Depending on who you ask, the rent is too damn high — and lawmakers need to act to prevent Massachusetts families from being pushed their homes — or it’s just high enough to keep developers from abandoning the housing construction projects the state desperately needs.

The Joint Committee on Housing sat through six hours of at times emotional testimony on Tuesday, as representatives and senators considered a handful of bills proposing various measures of rent control and tenant protections.

The proposals would in effect overturn a state law narrowly passed by referendum in 1994 that bars Massachusetts municipalities from making their own rent control rules. Tenants and landlords alike spoke to lawmakers during the hearing, though as might be expected the owners were greatly outnumbered by the lease-holders.

The bills’ consideration comes just days after the collapse of a campaign to undo the 1994 law fell short of signature requirements to make the 2024 ballot. It also comes as the region is falling short of housing construction goals required to meet the needs of a growing population.

Rep. Mike Connolly of Cambridge, a driving force behind the ballot initiative, encouraged his colleagues to act on behalf of strapped Bay State renters.

“If you look at the history, if you look at the analysis, rent control is perfectly compatible with housing production and we can do it in a way that protects our small landlords and is fair to all concerned,” Connolly said. “With this unprecedented housing emergency, my respectful request to my colleagues on the Housing Committee is that we work to advance a rent control bill favorably this session.”

Not everyone is in on board idea. According to opponents, rent control inhibits the ability of landlords to keep up with property maintenance costs and reap fair market value for their investments. It also prevents developers from building new units, according to Greg Vasil, CEO of the Greater Boston Real Estate Board.

Consideration of rent control comes at a time when the state desperately needs more housing stock, Vasil said, not more rules.

“To overcome the housing crisis, Massachusetts must prioritize housing creation and reduce red tape, not look to failed policies such as rent control. Artificial caps on rent discourage the creation of new apartments and the upkeep and maintenance of existing ones, shrinking our housing stock further and driving up costs throughout the region,” Vasil said in a statement.

Rep. Sam Montaño, who co-sponsored one of the bills, joined renters and housing advocates on the steps of the Massachusetts State House before the hearing, when she told the hundreds gathered there to rally for tenants rights that lawmakers needed to give cities and towns the ability to decide what is best for the people living in their communities, before families are forced to move. Building affordable homes to house everyone will take too long, she said, while rent control will help now.

“Morally, you have to house people. That’s it, it doesn’t matter: people need homes. They need a warm place to sleep. They need a place to shower. They need a place to feel safe. And we are failing to provide that to people by allowing landlords to charge huge increases year to year and constantly displacing people,” she said.