Massachusetts S 1010: An Act relative to creating a permanent affordability homeownership program

Bill Text

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SENATE DOCKET, NO. 988        FILED ON: 1/15/2025 
SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 1010 
 
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts 
_________________ 
PRESENTED BY: 
Liz Miranda 
_________________ 
To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General 
 Court assembled: 
 The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill: 
An Act relative to creating a permanent affordability homeownership program. 
_______________ 
PETITION OF: 
 
NAME: DISTRICT/ADDRESS:  
Liz Miranda Second Suffolk  
Sal N. DiDomenico Middlesex and Suffolk 2/12/2025 
Joanne M. Comerford Hampshire, Franklin and Worcester 3/13/2025 
Patricia D. Jehlen Second Middlesex 2/26/2025 
James B. Eldridge Middlesex and Worcester 3/12/2025 
Vanna Howard 17th Middlesex 3/13/2025 
Nick Collins First Suffolk 3/12/2025 
Mike Connolly 26th Middlesex 4/8/2025 

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SENATE DOCKET, NO. 988        FILED ON: 1/15/2025 
SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 1010 
By Ms. Miranda, a petition (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 1010) of Liz Miranda, Sal N. 
DiDomenico and Patricia D. Jehlen for legislation to create a permanent affordability 
homeownership program.  Housing. 
 
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts 
 
_______________
 
In the One Hundred and Ninety-Fourth General Court 
(2025-2026) 
_______________
 
 
An Act relative to creating a permanent affordability homeownership program. 
 
 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority 
of the same, as follows: 
 
1 Chapter 23B of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2022 Official Edition, is hereby 
2amended by adding the following new section:- 
3 Section 31. (a) for the purposes of this section, the following words shall, unless the 
4context clearly requires otherwise, have the following meanings:- 
5 “Executive office” shall mean The Executive Office of Housing and Livable 
6Communities. 
7 “Low and moderate income” shall mean persons whose income is not less than 70 
8percent, or more than 120 percent of the area median income as defined by the United States 
9Department of Housing and Urban Development. 
10 ''Mixed-use development'', development containing a mix of residential uses and non-
11residential uses, including, without limitation, commercial, institutional, industrial or other uses. 

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12 “Permanently affordable” shall mean a housing unit that has an affordable housing 
13restriction as defined in Section 31 of Chapter 184 of the General Laws which has the benefit of 
14Section 32 of said Chapter 184 that shall be in place for not less than 99 years.  
15 “Project of appropriate size” shall mean a development project that has no less than 1 and 
16no more than 25 housing units. 
17 (b)(1) Subject to appropriation, the executive office shall administer a program known as 
18the permanent affordability homeownership program. The executive office shall administer the 
19program statewide in order to aid in the development and construction of permanently affordable 
20homeownership opportunities for low and moderate income buyers in the Commonwealth. The 
21commonwealth shall accept funds from the appropriate federal authorities for said program. 
22 (2) The executive office shall promulgate rules and regulations in order to establish the 
23process through which applications to the program will be made, how funding will be allocated 
24and the amount of money to be allocated per housing unit, provided the following: 
25 (i) Funds expended from the program may only be used to fund the creation of 
26permanently affordable homeownership units; provided however, that the funds can be used to 
27fund permanently affordable homeownership units within a mixed-use development project. 
28 (ii) Funds expended for the program may only be used on permanently affordable 
29homeownership units affordable to low and moderate income households 
30 (iii) Funds expended from the program may only be used to fund projects of an 
31appropriate size 

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32 (c) The secretary of housing and livable communities shall report annually to the clerks 
33of the house of representatives and the senate, who shall forward the report to the house of 
34representatives and the senate and the chairs of the joint committee on housing on the activities 
35and status of the program. The report shall include a list and description of all projects that 
36received funds under the program, the amount of each grant, the number of housing units created 
37by each grant, the number of housing units created at each affordability level, and the size of the 
38projects funded.