Two Nevada Senate Bills which would help renters, those with mental health challenges, the disabled and the precariously housed are facing opposition from usual suspects, landlords, lobbyists and those who oppose tax increases.
Senate Bill 68 would help develop what is called supportive housing and other housing assistance programs by increasing the Real Property Transfer Tax.
Under this proposal a boosted RPTT would serve as the funding mechanism for the new assistance. It would affect individuals and businesses buying a property by adding 20 cents per $500 on their purchase price.
Proponents of the bill want to use these tax funds to offer housing for those struggling, rental assistance, home repairs, counseling as well as supportive services.
Members of the real estate community though are opposed, expressing concerns about the impact higher taxes would have on the current real estate market.
The Nevada Association of Counties also opposed the bill, saying it should be county elected bodies which decide where such funds should be allocated. Those who have spoken out against the bill also include Americans for Prosperity-Nevada and Nevada Families for Freedom, two right wing groups as well as the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce.
The proposal has so far received backing from housing advocates, the National Alliance of Mental Illness, the Nevada Coalition to End Domestic and Sexual Violence, the Nevada Faculty Alliance (NCEDSV), the Nevada Rural Hospital Partners and the Reno Housing Authority.
Another suggested Senate Bill, number 78, has already been heavily amended.
SB 78 aims to prevent landlords from collecting unlimited application fees on units they are renting out and to create more transparency on often hidden administrative fees which are being imposed on new renters.
Initially, the bill sponsored by Democrat Fabian Doñate aimed to also cap cleaning deposits at 15% of the rent, have all fees listed on the front page of leases, and lengthening the time given for no-cause evictions, but those provisions were already taken out.
Landlords and real estate lobbyists including the Nevada Apartment Association have put up fierce opposition to this bill as they have with previous legislative attempts to pass similar measures.
The odds seem slim at this point that these bills still under committee review will make it to the desk of Republican Governor Joe Lombardo, let alone be signed into law.
If it does get out of committee, SB 68 would need the support of a two-thirds majority in both houses of the state legislature as it involves a tax increase, while Governor Lombardo has said he won’t accept any new taxes.