SENATE DOCKET, NO. 1226        FILED ON: 1/19/2023

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 1799

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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PRESENTED BY:

James B. Eldridge

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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 providing for climate change adaptation infrastructure and affordable housing investments in the commonwealth.

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PETITION OF:

SENATE DOCKET, NO. 1226        FILED ON: 1/19/2023

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 1799

[SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION
SEE SENATE, NO. 1853 OF 2021-2022.]

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the One Hundred and Ninety-Third General Court
(2023-2024)

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An Act providing for climate change adaptation infrastructure and affordable housing investments in the commonwealth.

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 1 of chapter 64D of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2018 Official Edition, is hereby amended by striking out the words “two dollars” each time they appear and inserting in place thereof the following words:- two dollars and twenty eight cents, plus an additional and separate fee of one dollar and fourteen cents that shall be deposited into the Global Warming Solutions Trust Fund established by section 35GGG of chapter 10, plus an additional and separate fee of sixty-eight cents that shall be deposited into the Affordable Housing Trust Fund as established by section 2 of chapter 121D, plus an additional and separate fee of forty-six cents that shall be deposited into the Housing Preservation and Stabilization Trust Fund as established by section 60 of chapter 121B; provided, however, that all monies deposited in the Global Warming Solutions Trust in accordance with this section shall support the planning and implementation of policy recommendations required in each of the Commonwealth’s Clean Energy and Climate plans pursuant to Sections 5, or development and initiation of programs required in Section 6, of Chapter 8 of the Acts of 2021; provided, further, that priority shall be given to investments in environmental justice populations as defined in Section 62 of Chapter 30.

SECTION 2. Said section 1 of said chapter 64D, as so appearing, is hereby further amended by striking out, in line 15, the words “one dollar and fifty cents” and inserting in place thereof the following words:- one dollar and seventy-one cents, plus an additional and separate fee of eighty-six cents that shall be deposited into the Global Warming Solutions Trust Fund established by said section 35GGG of said chapter 10, plus an additional and separate fee of fifty-one cents that shall be deposited into the Affordable Housing Trust Fund as established by section 2 of chapter 121D, plus an additional and separate fee of thirty-four cents that shall be deposited into the Housing Preservation and Stabilization Trust Fund as established by section 60 of chapter 121B; provided, however, that all monies deposited in the Global Warming Solutions Trust in accordance with this section shall support the planning and implementation of policy recommendations required in each of the Commonwealth’s Clean Energy and Climate plans pursuant to Sections 5, and development and initiation of programs required in Section 6, of Chapter 8 of the Acts of 2021; provided further, that priority shall be given to investments in environmental justice populations as defined in Section 62 of Chapter 30.

SECTION 3. Said section 1 of said chapter 64D, as so appearing, is hereby further amended by striking out, in line 20, the words “in said Funds” and inserting in place thereof the following words:- received pursuant to this chapter, except for the monies collected and deposited in the Global Warming Solutions Trust Fund established by said section 35GGG of chapter 10, the Affordable Housing Trust Fund established by section 2 of chapter 121D, and the Housing Preservation and Stabilization Trust Fund established by section 60 of chapter 121B.

SECTION 4. Section 10 of said chapter 64D, as so appearing, is hereby amended by inserting after the word “commonwealth,” in line 2, the following words:- except for the monies collected and deposited into the separate funds as required by this chapter.

SECTION 5. Section 23 of chapter 546 of the acts of 1969 is hereby repealed.

SECTION 6. Notwithstanding any provision of this act or any general or special law to the contrary, for two years after the passage of this act, the commonwealth may utilize funds generated hereunder and allocated to either the Affordable Housing Trust Fund or the Housing Preservation and Stabilization Trust Fund to meet the emergency assistance needs of tenants and homeowners of very low income or extremely low income, as those terms are defined in chapter 40T of the general laws, resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic and related unemployment and economic dislocation.

SECTION 7. This act shall take effect on July 1, 2024.