Dear Team Nika,
The antiquated ban on rent control literally reads “This policy is based on the belief that the public is best served by free market rental rates.” If this was ever true it certainly isn’t now when Massachusetts hosts some of the most severely housing cost-burdened cities in the nation. The local options bill not only lifts the overreaching ban but enables municipalities to learn from the unintended negative consequences of past rent control measures and to craft smart and targeted measures that stabilize rents and slow down the rapid rise in property taxes.
Tuesday, Jan 11th, the MA Legislature heard testimony on the Tenant Protection Act (S.886/H.1378), a bill from myself, Sen. Adam Gomez and Reps. Mike Connolly that would lift the statewide ban on rent control and enable municipalities to take action to support housing stability in line with the needs and conditions of each community.
No one policy is a silver bullet, but local leaders need to have every tool in the toolbox to address our housing crisis.
Here are ways that you can show support for the bill:
Submit written testimony: Send in your comments and ask others to do the same. You can use the form here.
Amplify the hearing: Follow @HomesForAllMass, @CityLife_CLVU, and other allies on Twitter for coverage of the State House hearing on rent control. Help amplify the message with retweets and your own posts (helpful talking points here).
Learn more. For updated info including links to materials about why rent control is an important solution, see www.HomesForAllMass.org/rentcontrol. And read my brief piece in Boston Globe.
Warmly,
Nika