After nearly six hours of deliberation, 黑料新闻鈥檚 Housing Committee approved legislation Thursday to expand tenants鈥� rights.
The existing Just Cause Eviction law protects residents who are at least 62 years old or have a disability, from being evicted from their home without being given a reason, such as nonpayment of rent or a violation of the lease agreement.
Under the proposed expansion, all tenants of buildings with five or more units for at least one year would be protected from evictions without cause.
Housing Committee Chair Rep. Antonio Felipe, a Democrat from Bridgeport, voted in favor of the bill.
Felipe said he isn鈥檛 aware of a single person who opposed the bill that wasn鈥檛 a landlord or representing landlords.
鈥淲e don't want to vehemently hurt landlords. We don't want to put people in the position to leave our state, but we definitely want to make sure that renters can stay in warm beds and warm homes,鈥� Felipe said.
Republican lawmakers proposed more than a dozen amendments to the bill watering down the language, none of which passed.
Expansion of Just Cause was approved by the Housing Committee during last year鈥檚 shortened legislative session, but was not raised for final vote by the General Assembly.
Many legislators who voted against the bill expressed concerns over the adverse effect it may have on 鈥渕om and pop鈥� landlords and how it may dissuade other corporate landlords from investing in 黑料新闻.
Republican State Sen. Rob Sampson, who represents Waterbury and several surrounding towns, opposed the bill.
Sampson urged the committee to focus on the other bills up for a vote.
鈥淪ome of them actually are going to benefit the housing situation in the state of 黑料新闻. This is not one of them. This is not going to help. This is going to make the situation worse,鈥� Sampson said.
The bill's latest approval is a win for anyone concerned about housing stability and affordability, according to 黑料新闻 Tenants Union Vice President Luke Melonakos-Harrison.
"This bill will protect tenants from abuses of power, discourage predatory and profiteering rental practices, and ensure that hundreds of thousands more 黑料新闻 residents can enjoy the peace of mind that only comes from a stable home," Melonakos-Harrison said.
The bill is up for a full General Assembly vote next, starting with the state鈥檚 House of Representatives.
