BILL ANALYSIS
By: Pickett
Border & International Affairs
Committee Report (Substituted)
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE
The Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs (TDHCA) employs housing tax credits to encourage diversity throughout the state, and promotes maximum utilization of the available housing tax credit. The criteria utilized to realize this goal includes the State Low Income Housing Plan and a point based scoring system that gives priority to communities located in a federally designated urban enterprise community, an urban enhanced enterprise community, or an economically distressed area or colonia. Over the past few years, Texas has had periods of disastrous flooding due to hurricanes and devastating non-stop rains. These floods have caused tremendous damage to areas of the state, resulting in many families losing their belongings and homes.
C.S.H.B. 684 amends the Government Code by adding that the plan must include individuals and families who, within the two-year period preceding the date the estimate is made or the analysis is performed, reside in an area declared to be a disaster due to widespread or severe flooding. The bill also adds that TDHCA shall also give priority in its housing program scoring criteria to a community that at the time or any time within the two-year period prior to submission of their complete application is submitted is located wholly or partly in an area declared to be a disaster due to widespread flooding.
RULEMAKING AUTHORITY
It is the opinion of the committee that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution.
ANALYSIS
C.S.H.B. 684 amends the Government Code by adding that the plan must include individuals and families who, within the two-year period preceding the date the estimate is made or the analysis is performed, whichever is earlier, reside in an area declared to be a disaster due to widespread or severe flooding. The substitute adds that at the time complete applications are submitted or at any time within the two-year period preceding the dates of submission of the applications, the department shall give priority through its housing program scoring criteria to communities that are located wholly or partly in an area declared to be a disaster due to widespread or severe flooding, and for evaluating an application for an issuance of private activity bonds. The substitute clarifies that each application be scored and ranked and that it be determined at the time a complete application is submitted or at any time within the two-year period preceding the date of submission of the application, whether the proposed development site is located in an area declared to be a disaster due to widespread or severe flooding, and makes conforming changes. The substitute requires that an application that at the time the complete application is submitted or at any time within the two-year period preceding the date of submission of the application includes a proposed development site located in an area declared to be a disaster due to widespread or severe flooding, be scored and ranked with the highest priority.
EFFECTIVE DATE
September 1, 2007
COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL TO SUBSTITUTE
C.S.H.B. 684 modifies the original version by providing that the State Low Income Housing Plan must include individuals and families who, within the two-year period preceding the date the estimate is made or the analysis is performed, whichever is earlier, reside in an area declared to be a disaster due to widespread or severe flooding, and makes conforming changes. The substitute also requires that an application from a community located wholly or partly in an area that at the time a complete application is submitted or at any time within the two-year period preceding the date of submission of the application was declared to be a disaster due to widespread or severe flooding, be given priority through the department's housing program scoring criteria, and makes conforming changes.