Housing Secretariat Plan Up For Hearing On March 27

Housing Secretariat Plan Up For Hearing On March 27

Source: State House News Service

Gov. Maura Healey's plan to reorganize the executive branch by dividing the Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development into two secretariats focused separately on housing and economic development will get its vetting next week in front of lawmakers.

The Joint Committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight scheduled a hearing on the Article 87 proposal (H 43) for Monday at 11 a.m. in Gardner Auditorium and virtually. The plan would create a new Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities and rename EOHED as the Executive Office of Economic Development.

"The executive office will be the principal office of the executive branch dedicated to creating and carrying out housing policy for the Healey-Driscoll Administration and will assume all of the powers and responsibilities of the existing Department of Housing and Community Development," Healey wrote in her filing letter. "The new executive office will be responsible for expending funds, marshalling resources, and advancing innovative solutions to provide safe, accessible, affordable, and environmentally sustainable housing for all residents and for supporting the growth of vibrant, livable communities throughout the Commonwealth."

Healey's bill goes beyond renamings. It duplicates the existing legislative authorization for the MassWorks program in a new "Housing Works" statute that the governor said would be "dedicated exclusively to funding municipal infrastructure that supports new or redeveloped housing."

Healey pledged during her 2022 campaign to establish a standalone secretariat to try to address the state's high cost and scant availability of housing. Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll has told the Local Government Advisory Committee that she expected to have a housing secretary on board in the Cabinet by this summer.

Article 87 bills, named for the section of the state Constitution that authorizes the reorganization of executive branch agencies, are considered under a different process than most pieces of legislation.

The relevant legislative committee is required to hold a hearing within 30 days of the bill being filed (Healey's plan was filed March 1), then the committee must vote on the proposal within 10 days of the hearing. If the proposal clears the committee, the full Legislature has 60 days to hold an up-or-down vote, without amendment. If the Legislature decides not to put the measure up for a vote, as was the case with a handful of Gov. Charlie Baker's reorganizations, it takes effect. Opposition has not emerged to Healey's plan but even without any organized opponents it appears the proposal will still take months to find its stride. - Colin A. Young/SHNS | 3/22/23 10:38 AM