Section 23B:31 - Office of fair housing; creation(a) There shall be within the executive office of housing and livable communities an office of fair housing. The secretary of housing and livable communities shall appoint a director of the office who shall serve at the pleasure of the secretary.(b) The office shall:(i) collaborate with state agencies on policies and strategies to: (A) advance the elimination of housing discrimination and increase access to fair housing; (B) overcome patterns of segregation; (C) foster inclusive communities without barriers that restrict access for individuals or groups protected from unlawful practices pursuant to chapter 151B; and (D) support enforcement of and compliance with all fair housing laws, including, but not limited to, said chapter 151B and the federal Fair Housing Act, 42 U.S.C. 3601 et seq.;(ii) facilitate communication and partnership among state agencies and municipalities to identify the intersections between activities of state agencies, activities of municipalities and fair housing;(iii) facilitate the development of interagency initiatives to examine and address the social and economic determinants of housing disparities, including, but not limited to: (A) equal access to quality housing; (B) housing affordability; (C) access and proximity to multimodal transportation options, including cost of such transportation; (D) air, water and land usage and quality, including, but not limited to, consideration of environmental justice principles as defined in section 62 of chapter 30; (E) employment and workforce development; (F) access to healthcare; (G) access to and quality of education; and (iv) administer the Fair Housing Fund established in section 2FFFFFF of chapter 29.(c)(1) Not less than every 5 years, the office shall prepare a report evaluating the progress of the commonwealth toward eliminating housing discrimination and increasing access to fair housing. The report shall comply with applicable federal requirements for analysis and reporting. Where possible, the report shall include quantifiable measures and comparative benchmarks and shall detail progress on a regional basis. The office shall hold public hearings in geographically diverse regions of the commonwealth to gather public information on the topics of the report.(2) Annually, the office shall prepare a supplemental report describing the activities and outcomes of the Fair Housing Fund established in section 2FFFFFF of chapter 29.(3) Reports pursuant to this subsection shall be filed with the clerks of the house of representatives and senate and the chairs of the joint committee on housing not later than July 1 in the year in which each such report is due. Each report shall be posted publicly on the office's website.Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 23B, § 23B:31
Added by Acts 2024, c. 150,§ 5, eff. 8/6/2024.