets in Greater Boston and elsewhere with significant student populations as colleges and universities debate how they will restart in-person classes in the fall, or if they will at all. While rent collections at professionally managed, middle- to higher-tier multifamily properties appear to be holding steady thanks to federal stimulus checks and expanded unemployment assistance, state and national industry groups are lobbying for direct government subsidies to help renters meet their monthly payments.