HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 3729        FILED ON: 2/19/2021

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 1799

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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PRESENTED BY:

Liz Miranda

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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 relative to homes for all.

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PETITION OF:

HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 3729        FILED ON: 2/19/2021

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 1799

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the One Hundred and Ninety-Second General Court
(2021-2022)

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An Act relative to homes for all.

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 4 of said chapter 151B, as appears in the 2018 Official Edition of the General Laws, is hereby amended by inserting after subsection 19 the following two subsections:-

20. For the owner, lessee, sublessee, licensed real estate broker, assignee or managing agent of publicly assisted or multiple dwelling or contiguously located housing accommodations or other person having the right of ownership or possession or right to rent or lease, or sell or negotiate for the sale of such accommodations, or any agent or employee of such a person, or any organization of unit owners in a condominium or housing cooperative to request from or about an applicant for housing accommodations any information, to make or keep a record of such information, to use any form of application or application blank which requests such information, or to exclude, limit or otherwise discriminate against any person by reason of his or her failure to furnish such information through a written application or oral inquiry or otherwise regarding:

(i) an arrest, detention, or disposition regarding any violation of law in which no conviction resulted, or

(ii) a first conviction for any of the following misdemeanors: drunkenness, simple assault, speeding, minor traffic violations, affray, or disturbance of the peace, or

(iii) any conviction of a misdemeanor where the date of such conviction or the completion of any period of incarceration resulting therefrom, whichever date is later, occurred 3 or more years prior to the date of such applicant’s application for housing or such request for information, unless such person has been convicted of any offense within 3 years immediately preceding the date of such application for employment or such request for information, or

(iv) a criminal record, or anything related to a criminal record, that has been sealed or expunged pursuant to chapter 276.

No person shall be held under any provision of any law to be guilty of perjury or of otherwise giving a false statement by reason of his failure to recite or acknowledge such information as he has a right to withhold by this subsection.

Nothing contained herein shall be construed to affect the application of section 34 of chapter 94C, or of chapter 276 relative to the sealing of records.

21. For the owner, lessee, sublessee, licensed real estate broker, assignee or managing agent of publicly assisted or multiple dwelling or contiguously located housing accommodations or other person having the right of ownership or possession or right to rent or lease, or sell or negotiate for the sale of such accommodations, or any agent or employee of such a person, or any organization of unit owners in a condominium or housing cooperative r to request on its initial written application form criminal offender record information; provided, however, that except as otherwise prohibited by subsection 20 an owner may inquire about any criminal convictions on an applicant's application form if the applicant is applying for housing for which any federal or state law or regulation creates mandatory or presumptive disqualification based on a conviction for 1 or more types of criminal offenses.