Bill not drafted by TLC or Senate E&E.

      Line and page numbers may not match official copy.

         By:  Truan                                   S.C.R. No. 50

                            SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

 1-1           WHEREAS, Access to affordable and livable housing is

 1-2     important to all citizens of Texas and will become increasingly

 1-3     critical for low and very low income Texans as the State's

 1-4     population increases; and

 1-5           WHEREAS, Recent actions by the federal government have

 1-6     resulted in a reduction of federal funds allocated to low income

 1-7     housing and will likely shift much of the power, authority, and

 1-8     responsibility to oversee and implement housing programs to state

 1-9     and local entities; and

1-10           WHEREAS, The Texas Department of Housing and Community

1-11     Affairs (TDHCA) has a statutory mandate to serve low and very low

1-12     income individuals and families who are in need of housing

1-13     assistance; and

1-14           WHEREAS, With approximately 93 percent of TDHCA's funding

1-15     coming from federal sources, it is apparent that the department

1-16     will have to perform its mission with decreased federal funding;

1-17     and

1-18           WHEREAS, New and innovative solutions will have to be

1-19     developed by TDHCA to fulfill the mission of assisting low and very

1-20     low income Texans, and current programs and procedures will need to

1-21     be streamlined to ensure maximum efficiency; now, therefore, be it

1-22           RESOLVED, That the 75th Legislature of the State of Texas

1-23     hereby request the comptroller of public accounts to conduct a

1-24     performance audit of the Texas Department of Housing and Community

 2-1     Affairs and the Texas State Affordable Housing Corporation to

 2-2     determine how the agency and the agency's nonprofit corporation can

 2-3     better carry out the state's housing mission; and, be it further

 2-4           RESOLVED, That the comptroller of public accounts is

 2-5     requested to review and provide recommendations to the legislature

 2-6     in the following areas:  (1) determine the income levels,

 2-7     geographic location, demographic characteristics, and special needs

 2-8     of individuals and families assisted through the programs of the

 2-9     department relative to the levels of housing needs of these people

2-10     and regions in the state's population; (2) identify actions the

2-11     department should take to offset the effects of federal budget

2-12     cuts, devolution of responsibility and potential losses of existing

2-13     subsidized housing; (3) recommend innovative programs and funding

2-14     resources which can be adopted from other states to provide housing

2-15     assistance to poor families in Texas; (4) propose safeguards,

2-16     procedures, and controls which should be applied to the programs of

2-17     the department to ensure the fiscal and programmatic integrity of

2-18     housing programs; and (5) identify any changes which need to be

2-19     made to existing programs and policies to ensure that the

2-20     department fulfills its legislative priorities; and, be it further

2-21           RESOLVED, That the comptroller of public accounts is

2-22     requested to provide the results of the performance audit to the

2-23     governor, lieutenant governor, and speaker of the house of

2-24     representatives by June 1, 1998; and, be it further

2-25           RESOLVED, That the secretary of state forward an official

 3-1     copy of this resolution to the comptroller of public accounts and

 3-2     to the executive director of the Texas Department of Housing and

 3-3     Community Affairs.