February 14, 2018
Oregon
Progressive Party
Position on Bill at 2018
Session of Oregon Legislature:
| HB 4121: |
Support bill, suggest reserving more funds for
dwellings owned or occupied by low-income families and limiting rent
increases
|
Dear
Committee:
The Oregon
Progressive
Party supports on this bill, which:
- Requires
Housing and Community Services Department to establish and administer a
program to provide incentive payments, funding, and grants for certain
energy improvement projects.
- Provides
incentive payments to construction contractors for energy improvement
projects.
- Requires
department to determine incentive payment for energy improvement
projects, establish payment rate schedules.
- Requires
department to allocate at least 25 percent of program funding for
energy efficiency and affordable housing, with up to 90 percent of the
amount allocated to affordable housing, and not less than 10 percent
for grants to replace or extend the life of a manufactured dwelling or
improve water or sewer systems serving manufactured dwellings owned and
occupied by low or very low income persons.
Significant
action is needed to reduce energy use and its accompanying effect on
climate. $18 million for that purpose would appear to be a small
down payment on the effort actually needed.
We agree with Tax Fairness Oregon that a greater portion of the funds
should be reserved for improving dwellings occupied by low-income
families. Since Oregon has no rent control, however, providing
funds to the owners of rental housing may result in rent increases, as
treated dwellings become more desirable. The bill has no
provision for conditioning the participation of landlords on not
raising rents after the energy conservation or solar treatments.
Such a provision should be added.
|
Oregon Progressive Party
|
Daniel Meek
authorized legal representative
dan@meek.net
503-293-9021 |
 |