Housing Committee raises multiple housing concepts; several items placed on consent

The Connecticut General Assembly Housing Committee held a session to raise a slate of concept bills and to create a consent calendar. Several items were placed on consent; others were raised for hearing or had roll-call votes recorded.

Items placed on the consent calendar: concept number 1 (utility charges for residential dwelling units), number 4 (grant program to create affordable housing developments with deed restrictions), number 5 (include accessory apartments in affordable-housing threshold calculations), number 7 (include workforce housing in threshold calculations), number 8 (task force to study municipal penalties for landlord health and safety violations), number 10 (radon mitigation assistance for low-income homeowners), number 11 (appropriating funds for housing to state-recognized tribes), number 13 (Fair Housing Authority opportunity map), and number 14 (eliminate certain funding provisions from the Healthy Homes Fund). The clerk read the consent calendar and the committee voted to approve it as read.

Other items taken up with discussion and roll calls: - Item 6: An act appropriating funds for construction of tiny homes, described by the sponsor as temporary housing to be administered by the Department of Housing. Members asked whether definitions and siting authority would be included; a roll-call vote was held. The transcript records individual votes but does not include a final aggregated tally in the excerpt. - Item 9: Prohibiting eviction of a residential tenant when a landlord’s online payment system prevents the payment. Members asked how frequently the problem occurs and whether the change could conflict with debt-collection law and private association practices. A roll-call vote was recorded; members registered both yes and no votes on the record. - Item 12: Exempting income earned by a child of a rental-assistance applicant from gross-income calculations for program eligibility. Members discussed age thresholds and income limits; a roll-call vote was recorded. - Item 15: Requiring municipalities to include additional information in affordable-housing plans; members raised concerns about unfunded mandates. - Item 17: Expanding or clarifying the authority for Fair Rent Commissions to allow regional (multi-town/COG) participation; members questioned whether councils of governments (COGs) should take on this role and whether towns can already voluntarily establish local commissions.

Committee members repeatedly emphasized that votes to “raise” a concept mean the committee will hold public hearings and refine language; a favorable vote to raise a concept does not indicate final legislative approval of any particular text.

Next steps: the committee will hold public hearings on raised concepts and solicit stakeholder testimony and fiscal analyses before drafting final language for committee markup.