130th MAINE LEGISLATURE
FIRST REGULAR SESSION-2021
Legislative Document No. 1322
H.P. 974 House of Representatives, March 30, 2021
Resolve, Directing the Maine State Housing Authority To Allow
Rental Housing Owners To Apply for Emergency Rental Relief
Assistance
(EMERGENCY)
Reference to the Committee on Labor and Housing suggested and ordered printed.
ROBERT B. HUNT
Clerk
Presented by Representative DRINKWATER of Milford.
Cosponsored by Representatives: ARATA of New Gloucester, BLIER of Buxton.
Printed on recycled paper
 1 Emergency preamble. Whereas, acts and resolves of the Legislature do not
2 become effective until 90 days after adjournment unless enacted as emergencies; and
3 Whereas, the State is currently in a prolonged state of emergency in which a global
4 pandemic has caused widespread unemployment; and
5 Whereas, thousands of renters statewide who have become unemployed through no
6 fault of their own have been unable to meet their rental commitments to their landlords;
7 and
8 Whereas, many landlords in the State have not received rent from their unemployed
9 tenants, causing hardship and the inability to pay utilities, bills and mortgage payments;
10 and
11 Whereas, in the judgment of the Legislature, these facts create an emergency within
12 the meaning of the Constitution of Maine and require the following legislation as
13 immediately necessary for the preservation of the public peace, health and safety; now,
14 therefore, be it
15 Sec. 1. Maine State Housing Authority to allow rental housing owners to
16 apply for emergency rental relief assistance. Resolved: That the Maine State
17 Housing Authority shall allow rental housing owners to apply for emergency rental relief
18 assistance from the emergency rental assistance program funded by the United States
19 Department of the Treasury in response to the coronavirus disease 2019, also known as
20 COVID-19, and the related pandemic. A rental housing owner who has experienced lost
21 rental income due to the COVID-19 pandemic may apply for emergency rental relief
22 assistance on behalf of a tenant of the rental housing owner who is not current on the
23 tenant's rent and is unwilling or unable to apply for assistance under the program. For
24 purposes of this section, "lost rental income" does not include rent lawfully withheld or not
25 paid by the tenant under the provisions of Title 14, chapter 710. Intentionally falsifying
26 lost rental income is a violation of the crime of theft by deception under the Maine Revised
27 Statutes, Title 17-A, section 354.
28 Sec. 2. Retroactivity. Resolved: That a housing rental owner may apply for
29 emergency rental relief assistance under section 1 for lost rental income incurred on or after
30 March 15, 2020.
31 Emergency clause. In view of the emergency cited in the preamble, this legislation
32 takes effect when approved.
33 SUMMARY
34 This resolve directs the Maine State Housing Authority to allow rental housing owners
35 to apply for COVID-19 emergency rental relief assistance for lost rental revenue due to
36 tenants who are not current on their rent and are unable or unwilling to apply for assistance
37 on their own.
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