APRIL 15, 2020
Late this afternoon, House and Senate Democrats serving on the Eviction and Foreclosure Conference Committee agreed to final language on H.4647, An Act providing for a moratorium on evictions and foreclosures during the COVID-19 Emergency.
This legislation will ensure housing stability during the coronavirus outbreak, thereby helping to advance the public health objective of allowing people to stay home and avoid unnecessary in-person interactions.
Today's agreement is the latest milestone in a legislative effort that began on March 13 when Rep. Connolly and Housing Committee Co-Chair Kevin Honan filed the original bill to halt evictions and foreclosures during the COVID-19 emergency. Legislation based on that bill passed the House of Representatives on April 2. The Senate passed its own version last week, and today's agreement reconciles the details between the two bills.
Our #EvictionMoratorium legislation:
— Mike Connolly (@MikeConnollyMA) April 15, 2020
✅ Stops landlords from sending Notices To Quit
✅ Stops courts from hearing eviction cases or entering judgments
✅ Stops sheriffs from enforcing executions for possession
✅ Stops late fees + negative reporting for COVID-impacted tenants
Rep. Connolly is proud of the fact that this legislation is "well balanced" and speaks to the concerns of renters, homeowners, landlords, and small business owners.
The conference report was accepted by the House of Representatives early this evening; it now moves to the Senate tomorrow morning and could potentially reach the Governor's desk tomorrow afternoon. Full text of the conferenced bill is available here: https://t.co/L67tCeydPM pic.twitter.com/ljW4yHz4Yu
— Mike Connolly (@MikeConnollyMA) April 15, 2020
Rep. Connolly would like to especially thank City Life/Vida Urbana, Lynn United, Springfield No One Leaves, Greater Boston Legal Services, Harvard Legal Aid Bureau, Massachusetts Law Reform Institute, Lawyers for Civil Rights, Massachusetts Communities Action Network, Chinese Progressive Association, The Chelsea Collaborative, Right To The City Boston,and all of the other organizers, advocates, labor and faith-based groups, municipal officials and Cambridge and Somerville constituents who pushed for this bill, as well as the 73 state legislators who co-sponsored our original filing last month.
If enacted, this comprehensive Eviction and Foreclosure Moratorium would be a first-of-its-kind legislative response to COVID-19. That's because other states have dealt with these issues through executive or judicial order and in a more piecemeal fashion.
The conference report passed the House early this evening and moves to the Senate tomorrow morning. It could reach the Governor's desk as soon as tomorrow afternoon.
