Committee hears bill to extend pre‑eviction notice to 30 days; no vote taken
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Summary
Representatives heard testimony in favor of House File 3424 to extend the pre‑eviction notice period for nonpayment from 14 to 30 days; advocates argued the change would give tenants time to access assistance, while landlord groups warned of cash‑flow impacts; the bill will be taken up next week.
Representative Vadget introduced House File 3424, a proposal to change the statutory pre‑eviction notice period for nonpayment of rent from 14 days to 30 days. The committee adopted an author’s A1 amendment to replace references to 14 days with 30 days across relevant sections and to allow a judge to stay a writ of recovery for up to 15 days when moving would cause hardship.
Testimony came from a range of advocates and workers. Mike Bartos, a janitor and SEIU Local 26 member, and representatives from HomeLine and the Housing Justice Center argued 30 days would give tenants critical time to secure tax refunds, mutual aid or emergency rental assistance and would reduce displacement and long‑term public costs. HomeLine’s public policy director cited local jurisdictions (Brooklyn Center, Minneapolis, St. Louis Park, and pending Saint Paul measures) that already use 30‑day notices and said there have been no successful legal challenges to those local provisions.
Landlord representatives attending earlier hearings cautioned that delaying the timeline shifts costs to property owners and could create cash‑flow challenges for smaller housing providers; they urged improving program speed and court efficiency instead of extending notice periods.
The committee did not take a final vote on HF3424 during the session. Chair Howard said the bill will be scheduled for committee next Wednesday for further consideration and that members would continue dialog on the bill’s details and implementation mechanics.
Next steps: HF3424 will be placed on the committee agenda next week for further member discussion and potential action.
