Latest news with #Bill651
Yahoo
15-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Political notes: Lamone loses out, ‘good cause' loses steam, Braveboy wins round
LInda Lamone, the former state elections director, during her March 10 appearance before the Senate Executive Nominations Committee. (Photo by Bryan P. Sears/Maryland Matters) An ongoing grudge between a state senator and the state's longest-serving elections director took another turn Friday night. The Senate was poised to vote on dozens of appointments made by Gov. Wes Moore (D), including the nomination of former state Elections Director Linda Lamone to a seat on the Commission on Judicial Disabilities. But Sen. Cheryl Kagan (D-Montgomery) had Lamone's nomination separated so it could be voted on separately. Kagan is a longtime adversary of Lamone's. In 2023, Kagan sponsored a bill to reverse a two-decade old law that had made it nearly impossible to remove Lamone from her job overseeing the Maryland State Board of Elections — a law frequently called the 'Linda Lamone for Life Act.' That bill passed, and Lamone announced her retirement two weeks later. On Friday, Lamone was up to become an attorney member of the Maryland Commission on Judicial Disabilities. She had served on the state's Attorney Grievance Commission for 30 years, chairing it for 15, before leaving last year. Her nomination faced no questions and no opposition during a Monday hearing before the Senate Executive Nominations Committee. But on the Senate floor, Kagan revisited old grievances over purchases of elections equipment and other issues, describing Lamone's tenure as a 'record of failure.' Lamone's nomination failed 20-25. Senate Judicial Proceedings Chair Will Smith (D-Montgomery) says his committee is stalled on legislation that would require landlords to cite a specific reason for failing to renew a lease with a tenant – also known as the 'good cause' evictions bill. 'We're at an impasse, and we're running out of time,' Smith said between floor sessions Friday. He said he was still trying to get more of the committee to support Senate Bill 651, but with crossover day on Monday, the odds are not looking good. Smith's comments came just days after renter advocates caught word that Judicial Proceedings was considering an amendment to limit counties to either Good Cause evictions or rent-stabilization efforts in their local renters' policies — they cound not have both.. Advocates balked, saying both good cause evictions and rent stabilization policies are needed to ensure renters have access to stable and affordable housing. But Senate President Bill Ferguson (D-Baltimore City), supported the amendment, sasying that too many regulations tend to drive away developers and landlords. Advocates argue that there is not enough data that supports the correlation, but amid the state's housing shortage, Ferguson is not taking any chances. Amendment or no, Smith says he won't bring the bill to a vote if he knows it does not have enough support to get out of committee, meaning it's likely dead for the year. Good cause evictions legislation has been introduced for the better part of 10 years. Last session, the House approved the measure 96 to 37, but stalled once it got to Smith's committee. Now it's official. Prince George's County State's Attorney Aisha Braveboy won the Democratic nomination for county executive, according to official results Friday, with 43,942 votes, or 46% of the total vote in a field of nine in this month's special primary election. Former County Executive Rushern L. Baker III finished second, with 18,270 votes, followed by At-large County Councilmember Calvin Hawkins, with 16,180 votes, and County Council Chair Jolene Ivey — who dropped out the race less than three weeks before the election — with 8,374 votes. The rest of the Democratic field was state Sen. Alonzo Washington with 4,952 votes; Tonya Sweat with 1,485; Ron Hunt, 661; Marcellus Crews, 492; and Albert Slocum, 181. Hawkins had the endorsement of former county executive and now U.S. Sen. Angela Alsobrooks, but Braveboy had the endorsement of Gov. Wes Moore (D), which she touted as one of the keys to her victory. Braveboy will now face GOP nominee Jonathan White in the June special election for executive. White won the Republican nomination with 1,365 votes, Jesse Peed's 1,243 votes and George McDermott's 1,005. White has his work cut out for him in the heavily Democratic county, where the winner of the Democratic primary is considered the heavy favorite to win the general election. Voters in Council District 5 also voted for a replacement for Ivey, who was elected to her at-large seat last fall. Former school board member Shayla Adams-Stafford won the Democratic nomination with 5,126 votes, easily outpacing second-place finisher Ryan Middleton with 2,988 votes. The rest of the Democratic field was Kendal Gray with 985 votes, Theresa Mitchell Dudley with 701 and Christopher Wade with 408. Cheverly Mayor Kayce Munyeneh had pulled out the race, but still got 136 votes. Republican Fred Price Jr. ran unopposed and will face Adams-Stafford in the June 3 special general election. The winners of the county executive and council races will serve the remaining two years on the terms for those seats.
