Rep. Scott Reacts to Housing Committee Advancing Bad Bills

Hartford, Conn.– The Housing Committee met Thursday, February 29, 2024 to vote on a number of proposals, including two very controversial ones.

Ranking Member Tony Scott (R-112) issued the following statement: I have serious concerns with An Act Concerning Evictions for Cause, which would establish a general right for any tenant to remain in a rental unit after a lease term expires. The state shouldn’t hamstring the right of a housing provider to use their property as they see fit. A lease is a contract, agreed to by both the landlord and the tenant, and each party knows there is a set end date. The government shouldn’t be interfering with this basic business function. Another bill that raised procedural questions is An Act Concerning The Collateral Consequences of Criminal Records On Housing Opportunities. This proposal doesn’t remove the ability of a housing provider to do a criminal background check on a prospective tenant; but we’re arbitrarily picking how far back a landlord can look at that background check. I also have concerns about how we would police the fact that they’d only be allowed to decide on those few years and not before.

Rep. Scott Opposes Government Overreach Bill into Housing Authority Jurisdiction and issued the following statement:

“A new legislative session is here and once again we’re dealing with another proposal to take local control away from municipalities. An Act Concerning Housing Authority Jurisdiction would allow those entities to expand beyond their own city or town border into other municipalities. Each town’s planning and zoning control is what makes them unique, and Hartford shouldn’t allow one municipality the ability to tell another what it should or shouldn’t be doing within its borders. Under this proposal, a housing authority would be able to circumvent local zoning regulations by using the 8-30g affordable housing appeals process to build affordable housing that a town does not want.”