76R13010 KEL-D
By Naishtat, et al. H.B. No. 3340
Substitute the following for H.B. No. 3340:
By Maxey C.S.H.B. No. 3340
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
1-1 AN ACT
1-2 relating to a rental housing pilot program to expand long-term care
1-3 housing options for elderly residents of this state with low, very
1-4 low, or extremely low income.
1-5 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-6 SECTION 1. DEFINITION. In this Act, "department" means the
1-7 Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs.
1-8 SECTION 2. ESTABLISHMENT OF PILOT PROGRAM. (a) The Texas
1-9 Department of Housing and Community Affairs, in coordination with
1-10 the Texas Department of Human Services, nonprofit organizations,
1-11 public housing authorities, and any other entity with an interest
1-12 in housing issues, shall develop and implement a rental housing
1-13 pilot program to expand long-term care options for elderly
1-14 residents of this state. The pilot program shall provide
1-15 subsidized multifamily rental housing for elderly residents with
1-16 low, very low, or extremely low income and shall coordinate
1-17 services needed by those residents.
1-18 (b) To the greatest extent possible, the department shall
1-19 coordinate the pilot program with the funding sources of the Texas
1-20 Department of Human Services, nonprofit organizations, public
1-21 housing authorities, and other interested entities.
1-22 SECTION 3. ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS. (a) To qualify for
1-23 subsidized multifamily rental housing under the pilot program, a
1-24 person must:
2-1 (1) be an elderly resident of this state;
2-2 (2) satisfy predetermined needs criteria established
2-3 by the Texas Department of Human Services;
2-4 (3) satisfy income eligibility criteria established by
2-5 the department; and
2-6 (4) have sufficient financial resources to pay a part
2-7 of the person's monthly rental charge.
2-8 (b) To participate in the pilot program, an entity must
2-9 demonstrate that it uses sources of low-income housing funds, such
2-10 as tax credits and tax-exempt bonds, to offer multifamily housing
2-11 at rental rates that are at or below the applicable fair market
2-12 rent prescribed by the United States Department of Housing and
2-13 Urban Development.
2-14 SECTION 4. AFFORDABLE PARTICIPANT CONTRIBUTIONS. The
2-15 department shall require a participating elderly resident of this
2-16 state to pay from the participant's financial resources as rent an
2-17 amount that is not more than 30 percent of the participant's gross
2-18 income or the amount specified by the United States Department of
2-19 Housing and Urban Development for the Section 8 rental assistance
2-20 program.
2-21 SECTION 5. EVALUATION AND REPORT. Not later than December
2-22 15, 2000, the department shall submit a report to the governor,
2-23 lieutenant governor, and speaker of the house of representatives
2-24 that evaluates the effectiveness of the pilot program established
2-25 under this Act. The report must include the department's
2-26 recommendations with respect to providing subsidized multifamily
2-27 rental housing for and coordinating services needed by elderly
3-1 residents of this state with low, very low, or extremely low
3-2 income.
3-3 SECTION 6. TERMINATION; EXPIRATION. The pilot program ends
3-4 and this Act expires September 1, 2001.
3-5 SECTION 7. EMERGENCY. The importance of this legislation
3-6 and the crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
3-7 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
3-8 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
3-9 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,
3-10 and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its
3-11 passage, and it is so enacted.