The top state senator focused on housing policy is eyeing a fall hearing for a controversial bill authorizing rent control in Boston, a legislative aide told the Herald.
A staff member for state Sen. Lydia Edwards, co-chair of the Housing Committee, said the committee is looking at holding a public hearing on the measure “likely” in October or early November. But the staff member stressed the hearing date is “subject to change” and will need final approval from both Democrats who chair the committee, Edwards and Rep. James Arciero of Westford.
Arciero did not respond to repeated requests for comment.
Rep. Samantha Montaño, a first-term Boston Democrat, filed the bill in mid-March on behalf of the Wu administration and City Council. The Legislature referred it to the Housing Committee in mid-April, where it has since sat quietly for more than two months.
It has already received local approval from Boston city councilors and is a signature policy proposal from Mayor Michelle Wu.
The bill, which the City Council passed on an 11-2 vote earlier this year, caps the maximum a landlord can increase rent each year to 6% plus inflation but no more than 10%. Supporters of the measure say the cap helps struggling renters in Boston, which has some of the highest rents in the country.
The proposal pending at the State House exempts new construction where the owner occupancy certificates are under 15 years old and carves out owner-occupied buildings with six units or less. And the legislation also strengthens protections against evictions.
But even with those caveats, the bill has drawn fierce opposition, including from the Greater Boston Real Estate Board, which launched a $400,000 campaign against it. In a statement after the council vote, the board said it was prepared to expand its “Rent Control Hurts Housing campaign.”
The legislation has a long road before it, one that could be filled with legislative hurdles. Wu said she has not gotten a “clear no” from the Legislature on her rent control proposal but said state lawmakers could be tied up dealing with the fiscal 2024 budget.
“Most of the other big-ticket items are going to have to wait one way or the other until after that is resolved,” Wu said earlier this week on GBH’s Boston Public Radio.
The home rule petition process in Massachusetts is “one of the most restrictive” in the country, Wu said.
There are six exemptions to a municipality’s home rule authority that ultimately require state sign-off, including the power to regulate elections, change taxes, borrow money, lay out felony punishments, alter parks, and change laws around private relationships like rental agreements, according to the Rappaport Institute for Greater Boston.
“Where the state hasn’t acted, cities should be able to say what’s best and make decisions that fit their residents’ needs,” Wu said.
A spokesperson for Healey said the governor “supports communities implementing local solutions to their housing challenges.”
“She will review any legislation that reaches her desk,” the spokesperson said in a statement to the Herald.