ACTION ALERT: Contact Your State Senator TODAY to Support Housing Amendments in the Economic Development Bill!

Post date
July 25, 2018

This afternoon, the Massachusetts Senate will vote on an Economic Development Bill (S.2625). CHAPA is supporting four amendments to the bill that will help rehabilitate public housing, protect housing assistance programs, promote economic mobility, and strengthen the Community Preservation Act.

Please call or email your State Senator NOW to ask her or him to support the following amendments! 

To find the contact information for your State Senator, click here.

Amendment 236: Public Housing
Sponsored by Sen. Joseph Boncore
Sen. Boncore’s amendment provides housing authorities with additional resources and flexibility to preserve public housing. It allows housing authorities to borrow against capital funds, exempts redeveloped replacement units from real estate taxes, and allows housing authorities to retain proceeds from disposition of its property.

Amendment 64: Mortgage Licensing & Exemptions
Sponsored by Sen. Jamie Eldridge
Sen. Eldridge’s amendment will help create affordable homes and protect access to housing assistance programs by creating a narrow exemption for affordable housing nonprofits from state licensing requirements for mortgage loan originators.

Amendment 25: Economic Mobility & Stability Commission
Sponsored by Sen. Jamie Eldridge
Sen. Eldridge’s amendment creates a commission to identify the most effective self-sufficiency programs, examine the impact of cliff effects tied to minimum wage increases, and help shape programs that will best assist low-income families achieve economic mobility and independence.

Amendment 121: Community Preservation Act (CPA)
Sponsored by Sen. Cynthia Creem
Sen. Creem’s amendment strengthens the Community Preservation Trust Fund by increasing the deeds recording fee. This will provide a higher state match from the Trust Fund to communities that have enacted the CPA

For a fact sheet with a more detailed description of these amendments, please click here. 

As always, thank you for your advocacy and for helping make sure everyone in the Commonwealth has a safe, healthy, and affordable place to call home.

If you have any questions, please contact Eric Shupin, CHAPA’s Director of Public Policy, at eshupin@chapa.org or (617) 742-0820 x103.