TRENTON, NJ (GovWire) - A bill that would expand the time period for tenants receiving Federal Housing Choice or Section 8 Voucher program assistance to locate new housing after the landlord sells the property was discussed in a recent meeting of the Senate Community and Urban Affairs Committee. Senate Bill 3872, which was introduced by Senator Stack, sparked a lively debate among committee members.
Senator Holly Schepisi raised concerns about the bill's potential retroactive application to lease agreements already in effect at the time of the bill's enactment. She argued that this could create an ex post facto law, with penalties being established for leases that are already in place. "My only concern, and I guess nobody's testifying to it, but my only question I had is the bill is silent as to whether or not it's intended to apply retroactively to lease agreements that are already in effect at the time of the bill's enactment," Schepisi said.
Chairman Singleton responded by saying that the bill applies to the Department of Community Affairs (DCA) and public housing agencies for the purpose of the Housing Choice Voucher program. He clarified that the scenario Schepisi talked about is not envisioned to be covered by the bill.
However, Schepisi insisted that the bill would apply to private landlords as well as public Housing Authority landlords. She said she had received an email from Senator Stack confirming this. Chairman Singleton said he would hold the bill until he received an answer to Schepisi's question.
The bill was ultimately held for further clarification. It remains to be seen whether the concerns raised by Schepisi will be addressed in future discussions of the bill.
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