Senate committee adopts amendments and advances three housing bills—SB 31, SB 32 and SB 973—to the floor

The Senate Committee on Housing and Development took work-session actions on three bills during its March 24, 2025 meeting. The committee adopted amendments and voted to advance the bills to the Senate floor (and to the Joint Committee on Ways and Means where indicated).

SB 31 (tenant mitigation grants): Committee staff read a summary of Senate Bill 31 with the dash-3 amendment, which would allow the Housing and Community Services Department to award grants to qualified housing sponsors to provide one-time subgrants to tenants whose housing is being withdrawn from affordability restrictions and would create the Expiring Affordability Mitigation Tenant Fund. Vice Chair Anderson moved to adopt the dash-3 amendment; the amendment was adopted without objection. Vice Chair Anderson then moved SB 31 as amended to the floor with a due-pass recommendation and referral to the Joint Committee on Ways and Means. The roll call recorded the following: Senator Broadman — Aye; Senator Nash — Aye; Senator Patterson — Aye; Vice Chair Anderson — Aye; Chair Pham — Aye. The motion passed (5-0 recorded). Committee discussion included a clarification that fund disbursements were intended to cap at three months' rent for certain allowable uses.

SB 32 (public information on affordable-housing expirations): The committee considered SB 32 with a dash-2 amendment requiring the Housing and Community Services Department to publish information about publicly supported affordable housing developments, including expiration dates of affordability restrictions, unit counts, rental-assistance types and current preservation efforts. Vice Chair Anderson moved to adopt the dash-2 amendment; the amendment was adopted without objection. Vice Chair Anderson then moved SB 32 as amended to the floor with a due-pass recommendation. Roll call: Senator Broadman — Aye; Senator Nash — Aye; Senator Patterson — Aye; Vice Chair Anderson — Aye; Chair Pham — Aye. The motion passed (5-0 recorded).

SB 973 (notice of expiring affordability): The committee considered SB 973, which would require landlords of publicly supported housing to give written notice about the end of affordability restrictions to new and prospective tenants and extend the minimum notice to existing tenants from 20 months to 30 months; the Housing and Community Services Department would adopt rules for provision and translation of notices. Vice Chair Anderson moved SB 973 to the floor with a due-pass recommendation. Roll call: Senator Broadman — Aye; Senator Nash — Aye; Senator Patterson — Aye; Vice Chair Anderson — Aye; Chair Pham — Aye. The motion passed (5-0 recorded).

What this means procedurally: All three bills were advanced out of committee on March 24, 2025. SB 31 was sent to the Joint Committee on Ways and Means for consideration of funding; SB 32 and SB 973 were sent to the Senate floor with due-pass recommendations. Committee members thanked workgroup participants on SB 973 for months of negotiation.

Vote details and motions are recorded in the committee transcript; no roll-call opposition was recorded in committee for these measures on the date in question.