Governor’s “Housing Task Force” to be Steered by Legislator Who Passed Bill That Made it Harder To Build Affordable Housing
Sue Vinton’s HB 259 Prohibits Local Jurisdictions from Producing Housing at Affordable Prices
Helena, MT – Thursday afternoon, Governor Gianforte announced a special task force to look into the housing affordability crisis facing Montana. For housing advocates across the state, the announcement may feel less than celebratory, because one of the legislators he tapped to lead the task force has a reputation for passing anti-housing legislation. In the 2021 session, Sue Vinton, one of the leaders of the “Task Force,” sponsored and passed HB 259, a bill that specifically prohibited local communities from ensuring the availability of affordable units with new housing development.
Gianforte called on his “task force” to examine “burdensome, restrictive and unnecessary regulations” that are hampering local communities’ ability to address the problem – so why has he stacked his task force with legislators who have continually burdened local governments with more regulation, stripped them of their own control, and made it harder for these communities to find solutions?
“Solving Montana’s housing crisis should absolutely be one of the Administration’s top priorities,” says Sheila Hogan, Executive Director of the Montana Democratic Party. “But the fact that Gianforte tapped Sue Vinton to help lead efforts is troubling. She has a well known track record of stripping away local authority on housing reform. Montanans deserve problem solvers at the table.”
The news of Gianforte’s new Task Force follows Montana Democratic Legislators’ press conference announcing their bold plan to tackle the housing crisis. They call for using $500 million from the budget surplus to drastically increase the housing supply by turbocharging the model pioneered by Rep. Dave Fern in the Multifamily Coal Trust Homes program. The money will provide low-interest loans to developers who build affordable rental homes and no-interest loans to nonprofits building homes for families to own at an affordable price. Democratic Leaders have also called for rolling back restrictive zoning regulations to help communities meet housing demand.
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