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S 995

Establishes a municipal senior center capital support program in the office for the aging for local senior centers to assist municipalities in accessing capital funds necessary for the purchase of senior buses

2025 Regular Session Introduced by George Borrello and 2 co-sponsors

Bars landlords from using consumer credit reports to screen tenants with government rent subsidies; allows narrow, consent-based use only when required by law, with protections.

REPORTED AND COMMITTED TO RULES
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WeVote Research Nonpartisan
Bill Summary · S 995

Summary — S.995 (2025): Use of credit reporting for rent‑subsidized tenants

Status: Reported and committed to rules (introduced March 12, 2025). Sponsor (bill text): Senator Adam Gómez (Hampden), Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Effective date: 90 days after enactment.

Purpose

To restrict and regulate the use of consumer credit reports and related credit‑worthiness information in tenant screening when an applicant or tenant receives a government rent subsidy, and to establish procedural protections and remedies for subsidized tenants.

Key provisions

  • Amends Chapter 93, Section 51 by adding an express tenant‑screening purpose reference and inserts a new Section 51C with substantive rules.
  • Definitions: “Tenant screening purposes” is defined as evaluation for rental housing or retention as a renter/tenant.
  • Prohibitions:
    • Landlords (or their agents) shall not use, request, procure, or rely on consumer reports for tenant‑screening if the applicant/tenant has a government rent subsidy.
    • Landlords may not require subsidized applicants/tenants to answer questions about contents of consumer reports (creditworthiness, standing, capacity).
  • Narrow exception: Use/request of consumer reports for subsidized applicants is permitted only if required by federal or state law/regulation, and then only under strict conditions (see below).
  • Conditions when consumer reports are used under the exception:
    • Written consent must be obtained each time, in a standalone document.
    • Landlord must disclose the reason for accessing the report in writing.
    • If an adverse housing action is contemplated, the landlord must provide written notice at least 14 days before the action, including the report, the specific information relied upon, and the consumer rights notice required by 15 U.S.C. §1681g(c)(1).
    • The tenant must be given a private opportunity to dispute relevance; landlords must consider disputes before final decisions.
    • Costs of obtaining reports cannot be charged to the subsidized applicant/tenant.
    • If a tenant initiates a dispute with a consumer reporting agency during the 14‑day period, the landlord must delay adverse action until the dispute resolution under 15 U.S.C. §1681i(a) is complete and must consider the results.
  • Protections:
    • Anti‑retaliation and anti‑discrimination protections for tenants who assert rights, file complaints, testify, or oppose violations.
    • Waivers of these protections are void.
  • Enforcement:
    • Violations are declared unfair practices under Chapter 93A, §2(a) — enabling private suits and attorney‑general enforcement remedies under Massachusetts consumer protection law.

Who is affected

  • Primary: applicants and tenants who receive government rent subsidies (e.g., housing choice vouchers, other subsidized rental programs).
  • Secondary: landlords, property managers, tenant‑screening companies, consumer reporting agencies, and legal enforcement entities.

Legislative timeline & procedure

  • Introduced March 12, 2025; read twice and referred to committee; reported and committed to rules on May 20, 2025.
  • Hearing listed for November 19, 2025 (per docket).
  • Bill takes effect 90 days after enactment.

Notes / Docket inconsistencies

  • The top metadata in the prompt includes a different bill title (municipal senior center capital support) and a sponsor list with many federal senators — these appear inconsistent with the Massachusetts bill text provided. This summary relies on the Massachusetts bill text (Sen. Adam Gómez) as the authoritative source.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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