SENATE DOCKET, NO. 2889        FILED ON: 3/25/2020

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No.         

 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

_________________

PRESENTED BY:

Michael O. Moore

_________________

To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:

The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:

An Act establishing a COVID-19 homeowner protection act.

_______________

PETITION OF:

 

Name:

District/Address:

 

Michael O. Moore

Second Worcester

 

Nika C. Elugardo

15th Suffolk

3/25/2020

Nick Collins

First Suffolk

3/25/2020

Diana DiZoglio

First Essex

3/25/2020

James B. Eldridge

Middlesex and Worcester

3/25/2020

José F. Tosado

9th Hampden

3/25/2020

Lindsay N. Sabadosa

1st Hampshire

3/25/2020

Hannah Kane

11th Worcester

3/25/2020

Mary S. Keefe

15th Worcester

3/25/2020

Marc R. Pacheco

First Plymouth and Bristol

3/25/2020

John H. Rogers

12th Norfolk

3/25/2020

Kevin G. Honan

17th Suffolk

3/25/2020

Anne M. Gobi

Worcester, Hampden, Hampshire and Middlesex

3/25/2020

Brian M. Ashe

2nd Hampden

3/26/2020

Jonathan D. Zlotnik

2nd Worcester

3/26/2020

Denise Provost

27th Middlesex

3/26/2020

Tram T. Nguyen

18th Essex

3/26/2020

Smitty Pignatelli

4th Berkshire

3/26/2020

Mathew J. Muratore

1st Plymouth

3/27/2020

Patrick M. O'Connor

Plymouth and Norfolk

3/27/2020

David Henry Argosky LeBoeuf

17th Worcester

3/27/2020

Brian W. Murray

10th Worcester

3/27/2020

Elizabeth A. Poirier

14th Bristol

3/27/2020

Tommy Vitolo

15th Norfolk

3/27/2020

Mike Connolly

26th Middlesex

3/27/2020

Mark C. Montigny

Second Bristol and Plymouth

3/27/2020

Antonio F. D. Cabral

13th Bristol

3/29/2020

Michael D. Brady

Second Plymouth and Bristol

3/30/2020

Sonia Chang-Diaz

Second Suffolk

3/31/2020

Patrick Joseph Kearney

4th Plymouth

3/31/2020

Jack Patrick Lewis

7th Middlesex

4/2/2020

Patricia D. Jehlen

Second Middlesex

4/8/2020


SENATE DOCKET, NO. 2889        FILED ON: 3/25/2020

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No.         

By Mr. Moore, a petition (accompanied by bill) (subject to Joint Rule 12) of Michael O. Moore, Nika C. Elugardo, Nick Collins, Diana DiZoglio and other members of the General Court for legislation to establish a COVID-19 homeowner protection act.  Housing.

 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

 

_______________

In the One Hundred and Ninety-First General Court
(2019-2020)

_______________

 

An Act establishing a COVID-19 homeowner protection act.

 

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

SECTION 1. Section 35A of chapter 244, as appearing in the 2018 Official Edition, is hereby amended by adding the following 4 subsections:-

(g) to mitigate the adverse financial impacts resulting from the outbreak of the 2019 novel coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, or the effects of the Governor’s March 10, 2020 declaration of a state of emergency, any mortgagor of residential real property located in the commonwealth with a demonstrated financial hardship affecting the ability of the mortgagee to make timely payments shall have a 180-day right to forbear required payments as provided in such residential mortgage or note secured by such residential real property, with the payments added to the end of the term of the loan.

(h) The mortgagor shall not report such forbearance as late payments to credit rating agencies or assess fees and/or penalties to any mortgagee or deny loan modifications, a new residential or commercial loan/financing, loan refinancing and credit card services based on the inclusion in this forbearance protection.

(i) Within 90 days of the termination of the forbearance, mortgagors shall work with the mortgagees to maintain pre-forbearance monthly payments or enact loan modifications reducing such monthly payments.

(j) A mortgagor shall not initiate foreclosure proceedings against the mortgagee from the date of the emergency declaration issued by the Governor, dated March 10, 2020 and designated as executive order number 591, until 90 days after the emergency declaration is rescinded by the Governor.

SECTION 2. Section 1 shall expire 180 days after termination of the Governor’s March 10, 2020 declaration of a state of emergency.