BILL ANALYSIS

H.B. 654

By: Cortez

Urban Affairs

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Currently, a municipality is required to have at least one tenant commissioner on its housing authority, and interested parties contend that tenant commissioners are the only class of housing authority commissioners subject to term limits. H.B. 654 seeks to give tenant commissioners parity with their colleagues by removing the term limits.

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

H.B. 654 repeals Sections 392.0331(f) and (f-1), Local Government Code, relating to prohibiting a tenant representative of a public housing project appointed as a commissioner of a municipal, county, or regional housing authority from serving more than two consecutive two-year terms.  The bill's provisions apply to such a commissioner without regard to whether the commissioner was appointed before, on, or after the bill's effective date.

EFFECTIVE DATE

On passage, or, if the bill does not receive the necessary vote, September 1, 2013.