91视频

An Oregon bill intended to provide protections for renters has been stripped of several provisions and has lost the support of some advocates.

House Bill 2004 was referred to the Senate Rules Committee on June 8 amid efforts by Senate Democrats to round up votes for the bill.

It’s not clear when, or if, the bill will come to the Senate floor for a vote. It passed the House on April 4.

鈥淭he bill is alive,鈥� said Rick Osborn, spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Ginny Burdick, D-Portland.

Burdick 鈥渉as been working hard with the groups going back and forth, hoping to find a solution to get passage,鈥� Osborn said.

As originally written, the bill would have lifted a state ban on local rent-control rules. That provision was stripped in committee after it did not find wide support in the Senate.

What remains is a provision limiting rent increases to one in any 12-month period, and another rule protecting month-to-month tenants from eviction if they complain of repairs needed to correct code violations or uninhabitable conditions.

The bill may still change.

鈥淚t’s very fluid,鈥� Osborn said.

John DiLorenzo, a lobbyist who represents landlords’ interests, said the legislation remains in the Rules Committee for a reason: Democrats have not been able to come to an agreement on the legislation, with senators including Rod Monroe, D-Portland, and Sara Gelser, D-Corvallis, involved in intensive negotiations.

DiLorenzo predicted the bill may not pass, or may pass in watered-down form.

鈥淚t will either be nothing, or a shadow of its former self,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 do think if it’s a shadow of its former self, it will address the most egregious practices that were identified in the newspapers. I think most landlords would tell you it’s a best practice not to raise rents more than once a year. It’s a best practice if you’re clearing out a building for remodel, you do something for the tenants.鈥�

Changes to the bill have been blasted by some advocates for tenants. Portland Tenants United announced last week it was pulling support for the bill.

The group did not respond to requests for comment, but in a post on Medium, the group wrote the remaining bill is a 鈥渕orass of confusing, painful and reckless amendments that effectively eliminate or weaken all major provisions, and create huge loopholes for predatory landlords to easily maneuver around the scraps that remain.鈥�

PTU members protested at the Capitol on Tuesday, chanting 鈥淩estore 2004,鈥� according to a video the group posted on Facebook.

Other advocates for tenants are pushing ahead.

鈥淲hile we are not pleased that the amended bill leaves intact the statewide ban on rent stabilization, HB 2004-B will immediately protect families at risk for no-cause evictions and should be passed as soon as possible,鈥� Pamela Phan, policy and organizing manager at the Community Alliance of Tenants, stated in an email. 鈥淭ime is running out for Oregonians who rent their homes.鈥�

Renters in Portland and other Oregon cities have found themselves at the mercy of a tight rental market that often leaves them with nowhere to go if evicted, advocates say.

Landlords have argued no-cause evictions give them a tool to evict dangerous or troublesome tenants without going through a lengthy court process.