{
	"type": "rich",
	"version": "1.0",
	"provider_name": "Action Network",
	"provider_url": "https://actionnetwork.org",
	
	"html": "<link href='https://actionnetwork.org/css/style-embed-v3.css' rel='stylesheet' type='text/css' /><script src='https://actionnetwork.org/widgets/v6/letter/the-housing-crisis-requires-every-tool-in-the-toolbox?format=js&source=widget'></script><div id='can-letter-area-the-housing-crisis-requires-every-tool-in-the-toolbox' style='width: 100%'><!-- this div is the target for our HTML insertion --></div>",
	"author_name": "Progressive Mass ",
	"author_url": "https://actionnetwork.org/groups/progressive-mass",
	"title": "The Housing Crisis Requires Every Tool in the Toolbox ",
	"thumbnail_url": "https://can2-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/letters/photos/000/230/791/normal/Multifmailyhousing3.jpg",
	"description": "ACTION: Urge your state legislators to advocate for the inclusion of legislation to increase affordable housing production, preserve affordable housing stock, and protect tenants in the upcoming economic development bill. CONTEXT: At the end of the last legislative session, the MA Legislature passed an economic development bill that included several key provisions to address the housing crisis in Massachusetts: Reducing the voting threshold to a simple majority for smart growth zoning and affordable housing Requiring cities and towns served by the MBTA to create at least 1 district of reasonable size in which multi-family housing is permitted as of right because transit-oriented development is good for equity and for the environment (&quot;MBTA communities&quot;) Allowing municipalities the option of providing tenants in multi-family buildings the right to match a third-party offer when their homes are being sold, a key tool for preserving affordable housing stock (&quot;tenant opportunity to purchase&quot;) Creating a process to seal eviction records for no-fault evictions, as eviction records can stay with tenants for life and make it prohibitive to find stable housing But, on all four fronts, the work is unfinished. A 2/3 majority approval threshold is still required for municipalities to adopt inclusionary zoning ordinances that would require a certain percentage of new construction be affordable. The MBTA communities requirement lacks an enforcement mechanism, and it is too limited in application. Charlie Baker VETOED the two pro-tenant proposals, and because the legislative session had already ended, the Legislature could not override him. OPPORTUNITY: The Legislature is going to be passing another economic development bill in the final weeks of the session, and it&#x27;s essential that that bill finish the work of last year&#x27;s bill. And it&#x27;s essential that the Legislature doesn&#x27;t wait until the last minute to pass it. REQUEST: Can you email your state legislators to urge them to prioritize a pro-housing, pro-tenant agenda in the economic development bill that includes the following? H.1448: An Act Relative to Housing Production, which would lower the threshold for municipalities to approve inclusionary zoning ordinances, require multi-f�amily zoning around public transportation and other suitable locations, and facilitate the conversion of underutilized public land and vacant commercial properties for housing H.1426: An Act to guarantee a tenant’s first right of refusal, which would let cities and towns adopt &quot;tenant opportunity to purchase&quot; ordinances that can preserve affordable rental housing stock, provide a mechanism for tenant associations to collectively purchase their buildings, and stabilize low-income households. H. 4505: An Act promoting housing opportunity and mobility through eviction sealing (HOMES), which would create a process for the sealing of no-fault eviction records",
	"url": "https://actionnetwork.org/letters/the-housing-crisis-requires-every-tool-in-the-toolbox"
}