SRC-SLL H.B. 3340 76(R) BILL ANALYSIS Senate Research Center H.B. 3340 76R13010 KEL-DBy: Naishtat (Lucio) Human Services 5/13/1999 Engrossed DIGEST There are few affordable housing options for the elderly outside of nursing homes. Many older citizens live on small, fixed incomes and are often unable to afford the expenses of maintaining their own homes or of keeping up with increasing rents. H.B. 3340 creates a rental housing pilot program to expand long-term care options for elderly persons. PURPOSE As proposed, H.B. 3340 creates a rental housing pilot program to expand long-term care housing options for elderly residents of this state with low, very low, or extremely low income. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY This bill does not grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, institution, or agency. SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS SECTION 1. Defines "department." SECTION 2. Requires the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs (department), in coordination with the Texas Department of Human Services (DHS), nonprofit organizations, public housing authorities, and any other entity with an interest in housing issues to develop and implement a rental housing pilot program (pilot program) to expand long-term care options for elderly residents of this state. Requires the pilot program to provide subsidized multifamily rental housing for elderly residents with low, very low, or extremely low income and to coordinate services needed by those residents. Requires the department, to the greatest extent possible, to coordinate the program with the funding sources of DHS and other interested entities. SECTION 3. ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS. Sets forth the eligibility requirements for participating in the pilot program. Requires an entity, in order to participate in the pilot program, to demonstrate that the entity uses certain sources of low-income housing funds to offer multifamily housing at rental rates that are at or below the applicable fair market rent prescribed by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development. SECTION 4. AFFORDABLE PARTICIPANT CONTRIBUTIONS. Requires the department to require a participating elderly resident of the state to pay from the participant's financial resources a certain amount as rent. SECTION 5. EVALUATION AND REPORT. Requires the department, by December 15, 2000, to submit a report on the effectiveness of the pilot program. Sets forth the recipients and content of the report. SECTION 6. TERMINATION; EXPIRATION. Provides that the pilot program ends and this Act expires September 1, 2001. SECTION 7. Emergency Clause.