AN ACT ESTABLISHING A PRIVATE RIGHT OF ACTION IN THE DUTY TO PROMOTE FAIR HOUSING AND REQUIRING A STUDY OF CONNECTICUT'S HOUSING INVENTORY AND CURRENT AND FUTURE HOUSING NEEDS.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Assembly convened:

Section 1. Section 46a-98a of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2017):

Any person claiming to be aggrieved by a violation of section 8-37cc, 46a-64c or 46a-81e or by a breach of a conciliation agreement entered into pursuant to this chapter, may bring an action in the Superior Court, or the housing session of said court if appropriate within one year of the date of the alleged discriminatory practice or of a breach of a conciliation agreement entered into pursuant to this chapter. No action pursuant to this section may be brought in the Superior Court regarding the alleged discriminatory practice after the commission has obtained a conciliation agreement pursuant to section 46a-83 or commenced a hearing pursuant to section 46a-84, except for an action to enforce the conciliation agreement. The court shall have the power to grant relief, by injunction or otherwise, as it deems just and suitable. The court may grant any relief which a presiding officer may grant in a proceeding under section 46a-86 or which the court may grant in a proceeding under section 46a-89. The commission, through commission legal counsel or the Attorney General, may intervene as a matter of right in any action brought pursuant to this section without permission of the court or the parties.

Sec. 2. (NEW) (Effective from passage) (a) The Connecticut Housing Finance Authority shall, in cooperation with the Department of Housing, conduct a study analyzing the gap between the state-wide housing inventory and the state's current housing needs and projected housing needs over the next year, five years, ten years and fifteen years. Such study shall (1) assess the need for both rental and ownership units; and (2) identify how housing needs vary by relevant demographic characteristics, including, but not limited to, income, age, familial status, disability status and race.

(b) In determining current and projected housing needs for the gap analysis described in subsection (a) of this section, the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority shall consider it a priority of this state to ensure that (1) all residents have access to affordable housing, as defined in section 8-39a of the general statutes, and (2) persons and families with income levels up to and including one hundred twenty per cent of the area median income, as determined by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, have access to affordable housing in opportunity areas, as defined in section 8-348 of the general statutes.

(c) Not later than January 1, 2018, the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority shall submit a report on the study described in subsection (a) of this section, in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a of the general statutes, to the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to planning and development. Such report shall include data from the gap analysis described in subsection (a) of this section by the smallest feasible geographic region.