Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to pass a bill that requires towns to create housing growth plans in Connecticut.

Highlights:

• Specifies that financial institutions are not required to designate an account as a first-time homebuyer saving account and are not liable for determining if an account holder satisfies the requirements for first-time home buyers (Sec. 1).

• Authorizes a tax credit other than deposited by the employer of an account holder in a first-time homebuyer savings account (Sec. 3).

• Requires cities to comply with and adopt a regional housing growth plan, and submit the plans to the Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management (Sec. 5).

• Authorizes towns that have adopted a priority housing development to request a final letter of eligibility from the commissioner (Sec. 10).

• Specifies that any qualifying transit-oriented community is eligible to receive funding (Sec. 11)

• Requires the Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management to create and administer a housing growth program grants-in-aid to assist towns in paying the costs related to the development (Sec. 15).

• Prohibits towns on and before Jan. 1, 2026, from installing or building hostile architecture in any publicly accessible building owned by the town (Sec. 26).

• Authorizes the commissioner to grant awards under the middle housing development grant program to assist predevelopment, construction, or rehabilitation of buildings (Sec. 27).

• Limits nonprofits in providing direct rental assistance programs until the Commissioner of Social Services has approved the program (Sec. 28).

• Establishes the Open Chair Voucher pilot program, where families who qualify as low income under the rental assistance program can move to the town where their child is participating in the interdistrict public school attendance program attends school (Sec. 29).

• Establishes the regional planning incentive account, where funds from the account are used in providing funding to regional planning organizations (Sec. 30).

• Expands the Smart Rate Pilot Interest Rate Reduction Program to provide additional mortgage borrowers (Sec. 36).

• Authorizes an additional 5-day extension period if a landlord's online rental payment system prevents payment (Sec. 38).

• Requires elevators and escalators to be thoroughly inspected once every 18 months, except elevators in private residences (Sec. 40).

• Establishes the Affordable Housing Real Estate Investment Trust pilot program for the purpose of providing grants to housing authorities (Sec. 43).

• Requires the owner of a mobile manufactured home park to submit a report to the local fire marshal disclosing the water capacity and flow of each fire hydrant (Sec. 43).

• Requires the Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management to create and administer a program that provides loans to any town that wants to develop an eligible water quality project (Sec. 47).

• Specifies that the Department of Housing will be the lead agency for all matters related to housing (Sec. 48).

• Authorizes the commissioner to develop a housing project, sell or lease any project, sell or lease any dwelling unit, and provide management for development projects (Sec. 48).

Full Bill Text
Full Bill Text

Full Bill Text