BILL ANALYSIS

H.B. 191

By: Bernal

Urban Affairs

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

To avoid heat stress and its health risks, officials in many cities encourage residents to stay in air-conditioned spaces, but that's not an option for many Texans living in low-income housing that is not equipped with air conditioning units. H.B. 191 seeks to increase the number of low‑income housing units equipped with air conditioning by requiring the application for a low income housing tax credit to include criteria for scoring on the basis that all units contain an air conditioning unit.

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

H.B. 191 amends the Government Code to include among the prioritized criteria used by the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs (TDHCA) to score and rank an application for a low income housing tax credit whether all units owned by the applicant are equipped with air conditioning at the time the complete application is submitted. The bill requires TDHCA, in assigning points to an application based on that criterion, to award positive points if all units owned by the applicant are equipped with air conditioning and negative points if any of the units owned by the applicant are not equipped with air conditioning.

H.B. 191 requires an applicant who requests a written statement evaluating the level of community support for the application from the state representative who represents the district containing the proposed development site to include in that request information disclosing the percentage of units owned by the applicant that are equipped with air conditioning. The bill's provisions apply only to an application for low income housing tax credits that is submitted to TDHCA during an application cycle that is based on the 2024 qualified allocation plan or a subsequent plan adopted by the governing board of TDHCA.

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2023.