Amendment #317 to H4707

Special Commission to expand housing supply

Mr. Rogers of Cambridge moves to amend the bill by adding the following section:

"Section XX. Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, there shall be established a special commission to make recommendations on expanding the supply of housing available and affordable to tenants with a household income of not more than 30 per cent of the area median income, adjusted for household size, as periodically determined by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development. The commission shall review and evaluate federal, state and local subsidies that support the creation of housing for such tenants and make policy recommendations to increase the supply of housing that is available and affordable to households earning not more than 30 per cent of the area median income.

(a) Without limitation, the commission shall consider the following: (i) the number of deeply subsidized rental units targeted at families with incomes at or below 30 per cent of the area median income and the percentage of those units that are accessible to persons with disabilities; (ii) the number of families with such incomes per deeply subsidized rental unit; (iii) the gap between median rents and the rent affordable to families with such incomes, and analysis of whether housing subsidies are sufficient to bridge such gap; (iv) the ratio of households with such incomes to unsubsidized units available at rents up to 50 per cent of such income; (v) housing market factors such as vacancy rates, rate of rent increases, conversion of rental housing to homeownership units; and (vi) the impact of non-housing subsidies such as earned income tax credit on cost burden for working families; and barriers to accessing available housing, including racial and ethnic disparities in housing access.

(b) The commission shall consist of the secretary of housing and livable communities or their designee, who shall serve as chair; the house and senate chairs of the joint committee on housing or their designees; the minority leader of the house of representatives or a designee; the minority leader of the senate or a designee; the secretary of administration and finance or a designee; the secretary of health and human services or a designee; a representative of the Citizens’ Housing and Planning Association; a representative of the Massachusetts Housing Partnership; a representative of the Massachusetts Housing Finance Agency; a representative of the Community Economic Development Assistance Corporation; a representative of the Massachusetts Law Reform Institute; a representative of the Massachusetts Association of Community Development Corporations; a representative of the Regional Housing Network; and 5 members appointed by the governor: 1 of whom shall be a representative of a local housing authority; 1 of whom shall be a representative of an advocacy organization representing tenants; 1 of whom shall have expertise in affordable housing finance; 1 of whom shall have expertise in nonprofit affordable housing development; and 1 of whom shall have expertise in development of permanent supportive housing.

(c) Not later than June 30, 2025, the commission shall file its recommendations with the clerks of the senate and house of representatives and the joint committee on housing not later than June 30, 2025."