Warren adds her muscle to Healey housing bill

US Sen. Elizabeth Warren threw her weight behind Gov. Maura Healey’s housing plan on Monday morning and said the federal government will need to “step up” to help the state address its housing affordability and availability crisis.

As many as 200,000 housing units will need to be built in Massachusetts over the next six years to keep up with housing demand, Warren said at an event hosted by the New England Council at the UMass Club in Boston.

“The problem is bad, and the problem is getting worse,” she said. “Do you think that housing is in short supply in Massachusetts right now? Do you think that rents are already rising like a hot air balloon? Well buckle up for a rough ride.”

Massachusetts approved 17,692 units last year. Warren cited this statistic, saying it’s “not even one-tenth of the units that we need.” She added, “But just even at this rate, we can’t even hold steady on this crisis.”

Warren praised Healey’s five-year, $4.12 billion housing bond bill, a plan that has idled in the Legislature since she filed it two months ago. While Healey asked that the bill be passed “promptly,” lawmakers have yet to hold a hearing on it.

The bill seeks to kickstart housing production, upgrade the state’s aging and neglected public housing stock, and convert state land into housing-ready plots. It is also packed with policy proposals, including the ability for cities and towns to impose new fees on high-price real estate transactions and steer the revenue into affordable housing development, a simple majority voting threshold for inclusionary zoning ordinances and bylaws at the local level, and a new designation to address housing availability in “seasonal communities.”

The Legislature has sent the bill to the Joint Committee on Housing, which is co-chaired by Sen. Lydia Edwards of East Boston and Rep. James Arciero of Westford.

Members of the state’s federal delegation do not frequently wade into state-level bills, but Warren gave Healey’s filing a firm endorsement.

“The Healey-Driscoll administration is working to enable municipalities to pass inclusionary zoning ordinances by simple majorities, reduce barriers to the building of accessory dwelling units, and invest nearly $2 billion directly into housing development. Each of these will help reduce the affordable housing gap. Our governor knows that one-size-fits-all is not going to solve this crisis,” Warren said.

The senator called for “three cheers for Massachusetts” and Healey for “tackling the housing crisis.” She added, “Here’s my pitch today: Massachusetts and the rest of the country should not be left to deal with this housing crisis alone. It is time for the federal government to step up. Not to tell local governments what to do, but to be a good partner.”

With Sens. Angus King of Maine and Ron Wyden of Oregon, Warren has proposed a minimum corporate tax on “billionaire corporations.” It would require that companies that report over $1 billion in profits to shareholders pay at least a 15 percent tax rate on those profits. The tax would apply to roughly 200 companies and generate hundreds of billions in revenue over ten years, according to Warren’s office.

The senator has pushed such high-dollar affordable housing legislation for years.

On Monday, Warren said that this tax could be used to stimulate housing supply through federal investments. “The federal government should invest because housing connects to many other issues that the federal government directly pays for,” she said. “We know, for example, that access to adequate housing reduces health care expenses for the Medicaid population. Increasing the supply of affordable housing will reduce money spent in emergency rooms.”

Warren said she uses her position on the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Development Committee to push for more federal funding for housing, but that “it’s an uphill battle. Many of our Republican friends, and some Democratic friends, don’t want the government in this space. Even so, you don’t get what you don’t fight for.


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