Connecticut SB 334: AN ACT CONCERNING THE COMPOSITION OF FAIR RENT COMMISSIONS.

Bill Text

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General Assembly Raised Bill No. 334
February Session, 2026 LCO No. 2002

Referred to Committee on HOUSING

Introduced by:
(HSG)

AN ACT CONCERNING THE COMPOSITION OF FAIR RENT
COMMISSIONS.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:

Section 1. Section 7-148b of the 2026 supplement to the general 1
statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof 2
(Effective October 1, 2026): 3
(a) For purposes of this section and sections 7-148c to 7-148f, 4
inclusive, "seasonal basis" means housing accommodations rented for a 5
period or periods aggregating not more than one hundred twenty days 6
in any one calendar year, "rental charge" includes any fee or charge in 7
addition to rent that is imposed or sought to be imposed upon a tenant 8
by a landlord, and "municipality" means a town, city or consolidated 9
town and city. 10
(b) Any municipality may, and each municipality with a population 11
of fifteen thousand or more, as determined by the most recent decennial 12
census, shall, through its legislative body, adopt an ordinance that (1) 13
creates a fair rent commission, (2) establishes or joins the municipality 14
in a joint fair rent commission pursuant to subsection (d) of this section, 15

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or (3) joins the municipality in a regional fair rent commission pursuant 16
to subsection (e) of this section. Any such commission shall make 17
studies and investigations, conduct hearings and receive complaints 18
relative to rental charges on housing accommodations, except those 19
accommodations rented on a seasonal basis, within its jurisdiction, 20
which term shall include mobile manufactured homes and mobile 21
manufactured home park lots, in order to control and eliminate 22
excessive rental charges on such accommodations, and to carry out the 23
provisions of sections 7-148b to 7-148f, inclusive, section 47a-20 and 24
subsection (b) of section 47a-23c. The commission, for such purposes, 25
may compel the attendance of persons at hearings, issue subpoenas and 26
administer oaths, issue orders and continue, review, amend, terminate 27
or suspend any of its orders and decisions. The commission may be 28
empowered to retain legal counsel to advise it. All hearings conducted 29
pursuant to this section shall be open to the public. 30
(c) Any municipality required to create a fair rent commission 31
pursuant to subsection (b) of this section shall adopt an ordinance 32
creating a fair rent commission, or joining a joint fair rent commission 33
or regional fair rent commission, on or before January 1, 2028. No 34
municipality required to create a fair rent commission pursuant to 35
subsection (b) of this section that has created a fair rent commission 36
prior to January 1, 2026, shall abolish such commission before January 37
1, 2028, unless such municipality joins a joint fair rent commission or 38
regional fair rent commission pursuant to this section. Not later than 39
thirty days after the adoption of such ordinance, the chief executive 40
officer of such municipality shall (1) notify the Commissioner of 41
Housing that such commission has been created or joined by such 42
municipality, and (2) transmit a copy of the ordinance adopted by the 43
municipality to the commissioner. 44
(d) Two or more contiguous municipalities may, by concurrent 45
ordinances adopted by their legislative bodies, establish a joint fair rent 46
commission. Any municipality that is contiguous to a municipality that 47
is a member of an existing joint fair rent commission may become a 48

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member of such joint fair rent commission upon the adoption of an 49
ordinance by such municipality's legislative body. Any municipality 50
that is a member of a joint fair rent commission may, by vote of its 51
legislative body, elect to withdraw from such commission, provided 52
such withdrawing municipality creates its own fair rent commission or 53
joins another joint fair rent commission or regional fair rent commission 54
in compliance with the requirements of this section. 55
(e) A regional council of governments formed pursuant to section 4-56
124j may establish a regional fair rent commission. Any municipality 57
that is a member of such council may join such regional fair rent 58
commission upon the adoption of an ordinance by such municipality's 59
legislative body. Any regional fair rent commission shall prescribe a 60
form and manner in which complaints to such commission shall be 61
made. 62
(f) Upon the request of a party to a matter pending before a regional 63
fair rent commission, a meeting or a portion of a meeting during which 64
the participation of such party is required shall be conducted by means 65
of electronic equipment, as defined in section 1-200, in conjunction with 66
an in-person meeting of such commission. 67
(g) Except as otherwise provided by law, a regional f