Plain English Breakdown
The official source confirms the expansion but does not provide the actual list or criteria for what constitutes a 'community-serving project,' only stating it is 'as defined.'
Challenges to Housing and Community-Serving Projects
This law expands existing rules so that people suing to stop community-serving projects may be required by a court to provide money as security for costs, just like those challenging low- or moderate-income housing.
What This Bill Does
- Applies current laws about lawsuits against low- or moderate-income housing development projects to also include challenges against community-serving projects.
- Allows project owners (defendants) to ask a court to order plaintiffs to provide an undertaking as security for costs and damages if the lawsuit might prevent or delay the project.
- Keeps existing rules that let courts lower the required amount of money or waive it entirely if providing it would cause undue economic hardship.
Who It Names or Affects
- Plaintiffs who file lawsuits challenging low- or moderate-income housing development projects.
- Plaintiffs who file lawsuits challenging community-serving projects as defined by the bill.
- Defendants, such as project owners, in these specific types of civil actions.
Terms To Know
- Undertaking
- Money or security a plaintiff must provide to cover potential costs and damages if the lawsuit prevents or delays the project.
- Community-serving project
- A type of development defined by this bill that is now subject to the same legal rules as low- or moderate-income housing projects regarding security for lawsuits.
Limits and Unknowns
- The provided text states community-serving projects are 'as defined' but does not list the specific definition.
- The effective date is not listed in the provided source material.
- The bill describes how courts may act regarding undertakings but does not set fixed dollar amounts.