Yahoo
12-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
'Good cause' at a cost: Counties may have to pick either good cause evictions or rent stabilization
Renter advocates gathered in Annapolis in February to call on lawmakers to pass Good Cause Eviction legislation. (Photo by Danielle J. Brown/Maryland Matters) Supporters of 'good cause' eviction laws may finally get their bill this year — but it might come at the cost of other renter protections, as local jurisdictions could have to pick between rent-control measures or good cause evictions under a plan being considered by Senate leaders. Advocates are going on 10 years trying to get the legislature to make it harder for landlords to kick out tenants without citing a good reason for doing so – so-called 'good cause' or 'just cause' evictions – and were hopeful this might be the year that Senate Bill 651 finally got out of the Senate committee where it had languished. They say the Senate plan represents 'poison amendments.' But Senate leaders say that, with the state facing a 96,000-unit housing shortage, they fear that too many local renter protections will drive developers away at a time when the state is desperate to bring in new housing options. 'We are most focused on finding ways to increase supply of affordable homes,' Senate President Bill Ferguson (D-Baltimore City) said Tuesday. 'And so any new policy we are considering, we are viewing from a lens of not inhibiting future investments in affordable housing.' Ferguson and Judicial Proceedings Chair Will Smith (D-Montgomery) are pushing an amendment that would let counties choose either good cause evictions or rent stabilization efforts – but not both. 'What we're looking at in the Senate is, one or the other,' Ferguson said. 'If a jurisdiction already has the vacancy protections in place — that would not allow for the increase in rents with a vacancy — then good cause would not be permissible.' Vacancy control is an element of rent stabilization that limits rent increases in between tenants. 'And so, if a jurisdiction adopted good cause, it would preempt any local policy for rent capping in any way,' he said. 'Having them both really creates an impractical solution.' As drafted, SB 651 would protect tenants against lease non-renewal if the landlord does not cite from a broad list of reasons that say why the tenant is getting kicked out. Such reasons for a good cause eviction would include not paying rent, engaging in disorderly conduct or breaching the lease agreement, among other issues. But during bill hearings on the legislation in both House and Senate committees, housing developers and representatives for landlords said that they're less likely to do business in areas where they have to navigate a bunch of regulations and renter protections. 'There are a lot of conversations about the regulatory burden that is preventing the increase in supply of affordable housing,' Ferguson said. 'Part of the housing discussion right now is that we have too many local regulations that prohibit ongoing investment, and if you look at places like Montgomery County in particular, there is a huge disincentive to invest in affordable housing.' Judicial Proceedings was scheduled to vote on SB 651 Tuesday afternoon, but Smith pushed the committee vote to later in the week. He said that the amendment in the works 'balances the dire need to create new housing and incentivize the creation of new housing' while also creating protections for renters. Renters hope 'good cause eviction' bill will overcome Senate committee hurdle 'We, as lawmakers, have an obligation to ensure that we're going forward and creating new housing so that housing prices come down … while at the same time providing vital protections for renters,' Smith said Tuesday. 'That's the balance we're trying to strike amid a massive housing crisis. 'Something's got to give,' he said. But advocates in Montgomery County say the choice between good cause evictions and rent control efforts would undermine the effectiveness of the renter protection policies. 'It's a false and unnecessary choice,' Montgomery Councilmember Kristin Mink (D) said Tuesday. 'It does not make sense to put those opposed to each other.' The amendment being discussed by senators would mean that Montgomery County would have to throw out its current rent stabilization policies in order to implement a good cause law, which Mink said is 'not a workable deal.' She and dozens of other local leaders signed on to a letter to the Judicial Proceedings Committee urging members to pass a 'clean' good cause bill and reject any amendments that force counties to make a decision between good cause and rent stabilization efforts. Matt Losak, executive director of the Montgomery County Renters Alliance, said the goals of rent stabilization and good cause evictions serve different purposes. Rent stabilization keeps rent costs down, while good cause protects tenants against needless evictions, to prevent homelessness and instability. 'We're concerned that there is no good solution and that renters will pay the price,' said Losak, who's advocacy groups is one of the main organizations supporting the good cause eviction effort. 'I hope there is time for cooler heads to prevail and for JPR [Judicial Proceedings] to do the right thing,' Losak said. 'I am deeply dismayed that the leadership of JPR would not lend its full-throated support in opposition to these poison amendments.' Ferguson said 'it's hard to see it moving in the Senate without having some determination to allow one policy or the other in a jurisdiction, not both.' 'The legislative process is about compromise. There's no such thing as a perfect bill,' he said. 'We're trying to balance a lot of different interests. And I think this is a good example where there's been a lot of work done to try to find a path that works, that has moved the ball down the field. And I think incorporates a lot of the concerns from all parties involved. Mink disagrees that the proposed policy choice is a compromise. 'The idea of trading off vacancy control for good cause is some kind of compromise – it is absolutely not the case,' she said. 'This amendment would be a huge deal.'
