Bill > S921

This bill, the Promoting Housing Opportunity and Mobility through Eviction Sealing (HOMES) Act, aims to promote housing opportunity and mobility by sealing court records related to eviction actions and certain other civil actions involving residential tenancies. The key provisions include: 1. Immediately sealing court records related to eviction actions and other civil actions involving residential tenancies, with limited exceptions where the records may be made publicly available after 30 days under certain circumstances, such as a judgment for the plaintiff. 2. Prohibiting consumer reporting agencies from disclosing or using sealed eviction records as a factor in consumer reports, and requiring them to remove such information within 7 days of sealing. 3. Restricting the ability of housing, employment, and credit applicants to be asked about their tenancy-related litigation history, with exceptions for certain government and non-profit housing programs. 4. Requiring parties who obtain a public judgment to file a notice of satisfaction to have the records sealed. 5. Requiring courts to maintain and report aggregate data on eviction actions to promote the goals of the Act. The bill also prohibits naming minor children or non-tenants as defendants in eviction actions and requires their names to be impounded in such cases.

Justice

https://malegislature.gov/Bills/192/S921