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| 2 | 2 | | HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 3742 FILED ON: 1/17/2025 |
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| 3 | 3 | | HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 1557 |
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| 4 | 4 | | The Commonwealth of Massachusetts |
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| 5 | 5 | | _________________ |
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| 6 | 6 | | PRESENTED BY: |
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| 7 | 7 | | Sean Reid and Homar Gómez |
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| 8 | 8 | | _________________ |
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| 9 | 9 | | To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General |
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| 10 | 10 | | Court assembled: |
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| 11 | 11 | | The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill: |
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| 12 | 12 | | An Act creating an office of tenant protections. |
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| 13 | 13 | | _______________ |
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| 14 | 14 | | PETITION OF: |
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| 15 | 15 | | NAME:DISTRICT/ADDRESS :DATE ADDED:Sean Reid11th Essex1/17/2025Homar Gómez2nd Hampshire1/17/2025Tara T. Hong18th Middlesex2/25/2025 1 of 2 |
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| 16 | 16 | | HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 3742 FILED ON: 1/17/2025 |
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| 17 | 17 | | HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 1557 |
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| 18 | 18 | | By Representatives Reid of Lynn and Gómez of Easthampton, a petition (accompanied by bill, |
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| 19 | 19 | | House, No. 1557) of Sean Reid, Homar Gómez and Tara T. Hong for legislation to create an |
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| 20 | 20 | | office of tenant protections in the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities. |
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| 21 | 21 | | Housing. |
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| 22 | 22 | | The Commonwealth of Massachusetts |
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| 23 | 23 | | _______________ |
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| 24 | 24 | | In the One Hundred and Ninety-Fourth General Court |
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| 25 | 25 | | (2025-2026) |
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| 26 | 26 | | _______________ |
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| 27 | 27 | | An Act creating an office of tenant protections. |
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| 28 | 28 | | Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority |
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| 29 | 29 | | of the same, as follows: |
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| 30 | 30 | | 1 Section 1. Chapter 23B of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2022 Official Edition, is |
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| 31 | 31 | | 2hereby amended by inserting the following section:- |
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| 32 | 32 | | 3 Section 31. There shall be within the executive office of housing and livable communities |
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| 33 | 33 | | 4an office of tenant protections. The secretary of housing and livable communities shall appoint a |
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| 34 | 34 | | 5director of the office who shall serve at the pleasure of the secretary. |
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| 35 | 35 | | 6 (a) The office shall: |
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| 36 | 36 | | 7 (1) enforce, concurrent with the commissioner of public health and local boards of health, |
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| 37 | 37 | | 8the minimum standards of fitness for human habitation as defined by 105 CMR 410.000 (State |
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| 38 | 38 | | 9Sanitary Code, Chapter II); |
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| 39 | 39 | | 10 (2) have the powers necessary to enforce the standards set forth in paragraph (1) |
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| 40 | 40 | | 11including: 2 of 2 |
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| 41 | 41 | | 12 (i) the power to inspect residences as defined by 105 CMR 410.010, |
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| 42 | 42 | | 13 (ii) the power to issue and serve orders of noncompliance with the minimum standards of |
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| 43 | 43 | | 14fitness for human habitation, |
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| 44 | 44 | | 15 (iii) the power to hold hearings on the orders mentioned in clause (ii), |
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| 45 | 45 | | 16 (iv) the power to issue fines for violations 105 CMR 410.000 in accordance with 105 |
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| 46 | 46 | | 17CMR 400.700 |
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| 47 | 47 | | 18 (3) enforce compliance with 940 CMR 3.17 |
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| 48 | 48 | | 19 (b) Final decisions on noncompliance shall be subject to judicial appeal in the same |
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| 49 | 49 | | 20manner as those made by boards of health under 105 CMR 400.600. |
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| 50 | 50 | | 21 (c) The executive office of housing and livable communities shall promulgate regulations |
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| 51 | 51 | | 22or guidance to carry out this section. |
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