by Danielle Finley, Associate Director of Political Engagement
Welcome to FIVE FOR FRIDAY: A weekly roundup of Public Policy Issues and Headlines. In this Issue: In this Issue: 1. DC Housing Advocates Warn of ‘Critical Data Gap’ as District is Poised to Roll Back Tenant Protections 2. Housing near jobs’ bills have cleared Virginia House and Senate 3. Srinivasan’s Data Center Water Use Transparency Bill Advances 4. Alexandria-supported bills to expand housing have mixed progress in state legislature 5. General Assembly balks at rent caps.
By DIANA IONESCU, Planetizen
Washington, D.C. is poised to enact the Rebalancing Expectations for Neighbors, Tenants and Landlords (RENTAL) Act, a rollback of pandemic-era tenant protections that could lead to a rising number of evictions in the District.
‘Housing near jobs’ bills have cleared Virginia House and Senate
By CHARLOTTE RENE WOODS, Virginia Mercury
Bills that could allow by-right zoning for apartment buildings, townhomes and mixed-use developments in certain commercial corridors cleared the Senate Thursday, one of several proposals to boost housing supply working through the Virginia legislature. Framing it as “housing near jobs,” sponsor Sen. Schuyler VanValkenburg, D-Henrico, emphasized that his measure can help address Virginia’s housing shortage and particularly benefit public servants such as teachers, firefighters, law enforcement officers and service industry workers.
Srinivasan’s Data Center Water Use Transparency Bill Advances
By HANNA PAMPALONI, Loudoun Now
A bill by Sen. Kannan Srinivasan (D-32) that would put in place some transparency requirements related to data centers was endorsed by a Senate committee on Tuesday morning. SB 533 requires that utilities providing water to data centers report the water withdrawal and use data to the State Water Control Board on a monthly or otherwise practical basis, including the amount of reclaimed water.
Alexandria-supported bills to expand housing have mixed progress in state legislature
By EMILY LEAYMAN, Alx Now
Several priorities in Alexandria City Council’s latest state legislative package are making progress in the General Assembly. The City of Alexandria is supporting proposals that aim to make it easier for localities to expand housing and increase its affordability. The latest General Assembly Legislative Package outlines state bills it would support, citing increasing housing costs for city residents and essential workers being priced out of the city.
General Assembly balks at rent caps
By DAVE RESS, Richmond Times-Dispatch
Legislators turned their attention toward pressures on some of Virginia’s low-income people in recent days, but balked at a move to slow recent double-digit percent increases in rents. Once again, legislation, Senate Bill 355, giving local governments the power to enact limits on rent increases, failed to make it past legislative gatekeepers. The bill would have allowed localities to cap rent increases at 3% unless landlords show they needed more to maintain a stable net operating income from a property.