Connecticut 2021 Regular Session

Connecticut Senate Bill SB00877 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

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7	6		General Assembly Raised Bill No. 877
8	7		January Session, 2021
9	8		LCO No. 2842
10	9
11	10
12	11		Referred to Committee on HOUSING
13	12
14	13
15	14		Introduced by:
16	15		(HSG)
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20	20		AN ACT CONCERNING TR ANSPARENCY OF RENTAL RATES FOR
21	21		TENANTS RECEIVING RE NTAL ASSISTANCE.
22	22		Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
23	23		Assembly convened:
24	24
25	25		Section 1. Section 8-45 of the general statutes is repealed and the 1
26	26		following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2021): 2
27	27		(a) Each housing authority shall manage and operate its housing 3
28	28		projects in an efficient manner so as to enable it to fix the rentals for 4
29	29		dwelling accommodations at the lowest possible rates consistent with 5
30	30		providing decent, safe and sanitary dwelling accommodations, and no 6
31	31		housing authority shall construct or operate any such project for profit 7
32	32		or as a source of revenue to the municipality. To this end an authority 8
33	33		shall fix the rentals for dwelling in its projects at no higher rates than it 9
34	34		finds to be necessary in order to produce revenues which, together with 10
35	35		all other available money, revenues, income and receipts of the 11
36	36		authority from whatever sources derived, will be sufficient [(a)] (1) to 12
37	37		pay, as the same become due, the principal and interest on the bonds of 13
38	38		the authority; [(b)] (2) to meet the cost of, and to provide for, 14
39	39		maintaining and operating the projects, including the cost of any 15 Raised Bill No. 877
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46	45		insurance, and the administrative expenses of the authority; and [(c)] (3) 16
47	46		to create, during not less than six years immediately succeeding its 17
48	47		issuance of any bonds, a reserve sufficient to meet the largest principal 18
49	48		and interest payments which will be due on such bonds in any one year 19
50	49		thereafter and to maintain such reserve. 20
51	50		(b) In the operation or management of housing projects an authority 21
52	51		shall, at all times, rent or lease the dwelling accommodations therein at 22
53	52		rentals within the financial reach of families of low income. The 23
54	53		authority, subject to approval by the Commissioner of Housing, shall fix 24
55	54		maximum income limits for the admission and for the continued 25
56	55		occupancy of families in such housing, provided such maximum income 26
57	56		limits and all revisions thereof for housing projects operated pursuant 27
58	57		to any contract with any agency of the federal government shall be 28
59	58		subject to the prior approval of such federal agency. The Commissioner 29
60	59		of Housing shall define the income of a family to provide the basis for 30
61	60		determining eligibility for the admission and for the continued 31
62	61		occupancy of families under the maximum income limits fixed and 32
63	62		approved. The definition of family income, by the Commissioner of 33
64	63		Housing, may provide for the exclusion of all or part of the income of 34
65	64		family members which, in the judgment of said commissioner, is not 35
66	65		generally available to meet the cost of basic living needs of the family. 36
67	66		(c) Any housing authority administering a tenant-based rental 37
68	67		assistance program, such as the federal Housing Choice Voucher 38
69	68		program, 42 USC 1437f(o), shall, not later than thirty days after setting 39
70	69		or updating the payment standard, as defined in 24 CFR 982.4, or any 40
71	70		similar maximum monthly assistance payment for an assisted unit, (1) 41
72	71		post such payment standard in a prominent and publicly accessible 42
73	72		location on its Internet web site or the Internet web site of the 43
74	73		municipality in which it is located, and (2) submit such revised payment 44
75	74		standard to the 2-1-1 Infoline program for posting on its Internet web 45
76	75		site. Such posting shall include a disclaimer alerting program 46
77	76		participants that the maximum allowable payment standard may not be 47
78		-	applied in full to the actual rental rate paid by the applicant in certain 48 Raised Bill No. 877
	77	+	applied in full to the actual rental rate paid by the applicant in certain 48
	78	+	circumstances. 49 Raised Bill No. 877
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85		-	circumstances. 49
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86	84		(d) No housing authority shall refuse to rent any dwelling 50
87	85		accommodation to an otherwise qualified applicant on the ground that 51
88	86		one or more of the proposed occupants are children born out of 52
89	87		wedlock. Each housing authority shall provide a receipt to each 53
90	88		applicant for admission to its housing projects stating the time and date 54
91	89		of application and shall maintain a list of such applications which shall 55
92	90		be a public record as defined in section 1-200. The Commissioner of 56
93	91		Housing shall, by regulation adopted in accordance with the provisions 57
94	92		of chapter 54, provide for the manner in which such list shall be created, 58
95	93		maintained and revised. 59
96	94		(e) No provision of this chapter shall be construed as limiting the 60
97	95		right of the authority to vest in an obligee the right, in the event of a 61
98	96		default by such authority, to take possession of a housing project or 62
99	97		cause the appointment of a receiver thereof or acquire title thereto 63
100	98		through foreclosure proceedings, free from all the restrictions imposed 64
101	99		by this chapter with respect to rental rates and tenant selection. 65
102	100		Sec. 2. Section 8-48 of the general statutes is repealed and the 66
103	101		following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2021): 67
104	102		In the cases of any tenants who are the recipients of one hundred per 68
105	103		cent social services aid from the Department of Social Services of the 69
106	104		state or any municipality and who have no income from any other 70
107	105		source, rentals shall be fixed by each housing authority for the ensuing 71
108	106		rental year established by the authority based on one-half of the costs 72
109	107		and expenses set forth in subdivision (1) of subsection (a) of section 8-73
110	108		45, as amended by this act, plus the full amount of costs and expenses 74
111	109		set forth in [subsections (b) and (c) of said section] subdivisions (2) and 75
112	110		(3) of said subsection as set forth in the operating statements of the 76
113	111		authority for the preceding fiscal year, which total amount shall be 77
114	112		divided by the total number of rooms contained in all low-rent housing 78
115	113		projects operated by such housing authority to establish the rental cost 79
116		-	per room per annum for such tenants, from which figure shall be 80 Raised Bill No. 877
	114	+	per room per annum for such tenants, from which figure shall be 80
	115	+	computed the rent per month per room. Said rentals shall govern for 81
	116	+	said rental year. 82 Raised Bill No. 877
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123		-	~~computed the rent per month per room~~. ~~Said rentals shall govern for 81~~
124		-	~~said rental year. 82~~
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125	122		This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
126	123		sections:
127	124
128	125		Section 1 October 1, 2021 8-45
129	126		Sec. 2 October 1, 2021 8-48
130	127
131		-	HSG Joint Favorable
	128	+	Statement of Purpose:
	129	+	To require housing authorities administering a housing voucher
	130	+	program to post the maximum allowable rental rate for units on their
	131	+	Internet web sites and submit such rates to the 2-1-1 Infoline program
	132	+	for posting on its Internet web site.
	133	+	[Proposed deletions are enclosed in brackets. Proposed additions are indicated by underline, except
	134	+	that when the entire text of a bill or resolution or a section of a bill or resolution is new, it is not
	135	+	underlined.]
132	136