Rent Control Legislation Needs Your Urgent Support

Thanks to a devastating ruling by the Supreme Judicial Court, the rent control question will not appear on the November ballot. This means that only viable path to legalize rent control in Massachusetts runs through Beacon Hill. The current legislative session formally ends on July 31, which means we have five weeks to pass the proposed rent control legislation (H.2328/S.1447).

That's not the only bad news. In order for this legislation to pass, the Joint Committee on Municipalities and Regional Government must decide favorably on S.1447 by June 30th. (The fate of H.2328 is murkier thanks to a lack of information on the State House website. See my rant about the website's awfulness from December.)

This means that your state legislators need to hear from you TODAY.

What Does the Proposed Legislation Do?

In 1994, Massachusetts voters narrowly outlawed rent control via a ballot initiative. Since then, municipalities haven't been able to do anything about skyrocketing rents without prior approval from the State House. In 2023, Boston's Mayor Wu proposed a rent stabilization measure that sailed through the City Council with a 11-2 vote. Unfortunately, it got shot down by the State House.

The proposed legislation (H.2328/S.1447) would lift this state ban on rent control. It wouldn't automatically enact rent control measures across the state. But municipalities would get to decide for themselves whether to adopt rent control measures outlined in the legislation.

The legislation would permit towns to limit rent increases to the cost of living or 5%, whichever is lower. For an apartment that costs $2,000 per month, there would be an annual rent increase no greater than $100/month.

Landlords would also be prohibited from evicting tenants without cause. Exemptions are provided for new construction and small landlords. For additional details, check out this fact sheet created by the Homes for All Massachusetts Coalition.

Learn Where Our Legislators Stand

It is critical that you contact your state legislators in support of rent control legislation immediately.

Below is a table that depicts which local state legislators have co-sponsored the proposed rent control legislation. If a legislator has supported the bill, ✅ appears next to their name. If they have yet to co-sponsor the bill,❓appears instead.

	Rent Control Bill
	H.2328 / S.1447
Sen. Joan Lovely	✅
Sen. Brendan Crighton	❓
Rep. Jennifer Armini	❓
Rep. Hannah Bowen	✅
Rep. Dan Cahill	❓
Rep. Manny Cruz	✅
Rep. Sally Kerans	❓
Rep. Sean Reid	✅
Rep. Tom Walsh	❓
Rep. Donald Wong	❓

Tip: If you don't reside on the North Shore, look up your legislators using the Progressive Massachusetts Legislative Scorecard. For each state legislator, the site tracks whether they have co-sponsored key progressive bills, including this rent stabilization bill.

Sample Letters

If Your Legislators Co-Sponsored This Legislation

Dear _______,

I am writing to you because I am devastated by the Supreme Judicial Court ruling that has blocked the rent control question from appearing on November's ballot.

Thank you for co-sponsoring (H.2328/S.1447). I am truly grateful for your support for this important legislation.

I am asking you to urgently work with your colleagues to pass this bill before the end of the current legislative season.

Please write to the co-chairs of the Joint Committee on Municipalities and Regional Government asking them to vote favorably on this legislation before the June 30th deadline. Please also ask House and Senate leaders to support the swift passage of this legislation.

Massachusetts is in the midst of an affordable housing crisis. Our friends and neighbors, especially younger folks, are fleeing our state for less costly locations. Your constituents need urgent relief, especially as the cost of health care, utilities, and groceries continue to skyrocket. We need rent control now.

I am counting on you to get this critical legislation passed.

Thank you, and I look forward to hearing from you.

If Your Legislators Haven't Co-Sponsored This Legislation

Dear _______,

I am writing to you because I am devastated by the Supreme Judicial Court ruling that has blocked the rent control question from appearing on November's ballot.

I am very disappointed that you have not yet co-sponsored (H.2328/S.1447) and ask you to do so immediately.

Please also write to the co-chairs of the Joint Committee on Municipalities and Regional Government asking them to vote favorably on this legislation before the June 30th deadline. In addition, please ask House and Senate leaders to support the swift passage of this legislation.

I am counting on you to get this critical legislation passed.

Thank you, and I look forward to hearing from you.

Phone Bank Opportunities For Thursday June 25th

Contacting voters and connecting them with their state legislators is one of the most impactful things you can do right now. Below are two phone bank shifts for tomorrow (Thursday). Invite your friends and neighbors to join you in this critical outreach. We need to maximize public pressure!

12-3 PM

Organized by the Right to the City Alliance. The shift will run for 3 hours but stay as long as you'd like. Zoom RSVP.

5:30-7 PM

Join Essex County Community Organization (ECCO) in calling voters who signed the rent control ballot petition. Training will be provided.

Also On Thursday (for Salem Residents Only)

Time Sensitive Action to Support Rent Control For Salem Residents

The Salem City Council will consider a resolution on Thursday urging the State House to pass rent control legislation. Here are ways to support the resolution.

North Shore ProgressivesNSP Staff Writer

Celebrating Local Activists

Yesterday's Supreme Judicial Court ruling is particularly devastating to activists who gathered thousands of signatures in support of the rent control ballot measure. Housing justice coalition Homes For All Massachusetts led signature gathering campaigns in the fall and spring that had far exceeded state requirements.

In the fall, the coalition had collected over 124,000 signatures supporting the ballot measure, almost 50,000 more than was required. Since early May, the coalition gathered an additional 25,400 signatures, more than double the amount needed to qualify for November's ballot.

Lynn United for Change led the effort to the gather signatures on the North Shore. They were supported by ECCO, Neighbor to Neighbor, New Lynn Coalition, the North Shore Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), and Solidarity Rising. Together, these organizations collected over 17,100 signatures in total.

Though the rent control question will not appear on November's ballot, we should celebrate the hard work of activists here on the North Shore and across the state who tirelessly gathered signatures this year.

In a newsletter today, ECCO organizer Rabbi Allen Lipson wrote:

We also know a basic truth of organizing: the point is not only achieving one policy in one year, but building power. Even a campaign loss can be an organizing win if we strengthn our movement through it. And both on a statewide and local level, we're far stronger now than a year ago, with a massive coalition...and a shift of what's considered politically possible. The immediate work ahead is to struggle as hard as we can the next month, not leaving anything on the table; and then to listen deeply to our communities, especially those closest to the pain, to decide on our next steps.