And We're Off: Housing Bond Bill Week Begins!
(Don't forget to register for CHAPA's Housing Bond Bill Advocacy Action on Wednesday at 12:30pm!)
On Monday morning, the wait for the Legislature's response to the Governor's Affordable Homes Act came to an end. The House Ways and Means Committee released their version of the 2023 Housing Bond Bill.
The bill is a very good one for addressing the housing challenges facing Massachusetts. While the Governor's proposal was a historic one in the scope of investment in housing, the House committee went even further. In addition to matching the Affordable Homes Act's bond authorizations in a number of programs, the House Ways and Means Committee proposed even greater funding levels in Public Housing, Community Planning Grants, and in the Momentum Fund. Additionally, this most recent proposal puts forth new investments in commercial property conversions, transitioning state-owned buildings, veteran's housing, MWRA infrastructure, and in the Healthy Homes Initiative.
Here is a full comparison of funding authorization levels:
| Line Item # | Program | Affordable Homes Act | HWM Bond Bill |
| 1599-3032 | MWRA Infrastructure | $1,000,000,000 | |
| 3000-0411 | Early Education & Out of School Time | $50,000,000 | $50,000,000 |
| 7004-0069 | Home Modification Loan Program | $60,000,000 | $60,000,000 |
| 7004-0070 | Facilities Consolidation Fund | $70,000,000 | $70,000,000 |
| 7004-0071 | Community Based Housing | $55,000,000 | $55,000,000 |
| 7004-0072 | Affordable Housing Trust Fund | $800,000,000 | $800,000,000 |
| 7004-0073 | Housing Stabilization Fund | $425,000,000 | $425,000,000 |
| 7004-0074 | Public Housing | $1,500,000,000 | $2,000,000,000 |
| 7004-0075 | Public Housing Demonstration | $100,000,000 | $200,000,000 |
| 7004-0076 | Housing Innovations Fund | $200,000,000 | $200,000,000 |
| 7004-0077 | Housing Choice Local Community Planning Grants | $35,000,000 | $50,000,000 |
| 7004-0078 | Green Housing Initiative | $275,000,000 | $275,000,000 |
| 7004-0079 | Smart Growth | $20,000,000 | $20,000,000 |
| 7004-0080 | Middle Income Housing | $100,000,000 | $100,000,000 |
| 7004-0081 | CommonWealth Builder | $100,000,000 | $100,000,000 |
| 7004-0082 | HousingWorks Community Planning Grants | $25,000,000 | $25,000,000 |
| 7004-0083 | Housing Choice Infrastructure | $175,000,000 | $175,000,000 |
| 7004-0085 | Neighborhood Stabilization | $50,000,000 | $50,000,000 |
| 7004-0092 | Commercial Property Conversion | $50,000,000 | |
| 7004-0093 | Healthy Homes | $50,000,000 | |
| 7004-0094 | Veterans Housing | $20,000,000 | |
| 7004-0095 | Transitioning State-Owned Buildings | $50,000,000 | |
| 7004-4784 | Momentum Fund | $50,000,000 | $250,000,000 |
Additionally, the House Ways and Means Committee kept in many of Governor Healey's policy proposals, including those dealing with Accessory Dwelling Units, an Office of Fair Housing, Social Housing, and the homeownership tax credit. Unfortunately, some of the policy initiatives did not make it into the House Ways and Means legislation. Among the most prominent omissions were the Local Option Transfer Fee and the commissions proposed by the Governor on senior housing and extremely low income housing.
In the hours following the release of the new legislation, members of the House filed more than 370 amendments, including many supported by CHAPA. (Check Housing News tomorrow for an analysis of the amendments.)
There is a short calm before the kickoff of the debate on the bill, which is scheduled to begin on Wednesday afternoon. As a reminder, CHAPA is inviting you to gather in front of the State House on Beacon Street on Wednesday at 12:30pm. We will then all go into the building and advocate for our priorities. It is vitally important that Legislators hear from all of us about the importance of housing and the ways that this bill will help move us toward building and preserving the homes we need.