(The Center Square) – Oregon Governor Tina Kotek announced that a broad coalition is supporting her housing production bill.
Kotek made the announcement about Senate Bill 1537, which got its first hearing before the Senate Committee On Housing and Development on Thursday.
The coalition features “workers, business, community-specific organizations, housing providers, tenants, advocates and more,” according to the governor’s office.
“This coalition has spoken loud and clear: the status quo is not working for Oregon families, workers, employers, and households that are struggling with housing insecurity,” Governor Kotek said in a release. “I commend Senate President Rob Wagner, Senator Kayse Jama, and all of the housing champions in the legislature for taking this issue head-on, and I am resolved to see progress for Oregonians this session.”
Governor Kotek testified in support of Senate Bill 1537 on Thursday. She emphasized what she sees as the importance of increasing housing supply, affordability, and climate incentives.
Over 150 entities submitted testimony supporting the bill. They generally argued that it would help homebuilders, tenants, workers and underserved communities.
“Our members have been telling us for years that one of their top workforce challenges is the lack of supply and exorbitant cost of workforce housing,” Scott Bruun, VP of Government Affairs at Oregon Business and Industry, said. “Housing supplies are insufficient at every level, including middle-market workforce housing. This problem not only hurts employees or potential employees in Oregon, it also hurts the employers who cannot attract or retain the workers they need. Simply put, our workforce housing crisis hurts the competitiveness and severely hamstrings the potential growth and success of Oregon businesses. SB 1537 gets at the core of this problem.”
You can read the full bill here.
The following organizations support the bill: Alianza Poder, BackHome ADU, Bend Chamber of Commerce, Better Housing Together, Bienestar, CASA of Oregon, Children’s Institute, Chrisman Development, Coalition of Community Health Clinics, Community Action Partnership, Community Alliance of Tenants (CAT), Community Development Partners, Community Partners for Affordable Housing (CPAH), DevNW, Eugene Area Chamber of Commerce, Fair Housing Council of Oregon, Farmworker Housing Development Corporation, Gorman & Company, Gresham Area Chamber of Commerce, Habitat for Humanity of Oregon, Habitat for Humanity Portland Region, Hacienda CDC, Home Forward, Housing Authorities of Oregon, Housing Oregon, Mid-Willamette Valley Community Action Agency, Multifamily NW, Network for Oregon Affordable Housing (NOAH), Northwest Pilot Project, Oregon AFSCME 75, Oregon Association of Realtors, Oregon Business & Industry, Oregon Home Builders Association, Oregon Housing Alliance, Oregon Human Development Corporation (OHDC), Oregon Law Center, Oregon Property Owners Association, Oregon Restaurant & Lodging Association, Oregon Smart Growth, Oregon State Fire Fighters Council, Pineros y Campesinos Unidos del Noroeste (PCUN), Portland Housing Center, Portland Metro Chamber, Portland Metropolitan Association of Realtors, RootedHomes, Salem Area Chamber of Commerce, Service Employees International Union, and SquareOne Villages.
