Past Legislative Session Bills
Here you will find a list of bills from prior state legislative sessions. If you are looking for a list of bills from the current (2025-2026) legislative session, please visit our policy page.
2023 - 2024 Legislative Session (193rd)
- Create the Climate Resilient Capital Task Force.
- Allow landlords and contractors who pass a test to conduct like-for-like repair and replacement of minor electrical and plumbing systems.
- Allow LLCs to represent themselves in court.
- Move the legislature away from copyrighted laws, including allowing us to read the building code for free. Subject the legislature to the public records law.
- Require that all bills be presented in "tracked changes" format so lay people can read and understand them.
- Create a pilot program for instant rental assistance; fund it with incentives to move away from single family exclusive zoning.
- Hold a commission to evaluate the eviction moratorium and ensure it never returns.
- Increase the deleading credit from $1,500 to $15,000 per unit.
- Reform civil asset forfeiture.
- Change the $10,000 RAFT cap, which is regressive in Boston, to be X months of rent. Require the full RAFT benefit be paid out regardless of whether for arrears or going-forward stipend to eliminate incentives to sandbag.
- Declare eviction and rental assistance records to be public records; create new protected classes to prevent unfair discrimination based on this information.
2021 - 2022 Legislative Session (192nd), Massachusetts Housing Policy Bills
- 192-HD.3325 An Act Establishing a Right to Counsel in Civil Asset Forfeiture Cases (MassLandlords supports)
- 192-HD.3676 An Act enabling local options for tenant protections (MassLandlords opposes)
- 192 H1426 HD.2984 An Act to guarantee a tenantās first right of refusal
- 192 S890 SD.1672 An Act to guarantee a tenantās first right of refusal
- Bills Prepared for the 192nd Legislative Session
- Rent-payment surety bond pilot program
- Right to counsel in civil asset forfeiture
- Public ownership of public information
2019 - 2020 Legislative Session (191st), Massachusetts Housing Policy Bills
MassLandlords has not taken a position on all bills below. When we are able to read and understand the intent, we will compare this with our Policy Priorities Survey and make an endorsement or statement of opposition.
Bills of note by topic:
- An Act to Protect Elderly Tenants
- Right of First Refusal and Right to Counsel, Boston Versions. Ask Your Legislators to Say No (2019), see H.1315 below
- Rent Cancellation, HD.5166 SD.2992. MassLandlords opposes.
- Rent Escrow, supported by Democrats and Republicans in the Senate and the House. HD.1474 and SD 231.
- Tenant Protection Act (Rent Control) Full Analysis: An Act Enabling Local Options for Tenant Protections, 191-H.3924-HD.1100
Bills by number:
- House:
- HD 1100 Tenant Protection Act (Rent Control) Full Analysis: An Act Enabling Local Options for Tenant Protections, 191-H.3924-HD.1100
- HD 1191 Rent escrow. Rep Boldyga (R). MassLandlords supports.
- HD 1192 Late fees. Rep. Boldyga (R). MassLandlords supports.
- HD 1194 Elderly tenants. Rep. Boldyga (R). MassLandlords supports.
- H.1315 (formerly HD 3740) Right of first refusal, Denise Provost (D), MassLandlords opposes
- HD 1202 Right to purchase. Rep. Boldyga (R). MassLandlords supports.
- HD 1205 Equal counsel. Rep. Boldyga (R). MassLandlords supports.
- H.1260: An Act to guarantee a tenantās first right of refusal, Rep. Cullinane (D), MassLandlords opposes
- HD 1474 Rent escrow . Rep Barrows (R), Sen Hinds (D), Rep Robinson (D), Rep LeBeouf (D). MassLandlords supports.
- HD 1457 Security deposits. Rep Barrows (R). MassLandlords supports.
- HD.5166 An Act to guarantee housing stability during the COVID-19 emergency and recovery (rent cancellation). MassLandlords opposes.
- Senate:
- SD.231 Rent Escrow. Sen Tarr (R), Rep. Robinson (D).
- S.824 Eviction Sealing. Joseph Boncore (D).
- SD.2992 An Act to guarantee housing stability during the COVID-19 emergency and recovery (rent cancellation). MassLandlords opposes.
