House Republican Press Release

April 3, 2008

Press Office: 860-240-8700

Rep. Greene: Ansonia, Seymour, Housing Authority Tenants Should Get Rent Hike Reprieve

State House, Senate, Pass Bill Restoring Funds for State Housing Projects Administered by Local Housing Authorities

Tenants who live in state public housing projects administered by the Ansonia and Seymour housing authority are likely to get a reprieve from steep rent increases, thanks to a bill approved unanimously Thursday by the state House of Representatives and the state Senate, state representative Len Greene said today.

Many tenants are coping with sharp rent increases because of cuts in state funding for two public housing programs that help local housing authorities administer their units and were worried about their ability to afford the higher rents, said Representatives Greene, R-105^th District, who testified in favor of the measure (House Bill 5031) at a public hearing conducted by the Select Committee on Housing in February.

The bill passed the House on a vote of 146-0 and was immediately transmitted to the state Senate, where it also passed unanimously. The measure now goes to Governor Rell to be signed into law.

“Today’s unanimous votes by the state House and the state Senate is good news for Ansonia and Seymour housing authority tenants who have been hard hit by the rent increases,” said Representative Greene, who cosponsored the measure. “Many tenants are on fixed incomes and were having trouble making ends meet because of increases in their cost of living. The $65 a month rent increases were devastating for many of them, so this legislation will come as a godsend.”

The bill transfers $3,908,890 from the Department of Social Services (DSS) to the Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD) for Fiscal Year 2008. The transfer provides $2,204,000 for the moderate rental housing Payment-in-Lieu-of-Taxes (PILOT) program, and $1,704,890 for the Tax Abatement program within DECD.

The programs allow DECD to make payments to participating municipalities on behalf of certain housing authorities (PILOT) and certain private or non-profit housing developments (Tax Abatement). Neither program was funded in Fiscal Year 2008 or Fiscal Year 2009 under the current two-year state budget.