March 08, 2010
The Housing Alliance Update & Announcements is a bi-weekly electronic newsletter to keep you up-to-date about everything the Housing Alliance is doing—and how you can get involved!
The short February session was a whirlwind of activity. The Housing Alliance had a very short list of priorities going into the session, and we were successful in seeing those through the process.
A Review of the 2010 February Session:
SB 1013 has been signed by the Governor. This bill was advanced by Oregon Law Center, and made some technical changes to the bill which passed in 2009 to protect tenants living in foreclosed properties.
SB 1015 has been signed by the Governor. This bill included two items of interest to the Housing Alliance. It extended the sunset date on a statute that enables local governments to provide property tax exemptions to multi-family affordable housing. The particular statute in question has been used extensively by the City of Eugene, and other local governments have expressed an interest in using it. In addition, the bill ‘grandfathered’ property tax exemptions provided by the City of Portland and Multnomah County to some existing properties providing affordable housing.
HB 3640 is still awaiting the Governor’s signature. This bill was advocated by Multnomah County, among others, and will provide personal property tax relief to owners of manufactured dwellings valued at less than $12,500.
One issue arose during the session which we had not anticipated, and it is likely to demand some attention in the months ahead. Senate Bill 1050 was an effort to promote job creation through inserting “Buy American” provisions into all public funds expenditures. It stalled in the process because of its many ramifications and impacts on public agencies but is sure to emerge again. In the future, the Housing Alliance will monitor this issue, particularly as it relates to supporting the notion of local preferences or other job creation goals while balancing any impact on the costs of compliance with new purchasing rules.
Prospects for 2011:
As we begin to plan for the 2011 session, the Housing Alliance will revise our “Housing Opportunity Agenda”. In forming this "Housing Opportunity Agenda" we will keep an eye on the election season as well as revenue forecasts and predictions for economic recovery (or lack thereof).
The Governor’s race is in full swing, with contested primaries happening May 18, 2010. House and Senate races are also underway, with filing deadlines Tuesday March 9, 2010.
The state revenue forecasts are bleak at the moment. The most recent forecast predicts a shortfall for the 2011—2013 biennium of $2.5 Billion and slow economic recovery with few jobs created. We’ll need to keep revenue forecasts in mind as we prepare our agenda and as we communicate with candidates and elected officials.
Ballot Measures Filed for 2010 and 2012:
Notices of possible ballot measures have been filed with the Secretary of State for the 2010 and 2012 November elections. This is a proposed constitutional amendment which would ban any tax or fee on the transfer of real estate effective after December 31, 2009. This would not affect the document recording fee increase we succeeded in getting passed in 2009 as that went into effect September 30, 2009.
Need talking points? Click here.
Also, click here for data for your local area on housing costs.
For more information about joining the Housing Alliance please visit our website at http://www.oregonhousingalliance.org/joinus.html.
Want more information on the Housing Alliance? Go to http://www.oregonhousingalliance.org.
For a full archive of Housing Alliance Weekly Updates, go to http://www.oregonhousingalliance.org/updates_archive.html
For information on the 2007 Legislative Session, click here.
For information on the 2005 Legislative Session, click here.
For information on the 2009 Legislative Session, click here.
Please email or call us with questions or ideas for how we can best keep you informed. Contact Janet Byrd.
