Oregon on Track to be 1st State With Mandated Rent Controls

SALEM, Ore. (AP) – Oregon is on track to becoming the first state to impose mandatory rent controls, with a tenant protection measure moving through the Legislature.

Numerous residents have testified for the legislation, describing anxiety and hardship as rents rise. Some rents have gone up by almost 100 percent, forcing people to move, stay with friends and even live in their vehicles.

A House committee on Wednesday backed the measure, sending it to the full chamber for a vote as soon as next week. The Senate passed it last week, and Gov. Kate Brown has said she will endorse it.

New York has a statewide rent control law but cities choose whether to participate. California restricts the ability of cities to impose rent control.