Protecting Mainers’ Right to Housing
Most of us believe that everyone deserves a stable, affordable place to call home. But from Fort Kent to Lubec to Kittery, Maine is in a housing crisis (1).
Increasingly, we’re seeing rich corporate investors buying people’s homes, hiking up rents and putting families on the street – putting their huge profits ahead of ordinary people (2). Housing costs have skyrocketed (3), and federal cuts to vital programs (4) mean more and more Mainers will struggle to find and stay in stable housing in 2026 (5).
We must ensure that Mainers are protected from discrimination and predatory rent hikes and fees, that people wishing to build new housing in Maine have a chance to do so, and that unhoused people have a place to go at night. That’s what Housing Justice Maine’s 2026 priority session bills are designed to do.
Most of us believe that everyone deserves a stable, affordable place to call home. But from Fort Kent to Lubec to Kittery, Maine is in a housing crisis (1).
Increasingly, we’re seeing rich corporate investors buying people’s homes, hiking up rents and putting families on the street – putting their huge profits ahead of ordinary people (2). Housing costs have skyrocketed (3), and federal cuts to vital programs (4) mean more and more Mainers will struggle to find and stay in stable housing in 2026 (5).
We must ensure that Mainers are protected from discrimination and predatory rent hikes and fees, that people wishing to build new housing in Maine have a chance to do so, and that unhoused people have a place to go at night. That’s what Housing Justice Maine’s 2026 priority session bills are designed to do.
Priority Bills
- LD 847, “An Act to Prohibit Housing Discrimination Based on an Individual's Source of Income” (Rep. Cheryl Golek, D-Harpswell) Many landlords have been unwilling to accept tenants with housing supports like vouchers or General Assistance. This bill will restore protections in the Maine Human Rights Act for tenants who experience discrimination based on their source of income.
- LD 1522, “An Act to Establish the Maine Eviction Prevention Program” (Rep. Ambureen Rana, D-Bangor) This bill makes permanent the pilot Maine Eviction Prevention Program, which provides rental assistance to individuals with low incomes, prioritizing assistance for tenants who are facing eviction. This bill allocates $25 million annually to the program.
- LD 1806, “An Act to Create A Rental Unit Registry” (Rep. Ambureen Rana, D-Bangor) This bill would protect Maine renters from anonymous corporate landlords by creating a residential rental unit registry administered by the Secretary of State. It would be a vital source of information in an emergency, enable communities to plan more effectively, and help renters and housing navigators to search for rentals. It would also identify for the first time at the state level how many Maine rental homes are owned by big corporations or even private equity groups rather than family companies or individuals.
- LD 1921, “An Act to Create a Statewide Housing Resolution Board” (Rep. Traci Gere, D-Kennebunkport) This bill establishes a new Housing Resolution Board within the Administrative Office of the Courts to provide an alternative and expedited way for developers to appeal municipal land use and housing development decisions, with the intent of removing roadblocks from the development of needed housing in Maine communities.
- LD 2124, “An Act to Stabilize Emergency Shelter Funding” This new bill will be heard in the Taxation committee, and increases funding for emergency homeless shelters.
Progress Report on the First Special Session of the 132nd Legislature (2025)
Housing Justice Maine advocated for many important housing bills, and were successful in seeing two of our top three priorities passed: LD 1723 which regulates rents at manufactured housing communities, and LD 698 which provides increased funding for homeless shelters.
Our third top priority, LD 1522, the expansion of the Eviction Prevention Program, passed the legislature but did not receive funding through Appropriations due to limited revenue forecasting. This bill was carried over and could be considered for funding in the next special session.
An important victory for funding affordable housing was the inclusion of LD 1082 in the budget to increase the tax rate on the portion of house sales over $1 million, which will lead to more funding for the state’s HOME program that funds affordable housing construction. This is an important step towards creating long term funding streams for affordable housing.
We were also successful in seeing that no cuts were made to General Assistance, nor were targeted restrictions imposed on the use of General Assistance to pay for housing, which is an important backstop when other housing assistance programs fail to cover many income-eligible households. General Assistance is critical to reducing homelessness and preventing evictions. This legislature actually increased overall funding for General Assistance.
Additional enacted bills LD 970 and LD 1829 will reduce barriers to developing new affordable housing. LD 554 will incentivize the sale of manufactured housing communities and apartment buildings to resident-owned housing cooperatives. LD 731 was enacted and will prevent municipalities from prohibiting the creation of homeless shelters.
LD 847, which will prohibit housing discrimination against low-income people who use vouchers to pay rent, was carried over to the next special session.
Overall, this legislature has made historic investments in affordable housing, and has truly begun to recognize tenant rights in the policy debates around housing. The housing crisis is far from over, but the issue continues to grow in the attention it receives from our elected representatives, and Housing Justice Maine is very encouraged by this progress.
Housing Justice Maine advocated for many important housing bills, and were successful in seeing two of our top three priorities passed: LD 1723 which regulates rents at manufactured housing communities, and LD 698 which provides increased funding for homeless shelters.
Our third top priority, LD 1522, the expansion of the Eviction Prevention Program, passed the legislature but did not receive funding through Appropriations due to limited revenue forecasting. This bill was carried over and could be considered for funding in the next special session.
An important victory for funding affordable housing was the inclusion of LD 1082 in the budget to increase the tax rate on the portion of house sales over $1 million, which will lead to more funding for the state’s HOME program that funds affordable housing construction. This is an important step towards creating long term funding streams for affordable housing.
We were also successful in seeing that no cuts were made to General Assistance, nor were targeted restrictions imposed on the use of General Assistance to pay for housing, which is an important backstop when other housing assistance programs fail to cover many income-eligible households. General Assistance is critical to reducing homelessness and preventing evictions. This legislature actually increased overall funding for General Assistance.
Additional enacted bills LD 970 and LD 1829 will reduce barriers to developing new affordable housing. LD 554 will incentivize the sale of manufactured housing communities and apartment buildings to resident-owned housing cooperatives. LD 731 was enacted and will prevent municipalities from prohibiting the creation of homeless shelters.
LD 847, which will prohibit housing discrimination against low-income people who use vouchers to pay rent, was carried over to the next special session.
Overall, this legislature has made historic investments in affordable housing, and has truly begun to recognize tenant rights in the policy debates around housing. The housing crisis is far from over, but the issue continues to grow in the attention it receives from our elected representatives, and Housing Justice Maine is very encouraged by this progress.