Yahoo
19-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Renters hope ‘good cause eviction' bill will overcome Senate committee hurdle
Renter advocates gather Tuesday in the cold in Annapolis to call on lawmakers to pass "good cause" eviction legislation. (Photo by Danielle J. Brown/Maryland Matters) Renter advocates are hopeful that this will b the year 'good cause' evictions finally become law in Maryland — but first it has to get past the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee, where it died last year after passing the House. 'We're seeing progress … Now, all eyes are on the Senate to do the right thing for the state of Maryland,' said Matt Losak at a midday rally of more than two dozen advocacy groups Tuesday outside the State House. 'We've been fighting for just cause or good cause eviction for more than a decade. 'Good cause eviction' refers to legislation that would let counties and the city of Baltimore adopt policies that require a landlord to cite a specific reason before ending a lease agreement with a tenant. 'In our view, this is the most important piece of legislation facing the Maryland General Assembly this year, short of the budget,' said Losak, the co-founder of Montgomery County Renters Alliance. 'We are seeing countless tenants losing their homes for no other reason other than forming tenants' associations, seeking promised or required services or trying to negotiate a fairer rent.' The House and Senate both held hearings on the proposal Tuesday. The House Environment and Transportation Committee took up Del. Jheanelle K. Wilkins' (D-Montgomery) House Bill 709 and the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee heard Senate Bill 651, co-sponsored by Sen. C. Anthony Muse (D-Prince George's) and Sen. Clarence Lam (D-Anne Arundel and Howard). 'If your landlord can't give a good reason for the eviction, then your family shouldn't be evicted,' Muse said at the rally. 'When families can stay in their homes, they can stay near their jobs, near their schools, near their family and their friends.' SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE But with Maryland facing a 96,000-unit housing shortage, officials are trying to encourage new development to increase housing supply. They worry that developers may veer away from the state if there are too many regulatory hoops to consider. For that and other reasons, good cause legislation may still face a difficult path this session. The bills outline 10 broad circumstances that a landlord could cite when not renewing a lease, including substantial breach of lease or damage to the premises, a series of minor lease violations that negatively affect the property, or routine disorderly conduct that disturbs other tenants. Other 'good causes' include situations when residents habitually pay rent late, engage in illegal activities on the premises, or refuse to let the landlord access the property. A landlord would also be able to take back property for their own use or a family member's, take it back for significant renovations, or just because they want to take it off the rental market. All of those are 'good cause' for lease non-renewal under the bill. But Robert Enten, representing the Maryland Multi-Housing Association, told the Senate committee the bill has too many undefined terms that need clarification. 'Tenant engaging in 'routine disorderly conduct' – what does that mean?,' Enten asked. 'A tenant 'repeatedly' committing 'minor violations' — what does 'repeatedly' mean? Once? Twice? Three times? … If you want to pass a bill to deal with this, this bill needs a ton of work.' A final out would be if the tenant refuses an offer of a new lease. Sen. Mike McKay (R-Western Maryland) asked if that could 'create a new loophole that will just automatically increase rent?' 'If I just don't want to rent to somebody for whatever reason, to get around it all, I just say, 'It'll be another $500,'' McKay said. His question hung in the air for a moment, as bill supporters reached for an answer before Committee Chair Will Smith (D-Montgomery) jumped in. 'I think this question is very important, because it speaks to the interconnectivity of all these regulations across the state,' Smith said. 'He is absolutely right to ask this question, which shows you that nothing happens in isolation.' Smith said that if counties do not have protections such as rent stabilization, then McKay's hypothetical could be real. 'But if you have rent stabilization in your jurisdiction, then you would not be able to raise the rent,' he said, referencing Montgomery County, which has created some rent stabilization policy. 'These are things that you have to kick around in your head when you're thinking about this,' Smith said. 'I like the notion of good cause, but we have a responsibility as a committee to be intellectually honest in how those things fit into the issues of other jurisdictions.' Sen. Chris West (R-Baltimore and Carroll counties) asked would the bill 'advance the state's goals of creating more rental housing?' Bill Castelli, representing Maryland Realtors, said the bill could be a deterrent for developers and landlords. 'I think the more control property owners lose in terms of that property – the less control they have of tenants in the property, the less control they have on the property itself in terms of what they charge – that provides less incentive for people to invest in,' Castelli said. Despite the committee's questions, Losak said he is still 'a bit optimistic' about the bill's chances this year. He said that passing the bill 'changes the dynamic' between tenants and landlords by providing tenants with tools to fight back against unfair landlords. 'The bill itself is fair, just, sensible,' Losak said, 'and it's common sense.' Later Tuesday, the House Environment and Transportation committee brought up HB 709 as one of last bills of the day. Last year, the good cause legislation passed the House on a 96-37 vote, but without the Senate counterpart, the bill died. The bill is widely expected to pass the House again this session. 'I'll be happy when the Senate passes it,' said Del. Marc Korman (D-Montgomery), chair of the Environment and Transportation Committee, 'because that's what has to happen for us to get something to the governor.'
