HB1786

Re: Support for House Bill 1786 – The Fair Chance for Everyone Housing Development Act Mr. Chair and Members of the Housing Committee, I write in strong support of House Bill 1786, comprehensive legislation designed to address the most urgent economic challenge facing New Hampshire: our severe and persistent shortage of housing. Employers cannot recruit. Young families cannot buy. Seniors cannot downsize. Municipal leaders are asking for help, and the private market alone cannot close a deficit measured in tens of thousands of homes. HB 1786 recognizes that there is no single solution. Instead, it builds an integrated framework that expands supply from multiple angles at once. The bill creates a dedicated funding stream to invest in housing production and housing-related infrastructure. It strengthens the Community Development Finance Authority’s ability to attract private capital. It provides meaningful incentives to municipalities willing to become housing champions. It removes barriers by funding demolition of vacant and dilapidated buildings. And it invests in our workforce through major support for trades training, apprenticeships, tuition assistance, and supplemental wages. Equally important, this approach is sustainable. Revenues generated from the assessment on high-value properties that are not primary residences are reinvested directly into solving the housing crisis. The resources remain tied to their purpose: building homes for the people who live and work here every day. Doing nothing carries its own cost. When workers commute from farther away, when businesses delay expansion, when families leave the state, we lose economic vitality, tax stability, and community continuity. HB 1786 gives us the tools to reverse that trend. This is a pro-workforce, pro-municipality, pro-business proposal. It encourages partnership between the state, local government, and private developers while preserving local decision-making. New Hampshire has studied this issue extensively. We know the scale of the need. Now it is time to match that knowledge with action. I respectfully urge the committee to recommend HB 1786 ought to pass. Sincerely, David Preece State Representative, Hillsborough District 17