Affordable housing: Lots of talk, little action under the Gold Dome
Despite agreement among lawmakers and advocates that Georgia needs more quality affordable housing, the General Assembly this year took few steps to address the shortfall.
Most of the bills aimed at housing problems failed to pass, foundering on the shoals of inter-chamber disagreements and controversy about the extent to which the state government can limit local housing regulations.
House Bill 514, the “Housing Regulation Transparency Act,” sponsored by state Rep. Dale Washburn, R-macon, would have prohibited local governments from extending moratoriums on building new housing beyond
180 days, with some limited exceptions.
The Senate version of the bill — which passed on the last day of the legislative session — would have prohibited extended local moratoriums on both single- and multifamily housing.
But the House disagreed with the Senate version, pushing the bill to a last-minute conference committee. With just hours left on the legislative clock, there simply wasn’t enough time to hammer out the differences.
Washburn said he is optimistic the bill will pass next year, the second year of the current two-year legislative term.
“I’m trying to make it easy to develop and to build housing for Georgians, whether it’s multifamily or single family,” said Washburn, a veteran real-estate agent.
Local government advocates — mainly represented by the Association County Commissioners of Georgia and the Georgia Municipal Association — did not oppose HB 514.
But they balked at another bill Washburn proposed that would have prohibited local governments from regulating a long list of housing design elements, from roof design to building materials to minimum lot sizes.
Washburn said local regulations drive up housing costs that are then passed on to consumers. But House Bill 517 stalled in a House committee.
So, too, did a proposal from Rep. Spencer Frye, DAthens. His House Bill 490 took aim at large institutional investors who are snapping up single-family homes.
It would have eliminated a tax benefit allowing rentalproperty owners to reduce their tax liability by about 3.6% of the cost of the rental property annually. The bill never got a committee vote.
One measure aimed at predatory real-estate practices did cross the legislative finish line and is now awaiting Gov. Brian Kemp’s signature.
Senate Bill 90 would bar a deceptive realestate practice pioneered by MV Realty, a Florida company operating in many states.
The company pays homeowners — often seniors on fixed incomes — a small sum of money (usually $500 to $1000) to sign on to a 40-year commitment to use MV Realty if they ever decide to sell their house — or face a stiff financial penalty.
Lawyers for Atlanta Legal Aid have been battling the practice in court, addressing each case individually. The new Georgia law would make the agreements void from the start.
“We’re really glad that the legislature decided to address what we see as a really serious problem for our clients,” said Dina Franch, a staff attorney with Atlanta Legal Aid.
Another small bright spot is a budget line proposed by Kemp and approved by the legislature that sets aside $35.7 million to create a Rural Workforce Housing Fund within the state Department of Community Affairs. The agency is still hammering out the details of how those funds will be spent, said spokesperson Ryan Evans.
A tenants’ rights bill aimed at protections for renters, the “Safe at Home Act” sponsored by Rep. Kasey Carpenter, RDalton, failed to get a Senate vote despite unanimous approval in the House.