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HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
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WHEREAS, Requiring the military basic allowance for housing |
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to be treated as income for purposes of determining eligibility for |
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federally assisted low-income housing programs creates an unfair |
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hardship for junior enlisted personnel and their families who |
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cannot live on a military base because base housing is unavailable; |
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and |
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WHEREAS, These military families have the same need for |
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quality affordable housing as low-income civilian families, yet |
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civilian families who receive government housing vouchers to |
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relocate from public housing to privately owned rental housing |
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financed by the federal low-income housing tax credit and |
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tax-exempt multi-family housing bond programs are not required to |
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treat the government housing vouchers as income when establishing |
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eligibility to participate in those programs; and |
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WHEREAS, This disparity in the treatment of federal housing |
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payments to military and civilian personnel invariably results in |
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the disqualification of military personnel from federal rental |
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housing programs, even though the taxable income levels of military |
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personnel and their qualifying civilian counterparts may be exactly |
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the same; and |
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WHEREAS, Ensuring that the men and women on active duty in the |
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United States Armed Forces have decent, safe, and affordable |
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housing is vitally important to our national safety and security, |
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especially in communities where growing installations have put |
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pressure on the local housing market and created a shortage of |
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quality housing for essential military personnel; and |
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WHEREAS, A July 2006 U.S. Government Accountability Office |
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report on rental assistance for the military found that excluding |
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service members' housing allowance from income determinations for |
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federal rental housing programs could substantially increase the |
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percentage of service members eligible to apply for the programs |
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and stimulate local housing production; and |
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WHEREAS, Contrary to these findings, U.S. Department of |
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Housing and Urban Development rules to implement the Department of |
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Housing and Urban Development Act require the military basic |
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allowance for housing to be considered as income for purposes of |
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qualifying for participation in certain federally assisted |
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low-income housing programs; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the 80th Legislature of the State of Texas |
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hereby respectfully urge the Congress of the United States to amend |
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the Department of Housing and Urban Development Act to prohibit the |
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inclusion of the military basic allowance for housing as income for |
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purposes of determining eligibility for federally assisted |
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low-income housing programs; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That the Texas secretary of state forward official |
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copies of this resolution to the president of the United States, to |
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the speaker of the house of representatives and the president of the |
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senate of the United States Congress, and to all the members of the |
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Texas delegation to the congress with the request that this |
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resolution be officially entered in the Congressional Record as a |
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memorial to the Congress of the United States of America. |