Connecticut legislature overrides Malloy veto on affordable housing bill

Connecticut legislators on Monday voted to override Gov. Dannel P. Malloy”™s veto of a bill that changes the state”™s affordable housing standards.

The House voted 101-47 to void the governor”™s veto, and the Senate followed in a 24-12 vote to affirm the override. The legislation, House Bill 6880 ”“ An Act Concerning the Affordable Housing Land Use Appeals Procedure, is designed to make it easier for municipalities to qualify for moratoriums on appeals of local zoning denials under the 8-30g Affordable Housing Statute. Malloy vetoed the bill on July 7, stating that it had the potential to encourage a new wave in housing discrimination.

State Rep. Larry Butler, D-Waterbury, co-chairman of the Legislature’s Housing Committee, told the Associated Press that the bill serves both communities and those seeking affordable housing options. “It is just a tweak of a statute that affords the opportunity for towns to determine where affordable housing will be built and that people will have housing opportunities they never had before,” he said.

The bill originally passed in the House by 116-33 vote and in the Senate on a vote of 30-6.