Backyard units and roommate limits: two House housing bills have sat in a Senate committee since June
House Bills 2186 and 2109 would override local bans on accessory dwelling units and on unrelated roommates. Both passed the House with dozens of Republican votes, and neither was in the final package sent to Shapiro.
Two bills meant to make it easier to add housing in Pennsylvania neighborhoods did not make it into the final package lawmakers sent to Gov. Josh Shapiro this week. Bills "striking down local prohibitions on unrelated roommates and accessory dwelling units" were not included, the Pennsylvania Capital-Star reported, even though they were promoted as ways to ease the housing crunch.
The bills matter to renters and homeowners. One would let homeowners add a second, smaller unit, like a garage apartment or an in-law suite, in places where local zoning now blocks it. The other would limit how far towns can go in capping the number of unrelated people who share a home.
What the bills do
House Bill 2186, from Rep. John Inglis, an Allegheny County Democrat, would allow accessory dwelling units by right in areas zoned for single-family homes. Local zoning, permitting and safety rules would still apply, and homeowner associations could still restrict them, the Capital-Star reported in April (via WESA). Inglis called it a "practical and balanced" solution.
House Bill 2109, from Rep. Tarik Khan, a Philadelphia Democrat, with Rep. Abby Major, an Armstrong County Republican, would remove what supporters called arbitrary local limits on unrelated roommates unless they are based on real health and safety standards. Khan said it would help people "struggling to afford rent." Rep. Jeremy Shaffer, a Republican and former township commissioner, said it "completely takes away the options for any reasonable restrictions," according to the same report.
What the records add
Committee votes. Both bills cleared the House Housing and Community Development Committee 19-7 on April 13. The committee's ranking Republican, Rep. Rich Irvin, voted for both. The seven no votes on the roommate bill were Republican Reps. Tom Jones, Milou Mackenzie, Brian Rasel, Leslie Rossi, Jeremy Shaffer, Jamie Walsh and Eric Weaknecht (vote record). House Appropriations later approved HB 2109 37-0 and HB 2186 34-3.
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The ADU vote. The House passed HB 2186 139-62 on June 1:
- Democrats: 101 yes, 1 no (Rep. Lisa Borowski)
- Republicans: 38 yes, 61 no
Republican yes votes included Reps. Kerry Benninghoff, Jesse Topper, Natalie Mihalek, Russ Diamond and Jim Rigby.
The roommate vote. The House passed HB 2109 123-78 on June 8, with splits in both parties:
- Democrats: 84 yes, 18 no
- Republicans: 39 yes, 60 no
The 18 Democratic no votes included former House Speaker Joanna McClinton and Reps. Greg Vitali, Melissa Shusterman, Christina Sappey and Paul Takac. Republicans voting yes included Reps. Jason Ortitay, Sheryl Delozier, Craig Staats and Kathleen Tomlinson.
Sponsors. HB 2186 lists 26 co-sponsors (24 Democrats, two Republicans); HB 2109 lists 25 (24 Democrats, one Republican), according to the bill pages.
Since June: nothing. HB 2186 was referred to the Senate Urban Affairs and Housing Committee on June 5, and HB 2109 on June 11. Neither bill shows any Senate action since, a wait of 141 and 135 days.
What happens next
The Senate session calendar lists two voting days left, Nov. 17 and 18. To become law this session, either bill would need a Senate committee vote and a floor vote on those days. Otherwise they die when the session ends and would need to be reintroduced in January.
Another piece of the housing push did pass: a limit on rental application fees, which we covered here.