81R6331 JAM-D
 
  By: Bohac H.B. No. 1429
 
 
 
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 
AN ACT
  relating to notification requirements for applicants for low income
  housing tax credits.
         BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
         SECTION 1.  Section 2306.6704(b-1), Government Code, is
  amended to read as follows:
         (b-1)  The preapplication process must require the applicant
  to provide the department with evidence that the applicant has
  notified by certified mail the following entities with respect to
  the filing of the application:
               (1)  any neighborhood organizations on record with the
  state or county in which the development is to be located and whose
  boundaries contain the proposed development site;
               (2)  the superintendent and the presiding officer of
  the board of trustees of the school district containing the
  development;
               (3)  the presiding officer of the governing body of any
  municipality containing the development and all elected members of
  that body;
               (4)  the presiding officer of the governing body of the
  county containing the development and all elected members of that
  body; and
               (5)  the state senator and state representative of the
  district containing the development.
         SECTION 2.  Section 2306.6705, Government Code, is amended
  to read as follows:
         Sec. 2306.6705.  GENERAL APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS.  An
  application must contain at a minimum the following written,
  detailed information in a form prescribed by the board:
               (1)  a description of:
                     (A)  the financing plan for the development,
  including any nontraditional financing arrangements;
                     (B)  the use of funds with respect to the
  development;
                     (C)  the funding sources for the development,
  including:
                           (i)  construction, permanent, and bridge
  loans; and
                           (ii)  rents, operating subsidies, and
  replacement reserves; and
                     (D)  the commitment status of the funding sources
  for the development;
               (2)  if syndication costs are included in the eligible
  basis, a justification of the syndication costs for each cost
  category by an attorney or accountant specializing in tax matters;
               (3)  from a syndicator or a financial consultant of the
  applicant, an estimate of the amount of equity dollars expected to
  be raised for the development in conjunction with the amount of
  housing tax credits requested for allocation to the applicant,
  including:
                     (A)  pay-in schedules; and
                     (B)  syndicator consulting fees and other
  syndication costs;
               (4)  if rental assistance, an operating subsidy, or an
  annuity is proposed for the development, any related contract or
  other agreement securing those funds and an identification of:
                     (A)  the source and annual amount of the funds;
                     (B)  the number of units receiving the funds; and
                     (C)  the term and expiration date of the contract
  or other agreement;
               (5)  if the development is located within the
  boundaries of a political subdivision with a zoning ordinance,
  evidence in the form of a letter from the chief executive officer of
  the political subdivision or from another local official with
  jurisdiction over zoning matters that states that:
                     (A)  the development is permitted under the
  provisions of the ordinance that apply to the location of the
  development; or
                     (B)  the applicant is in the process of seeking
  the appropriate zoning and has signed and provided to the political
  subdivision a release agreeing to hold the political subdivision
  and all other parties harmless in the event that the appropriate
  zoning is denied;
               (6)  if an occupied development is proposed for
  rehabilitation:
                     (A)  an explanation of the process used to notify
  and consult with the tenants in preparing the application;
                     (B)  a relocation plan outlining:
                           (i)  relocation requirements; and
                           (ii)  a budget with an identified funding
  source; and
                     (C)  if applicable, evidence that the relocation
  plan has been submitted to the appropriate local agency;
               (7)  a certification of the applicant's compliance with
  appropriate state and federal laws, as required by other state law
  or by the board;
               (8)  any other information required by the board in the
  qualified allocation plan; and
               (9)  evidence that the applicant has notified by
  certified mail the following entities with respect to the filing of
  the application:
                     (A)  any neighborhood organizations on record
  with the state or county in which the development is to be located
  and whose boundaries contain the proposed development site;
                     (B)  the superintendent and the presiding officer
  of the board of trustees of the school district containing the
  development;
                     (C)  the presiding officer of the governing body
  of any municipality containing the development and all elected
  members of that body;
                     (D)  the presiding officer of the governing body
  of the county containing the development and all elected members of
  that body; and
                     (E)  the state senator and state representative of
  the district containing the development.
         SECTION 3.  The changes in law made by this Act apply only to
  an application for low income housing tax credits that is submitted
  to the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs during an
  application cycle that begins on or after the effective date of this
  Act. An application that is submitted during an application cycle
  that began before the effective date of this Act is governed by the
  law in effect at the time the application cycle began, and the
  former law is continued in effect for that purpose.
         SECTION 4.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2009.