Legislative Update: Housing Highlights
Rep. Carol Hill-Evans August 13, 2020 | 1:42 PM
Not just in this time when incomes have been hit hard for individuals and our economy has slumped, but always my constituents need assurances in the housing market and between them and their landlords. Our homeless populations also need a helping hand. There are bills in the state legislature to fulfill our promises as lawmakers to our constituents whether home buyers, homeowners, renters, landlords, or homeless.
The first bills have made some progress, but I fear they may stall, or remain stalled. Therefore, I am asking you to help make these contacts if you support the legislation.
HB128 authorizes the establishment of first-time home buyer savings accounts with certain financial institutions, the proceeds of which must be used for down payments and closing costs for the purchase of single-family homes. Holders of such accounts would be able to deduct the amount of funds contributed (and interest earnings) from their income for state tax purposes. Contact Senators Joe Pittman and Katie Muth, chairs of the Urban Affairs and Housing Committee as it stalled in their committee since February 2019 after passing the House nearly unanimously.
HB896 would expand the eligibility criteria of the Neighborhood Assistance Program (NAP) to include homeless housing assistance programs or projects among the eligible activities and uses of contributions. Contact Senators Patrick Browne and Vincent Hughes, chairs of the Appropriations Committee and ask them to keep this bill moving as it has been in their committee since June 2020 after passing the house unanimously.
The next 2 bills have made it out of committees and need your push to Speaker Brian Cutler to advance these bills to a House floor vote.
HB122 would provide for the disclosure of any visible evidence of interior mold which may be present at the time a home inspection is conducted. This bill made it to the Speaker in July 2020. I ask you contact him to advance the bill to a vote on the House floor.
HB897 would expand the power of existing land banks to enter partnerships with organizations in the private sector to create local solutions to address the lack of housing for the homeless population within their communities. Has been held by the Speaker’s office since November 2019.
Many Housing related bills, especially those for renters and landlords get assigned to the Urban Affairs Committee. Here is a highlight of some bills that need advanced out of committee.
HB213 would require a lead inspection of homes every time a tenant vacates a property, or prior to renting to a new tenant. This bill has been sitting in the Urban Affairs Committee since January 2019. Contact Representatives Sue Helm and Thomas Caltagirone, chairs of the committee if you support advancing this bill.
HB710 would update Act 90 known as the Neighborhood Blight Reclamation and Revitalization Act, which made significant steps to help municipalities correct blight. One of its provisions gave municipalities the ability to initiate in personam actions against property owners who have allowed their properties to fall into serious disrepair. The update is to treat mortgage lenders that have taken possession of a property, following a foreclosure, the same. Otherwise municipalities cannot file in personam actions to go after banks and other corporate lenders that refuse to maintain their foreclosed properties. Without this update our municipalities struggle to pay for the maintenance of these properties as they fall into disrepair and blight the community. This bill has been in their committee since March 2019.
HB865 would prohibit leases or rental agreement clauses requiring tenants to waive their rights to a written notice prior to the start of eviction proceedings. In some cases, these clauses will circumvent the entire eviction process established by law. After signing these agreements, tenants may find themselves locked out of their homes or find themselves in a costly court battle. If a landlord is found using these types of clauses, the tenant would be entitled to a refund of all the rent and security deposits paid to the landlord under the lease. This bill has been in their committee since March 2019. HB2124 does about the same and is also in Urban Affairs since December 2019
HB955 this bill aims to ensure that homeless people have the right to: move freely in public spaces; equal treatment by all government agencies without discrimination based on housing status; nondiscrimination while maintaining employment due to lack of permanent address; emergency medical care; vote; protection from disclosure of records provided to homeless shelters and social service providers; confidentiality of personal records and information; and, a reasonable expectation of privacy in their personal property. This bill has been in their committee since March 2019.
HB2185 would require purchasers of abandoned properties during a tax sale to enter into a redevelopment agreement with the municipality or a redevelopment authority to ensure that the property does not remain in poor condition. This bill has been in their committee since January 2020.
HB2501 would require mortgage servicers to evaluate homeowners for a loan modification at no cost and with no penalties for the borrower to assist with loss of income during the COVID-19 pandemic. This bill has been in their committee since May 2020.
HB2658 will require a contractor to disclose possible defects or faulty installation once the contractor is made aware of the problem. For instance, if a manufacturer discloses that a building material is defective, the contractor would be required to provide these notices within 30 days of discovering the issue and will have to do so for fifteen years after construction. This bill was referred to their committee July 2020.
I am a prime sponsor of the next bill. After it appeared this bill would make traction with my colleagues on the Veteran Affairs and Emergency Preparedness Committee, it has stalled since October 2019.
HB1933 would bring the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs and the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency together to aid veterans who are homeless or at imminent risk of becoming homeless. The DMVA would implement a program to identify these veterans, while the PHFA would establish a housing ombudsman to advocate for homeless veterans in the housing market. The DMVA may require veterans to participate in mental health counseling, substance abuse treatment, job training, or other supportive programs as a condition of participation. Eligible applicants would receive a maximum of $1,000 per month in the form of a rental voucher for a period of 12 months. Contact Representatives Steve Barrar and Christopher Sainato, chairs of the committee if you believe no Veteran should ever be homeless in this Commonwealth.
Homelessness does not only affect our Veterans, but thousands of other Pennsylvanians.
HB2451 specifically allocate funding to support homelessness organizations who have been exhausting their resources in this trying time in order to address shelter needs, food insecurity, and sanitation efforts. This bill has been in the Human Services Committee since April 2020. Contact Representatives Thomas Murt and Angel Cruz, chairs of the committee and ask them to prioritize this bill before the term expires.
The Consumer Affairs Committee also receives a lot of referred bills regarding housing. The next 3 bills are some of what that committee holds.
HB1070 would prohibit landlords from inquiring or requiring disclosure about certain arrest records of potential tenants as a condition of a lease. Some of these records would include juvenile records, arrests with no convictions, convictions older than seven years, or any convictions which is not a felony or misdemeanor. This bill has been in the Consumer Affairs Committee since April 2019. Contact Representatives Brad Roae and Robert Matzie, chairs of the committee if you support moving these bills.
HB2275 would provide for billing methods for renters: ratio utility billing systems (RUBS) and submetering. RUBS is a formula that the landlord uses to determine a flat rate for utilities, which is then included in the monthly rent payment. Alternately, submetering is when each apartment has its own meter for utilities and the tenant pays that amount, either directly to the utility company or to the landlord. Families and renters in Pennsylvania deserve the comfort in knowing that they are not being overcharged when they pay for utilities. With modern metering and billing methods, we can ensure that tenants are not being taken advantage of. This bill has been in the Consumer Affairs committee since February 2020.
HB2722 would create a permanent program for individuals and families in public housing to have access to free broadband internet. This bill creates a reimbursement program for internet providers installing and maintaining broadband service to public housing units. This bill was referred to the committee July 2020.
The judicial system should work fairly and understand when people are victimized by situations out of their control.
HB2382 would establish eviction expungement procedures. The bill will also retroactively seal all cases which meet the “not-for cause” criteria. Our current eviction records law benefits bad acting landlords, who can threaten tenants with frivolous evictions to keep them from demanding safe and sanitary housing conditions. Renters aren’t the only ones hurt by the current state of affairs — the law as is also makes it harder for small landlords, who need accurate information about their tenants and who can’t afford to be misled by spurious eviction records. This bill has been in the Judiciary Committee since April 2020. Contact Representatives Rob Kauffman and Tim Briggs, committee chairs, to protect renters with this bill.