June 5, 2003

Last evening at 11:55 p.m., five minutes before statutory adjournment, nonprofits won a sweet and hard-fought victory on SB 1099, An Act Concerning Property Tax Exemption for Transitional Housing. The legislation clarifies existing statute and directs municipalities over which real property may or may not be taxed.

The bill specifies that tax exemption applies to temporary housing owned by, or held in trust for, a federally tax-exempt, exclusively charitable organization used primarily as one or more of the following:

1. an orphanage

2. a drug or alcohol treatment facility

3. housing for homeless, retarded, or handicapped people or battered or abused women and children; or

4. short term housing where the average length of stay is less than six months

Language in an earlier version which would have required, that to be exempt, residents of the temporary housing acquire no on-going tenancy rights in it was deleted.

The bill was called in the House of Representatives at 10:30 p.m. but was temporarily passed when it appeared that Rep. Bob Keeley of Bridgeport would attempt to filibuster. Rep. Keeley has announced his candidacy for the Mayor of Bridgeport.  It took strenuous persuasion by Rep. Christel Truglia (D-Stamford), Rep. Anthony Tercyak (R-New Britain), Rep. William Dyson (D-New Haven), Rep. Robert Duff (D-Norwalk), Rep. Lydia Martinez (D-Bridgeport) and others to get Rep. Keeley to back down. Had he not, there was no way other legislation could have been taken up in the closing hours of the General Assembly.  We owe a great debt of thanks to those legislators who brought some serious heat on Rep. Keeley to not block passage of the legislation.  The bill was re-called then at 11:55 p.m. and passed unanimously as House Speaker Moira Lyons, a strong supporter of the bill, who pushed through final voting.

There are many legislators to thank particularly, Rep. Andrea Stillman and Senator Eileen Dailey, co-chairs of the Finance Committee.  Not a single Republican opposed this legislation, due in large part to the work of Senator John McKinney who also worked the House floor to ensure passage.

This victory could not have happened without the collaboration of CT Nonprofits, the YMCA’s, and their lobbyist Marshall Collins.  CT Nonprofits is indebted for the yeoman efforts of its lobbyists Patrick McCabe and P.J. Cimini of Capitol Strategies. There were many anxious and uncertain moments and more than a few obstacles over the past few days.  The Connecticut Conference of Municipalities worked hard to oppose the bill throughout the Senate and House process.