HLS 22RS-3581 ORIGINAL
2022 Regular Session
HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 103
BY REPRESENTATIVE DUPLESSIS
HOUSING: Urges and requests the La. Housing Corporation to consider emergency
preparedness and disaster resiliency characteristics when implementing design
criteria for housing developments competing for funding in programs administered
by the corporation and to explore sources of federal funds to retrofit existing
buildings with these same design criteria
1 A RESOLUTION
2To urge and request urge and request the Louisiana Housing Corporation to consider
3 emergency preparedness and disaster resiliency characteristics when implementing
4 design criteria for housing developments competing for funding in programs
5 administered by the corporation and to explore sources of federal funds that may be
6 available to retrofit existing buildings using these same emergency preparedness and
7 disaster resiliency design criteria.
8 WHEREAS, the Louisiana Housing Corporation administers the Low Income
9Housing Tax Credit Program which is a federal tax incentive program aimed at increasing
10the availability of low-income rental housing; and
11 WHEREAS, the Low Income Housing Tax Credit Program subsidizes a portion of
12the costs for constructing new housing developments or developments that involve the
13substantial rehabilitation of existing units occupied by low-income individuals and families;
14and
15 WHEREAS, each qualified development includes minimum project requirements and
16a minimum percentage of units that must be reserved for eligible low-income tenants which
17include veterans, the elderly, and mobility impaired citizens; and
Page 1 of 3 HLS 22RS-3581 ORIGINAL
HR NO. 103
1 WHEREAS, over the last ten years, Louisiana has experienced numerous hurricanes
2and storm events that have caused catastrophic loss of property including catastrophic losses
3due to wind and flooding; and
4 WHEREAS, tenants of low- and moderate-income housing developments can be
5particularly vulnerable during hurricanes and flooding events because they may lack the
6ability to evacuate for extended periods of time or otherwise mitigate property damage and
7losses; and
8 WHEREAS, because Louisiana is particularly vulnerable to hurricanes and other
9storm and flooding events, it is imperative that emergency preparedness and disaster
10resiliency characteristics become integral components of the minimum design criteria for
11new low- and moderate-income housing developments; and
12 WHEREAS, in 2019, the Louisiana Housing Corporation administered a Piggyback
13Resilience Initiative - Mixed Income (PRIME) program which provided sixty-million dollars
14in Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery funds to multifamily housing
15developments which primarily benefitted low- and moderate-income populations; and
16 WHEREAS, eligible sites for the PRIME program included mandatory disaster
17resilience criteria, including fortified commercial roof standards, multi-hazard risk and
18vulnerability assessments, surface storm water management, access to potable water during
19emergencies, and resilient energy systems including flood proofing of lower floors and
20islandable power including efficient and portable generators and backflow preventors; and
21 WHEREAS, the Louisiana Housing Corporation should consider disaster resilience
22criteria such as those included in the PRIME program for all of the housing developments
23competing for funding administered by the corporation in order to mitigate property losses
24and the hardship that extended evacuations cause for the tenants who live in housing
25developments; and
26 WHEREAS, the Louisiana Housing Corporation should also explore sources of
27federal funds that may be available to retrofit existing buildings that a portion of
28construction costs were financed through federal incentive programs administered by the
29Louisiana Housing Corporation to include these same emergency preparedness and disaster
30resiliency design criteria so as to mitigate losses for tenants of housing developments.
Page 2 of 3 HLS 22RS-3581 ORIGINAL
HR NO. 103
1 THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the House of Representatives of the
2Legislature of Louisiana does hereby urge and request the Louisiana Housing Corporation
3to consider emergency preparedness and disaster resiliency characteristics when
4implementing design criteria for housing developments competing for funding in programs
5administered by the corporation and to explore sources of federal funds that may be available
6to retrofit existing buildings using these same emergency preparedness and disaster
7resiliency design criteria.
8 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the
9executive director of the Louisiana Housing Corporation.
DIGEST
The digest printed below was prepared by House Legislative Services. It constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument. The keyword, one-liner, abstract, and digest do not constitute
part of the law or proof or indicia of legislative intent. [R.S. 1:13(B) and 24:177(E)]
HR 103 Original 2022 Regular Session Duplessis
Urges and requests the La. Housing Corporation to consider emergency preparedness and
disaster resiliency characteristics when implementing design criteria for housing
developments competing for funding in programs administered by the corporation and to
explore sources of federal funds that may be available to retrofit existing buildings using
these same emergency preparedness and disaster resiliency design criteria.
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