Please join us online this Friday, May 31st for our next Housing and Benefits Committee meeting

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May 29, 2024

Hello!

It's almost time for our May Housing and Benefits Committee meeting, coming up this Friday, May 31st, 10:00–11:30 a.m. on Zoom. Please RSVP and plan to join us!

Here is our agenda:

Welcome/Introductions

Timeline & Updates on Governor Healey's Housing Bond Bill/Affordable Homes Act – Presented by Eric Shupin, Chief of Policy, Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities

**Timeline is in reverse chronological order**

On April 16, 2024, the Joint Committee on Bonding, Capital Expenditures and State Assets reported House Bill 4138 out favorably and referred it to the House Committee on Ways and Means, where it currently resides.
On April 2, 2024, the Joint Committee on Bonding, Capital Expenditures and State Assets held a public hearing on the Housing Bond Bill.
The public recording of 4/2/24 hearing can be found here.
On March 6, 2024, the Joint Committee on Housing reported House Bill 4138 out favorably and referred it to the Joint Committee on Bonding, Capital Expenditures and State Assets.
On January 18, 2024, the Joint Committee on Housing held a public hearing on the Housing Bond Bill.
The public recording of the 1/18/24 hearing can be found here.
The Coalition's written testimony to the Committee can be found here.
As part of our Housing Bond Bill advocacy, the Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless is asking the Legislature to provide $60 million to create bridge subsidies for up to 6,000 older adults, aged 60 years and older, facing housing instability to allow them to remain in place while they await approval for long-term subsidized housing.
For more information, you can find the fact sheet here.
On October 18, 2023, Governor Healey filed the Housing Bond Bill, also known as the Affordable Homes Act (House Bill 4138). Read the summaries here:
Affordable Homes Act Overview
Affordable Homes Act Brief I - Driving Production and Preservation
Affordable Homes Act Brief II - Public Housing
Affordable Homes Act Brief III - Supporting Vulnerable Populations, First-Time Homebuyers and Seasonal Communities

An Overview/Update of U.S. Supreme Court Case: Johnson v. City of Grants Pass – Presented by Eric Tars, Senior Policy Director, National Homelessness Law Center
The National Homelessness Law Center "was founded in 1989 as the National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty by Maria Foscarinis, a lawyer who initially volunteered to represent homeless families on a pro bono basis. She was a principal architect of the 1987 McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, the first major federal legislation to address homelessness and founded the Law Center to help ensure the legislation would be properly implemented. The National Homelessness Law Center's mission is to fearlessly advance federal, state and local policies to prevent and end homelessness while fiercely defending the rights of all unhoused persons."
"On April 22nd 2024, the Supreme Court of the United States heard the case of Johnson v. Grants Pass. This sets the stage for the most significant Supreme Court case about the rights of homeless people in decades. At its core, this case will decide whether cities are allowed to punish people for things like sleeping outside with a pillow or blanket, even when there are no safe shelter options. A decision will be made by June 30th, 2024." For more information, access the website managed by the National Homelessness Law Center.

Updates on the FY2025 State Budget – Presented by Kelly Turley, Associate Director, Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless
The Senate conducted its budget debate from May 20th through May 24th, reviewing 1,100 amendments. Amendments were grouped into categories, such as Economic Development, Health and Human Services, and Transportation, and then considered as part of one of 10 bundles or individually on the floor.
See the Coalition's most recent action alert on the outcomes of key budget amendments here.
For more details and links, see the Coalition's FY25 budget chart: https://tinyurl.com/mchfy2025.
Amended House Bill 4601 was passed to be engrossed with a vote of 40-0.
We will be back in touch soon about the next advocacy steps once the budget officially enters the Conference Committee phase, where designated House and Senate members negotiate the details of the compromise FY25 budget.
The Senate Committee on Ways and Means (SWM) released its version of the FY25 state budget (Senate Bill 4) on May 7th. In the $57.9 billion proposal for the fiscal year that will launch on July 1st, SWM recommended important increased investments in programs and language related to housing, homelessness prevention, and benefits programs. Senators had until Friday, May 10th to file amendments.
See the full list of line items and outside sections we are tracking here.
The House conducted its budget debate from April 24th through April 26th, reviewing 1,495 amendments. Amendments were grouped into categories, such as Housing, Human Services, and Transportation, and then considered as part of seven consolidated amendments.
The Coalition's FY25 budget chart for more details and links: https://tinyurl.com/mchfy2025.
For an overview of key amendments to the House budget and their outcomes, check out the Coalition's recent action alert.
House Bill 4600 was published as amended, House Bill 4601 and passed to be engrossed with a vote of 153-4.
The House Committee on Ways and Means (HWM) released its version of the FY25 state budget, House Bill 4600, on April 10th. Representatives had until Friday, April 12th to file amendments.
Previously, Governor Healey and Lieutenant Governor Driscoll filed their $58.1 billion FY25 budget proposal on January 24th. Read about their recommendations here:
Press release
Statewide Summary
Line Item Summary
Outside Sections

Updates on the Emergency Assistance Family Shelter System & Supplemental Budget – Presented by Kelly Turley, Associate Director, Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless
Comparison of provisions included in various versions of the FY24 supplemental budget
On April 30th, Governor Maura Healey signed House Bill 4582 into law. It is now Chapter 88 of the Acts of 2024.
The bill:
Allows the Administration to draw down $251 million from the Transitional Escrow Fund for Emergency Assistance (EA) and related program spending in FY24, and an additional $175 million in FY25
Imposes a general nine-month time limit on how long families can stay in EA shelter, with requirements for EOHLC to provide up to two 90-day extensions to eligible families and to establish a hardship waiver process
Establishes a commission focused on making recommendations to improve the EA program and the state's response to family homelessness
On April 25th, the House took up House Bill 4582 and with a vote of 123-35 passed it to be enacted. The Senate then took up the bill and with a vote of 29-9, passed it to be enacted.
On April 24th, the Conference Committee (House Ways and Means Chair Michlewitz, Representative Ferrante, Representative Smola, Senate Ways and Means Chair Rodrigues, Senator Friedman, and Senator O'Connor) came to a compromise on the supplemental budget bill (House Bill 4582) and reported it out.
Note: The Coalition stands firmly against artificial time limits on life-saving and life-changing EA benefits. Imposing time limits puts participating families, young children, and pregnant people at serious risk of harm, and takes a disproportionate toll on larger families, people with disabilities, people of color, and other households facing tremendous barriers to securing permanent housing. We also are concerned about the increased burden this will place on hospitals and clinics, nonprofit agencies, emergency services, and cities and towns across the Commonwealth. We are confident that time limits do not reflect our shared values of being an open, supportive, and responsive state.
Links to other versions of the supp budget:
Final Senate proposal: https://malegislature.gov/Bills/193/S2711
Final House proposal: https://malegislature.gov/Bills/193/H4466
Governor's proposal: https://malegislature.gov/Bills/193/H4284
More information can be found on our bill and budget priority page.
Check out some of the related EA news coverage in this Google Folder.