| 1 | 1 | | By: Turner of Harris (Senate Sponsor - Ellis) H.B. No. 2827 |
|---|
| 2 | 2 | | (In the Senate - Received from the House April 29, 2009; |
|---|
| 3 | 3 | | May 6, 2009, read first time and referred to Committee on |
|---|
| 4 | 4 | | Intergovernmental Relations; May 18, 2009, reported favorably by |
|---|
| 5 | 5 | | the following vote: Yeas 5, Nays 0; May 18, 2009, sent to printer.) |
|---|
| 6 | 6 | | |
|---|
| 7 | 7 | | |
|---|
| 8 | 8 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
|---|
| 9 | 9 | | AN ACT |
|---|
| 10 | 10 | | relating to the establishment of the emergency housing and disaster |
|---|
| 11 | 11 | | recovery division within the Texas Department of Housing and |
|---|
| 12 | 12 | | Community Affairs. |
|---|
| 13 | 13 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
|---|
| 14 | 14 | | SECTION 1. Section 2306.0521, Government Code, is amended |
|---|
| 15 | 15 | | by adding Subsection (c) to read as follows: |
|---|
| 16 | 16 | | (c) Notwithstanding Subsection (a), the department shall |
|---|
| 17 | 17 | | establish and maintain an emergency housing and disaster recovery |
|---|
| 18 | 18 | | division. The division shall: |
|---|
| 19 | 19 | | (1) develop a program to provide for the rapid |
|---|
| 20 | 20 | | deployment of temporary housing for homeowners affected by natural |
|---|
| 21 | 21 | | disasters; |
|---|
| 22 | 22 | | (2) develop a program to quickly restore or replace |
|---|
| 23 | 23 | | permanent housing for homeowners affected by natural disasters; |
|---|
| 24 | 24 | | (3) develop a program to quickly provide additional |
|---|
| 25 | 25 | | rental housing to areas affected by natural disasters; |
|---|
| 26 | 26 | | (4) provide funding to nonprofit agencies that provide |
|---|
| 27 | 27 | | to homeowners affected by natural disasters counseling on |
|---|
| 28 | 28 | | refinancing options and financial assistance available through |
|---|
| 29 | 29 | | state and federal programs; and |
|---|
| 30 | 30 | | (5) collaborate with the division of emergency |
|---|
| 31 | 31 | | management established under Chapter 418 and the Federal Emergency |
|---|
| 32 | 32 | | Management Agency to secure reimbursement for housing needs in |
|---|
| 33 | 33 | | areas affected by natural disasters. |
|---|
| 34 | 34 | | SECTION 2. Section 2306.056, Government Code, is amended by |
|---|
| 35 | 35 | | adding Subsections (c) and (d) to read as follows: |
|---|
| 36 | 36 | | (c) If federal or state money, other than money appropriated |
|---|
| 37 | 37 | | to the department under a current services budget for the state |
|---|
| 38 | 38 | | fiscal biennium prepared for the state budgetary process is |
|---|
| 39 | 39 | | allocated to the department to address the results of a natural |
|---|
| 40 | 40 | | disaster, the board may appoint a committee composed of residents |
|---|
| 41 | 41 | | of the affected area. The committee shall serve until 90 percent of |
|---|
| 42 | 42 | | the money allocated to the department to address the results of the |
|---|
| 43 | 43 | | natural disaster has been spent. The committee shall advise the |
|---|
| 44 | 44 | | department and the emergency housing and disaster recovery division |
|---|
| 45 | 45 | | with regards to resource allocation. |
|---|
| 46 | 46 | | (d) The department shall develop and implement policies |
|---|
| 47 | 47 | | that provide the public with a reasonable opportunity to appear |
|---|
| 48 | 48 | | periodically before a committee created under Subsection (c) and to |
|---|
| 49 | 49 | | speak on any issue under the jurisdiction of the emergency housing |
|---|
| 50 | 50 | | and disaster recovery division. |
|---|
| 51 | 51 | | SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2009. |
|---|
| 52 | 52 | | * * * * * |
|---|