Rent Control Bill Unnecessary under Current Law

A bill to prohibit local governments from enacting rent control on private property was critiqued in a hearing as redundant in Montana law and out of touch with the needs of Montana families. The Deputy Director and Legal Counsel for the Montana League of Cities and Towns Thomas Jodoin testified in opposition to the bill Tuesday morning. “I am not here today to debate the pros and cons of rent control,” Jodoin said before the Senate Committee of Business Labor and Economic Affairs. “I would like to point out that if cities had the power to impose rent control, I suspect they would have already attempted it.” Jodoin pointed to the “powers denied” section for local governments in the Montana Code Annotated, which lists “any power that applies to or affects landlords,” as one of the restricted powers of municipalities.