BILL ANALYSIS
By: West, Royce
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE
Currently, the Local Government Code requires the appointment of at least one tenant to serve as a public housing commissioner over which a municipal, regional, or county housing authority has jurisdiction. The technical definition of "tenant" prevents the appointment of a commissioner that is receiving tenant-based housing assistance, commonly known as Section 8 housing assistance, now the most common form of housing assistance for those persons residing in public housing developments.
S.B. 1841 broadens the pool of eligible commissioners by authorizing the appointment of a person that is receiving Section 8 housing assistance.
RULEMAKING AUTHORITY
It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution.
ANALYSIS
S.B. 1841 amends Subsection (b), (c), (d), (g), and (h) of Section 392.0331, Local Government Code, by removing references to tenants of public housing and inserting references to eligible tenants and making conforming changes to the section. The definition of eligible tenant added to the section by this bill is a person who is a tenant of a public housing project or a recipient of tenant-based housing assistance administered by a housing authority.
EFFECTIVE DATE
This Act takes effect September 1, 2005.