By Aram Ayalon
As the Connecticut legislator is making a concerted effort in the 2025 session to address homelessness and shortage of affordable housing, one legislation proposal could undermine this effort. The housing committee of the Connecticut legislator is considering HB 6338 that would allow landlords to request the police to evict individuals whom the landlords decide are “unlawfully occupying” their real estate. This bill could put many more residents of New Britain and in Connecticut on the streets and deny these residents due process as prescribed by law.
This bill is co-sponsored by several Republicans including State Senator Robert Sampson whom the Connecticut conservatives awarded “conservative excellence” in 2022. Senator Rob Sampson is known to be anti-gun control and is one of only few who voted against the nomination of Lubbie Harper Jr. to the CT Supreme Court. Judge Harper is only the third African American to become a State Supreme Court Justice and was the one who casted the deciding vote to legalize same-sex marriage in Connecticut.
HB 6338 was also co-sponsored by two democrats Representatives Bobby Sanchez of New Britain and Minnie Gonzalez of Hartford. Both democrats represent cities with high homelessness and high eviction rates with Hartford having the highest and New Britain the fifth highest eviction rate in Connecticut. If HB 6338 is approved, residents of both cities would be at significant higher risk of eviction and even more at the mercy of their landlords.
The Connecticut legislature held a hearing in early February where, unsurprisingly, landlord groups expressed support for the legislation while several housing and tenant advocacy groups expressed opposition.
Here are some excerpts by several tenant advocacy groups
Connecticut Voice for Children
“HB 6338 An Act Permitting Removal an unauthorized individual from Real Property would significantly roll back vital tenant protections…By allowing police to remove people whom landlords deem to be ‘unlawfully occupying’ a property, this bill will significantly undermine existing tenant protection…utilizing law enforcement as agents of eviction instead of following proper eviction procedure.”
Chelsea Connery, Staff Attorney, Connecticut Fair Housing Center
“Connecticut has for centuries required that courts, not landlords’ unilateral declarations, decide and control when an occupant can be removed from property…. The effort to routinely inject the police…will exacerbate the inherent conflict that arises in an eviction and cause problems for all.”
Fennel Derrell, Middletown Fair Rent commissioner
“This Bill must be rejected because it substitutes the fiat of the landlord in place of due process and the rule of law.”
Connecticut Veteran Legal Center
“Because existing summary process statutes can be and are employed to address situations in which landowners wish to remove unauthorized occupants from their property, there is no need for HB6338.”
https://www.cga.ct.gov/…/TOB/H/PDF/2025HB-06338-R00-HB.PDF
