April 7, 2020 The Honorable Edward M. Lamont, Jr. Office of the Governor 210 Capitol Avenue Hartford, CT 06106 The Honorable Joseph Aresimowicz Speaker of the House of Representatives Legislative Office Building, Room 4105 Hartford, CT 06106 The Honorable Martin M. Looney President Pro Tempore Legislative Office Building, Room 3300 Hartford, CT 06106 The Honorable Matthew D. Ritter House Majority Leader Legislative Office Building, Room 4106 Hartford, CT 06106 The Honorable Robert Duff Senate Majority Leader Legislative Office Building, Room 3300 Hartford, CT 06106 The Honorable Themis Klarides House Minority Leader Legislative Office Building, Room 4200 Hartford, CT 06106 The Honorable Leonard A. Fasano Senate Republican President Pro Tempore Legislative Office Building, Room 3402 Hartford, CT 06106 The Honorable Kevin Witkos Deputy Senate Republican President Pro Tempore Legislative Office Building, Room 3400 Hartford, CT 06106 Dear Governor Lamont and Legislative Leaders, We are writing to thank you for your leadership as our state continues to rapidly respond to the coronavirus pandemic, and to ask you to enact our proposal to protect members of our community who may become at risk of eviction in the months ahead. We all know that this is an unprecedented situation. Like you, we are particularly concerned about the economic impact of the many necessary steps our communities and our State have taken to respond, including closures of schools and public facilities, and a prohibition on large gatherings. Many working people across Connecticut can't afford to miss even a few days of work, whether because a workplace is closed, or because they have to stay home with their kids when schools close. Our communities are likely to be disproportionately affected by the economic impact of coronavirus and our response to coronavirus, as many of our residents work non-salaried, hourly jobs to pay their bills. We need to make sure those families don't lose their housing. Working with stakeholders, Hartford City Councilman Josh Michtom has drafted proposed legislation to make sure none of our neighbors are evicted just because they can't work during a public health emergency, while still making sure that landlords can collect full rent once the emergency is over. Although the Governor's emergency powers allow him to suspend any law, including those that allow evictions, and the Judicial Branch has halted foreclosures and evictions, we are calling on the legislature to adopt a more robust set of protections, set forth here: • Whenever there's a declared public health emergency for at least ten consecutive days, tenants can't be evicted until 30 days after that emergency ends. • Even if there is no declared emergency but schools are closed for at least ten consecutive days, tenants can't be evicted until 30 days after the school closure ends. • Tenants who make partial payment of back rent within 30 days after the end of the emergency get another 60 days to catch up and keep their housing. This legislation has been developed in consultation with a number of legal advocacy organizations who represent tenants to make sure that the statutory language proposed will cover everyone who might be subject to eviction during this pandemic. Members of the Hartford legislative delegation, including Majority Leader Matt Ritter and Representative Brandon McGee, recognize the urgent need for these measures and have been strong supporters of this effort, along with similar measures to protect our residents from foreclosure during this crisis. As Connecticut comes together to respond to this pandemic, we hope you will support and enact this legislation, which we have enclosed with this letter. Keeping people in their homes is the right thing to do – from a public health perspective and from a humanitarian perspective. We appreciate your prompt attention to this important matter. Please do not hesitate to reach out to us if you have any questions. Sincerely, Luke A. Bronin Mayor, City of Hartford Justin Elicker Mayor, City of New Haven Benjamin Florsheim Mayor, City of Middletown Joseph P. Ganim Mayor, City of Bridgeport David R. Martin Mayor, City of Stamford Harry W. Rilling Mayor, City of Norwalk Joshua Michtom Councilman, City of Hartford