ADVOCACY
Minnesota Legislature
Reconvenes for 2022 Session MNR legislative agenda includes support for more down-payment assistance and policies that will increase housing affordability and supply The Minnesota Realtors® (MNR) Governmental Affairs (GA) Committee discussed and approved an ambitious agenda for the 2022 Legislative Session, which begins on January 31st. A key focus will be supporting legislation that promotes more widespread homeownership by increasing housing affordability and supply. As always, MNR will vigorously oppose any actions that increase the cost of homeownership or interfere with the use, ownership, or transfer of property. Following is an overview of some key issues that are likely to come up at the Capitol in 2022.
Comprehensive Housing Affordability Act likely to dominate housing policy reform discussions Responding to the chronic lack of housing inventory and rising home prices, Rep. Steve Elkins (DFL, Bloomington) and Sen. Rich Draheim (R, Madison Lake), plan on introducing a comprehensive housing policy reform bill during the 2022 Legislative Session. The bill, in its current form, includes zoning and regulatory reforms that are intended to stimulate housing development that will be affordable to more Minnesotans. These reforms include changes to zoning laws that will allow for developments with smaller homes on smaller lots. Both Rep. Elkins and Sen. Draheim attended the MNR GA committee’s October 14th meeting, where they discussed their draft legislation, spoke with committee members about the challenges facing the housing market, and outlined how their proposal will address them. “The discussion was informative and overwhelmingly positive,” said Paul Eger, MNR senior vice president of Government Affairs. “MNR’s GA team is looking forward to working with both legislators and other stakeholders as the bill evolves.”
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The Minnesota Realtor ® | Januar y/Februar y 2022 | mnrealtor.com
