By: Collier H.B. No. 4189
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to the allocation of low income housing tax credits.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Section 2306.6710(b), Government Code, is
amended by adding section 2306.6710(b)(4) and (4-a) to read as
follows:
(4) the Department shall develop a scoring incentive for
competitively awarded low income housing tax credits that includes,
on an equal basis, points for either:
(A) developments in primary attendance zones for
elementary schools that have achieved combined ratings of B or
better under the system administered by the Texas Education Agency;
or
(B) developments in market areas from which the
development is projected to attract 51 percent or more of its
tenants where those market areas encompass significant features
that will:
(i) promote household success;
(ii) promote neighborhood pride and
cohesiveness; and
(iii) promote an affordable and healthy
lifestyle for residents.
(4-a) the features that will promote:
(A) household success are:
(i) established neighborhoods from which the
proposed development is likely to draw a significant number of its
tenants;
(ii) neighborhoods that include places of
worship, established civic organizations, established mentoring
programs, or established parent teacher organizations whose
established membership includes a significant proportion of person
or households who would be income eligible for the proposed
affordable housing; and
(iii) neighborhoods that encompass mass transit
stops that would enable residents of the proposed development to
commute to areas of work opportunity;
(B) neighborhood pride and cohesiveness include:
(i) Designation of the neighborhood as an
historical neighborhood;
(ii) An active partnership between local law
enforcement and neighborhood organizations to cooperate in
addressing crime where that partnership has experienced
demonstrable success in reducing crime and building positive
relations between the community and law enforcement as acknowledged
by the organization; and
(iii) Activity during the prior year to
remediate historic infrastructure issues such as inadequate street
lighting; lack of sidewalks; installation of flood control
measures; construction of new public facilities such as police
stations, fire stations, indoor recreation facilities, transit
stops for light rail;
(C) an affordable and healthy lifestyle for residents
include:
(i) full service grocery stores;
(ii) pharmacies;
(iii) Public parks;
(iv) Hospitals; and
(v) Health clinics.
SECTION 2. The change in law made by this Act applies only
to an application for low income housing tax credits that is
submitted to the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs
during an application cycle that is based on the 2018 qualified
allocation plan or a subsequent plan adopted by the governing board
of the department under Section 2306.67022, Government Code. An
application that is submitted during an application cycle that is
based on an earlier qualified allocation plan is governed by the law
in effect on the date the application cycle began, and the former
law is continued in effect for that purpose.
SECTION 5. This Act takes effect September 1, 2017.