Latest news with #HouseBill5503
Yahoo
24-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
'Just cause' for evictions? How a bill would make it harder to raise rents, evict tenants
PROVIDENCE – Should a landlord be able to raise rent an unlimited amount, or be able to refuse to renew a lease for no reason? A group of lawmakers in the House and Senate is pushing to end those practices by bringing "just cause" evictions to the state via House Bill 5503. Why is it needed? Tenants testified that, especially in a constricted housing market, they are often afraid to ask for repairs or complain about conditions over worries that their leases won't be renewed. Redfin declared the Providence metro area as the least affordable for renters in the country. "Just cause" evictions aren't just about evictions; they're about people being forced to leave for reasons that are, right now, entirely legal. Just cause evictions require landlords to have a "just cause," or a good reason, listed in the bill, to evict tenants or not renew their leases. Multiple tenants said they were afraid to report bad conditions, ask for repairs or take steps to hold their landlords accountable for fear that either their lease won't be renewed in retaliation, or their landlord will exponentially increase the rent, effectively forcing them to not renew. Tenants who testified before the House Judiciary Committee on March 18 talked about horrible conditions and landlords who refuse to repair problems, such as leaks, or allow issues to continue unabated, such as crippling mold. During a rally before the hearing, Melissa Potter, of Cranston, talked about how her landlord has been trying to evict her from 1890 Broad St. for attempting to start a tenants union. Among her chief complaints was a 6-foot trench that appeared in front of her front door. The bill would prevent tenants both from being evicted and from having their leases not renewed, unless it's for "good cause." Here's what the bill defines as good cause for an eviction/non-renewal of a lease: Failure to pay rent Violating the lease "Committing or permitting a nuisance" Conduct that interferes with "the comfort of the landlord or other tenants" or neighbors Using their housing for "an illegal purpose" Refusing to give the landlord access to make repairs or improvements, or show to a prospective buyer The landlord, in a building of 11 units or fewer, needs the unit for themselves or a family member, unless the tenant is 62 or older or disabled Landlords came in droves to the hearing to decry both the "just cause" eviction bill and to ask that the lead paint registry law be pushed out or rescinded. Many contended that rent control doesn't work, despite the bill not proposing rent control. Instead, it proposes rent stabilization. Rent control means a hard cap on rent, limiting the amount that a landlord can charge. Rent stabilization broadly means that the rate of rent increases is regulated or capped, the way cities and towns have a cap on how much they can raise property taxes each year (4%). Under the bill, rent increases would be capped at 4% annually or 1½ times the annual percentage change in the consumer price index (CPI), whichever is greater. During the pandemic, the consumer-price index increased drastically. In 2021, the national increase was 4.7%, in 2022 it was 8%, in 2023 it was 4.1% and in 2024, it was 3.2%. According to the bill, a landlord could still raise the rent above the prescribed percentage, but if they tried to evict a tenant for not paying an increase above that amount, it becomes a "rebuttable presumption" in housing court that the rent increase was unreasonable. Providence city councilors Miguel Sanchez, Althea Graves and Justin Roias jointly penned a letter in support, noting that the consequences of an eviction can be devastating and that evictions have contributed to the rapid rise in homelessness. Among the changes from past years was exempting owner-occupied landlords with five units or fewer, and general landlords with four or fewer units from the law. Sen. Tiara Mack, D-Providence, said she heard the criticisms loud and clear and took steps to address them in this year's version of the bill. In the House, the bill is being sponsored by, among others, Rep. Cherie Cruz, D-Pawtucket. Providers of services for homeless people across the state have cited the rapid rise in rents as a large reason for the huge rise in Rhode Island's unhoused population since the pandemic. How much rent has gone up differs, depending on who is doing the counting. That Redfin study put the current median rent at $2,145. A report by the company Rent put it at $2,618 last year, with a baseline of $1,845 in 2019, a 42% increase. The HousingWorks RI Housing Fact Book put rent at $2,107 in the state for its latest iteration, and at $1,869 in 2017, before the pandemic run-up in rents, a 13% increase. The number of units that are affordable for the poorest residents has decreased drastically in the state because of rising rents. The National Low Income Housing Coalition's newest "GAP" report finds there are 47 "affordable and available" rental units for every 100 extremely low-income people, compared with 74 before the pandemic. Just like last year's report, this year's report notes that the shortage of housing units available across all income spectrums pushes up rents for the poorest renters. "As a result of this shortage, most extremely low-income renters are forced to rent homes they cannot afford and that would otherwise be available to higher-income renters who could afford them," according to the report. Thanks to our subscribers, who help make this coverage possible. If you are not a subscriber, please consider supporting quality local journalism with a Providence Journal subscription. . Follow Wheeler Cowperthwaite on X, @WheelerReporter, or reach him by email at wcowperthwaite@ This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: These bills would make it harder to evict tenants, raise rent in RI
