DC
District Of Columbia Council Bill PR25-0323

District Of Columbia 2023-2024 Regular Session

District Of Columbia Council Bill PR25-0323 Compare Versions

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1- ENROLLED ORIGINAL
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63 1
4+ Councilmember Robert C. White, Jr. 2
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8+A PROPOSED RESOLUTION 6
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10+___________ 8
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12+IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA 10
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14+__________________ 12
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16+To declare the existence of an emergency with respect to the need to preserve continue foreclosure 14
17+protections for homeowners who applied for funding from the DC Homeowner Assistance 15
18+Fund program before September 30, 2022 and whose applications remain under review, 16
19+pending approval, pending payment, or under appeal, and to require notices continue to be 17
20+sent to homeowners informing them of the DC HAF program prior to a foreclosure action. 18
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22+RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, That this 20
23+resolution may be cited as the “Foreclosure Moratorium and Homeowner Assistance Fund 21
24+Coordination Emergency Declaration Resolution of 2023.” 22
25+Sec. 2. (a) There exists an immediate need to continue a foreclosure moratorium for 23
26+certain homeowners who applied for COVID pandemic- related funding from the DC 24
27+Homeowner Assistance Fund (“DC HAF”) program before September 30, 2022, and whose 25
28+applications remain under review, pending approval, pending payment, or under appeal, and to 26
29+require regular application status updates be provided to those homeowners until their 27
30+applications are resolved. 28
31+(b) The District received $50 million in f ederal assistance through the American Rescue 29
32+Plan Act to assist low- and moderate-income homeowners who experienced new or exacerbated 30
33+financial hardships as a result of the pandemic and, in June 2022, the Department of Housing and 31
34+Community Development (“DHCD”) opened applications for DC’s Homeowner Assistance 32
35+Fund program. 33 2
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8-A RESOLUTION
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10-25-220
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12-IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
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14-July 11, 2023
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17-To declare the existence of an emergency with respect to the need to continue foreclosure
18-protections for homeowners who applied for funding from the DC Homeowner
19-Assistance Fund (“DC HAF") program before September 30, 2022 and whose
20-applications remain under review, pending approval, pending payment, or under appeal,
21-and to require that notices continue to be sent to homeowners informing them of the DC
22-HAF program before a foreclosure action.
23-
24-RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, That this
25-resolution may be cited as the “Foreclosure Moratorium and Homeowner Assistance Fund
26-Coordination Emergency Declaration Resolution of 2023”.
27-
28-Sec. 2. (a) There exists an immediate need to continue a foreclosure moratorium for
29-certain homeowners who applied for COVID pandemic-related funding from the DC
30-Homeowner Assistance Fund (“DC HAF”) program before September 30, 2022, and whose
31-applications remain under review, pending approval, pending payment, or under appeal, and to
32-require regular application status updates be provided to those homeowners until their
33-applications are resolved.
34-(b) The District received $50 million in federal assistance through the American Rescue
35-Plan Act to assist low- and moderate-income homeowners who experienced new or exacerbated
36-financial hardships as a result of the pandemic and, in June 2022, the Department of Housing and
37-Community Development (“DHCD”) opened applications for DC’s Homeowner Assistance
38-Fund (“DC HAF”) program.
39-(c) In June 2022, the Council extended the pandemic-related foreclosure moratorium to
40-align with the opening of the DC HAF program and required homeowners to submit an
41-application for DC HAF assistance to cure housing debts by September 30, 2022, to remain
42-eligible for foreclosure protections beyond that initial deadline.
43-(d) As of June 30, 2023, DHCD had approved 1,048 DC HAF applications but 400
44-applications were still under review and awaiting potential payment, necessitating an extension
45-of the foreclosure moratorium protections previously guaranteed to those homeowners who met
46-the September 30, 2022, deadline for their DC HAF applications. DHCD explains that the ENROLLED ORIGINAL
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53-reasons for delays in processing DC HAF applications and providing payments include
54-applicants’ complex requests for assistance with multiple obligations, applicants’ revisions to
55-applications, financers’ need to register with DHCD, and financers’ need to verify payment
56-details.
57-(e) The Foreclosure Moratorium and Homeowner Assistance Fund Coordination
58-Temporary Amendment Act of 2022, effective February 23, 2023 (D.C. Law 24-276; 69 DCR
59-15121), is scheduled to expire on October 6, 2023.
60-(f) Emergency legislation is necessary to prevent any potential gap in the law and protect
61-homeowners from foreclosures as they continue to await approvals and payments from DHCD.
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63-Sec. 3. The Council determines that the circumstances enumerated in section 2 constitute
64-emergency circumstances making it necessary that the Foreclosure Moratorium and Homeowner
65-Assistance Fund Coordination Emergency Amendment Act of 2022 be adopted after a single
66-reading.
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68-Sec. 4. This resolution shall take effect immediately.
37+(c) In June 2022, the Council extended the pandemic -related foreclosure moratorium to 34
38+align with the opening of the DC HAF program and required homeowners to submit an 35
39+application for DC HAF assistance to cure housing debts by September 30, 2022 in order to 36
40+remain eligible for foreclosure protections beyond that initial deadline. 37
41+(d) As of June 30, 2023, DHCD had approved 1,048 DC HAF applications, but 400 38
42+applications were still under review and awaiting potential payment, necessitating an extension 39
43+of the foreclosure moratorium protections previously guaranteed to those homeowners who met 40
44+the September 30, 2022 deadline for their DC HAF application s. DHCD explains that the reasons 41
45+for delays in processing DC HAF applications and providing payments include applicants’ 42
46+complex requests for assistance with multiple obligations, applicants’ revisions to applications, 43
47+financers’ need to register with DHCD, and financers’ need to verify payment details. 44
48+(e) The Foreclosure Moratorium and Homeowner Assistance Fund Coordination 45
49+Temporary Amendment Act of 2022 was passed November 15, 2022, and is scheduled to expire 46
50+on October 6, 2023. 47
51+(f) Emergency legislation is necessary to prevent any potential gap in the law and protect 48
52+homeowners from foreclosures as they continue to await approvals and payments from DHCD. 49
53+Sec. 3. The Council of the District of Columbia determines that the circumstances 50
54+enumerated in section 2 constitute emergency circumstances making it necessary that the 51
55+Foreclosure Moratorium and Homeowner Assistance Fund Coordination Emergency 52
56+Amendment Act of 2022 be adopted after a single reading. 53
57+Sec. 4. This resolution shall take effect immediately. 54