Proposal would add right to housing to Maine constitution

The resolution needs 2/3 vote in both chambers to pass the legislature
If it does, voters will ultimately be the ones to decide on the amendment
In 2021 Maine voters added a right to food to the state constitution

Updated: Jan 26, 2024 / 02:58 PM CST

FILE – The Maine State House is seen at sunrise, March 16, 2023, in Augusta, Maine. Teachers and science advocates are voicing skepticism about a Maine proposal to update science education standards to incorporate teaching about genocide, eugenics and the Holocaust because of concerns about adequate teacher training and the nuanced nature of the material. The Maine Department of Education is performing the update as part of a review of standards that is required every five years. The proposed updates would have to ultimately be approved by a committee of the Maine Legislature. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty, File)

(NewsNation) — A proposed resolution in Maine would amend the state constitution to guarantee a right to housing.

A public hearing is being held on the proposal on Tuesday sponsored by Portland Democratic Representative Ben Collings, the proposed amendment would give all people a “natural, inherent and unalienable” right to housing.

In 2021, the constitution was amended to include a right to food, with the support of 60% of Maine voters, something Collings referenced in his arguments for the change.

Critics have called the proposal socialism, suggesting that homes would be taken from people to give to those without housing. Others have raised legal questions about how the law would work in practice.

Collings said that a right to shelter does not mean giving everyone a house and suggested it would be up to state and local governments as to how they would provide shelter.

The legislation is designed to help those experiencing homelessness and those who are spending more than half their income on rent, mandating the state do more to help address the problem of affordable housing.

The proposal must pass both houses in the legislature with two-thirds of the vote in order for a statewide referendum to go on the ballot, allowing voters to have the ultimate say on if the constitution is changed.