Dozens of bills aimed at increasing affordable housing statewide have been filed since the Massachusetts Legislature entered its 193rd session this month, including two that would create the Martha’s Vineyard Housing Bank as approved by Island voters last year.

On Jan 17, Rep. Dylan Fernandes and Sen. Julian Cyr refiled a home rule bill on behalf of the Vineyard to create an Island-wide housing bank funded by a two per cent transfer fee on most real estate transactions over $1 million. The proposal, which died last year in the Legislature, had been endorsed by voters in all six Island towns.

In interviews with the Gazette this week, both legislators reiterated comments they made last fall that the Legislature was more likely to approve statewide enabling legislation that would allow cities and towns to create a transfer fee than a specific bill for the Island.

“The only way we see this happening is if there’s a statewide enabling piece,” Mr. Fernandes said. “There are towns that have been filing a transfer fee for over a decade now.”

At an October meeting on the Island, Mr. Fernandes and Mr. Cyr recommended to Vineyard officials that the 28-page document approved at town meetings be pared down to facilitate passage at the state level. However, each town’s select board voted to send it in unedited, in accordance with voter wishes.

Mr. Cyr said consideration of the bill is bound to take several months at a minimum with bills yet to be assigned to their committees.

“[The housing bank bill] is going to proceed through the committee process,” he said.

Mr. Cyr said that he filed an additional bill modeled after last year’s short term rental tax legislation which will allow municipalities statewide to enact a transfer fee to fund affordable housing initiatives. He added that several other bills concerning transfer fees have been filed from around the state with varying details.

“There’s quite a big deal of work to be done...there’s a lot of ideas out there about the issue, and I think that is representative of a real interest in relying on a transfer fee,” Mr. Cyr said.

He said that newly elected Gov. Maura Healey is likely to play a central role in moving the legislation forward.

“Governor Healey is on record supporting a transfer fee,” he said. “I’m hoping that will make the difference going forward.”