Five housing affordability, protection bills advanced by NJ Legislature. What they do

A flurry of bills expanding affordable housing assistance, eviction protections and energy efficiency programs advanced through the state Senate Community and Urban Affairs committee on Thursday.

New Jersey legislators continue to repeat the importance of improving "affordability" as all 120 legislative seats are up for reelection this November, and housing usually takes up the largest chunk of a family's paycheck in one of the most expensive states in live in the country.

The legislation passed the first hurdle, and would need to secure majority votes from both full chambers, and a signature from Gov. Phil Murphy before becoming law.

Here's what the bills do:

Expand homeowner assistance

New Jersey would establish a voucher homeownership program to help recipients pay for principal and interest on mortgage debt, insurances, taxes, utilities and other homeownership expenses under S3585.

“It’s a creative way to find more homeownership opportunities,” said Jeffrey Kolakowski, CEO of the New Jersey Builders Association, who testified in favor.

The program would use a portion of funding currently used for the state rental assistance program. Sen. Holly Schepisi, R-Bergen, who voted to advance the bill, said the Legislature should monitor how the policy would impact the already long waiting lists for vouchers.

The bill is in the Assembly housing committee.

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Expand protections against lead in drinking water

Tenants living in apartments serviced by lead service lines or of unknown composition can request inspectors to take samples to test for lead in drinking water under an amended version of S2695 advanced Thursday.

“Recent data shows that exposure to relatively small amounts of lead can result in serious health complications including high blood pressure, difficulties with memory or concentration, and miscarriages or premature birth in pregnant women,” said Sen. Linda Greenstein, D-Mercer. “We must be vigilant in our fight against lead poisoning by ensuring that residents are provided with updated information on lead exposure and are allowed the option to replace lead service lines.”

The bill is a negotiated compromise to protect tenants in the time before lead service lines are identified and replaced by 2031, as required under a 2021 law signed by the governor, said Nicholas Kikis, vice president at the New Jersey Apartment Association, which represents landlords.

Landlords renting buildings constructed before 1986 would be required to give a “Lead in Drinking Water Disclosure” handout before they sign a lease or renewal agreement that notes the year the home was built and whether it is serviced by a lead line.

The bill would also ban owners or rental operators from obstructing the replacement of a lead service line. If that occurred, a tenant would be allowed to terminate the lease without facing any penalty.

"There's a historic issue with tenants feeling empowered to go to their landlord with issues with their property or just wanting more information," said Deandrah Cameron, policy manager at New Jersey Future. "This bill closes a very important gap in disclosure of lead and drinking water hazards by providing a more comprehensive disclosure process."

Lawmakers previously advanced the bill out of the Assembly housing committee to be considered in the chamber’s appropriations committee.

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Pilot a weatherization, energy efficiency program

Under S3602, a $30 million pilot program in Union City, Trenton and Camden would offer free weatherization and energy efficiency measures installed on connected open attic spaces, or cocklofts, at no cost to low- and moderate-income families. For families who don’t meet income criteria, they would be given the option to pay for the weatherization through a property tax special assessment over 10 years.

The measures would include things like adding insulation, vapor barriers, fire protection barriers and ventilation. The funds would come from the federal American Rescue Plan stimulus money.

"From an energy efficient perspective, [cocklofts] are terrible ... one home could be fully insulated and the next have no insulation at all [which] creates a situation where cold air in the winter and warm in the summer travel from building to building, reducing the effectiveness of the HVAC equipment and this drives up energy costs," said the sponsor, Sen. Brian Stack, D-Union. "We believe that weatherization could lower the energy bill by about 30%."

“Weatherizing attic spaces through the installation of barriers between connected buildings such as row homes, will have the ancillary benefit of reducing fire spread from one building to the next," Stack said. “At the end of the day, this bill will not only help low- and moderate-income families save money on their energy costs, it will ultimately save lives."

The bill is currently in the Assembly housing committee.

Strengthen senior, disabled eviction protections

Renters can only be evicted in New Jersey for one of 17 reasons, including for if an owner decides to replace the residential property by converting it into a condominium or cooperative. Current law protects such tenants who are senior citizens or those with disabilities from eviction in that case for 40 years.

Under S2961, seniors and people with disabilities would have a lifetime protection against eviction in that circumstance.

“These protections are especially imperative during a time when economic dislocations have sharply increased as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and as recent evidence has proven that relocation at older age has been related to declines of both physical and cognitive functions,” the bill reads.

The legislation has yet to be heard by the Assembly aging and senior services committee.

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Support affordable housing for veterans

Towns that are authorized to collect developer’s fees to be spent on affordable housing can use those funds on assistance for veterans under S171. Up to 30% of the fees could be set aside to help first-time homebuyer veterans with down payment assistance up to $15,000 per person.

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“Our delegation’s proposed initiative is focused on assisting those veterans who are working to realize the dream of owning a home and possibly starting a family," said Sen. Christopher Connors, R-Ocean. "These veterans are definitively deserving of this benefit in light of their honorable service to our nation."

The bill is still in committee in the Assembly.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: NJ housing affordability, protection bills advanced by legislature