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S 966

Relates to the establishment of a non-traditional hours model

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Rob Rolison

The bill lets municipalities in seasonal communities impose a transfer fee on real estate sales to fund affordable and year‑round housing, with funds via trusted housing programs.

REFERRED TO CHILDREN AND FAMILIES
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WeVote Research Nonpartisan
Bill Summary · S 966

Summary — S.966: An Act relative to funding housing and mitigating investor real estate in seasonal communities

Status: Referred to Children and Families (introduced March 11, 2025; filed Jan 17, 2025).
Sponsor: Senator Julian Cyr (Cape and Islands). (Note: the provided materials include extraneous/unrelated text and sponsor lists that appear to come from other measures; this summary focuses on the Massachusetts bill text provided.)

Purpose / Intent

The bill creates a mechanism for municipalities (and regional housing entities) to fund affordable and year‑round housing in municipalities designated as seasonal communities by imposing a real‑estate transfer fee. The stated goals are to raise revenue for affordable/attainable housing and to mitigate investor-driven seasonal housing pressure.

Key provisions

  • Adds a new Section 55D to Chapter 44 (municipal finance law) establishing definitions and the framework for a municipal transfer fee.
  • Defines core terms including: “affidavit of transfer fee,” “affordable housing purposes,” “affordable housing restriction,” “attainable housing,” “low or moderate income household” (up to 150% of HUD area median income), “municipal affordable housing trust fund,” “regional affordable housing commission/fund,” “purchase/sale price,” “real property interest,” “settlement agent,” “qualified holder,” “member cities and towns,” etc.
  • Authorizes deposits from the transfer fee into: municipal affordable housing trust funds, year‑round housing trust funds, or regional affordable housing commission funds. Eligible uses include acquisition, construction, rehabilitation and preservation of affordable/attainable and year‑round housing consistent with applicable income limits and regulations promulgated by the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities.
  • Purchase price is broadly defined to include cash, assumption of obligations, deferred payments, notes, and fair market value of other consideration — relevant for calculating fees.
  • Requires an “affidavit of transfer fee” signed by the settlement agent at closing attesting to the true purchase price, fee owed (or basis for exemption), amount seller shall pay under local bylaw/ordinance, and the settlement agent’s obligation to remit the fee to the city or town.
  • Specifies that affordable housing restrictions funded under this section must be held by a “qualified holder” and last at least 30 years (or perpetually).
  • Designation of which municipalities qualify: those designated as “seasonal communities” by the Executive Office pursuant to chapter 23B, section 32 (bill references that process).

Who is affected

  • Buyers and sellers (transferors/transferees) of real property interests in municipalities designated as seasonal communities.
  • Settlement agents (escrow agents, real estate attorneys, title companies) who must execute affidavits and remit fees.
  • Municipalities and regional housing commissions that may adopt enabling bylaws/ordinances to impose the fee and receive revenue for housing funds.
  • Developers, investors, and holders of seasonal properties — the fee could increase transaction costs and influence investment decisions.

Amounts, exemptions, and implementation

  • The excerpt provided does not specify a uniform fee rate or schedules; it appears to authorize municipalities/regions to impose a transfer fee by bylaw/ordinance pursuant to the new section. Specific fee amounts, exemptions, and implementing procedures would be set by local action and/or further regulation.
  • The Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities is given rule‑making authority to align uses and income limits with existing trust fund rules.

Procedural / timeline notes and caveats

  • The legislative history included in the materials is inconsistent and contains unrelated bill text (a New Jersey domestic‑violence bill and other entries). Relevant recorded actions for this Massachusetts bill include filing Jan 17, 2025 and introduction/referred in March 2025; a hearing date is listed (Oct 15, 2025) in the supplied materials.
  • Because the provided bill text is truncated and mixed with unrelated content, readers should consult the official bill text on the Massachusetts Legislature website for the complete statutory language, any later amendments, and any proposed fee schedules or local enabling language.

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

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