STAGE 3, CONCEPT 3 | Table of Contents

Decision Point!

Eviction RTC alone or as part of a broader housing package

Standalone bill 

Pros: Not competing with other bills for attention or funding

Cons

  • Being the focus of attention also means all the opposition is trained on your bill

  • May not draw as wide support as  a package of bills

  • As discussed in Section 1.2, RTC is more effective when paired with other housing reforms.

Part of housing package

Pros

  • Addresses the concern that eviction RTC and legal reforms need each other to succeed

  • Other reforms (just cause protections, filing fee increases, etc.) may reduce filings, which could reduce cost of eviction RTC

  • Can help build broader base for support

  • Gives opposition more to handle

  • RTC is often a piece the opposition will negotiate on if faced with a slew of other housing reforms that are less desirable to them (ex. Real Estate Board of NY supporting RTC while opposing just cause)

Cons

  • An eviction RTC provision that might succeed on its own could get defeated because of broad opposition to an entire tenants rights package

  • May bring out a broader array of opponents

  • Likely increases the overall cost of the bill

  • Creates more work for advocates in terms of responding to opposition and educating policymakers