Yahoo
24-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
'Just cause' for evictions? How a bill would make it harder to raise rents, evict tenants
PROVIDENCE – Should a landlord be able to raise rent an unlimited amount, or be able to refuse to renew a lease for no reason? A group of lawmakers in the House and Senate is pushing to end those practices by bringing "just cause" evictions to the state via House Bill 5503. Why is it needed? Tenants testified that, especially in a constricted housing market, they are often afraid to ask for repairs or complain about conditions over worries that their leases won't be renewed. Redfin declared the Providence metro area as the least affordable for renters in the country. "Just cause" evictions aren't just about evictions; they're about people being forced to leave for reasons that are, right now, entirely legal. Just cause evictions require landlords to have a "just cause," or a good reason, listed in the bill, to evict tenants or not renew their leases. Multiple tenants said they were afraid to report bad conditions, ask for repairs or take steps to hold their landlords accountable for fear that either their lease won't be renewed in retaliation, or their landlord will exponentially increase the rent, effectively forcing them to not renew. Tenants who testified before the House Judiciary Committee on March 18 talked about horrible conditions and landlords who refuse to repair problems, such as leaks, or allow issues to continue unabated, such as crippling mold. During a rally before the hearing, Melissa Potter, of Cranston, talked about how her landlord has been trying to evict her from 1890 Broad St. for attempting to start a tenants union. Among her chief complaints was a 6-foot trench that appeared in front of her front door. The bill would prevent tenants both from being evicted and from having their leases not renewed, unless it's for "good cause." Here's what the bill defines as good cause for an eviction/non-renewal of a lease: Failure to pay rent Violating the lease "Committing or permitting a nuisance" Conduct that interferes with "the comfort of the landlord or other tenants" or neighbors Using their housing for "an illegal purpose" Refusing to give the landlord access to make repairs or improvements, or show to a prospective buyer The landlord, in a building of 11 units or fewer, needs the unit for themselves or a family member, unless the tenant is 62 or older or disabled Landlords came in droves to the hearing to decry both the "just cause" eviction bill and to ask that the lead paint registry law be pushed out or rescinded. Many contended that rent control doesn't work, despite the bill not proposing rent control. Instead, it proposes rent stabilization. Rent control means a hard cap on rent, limiting the amount that a landlord can charge. Rent stabilization broadly means that the rate of rent increases is regulated or capped, the way cities and towns have a cap on how much they can raise property taxes each year (4%). Under the bill, rent increases would be capped at 4% annually or 1½ times the annual percentage change in the consumer price index (CPI), whichever is greater. During the pandemic, the consumer-price index increased drastically. In 2021, the national increase was 4.7%, in 2022 it was 8%, in 2023 it was 4.1% and in 2024, it was 3.2%. According to the bill, a landlord could still raise the rent above the prescribed percentage, but if they tried to evict a tenant for not paying an increase above that amount, it becomes a "rebuttable presumption" in housing court that the rent increase was unreasonable. Providence city councilors Miguel Sanchez, Althea Graves and Justin Roias jointly penned a letter in support, noting that the consequences of an eviction can be devastating and that evictions have contributed to the rapid rise in homelessness. Among the changes from past years was exempting owner-occupied landlords with five units or fewer, and general landlords with four or fewer units from the law. Sen. Tiara Mack, D-Providence, said she heard the criticisms loud and clear and took steps to address them in this year's version of the bill. In the House, the bill is being sponsored by, among others, Rep. Cherie Cruz, D-Pawtucket. Providers of services for homeless people across the state have cited the rapid rise in rents as a large reason for the huge rise in Rhode Island's unhoused population since the pandemic. How much rent has gone up differs, depending on who is doing the counting. That Redfin study put the current median rent at $2,145. A report by the company Rent put it at $2,618 last year, with a baseline of $1,845 in 2019, a 42% increase. The HousingWorks RI Housing Fact Book put rent at $2,107 in the state for its latest iteration, and at $1,869 in 2017, before the pandemic run-up in rents, a 13% increase. The number of units that are