PRINTER'S NO. 2474

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA

HOUSE RESOLUTION

No.

160

Session of

2021

INTRODUCED BY INNAMORATO, GUZMAN, LEE, SCHLOSSBERG, KINSEY,

BENHAM, VITALI, MERSKI, McNEILL, D. WILLIAMS, SANCHEZ,

KENYATTA, KINKEAD, RABB, FITZGERALD, A. DAVIS, D. MILLER AND

pandemic.

WHEREAS, On March 18, 2020, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court

issued an eviction and foreclosure moratorium and subsequently

extended that moratorium until it expired on June 1, 2020; and

WHEREAS, Governor Wolf signed an executive order that would

place a moratorium on new eviction and foreclosure filings from

May 7, 2020, to July 9, 2020, and the executive order was later

extended to August 31, 2020; and

WHEREAS, On September 4, 2020, the Centers for Disease

Control and Prevention (CDC) issued an Order under Section 361

2021; and

WHEREAS, The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

moratorium was extended until June 30, 2021; and

WHEREAS, On August 3, 2021, the Centers for Disease Control

and Prevention announced a new order from President Biden

imposing a 60-day Federal moratorium on evictions due to the

high rate of transmission of the COVID-19 Delta strain to end on

October 3, 2021; and

WHEREAS, The United States Supreme Court ended the eviction

moratorium extension on August 26, 2021, when it rejected the

are currently unemployed or are experiencing underemployment,

which is drastically affecting their ability to pay rent,

mortgages and other life-sustaining bills; and

WHEREAS, According to the October 2021 Census Pulse Survey,

840,564 Pennsylvania households have either missed last month's

rent or mortgage payment or do not have confidence that they can

make next month's payment on time; and

WHEREAS, Thousands of Pennsylvanians have utility accounts

that are past due and have few options at bringing them current;

and

that would drastically increase the number of homeless

Pennsylvanians, and thousands of families would face the

uncertainty of housing insecurity; and

WHEREAS, Numerous studies have documented a link between

evictions and increased COVID-19 infections and mortality, with

one such study finding at least one COVID-19 death for every 60

evictions; and

WHEREAS, With rising COVID-19 cases and the eviction

moratorium ending, millions of Pennsylvanians could be at risk

for illness or death; and

Pennsylvania continues to deal with this crisis and to lessen

the impact of future crises in urban, suburban and rural areas

of this Commonwealth; therefore be it

RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives direct the Joint

State Government Commission to study evictions and eviction

moratoriums and their impact on health, well-being and mortality

during the COVID-19 pandemic; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Joint State Government Commission study

how Federal eviction and foreclosure moratorium policies,

potential changes to the Landlord and Tenant Act to protect

RESOLVED, That the study include recommendations to examine

the impact that evictions have on people of color, women,

families with children, people with disabilities and other

populations that could be disproportionately impacted by

evictions; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the study include reporting on the public

health impacts of the housing crisis and how it is affected by

COVID-19-related evictions; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the study include recommendations to the

General Assembly on changes to law that could decrease the

of the passage of this resolution to all of the following:

Senate;

Representatives;

Representatives;

and be it further

to assist the Joint State Government Commission with its

findings and recommendations in the report.