URGENT: RTS Action Alert

Bishop Deborah Hutterer, along with faith leaders from across the valley, advocating for HB 2815. Photo courtesy of KJZZ.

Two important housing bills will be heard by the House Appropriations Committee on Monday, February 19th at 1:30 pm. We are asking everyone with a Request to Speak account to weigh in on these bills before the committee votes.

HB2782- Arizona Homeless Protection and Drug Control Act

• Homelessness in Arizona is on the rise. One solution to the problem which cities have been implementing is setting aside some rooms in hotels to shelter individuals experiencing homelessness. This allows folks to access shelter, safety, and dignity while working with service providers to improve their situations. Rep. Matt Gress (LD4- R), opposes this solution.He sponsored HB2782 to make it more difficult for hotels to
  provide this service to unhoused people. One section of the bill requires a large sign to be posted in front of these hotels stating,
  "ALL GUESTS KEEP HOTEL DOORS LOCKED, SAFELY
  STORE THEIR BELONGINGS AND REPORT ANY HEALTH
  OR SAFETY CONCERNS TO LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT."

  
  LSS-SW and LAMA oppose this bill. Accessible shelter is not linked to an increase in crime rates; requiring this posting will only increase the fear and hostility faced by people already living on the margins of our society, and will only make the conversations around finding solutions more difficult.

HB2815- In God's Backyard Bill

• HB2815, run by the Valley Interfaith Project, eases the restrictions for land owned by a religious institution in order to more easily develop units allocated for moderate- and low-income housing. The bill allows for up to 50% of units to be allocated for moderate-income households, with a portion for religious institution staff, and the remainder for low-income households. The bill also mandates a 55-year deed restriction for low-income housing allocation, outlines parking requirements, and restricts municipalities and counties from imposing additional setbacks or fees specific to "use-by-right" developments. This bill is similar to bills passed in California and Minnesota, dubbed the "Yes in God's Backyard Bill" and “The Sacred Settlements Bill” respectively, which also allowed religious institutions to build affordable housing on their property. LSS-SW, LAMA, and Bshp. Deborah Hutterer support this bill.

If you want to learn more about the In God’s Backyard bill, please join us for our LAMA Liaison Roundtable on Monday!

How To Weigh In On These Bills

Click here to log into your RTS account!

After logging in, click on the RTS app:

Once you have opened RTS, click on “New Request'“:

Enter the bill number into the search bar and click “search”:

Click on the bill title to read the text, or click “Add Request” to register your stance:

Select your stance for the bill and enter any comments you would like to leave (mentioning your faith background is especially important for these bills!). If you wish to speak during the hearing, select the “Yes” answer; you will be able to participate both at the capitol or virtually. When you have made your selection, click “Submit.”

The bill and your stance will then be added to the calendar of upcoming hearings, which you can view any time under the “Upcoming Agenda” tab of your account.

Thank you for your advocacy!