Connecticut housing committee advances 'evictions for cause' bill after hourslong debate

A Connecticut Joint Finance subcommittee voted to advance SB 257, an act concerning ‘‘evictions for cause’’ commonly called a ‘‘just-cause’’ eviction bill, after a marathon hearing that produced sharp ideological debate and detailed drafting questions.

The bill, described by its sponsors as a way to limit the reasons landlords can remove tenants from units in buildings of five or more dwellings, was introduced and moved to the floor early in the session. The committee heard more than four hours of debate on the measure and a dozen members spoke at length.

Senator Samson (state senator) led a forceful opposition that framed the bill as an unprecedented restriction on private-property rights. Samson told the committee the measure could convert ordinary leases into government-protected occupancy rights, arguing it ‘‘tears up the contract’’ and risks a legal ‘‘taking’’ of property. He warned landlords would respond by raising screening thresholds and reducing rental supply, which in turn would hurt affordability — a point echoed by several colleagues who questioned the bill’s market effects.

Supporters countered that the measure, in their view, protects tenants who face abrupt displacement and exploitative rent hikes when new ownership or large investors restructure property management.…