affordable for the poorest residents has decreased drastically in the state because of rising rents. The National Low Income Housing Coalition's newest "GAP" report finds there are 47 "affordable and available" rental units for every 100 extremely low-income people, compared with 74 before the pandemic. Just like last year's report, this year's report notes that the shortage of housing units available across all income spectrums pushes up rents for the poorest renters. "As a result of this shortage, most extremely low-income renters are forced to rent homes they cannot afford and that would otherwise be available to higher-income renters who could afford them," according to the report. Thanks to our subscribers, who help make this coverage possible. If you are not a subscriber, please consider supporting quality local journalism with a Providence Journal subscription. . Follow Wheeler Cowperthwaite on X, @WheelerReporter, or reach him by email at wcowperthwaite@ This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: These bills would make it harder to evict tenants, raise rent in RI
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Why an East Texas lawmaker wants to name I-35 through Austin after President Donald Trump
If Democrats are all aquiver over the prospect of carving the likeness of Donald Trump into the Harney Peak granite of Mount Rushmore, perhaps they'll like the idea of naming one of the most cursed and congested stretches of highway in Texas after the Republican president of the United States. Less than two months after U.S. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Florida, introduced federal legislation to enshrine Trump alongside the images of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and Teddy Roosevelt in the iconic national monument in the Black Hills of South Dakota, Freshman Texas state Rep. Joanne Shofner of Nacogdoches raised the ante. Or maybe lowered it. Shofner, a first-term Republican, filed House Bill 5503, which would name the perennially bogged down Interstate 35 through the heart of Democrat-friendly Austin after the president. Ironically, the highway's name change would begin and end at the Travis County boundaries just about where I-35 starts snaking through countryside that's a bit more hospitable to Trump. If the measure passes — and it's a big "if" considering that six of the seven House members and two of the three senators representing Travis County are Democrats — Shofner, whose East Texas district is some 230 miles from the exit on I-35 that leads to the Capitol, said it'd be an appropriate name change to the highway that bisects the city that serves as the seat of state government. More: Honk if you agree: Austin's I-35 ranked among top congested roads in Texas, worst for truck traffic "It is fitting that this designation is located in our state capital, recognizing a president whose impact on Texas and the country is profound and enduring," she said in a news release that lavishes praise on Trump's return to the White House. Some on social media suggested the proposal is a dig at the Democrats who control the city's and county's governments. "If that's not a pointy finger in the eye of deep blue Austin, I don't know what is," the conservative newsletter, Shooting News Weekly, said in a post on X. Shofner said that is not the purpose of her bill. "It's not a poke in the eye of beautiful Austin," she told the American-Statesman. "I'm not like that." Still, some couldn't resist noting the antipathy for the interstate in Austin. "People hate IH35 already," former Texas Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson, who is both a Republican and a Trump critic, said on X. "This ain't gonna help." According to a 2024 analysis by the Transportation Institute at Texas A&M University, the 8-mile stretch of I-35 between U.S. 290 and Texas 71, which includes the double-decked portion through the heart of downtown Austin, has the the highest "congestion cost" in the state. That refers to the "monetary value of the time, fuel, and other resources wasted due to traffic congestion," according to the U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Trump would not be the first president to have a major highway named for him in Texas. Just four days after Democratic President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in November 1963, Nueces County commissioners renamed what was then called the Padre Island Causeway in his honor. Kennedy's successor and native Texan, Democratic President Lyndon B. Johnson, became the namesake for I-635, a beltway that opened in 1959 as an alternative to the I-35 East that allowed motorists to bypass downtown Dallas' heavier traffic. The highway was named for LBJ in 1974, the year after his death. The President George Bush Turnpike is part of a toll road network that was designed and built to relieve pressure on the highway system serving the suburbs on the outer loop of the greater Dallas area. While those presidential projects were aimed at relieving congestion or connecting a destination beach island to the mainland, a Trump highway through Austin might be viewed by some as an homage to gridlock. "No one is awful enough to deserve to have I-35 named after them," said an X user who calls himself "a political heretic." "I can't condone such cruelty." This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Should Texas Legislature name I-35 in Austin after Donald Trump?
