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General Assembly Raised Bill No. 909
January Session, 2023
LCO No. 3175
Referred to Committee on HOUSING
Introduced by:
(HSG)
AN ACT ESTABLISHING A RIGHT TO HOUSING.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:
Section 1. (NEW) (Effective from passage) (a) It shall be the goal of this 1
state to implement policies that respect, protect and fulfill a right to 2
affordable, decent, safe and stable housing for every resident of this 3
state. 4
(b) Each state agency, as defined in section 1-79 of the general 5
statutes, and each political subdivision of the state, in implementing the 6
provisions of this section, shall: 7
(1) Consider the right to housing under subsection (a) of this section 8
and the components of such right set forth in subsection (c) of this 9
section when adopting or revising policies, regulations or grant criteria 10
that implicate, impact or affect such right; 11
(2) When implementing such policies, regulations or grant criteria, 12
give priority to assisting families of low and moderate income, as 13
defined in section 8-39 of the general statutes; and 14 Raised Bill No. 909
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(3) To the extent practicable, attempt to serve households currently 15
experiencing homelessness or at risk of housing loss and those in the 16
lower range of the income group to which the agency's or political 17
subdivision's programs are directed. 18
(c) The right to housing includes, but is not limited to, the following 19
components: 20
(1) The right to protection from housing loss: This right implicates 21
governmental programs that ensure the legal security of persons and 22
households at risk of losing housing or experiencing homelessness, 23
including eviction prevention programs, legal assistance in evictions, 24
financial assistance, support services and problem-solving counseling; 25
(2) The right to safe housing that meets all basic needs: This right 26
implicates the internal habitability of the home as well as the necessary 27
services and infrastructure to support a healthy and dignified standard 28
of living; 29
(3) The right to housing and affordability: This right implicates 30
governmental programs that provide rental assistance, encourage the 31
maintenance, repair and rehabilitation of existing housing and enlarge 32
the stock of new low-cost housing, all of which ensure the ability to 33
secure and maintain housing without risking access to other essential 34
needs; 35
(4) The right to rehousing assistance for persons and households that 36
have become homeless: This right implicates governmental programs 37
that support the transition of persons experiencing homelessness to 38
long-term permanent housing that is affordable; and 39
(5) The right to recognition of special circumstances: This right 40
implicates the adaptation of governmental programs to ensure 41
accessibility to households facing particular obstacles to finding 42
affordable, decent, safe and stable housing, whether because of race, 43
religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, disability, 44
unemployment, criminal record, eviction history, family status, source 45 Raised Bill No. 909
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of income, immigration status, cultural traditions, having been victims 46
of fraud and financial manipulation or other obstacles. 47
Sec. 2. (NEW) (Effective from passage) (a) There is established a right to 48
housing committee to review existing and proposed housing policies 49
and advise on (1) the state's implementation of a right to housing; and 50
(2) gaps and needs of vulnerable populations with regard to access to 51
permanent housing, including, but not limited to, (A) individuals 52
experiencing homelessness, including homeless youth, individuals with 53
disabilities, including physical disabilities and disabilities related to 54
mental health, substance abuse and developmental conditions; (B) 55
individuals with past or current criminal justice system involvement; 56
(C) individuals from historically marginalized racial and ethnic groups; 57
(D) individuals from historically marginalized groups based on sexual 58
orientation, gender identity or gender expression; (E) survivors of 59
sexual violence, domestic violence, dating violence, stalking and sexual 60
trafficking; (F) refugees and immigrants; and (G) veterans. 61
(b) The committee shall consist of the following members: 62
(1) Three appointed by the speaker of the House of Representatives, 63
one with expertise in homelessness policies and programs, one with 64
expertise in low-income housing policies and programs and one with 65
expertise in matters relating to evictions and housing court; 66
(2) Three appointed by the president pro tempore of the Senate, one 67
with expertise in fair housing protections, one with expertise in the 68
development of low-income housing and one with expertise in, or 69
personal experience with, disability and housing insecurity; 70
(3) Three appointed by the majority leader of the House of 71
Representatives, one with expertise in, or personal experience with, the 72
criminal justice impact on housing insecurity, one with expertise in, or 73
personal experience with, the impact of race or ethnicity on housing 74
insecurity and one with expertise in, or personal experience with, the 75
impact of sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression on 76
housing insecurity; 77 Raised Bill No. 909
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(4) Three appointed by the majority leader of the Senate, one with 78
expertise in, or personal experience with, the impact of sexual violence, 79
domestic violence, dating violence or stalking on housing insecurity, 80
one with experience in, or personal experience with, the impact of sex 81
trafficking and housing insecurity and one with expertise in, or personal 82
experience with, the impact of refugee or immigrant status on housing 83
insecurity; 84
(5) Two appointed by the minority leader of the House of 85
Representatives, one with expertise in, or personal experience with, the 86
impact on veteran status on housing insecurity and one of whom is a 87
current or recent recipient of homeless assistance, low-income housing 88
assistance or assistance in an eviction or housing summary process 89
matter; 90
(6) Two appointed by the minority leader of the Senate, both of whom 91
are current or recent recipients of homeless assistance, low-income 92
housing assistance or assistance in an eviction or housing summary 93
process matter; and 94
(7) The Commissioner of Housing, or the commissioner's designee. 95
(c) Any member of the committee appointed under subdivision (1), 96
(2), (3), (4), (5) or (6) of subsection (b) of this section may be a member 97
of the General Assembly. 98
(d) All initial appointments to the committee shall be made not later 99
than sixty days after the effective date of this section. Appointed 100
members of the committee shall serve for three-year terms which shall 101
commence on the date of appointment and may serve until a successor 102
is appointed. Any vacancy shall be filled by the respective appointing 103
authority pursuant to subsection (b) of this section. 104
(e) The chairperson of the committee shall be jointly appointed by the 105
speaker of the House of Representatives and the president pro tempore 106
of the Senate. Upon appointment of such chairperson, the work of the 107
committee may begin even if all other appointments have not yet been 108 Raised Bill No. 909
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made. The chairperson shall schedule the first meeting of the committee, 109
which shall be held not later than ninety days after the effective date of 110
this section. If appointments under subsection (b) of this section are not 111
made within the sixty-day period required under subsection (d) of this 112
section, the chairperson may designate individuals with the required 113
expertise to serve on the committee until appointments are made 114
pursuant to subsection (b) of this section. 115
(f) The administrative staff of the joint standing committee of the 116
General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to housing 117
shall serve as the administrative staff of the committee. 118
(g) The committee shall meet not less than twice per fiscal year. 119
(h) The Department of Housing shall provide presentations and data 120
regarding its implementation of the right to housing at the request of 121
the committee. 122
(i) Not later than July 1, 2024, and annually thereafter, the committee 123
shall submit a report on its findings and recommendations to the joint 124
standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of 125
matters relating to housing, in accordance with the provisions of section 126
11-4a of the general statutes. 127
(j) During any regular or special session of the General Assembly, the 128
committee shall identify and review any proposed legislation impacting 129
the right to housing and may provide testimony on any such proposals 130
given a public hearing before any relevant committees of the General 131
Assembly, providing analysis on the potential impact of the legislation 132
on the right to housing and the vulnerable populations described in 133
subdivision (2) of subsection (a) of this section to preserve such right. 134
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:
Section 1 from passage New section
Sec. 2 from passage New section
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Statement of Purpose:
To establish a right to housing for all residents of the state and a right to
housing committee.
[Proposed deletions are enclosed in brackets. Proposed additions are indicated by underline, except
that when the entire text of a bill or resolution or a section of a bill or resolution is new, it is not
underlined.]