(The Center Square) – A pair of bills that will aid Rhode Island residents in more easily finding affordable housing have been signed, Democratic Gov. Dan McKee said.

The governor announced Tuesday that he signed House Bill 7944A, sponsored by Rep. Arthur Corvese, D-North Providence, and Senate Bill 3051, sponsored by Senate President Dominick J. Ruggerio, D-Providence, on June 30.

The bills, according to the release, were ratified by the General Assembly on June 24 and will now require the state’s Housing and Mortgage Finance Corporation to maintain a database of affordable housing for low- and moderate-income units. The information will also provide for contact information for landlords and is to be linked to the housing applications whenever possible.

“Rhode Island should be using every tool available to us to connect people with affordable housing,” Corvese said in a release. “Making the search easier with technology just makes sense. Having one central database available to all for free will help those searching for housing find every unit that is available to them, while also helping landlords and developers fill openings quickly, preventing vacancy. There are many challenges ahead of Rhode Island in addressing our housing crisis, and this is a step we can take relatively quickly to help tackle one of them.”

Ruggerio said that affordable housing “is one of the most important issues facing” Rhode Island.

According to the release, RIHousing will issue annual housing reports on development and preservation efforts, including financial reports on the amount of funding provided by the agency, how many units were issued certificates of occupancy, and any tax payments made to each city and town.