AN ACT RELATIVE TO DATA COLLECTION FOR GOVERNMENT ASSISTED HOUSING IN MASSACHUSETTS.
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. To provide current, accurate, and detailed information on the number, location and residents of assisted housing units and recipients of state or federal rental assistance in the commonwealth, the department of housing and community development shall gather, compile, and report data regarding state and federal public housing, housing supported with state assistance, including privately-owned housing with public subsidy, state or federal rental assistance, and housing assisted with federal funds administered by the state, subsequent to the effective date of this act; but for units existing before the effective date of this act having a regulatory agreement or other funding contract that does not have provisions for collection of this data, the department shall use reasonable efforts to collect data upon turnover, rent re-determination or resale for such housing units.
These data shall include, but not be limited to: the number and location of such housing; type of housing; number of bedrooms; accessibility for persons with disabilities; the source and term of any and all state or federal subsidy for all such housing assistance; the size of each such household; income level of each such household; the race and ethnicity of the head of household and the number of children under 18 years of age and under 6 years of age in each such household. These data shall be collected and reported in a manner consistent with all applicable state and federal laws.
The department shall submit, on or before December 31, 2007 and annually thereafter, a report detailing the methods, reasonable efforts, and results of its data collection pursuant to this act to the house and senate committees on ways and means and the joint committee on housing.
SECTION 2. The department shall adopt regulations within 90 days after the effective date of this act to carry out this act.
Approved October 26, 2006.