BILL ANALYSIS

C.S.H.B. 3281

By: Rodriguez, Eddie

Urban Affairs

Committee Report (Substituted)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Interested parties contend that the applicability of state laws regarding homestead preservation districts and reinvestment zones should be revised to ensure that those laws remain applicable to certain municipalities, such as the City of Austin. C.S.H.B. 3281 seeks to ensure continued affordable rental housing opportunities in Texas by updating the applicability of those laws.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE IMPACT

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly create a criminal offense, increase the punishment for an existing criminal offense or category of offenses, or change the eligibility of a person for community supervision, parole, or mandatory supervision.

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

C.S.H.B. 3281 amends the Local Government Code to increase from fewer than 550,000 to fewer than 800,000 the threshold number of occupied housing units in a uniform state service region in which a municipality with a population of more than 750,000 must be located for purposes of the applicability to the municipality of provisions relating to homestead preservation districts and reinvestment zones. The bill establishes that if such population and occupied housing unit provision applies to a municipality, the application of the provisions to the municipality is not affected if the municipality's population or number of occupied housing units changes and the municipality no longer meets the population requirement.

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2017.

COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL AND SUBSTITUTE

C.S.H.B. 3281 differs from the original in minor or nonsubstantive ways by conforming to certain bill drafting conventions.