In a letter to committee Chair Robert White — which Deputy Mayor Nina Albert posted on social media Thursday morning — Bowser said she is “strongly opposed” to several of the edits the committee has proposed in its latest version of the bill.

A spokesperson declined to say whether the mayor would veto the committee’s current version of the bill if it were to pass the council. The legislation is still subject to additional changes before the council votes on it, and the committee is scheduled to hold a markup on the bill on Wednesday.

Bowser’s concerns center around proposed changes to the Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act, a longstanding law that gives tenants the ability to delay or block the sale of their buildings, and to the city’s eviction process.

Bowser’s Rental Act proposal would exempt buildings from TOPA for the first 25 years after their construction, or after they receive “substantial improvements.” She proposed exempting buildings with income-restriction covenants, leaving the law limited only to older, market-rate buildings, which typically represent naturally occurring affordable housing.

The committee’s version of the bill would exempt buildings for 15 years after they are built. White proposed the 15-year exemption himself, and the differences between those timelines became a key point of debate at the May hearing.

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