The House Committee on Ways and Means has released its version of the 2026 Economic Development bill (H.5562), a $425.1 million package the House plans to take up this Wednesday. This is one of the last major bills expected to pass before the legislative session ends this month and one of the best remaining opportunities to advance significant housing policy this year!
The bill already includes major housing wins:
- Allows multifamily housing as of right on land owned by religious institutions (Yes In God’s Back Yard, or YIGBY)
- Codifies and streamlines a state framework for site plan review
- Supports the conversion of commercial properties into new multifamily and mixed-use housing
- Adds $120 million in housing grants, including $50 million to help municipalities convert commercial properties into homes, $50 million to remediate former state-owned buildings for housing, and $20 million for a veterans housing initiative
CHAPA is also advocating for several additional amendments to be included in the final bill, detailed below.
Creating new homes and preserving the affordable housing opportunities we already have are both crucial to the state’s economic development. High housing costs drive talent out of Massachusetts and make it harder for employers to fill jobs and remain competitive. Spending most of a household’s income on increasing housing costs also means impossible decisions for people—often between food, medical care, other necessities, and rent—and less choice in where they want to live.
Take Action
You can reach your legislators directly through our Action Network form. Click here to contact your State Representative and ask them to: (1) co-sponsor and support CHAPA’s priority housing amendments; and (2) protect the housing reforms already in H.5562, including YIGBY and site plan review. It takes just a minute—the form fills in a message to your Representative that you can send as-is or personalize with your own story.
Protect What’s Already in the Bill: YIGBY & Site Plan Review
YIGBY (Yes In God’s Back Yard) lets faith-based organizations across Massachusetts build multifamily housing by right on land they already own—development that local zoning often blocks or delays. It cuts red tape while requiring meaningful affordability, and one analysis found that using just a quarter of faith-owned vacant land could support more than 250,000 new homes.
Site plan review varies from town to town today, making permitting slow and unpredictable. H.5562 creates one statewide framework that keeps local oversight while making reviews objective and time-limited: predictable standards, 90-day decisions for as-of-right projects, and automatic approval if a town misses the deadline. Please protect both YIGBY and site plan review as the bill moves forward.
Priority Housing Amendments
CHAPA thanks Representatives LeBoeuf, Owens, Fluker-Reid, and Madaro for filing the amendments below. Each would strengthen the bill’s housing provisions, and we’re urging legislators to adopt them in the final version.
Amendment #25: Eliminate the Notice to Quit Requirement for RAFT Eligibility (Rep. LeBoeuf)
This amendment removes the notice to quit (and a utility shutoff notice) as prerequisites for Residential Assistance for Families in Transition (RAFT) eligibility, and directs the Executive Office to establish criteria for demonstrating that a household is experiencing or at risk of homelessness. This lets families access emergency rental assistance earlier and prevent evictions before they start.
Amendment #135: Special Commission on Affordable Housing Insurance (Rep. Owens)
This amendment establishes a special commission to develop a statutory and regulatory framework addressing the rates insurers set for properties with affordability restrictions and properties where tenants use vouchers, with a report due by December 31, 2026.
Amendment #195: Promoting Economic Mobility Through Matched Savings (Rep. Fluker-Reid)
This amendment creates a matched-savings program—up to $4 in matching funds for every $1 saved—for households at or below 80% of area median income. Savings could be used toward goals such as buying or renting a home, education or job training, home repairs, starting a small business, or building credit, supported by a new Matched Savings Trust Fund.
Amendment #544: Ending Housing Discrimination (Rep. Madaro)
This amendment strengthens fair housing enforcement in real estate. It requires the licensing board to suspend brokers or salespersons found to have violated fair housing law (60 days for a first violation, 180 days for a repeat), makes those referrals mandatory, adds fair housing and diversity training to licensing and continuing-education requirements, and requires annual public reporting of complaints and disciplinary actions.