Boston property owners, landlords and businesses that violate the city’s sanitary code could face significantly higher fees under a home rule petition that gained House approval this week and may be on the move in the Senate.
A key legislative leader on Beacon Hill says he believes more than twice the amount the governor is prepared to spend on rental vouchers will be needed to avert a crisis.
The Joint Committee on Housing voted along party lines Wednesday to recommend a bill that would halt evictions and freeze rents until a year after Gov. Charlie Baker lifts the COVID-19 state of emergency.
A state legislator who’s played a central role in Massachusetts housing policy discussions for many years will retain his seat after seeing off a progressive challenger in his Allston-Brighton district in Tuesday’s Democratic primary.
The 17th Suffolk primary race between Housing Committee Co-Chairman Rep. Kevin Honan and his progressive challenger, Jordan Meehan, stands out as a battle between to the power and experience of the incumbent versus the ability of a younger progressive rival to secure a win in a district where top issues include affordable housing and tenant protections.
The pressure from Democrats on Gov. Charlie Baker to extend a moratorium on evictions and foreclosures into November intensified on Friday, with Attorney General Maura Healey calling such a step “critical,” and a majority of the Committee on Housing urging the governor to keep the protections in place.
If legislators pass one of the leading proposals on Beacon Hill to deal with a possible eviction crisis without offering funding equal to its scope, they could be opening a pandora’s box.
Massachusetts’ largest affordable housing operator is extending its moratorium on evictions for tenants with financial hardship through Dec. 31 in response to lingering COVID-19 impacts.
With the clock ticking for potential legislative action to extend housing relief measures, sponsors of a new bill aimed at preserving a mandatory pause on housing removals highlighted support and strategies on Thursday.
We are proud to say this is a truly comprehensive bill – it provides protections for a range of interests, including renters, homeowners, landlords, small businesses and local nonprofits.
The House on Thursday afternoon passed a bill to put a moratorium on evictions and foreclosures during the coronavirus emergency, quickly advancing the bill to the Senate.
The coronavirus outbreak has caused another tectonic shift in Boston, alongside the closure of the city’s schools and a new state mandate for restaurants to shift to takeout-only service: Several large landlords have suspended apartment evictions during the crisis.
A key piece of zoning reform legislation that Gov. Charlie Baker has said could unlock the construction of over 100,000 housing units suddenly sprang back to live yesterday on Beacon Hill after months of hibernation.
A long-time figure in the state’s housing policy debates is facing a primary challenge from the left from a candidate focused on housing issues.
While housing activists and progressive state legislators rallied for rent control legislation on the steps of the State House Tuesday, a co-chair of the state legislator’s Housing Committee said anti-development municipalities were blocking legislation that would help build more housing.
The realities of a housing market where affordable homes, condos and apartments are increasingly hard to come by for middle- and low-income residents has prompted numerous proposals on Beacon Hill for spurring housing development. But so far, there’s no consensus.
As the state’s housing crunch rages on, opinion at Tuesday’s hearing on key zoning reform legislation is still split over whether the bill goes far enough to help those most affected by the situation.
A bill at the center of Gov. Charlie Baker’s plan to address the state’s housing crisis, that would make it easier for towns to rezone areas for housing construction, is moving forward on Beacon Hill after failing to pass in the last legislative session.
Gov. Charlie Baker and Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito made a stop in Salem Friday as part of a statewide campaign to drum up support for a bill that would make it easier for municipalities to approve housing construction projects.
Major amendments sought by affordable housing advocates failed to pass during this year’s fiscal 2020 House budget debate, but lawmakers added more than $2 million in funding for local housing programs and affordable vouchers.
