House Committee advances five housing-related Senate bills to the House floor

Salem, Ore. — The House Committee on Housing and Homelessness voted April 30 to advance five Senate bills to the House floor with due-pass recommendations, moving a package of measures that lawmakers described as incremental steps to preserve and expand housing and to reduce regulatory barriers.

The five bills include: Senate Bill 814A (expanding eligibility for long-term rental assistance), Senate Bill 967A (clarifying local-improvement agreements in unincorporated areas inside urban growth boundaries), Senate Bill 32A (requiring Oregon Housing and Community Services to publish public-housing data), Senate Bill 973 (requiring multilingual landlord notice when affordability restrictions will end), and Senate Bill 49A (increasing membership on the Building Codes Structures Board). Committee members recorded unanimous or near-unanimous support and assigned members to carry the bills on the House floor.

Lawmakers said the bills have minimal fiscal impacts. Committee staff summarized each measure for members before votes. Committee Chair Tara Marsh opened and closed each work session; committee staff provided bill summaries and the committee clerk called the roll for each vote.

Senate Bill 814A: The committee heard that SB 814A would expand eligibility for the long-term rental assistance program administered by the Oregon Housing and Community Services Department to include people who are, or recently were, residing in child-care centers or confined in correctional facilities, and would direct OHS to consult with the Oregon Youth Authority in program design. The bill was moved to the floor with a due-pass recommendation by Vice Chair Breeze Iverson. The roll call recorded 11 yes votes and 1 excused member; Chair Marsh announced the motion passed and Rep. Grama volunteered to carry the bill to the floor.

Senate Bill 967A: Committee staff summarized SB 967A as a measure that expands provisions governing local improvements in unincorporated areas inside urban growth boundaries and allows local governments to enter intergovernmental agreements to allocate jurisdictional authority over proposed local-improvement projects. Vice Chair Breeze Iverson moved the bill to the floor with a due-pass recommendation; the roll call recorded 12 yes votes and the motion passed. Rep. Levy agreed to carry the bill.

Senate Bill 32A: Committee staff said SB 32A would require Oregon Housing and Community Services to maintain on its website information about publicly supported housing, including expiration dates for affordability restrictions, unit counts, rental-assistance types and income-eligibility levels. Vice Chair Breeze Iverson moved the bill to the floor with a due-pass recommendation; the roll call recorded 12 yes votes and the motion passed. A carrier was identified from committee membership.

Senate Bill 973: Committee staff described SB 973 as requiring the Oregon Housing and Community Services Department to prescribe multilingual notice forms obligating landlords to provide extended notice when affordability restrictions are set to end on or after July 1, 2028. The committee moved the bill to the floor with a due-pass recommendation; the roll call recorded 12 yes votes and the motion passed. Rep. Anderson volunteered to carry the bill.

Senate Bill 49A: The committee heard SB 49A would increase membership on the Building Codes Structures Board from nine to 11 and specify membership requirements; proponents said the additional seats would add expertise such as structural engineering. Vice Chair Breeze Iverson moved the bill to the floor with a due-pass recommendation. The roll call recorded 12 yes votes and the motion passed. Rep. Mannix agreed to carry the bill.

Votes at a glance

- SB 814A — Motion: move to floor with due-pass recommendation; mover: Vice Chair Breeze Iverson; tally: yes 11, excused 1; outcome: approved. Carrier: Rep. Grama. - SB 967A — Motion: move to floor with due-pass recommendation; mover: Vice Chair Breeze Iverson; tally: yes 12; outcome: approved. Carrier: Rep. Levy. - SB 32A — Motion: move to floor with due-pass recommendation; mover: Vice Chair Breeze Iverson; tally: yes 12; outcome: approved. Carrier: Rep. Sosa (assigned from committee discussion). - SB 973 — Motion: move to floor with due-pass recommendation; mover: Vice Chair Breeze Iverson; tally: yes 12; outcome: approved. Carrier: Rep. Anderson. - SB 49A — Motion: move to floor with due-pass recommendation; mover: Vice Chair Breeze Iverson; tally: yes 12; outcome: approved. Carrier: Rep. Mannix.

Committee members and staff emphasized that each measure was assessed as having a minimal fiscal impact and no revenue impact in the committee summaries. All five bills will proceed to the House floor for further debate and final votes. Committee members also noted informational sessions would follow later in the meeting on House bills that did not receive public hearings this session.