The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court unanimously blocked a ballot initiative that would have imposed the nation’s strictest statewide rent control, capping annual increases at the lower of 5% or CPI across all 351 cities and towns. The court ruled the measure unconstitutional because it included an exemption for religiously operated housing, which violates the state constitution’s bar on religion-related ballot questions. The ruling preserves Massachusetts’ 1994 ban on rent control, though advocates say they plan to redraft the initiative without the religious exemption for a future election cycle.
Read more: https://naahq.org/news/rent-control-initiative-struck-down-massachusetts
