Conference Committee Announced for Housing Bond Bill

Post date
April 11, 2018

The legislature appointed a conference committee to reconcile the differences between the House and Senate versions of the Housing Bond Bill.

The conferees are:

For a line-by-line comparison of the House and Senate bills, click here.

For CHAPA's letter to conferees, please click here.

CHAPA's Priorities for the Housing Bond Bill Conference Committee:

Full Re-Authorization of Affordable Housing Programs
CHAPA supports reconciling the differences between the two bills quickly and fully re-authorizing the capital housing programs so that they remain funded. Both the House and Senate versions of the bill provided for full re-authorization of these affordable housing programs.

Expanding the Massachusetts Low Income Housing Tax Credit
CHAPA's top priority is retaining the $5 million expansion of the Massachusetts Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC), as contained in section 11 and 17 of the Senate bill. Expanding the state LIHTC program is critical for preserving affordable housing in Massachusetts, particularly as the federal LIHTC program is facing cuts due to tax reform. 

Retaining the Expansion of the Community Investment Tax Credit
Both the House and Senate bills provided for the extension and gradual expansion of the Community Investment Tax Credit (CITC). CHAPA asks the conference committee to retain this extension and expansion in the final Housing Bond Bill.

Allowing Flexibility to Administer the Affordable Housing Trust Fund
CHAPA supports allowing greater flexibility to administer the Affordable Housing Trust Fund (7004-0052). In the Senate bill, there is a mandatory set-aside of up to $50 million in the Trust Fund to support the rehabilitation of housing in Gateway Cities. While we support efforts to rehabilitate this housing, in order to best administer the Trust Fund fairly and effectively, CHAPA asks that this be changed to a discretionary set-aside.