The end of the 2021 Legislative session looms with 52 days left until the constitutionally mandated end of the session “Sine Die” on June 27th. Next week, Friday May 14th is the Second Chamber deadline for most bills to have been posted on a committee agenda for a Work Session. Policy committees, like the Senate and House housing committees, will be frantic scheduling hearings to meet the deadline next week. However, the deadline does not apply to Rule, Revenue or Joint Committees.
Priority bills with recent hearings
SB 282A makes several tweaks to landlord/tenant statutes and more notably is set to extend the grace period for rent arrearages from HB 4401, previously passed December 2020. It was passed out of the House Committee on Housing yesterday, and now heads to the House Chamber for a floor vote. The bill has already passed the Senate. Multifamily NW is neutral on this bill.
After passing the House with a bipartisan support, HB 2761A which seeks to mandate manufactured housing parks to offer lease documents in five languages, had a Public Hearing in the Senate Committee on Housing and Development on April 29th. Although this bill does not apply to standard apartment rentals, Multifamily NW strongly opposes this bill with the heavy burdens and pitfalls of translation mandates.
SB 291A seeks to limit housing providers ability to screen applicants. Multifamily NW opposes this bill as the State of Oregon ought to maintain alignment with federal guidance from HUD. Although individualized assessments play an important role in the resident’s screening process, SB 291A creates confusion and impractical workflow for landlords in their due diligence to provide housing. The Public Hearing began on Thursday in the House Committee on Housing and will continue next Thursday, May 13th. This bill already passed the Senate and must have a Work Session posted by Friday, May 14th to continue.
SB 330A remains punted to the Joint Committee on Tax Expenditures after several hearings and amendments passed by the Senate Committee on Housing and Development, severely limiting its ability to address compensation strategies for housing providers with rent arrearages from the Eviction Moratorium. Multifamily NW supports amendments to reinstate the original language of SB 330.
SB 852 would disallow personal income tax mortgage interest deduction for residence other than the taxpayer’s principal residence. This bill was passed out of the Senate Committee on Housing and Development and was referred to the Senate Finance and Revenue committee by prior reference. A Public Hearing was scheduled, and then cancelled on May 3rd. Multifamily NW opposes this bill.
Priority bills we have defeated (so far)
  • SB 838 would have created a real property ownership registry across the State of Oregon.
  • HB 2427 would have directed OHCS to establish and maintain a uniform rental application across the State of Oregon.
  • HB 3263 would have required owners of multifamily rental housing to offer a right of first refusal to tenants.
  • HB 2677 would have repealed Oregon’s prohibition on local rent control.
  • HB 2372 would have eliminated the housing provider’s ability to terminate any residential tenancy without a stated cause.

RECEIVED BY MULTIFAMILY NW