On April 2, Director of Intergovernmental Affairs Dominic Butchko submitted written testimony to the Economic Matters Committee in support of SB 12 – Residential Rental Apartments – Air-Conditioning Requirement with amendments.
This bill establishes state minimum air conditioning requirements for apartment buildings of 10 units or greater.
Recognizing that housing challenges are complex and interconnected, counties continue to advance “all-of-the-above” strategies to improve housing quality and expand supply statewide.
While MACo supports the bill’s intent to address a growing quality-of-life concern for renters, counties have raised a targeted concern regarding language that would limit local governments’ ability to adopt stronger standards.
While not the primary focus of SB 12, counties are concerned with thelanguage on page 2, lines 30–33, which would preempt counties from establishing air conditioning standards that are more stringent than the state minimum. Counties appreciate the sponsor’s constructive engagement and recognize the bill’s intent to establish baseline standards addressing a serious quality-of-life issue for residents.
