Rep. Lanoue Opposes Housing Bill During Special Legislative Session

During the House special session, the housing bill, H.B. 8002, was debated for over six hours and passed with only Democrats supporting it. The Senate followed suit on Thursday.  H.B. 8002 removes control from local communities and their P&Z boards and places it in the hands of unelected state bureaucrats.

Commercial properties such as grocery stores and shopping malls will be allowed to be converted into residential housing units without any local input. Even more egregious is this enables the Department of Housing to use any state lands to develop them into state owned and operated housing projects. These state lands include historical sites, open spaces, and forest lands. This essentially creates an atmosphere for cancel culture on steroids and what is particularly concerning for our district is putting Hopeville and Pachaug state forests at risk.

Other concerning points to this bill include:

•  Fair Share requirements now empower COGs to determine many funding allocations to individual towns

•  No local public hearing for major aspects in the bill as they are considered “summary review” and “as of right” initiatives

•  Increased housing will raise property taxes due to infrastructure costs and other mandates

• Lead to higher occupancy in schools, straining resources and affecting education quality

What makes this especially disgusting is the bill was ramrodded through the legislature during special session without holding any public hearings where We the People could express ourselves. Also, myself and fellow Republican legislators were completely shut out of this process. When you hear the saying “elections have consequences” this is an example of that at its very worst.

Remember We the People!