Speaker’s Top Housing Priority Gets First Senate Hearing

On May 3 the Senate Human Services Committee held its first public hearing on House Bill (HB) 2004-A, Speaker Tina Kotek’s priority bill allowing counties and cities to enact rent control. The bill also includes statewide regulations regarding the use of no-cause lease terminations. The hearing room was packed with advocates on both sides of the issue, and the committee ran out of time to hear testimony from all those signed up. In light of that, the committee left the public record for written testimony open through Friday of last week. The bill is not yet scheduled for another public hearing or a work session, and no additional amendments have been made public. As one of the biggest and most controversial housing bills this session, it passed out of the House with a 31-27 vote. At this time, it is unclear whether the bill will make it out of the Senate.

Contributed by: Stacy Michaelson | AOC Health & Human Services Policy Manager