Texas 2019 86th Regular

Texas Senate Bill SB2250 Introduced / Bill

Filed 03/08/2019

                    By: Johnson S.B. No. 2250


 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 AN ACT
 relating to financial assistance administered by the Texas
 Department of Housing and Community Affairs.
 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
 SECTION 1.  Section 2306.256(b), Government Code, is amended
 by amending Subsection (b) and adding Subsection (c) to read as
 follows:
 (b)  Through the program, the department shall:
 (1)  maintain data on housing projected to lose its
 affordable status;
 (2)  develop policies necessary to ensure the
 preservation of affordable housing in this state;
 (3)  advise other program areas with respect to the
 policies; [and]
 (4)  assist those other program areas in implementing
 the policies;
 (5)  create for developments that have received an
 allocation of low income housing tax credits a comprehensive
 preservation strategy that includes:
 (A)  the identification of developments projected
 to lose their affordable status in the next two years and five
 years;
 (B)  a system for prioritizing developments for
 preservation; and
 (C)  policy and funding strategies for preserving
 developments prioritized under the system described by Paragraph
 (B); and
 (6)  with respect to developments described by
 Subdivision (5), adopt and implement a proactive marketing strategy
 for identifying buyers who will maintain the affordability of
 developments when the owner of the development applies for a
 qualified contract or notifies the department under Section
 2306.6726 of the owner's intent to sell the development.
 (c)  The department's marketing strategy under Subsection
 (b)(6) must include a process for:
 (1)  proactively developing and maintaining a list of
 qualified entities, as that term is defined in Section 2306.6726;
 and
 (2)  contacting qualified entities, through a means
 other than e-mail or general postings on the department's website,
 to inform the entities of opportunities to purchase and preserve
 affordable housing.
 SECTION 2.  Section 2306.6717(a), Government Code, is
 amended to read as follows:
 (a)  Subject to Section 2306.67041, the department shall
 make the following items available on the department's website:
 (1)  as soon as practicable, any proposed application
 submitted through the preapplication process established by this
 subchapter;
 (2)  before the 30th day preceding the date of the
 relevant board allocation decision, except as provided by
 Subdivision (3), the entire application, including all supporting
 documents and exhibits, the application log, a scoring sheet
 providing details of the application score, and any other document
 relating to the processing of the application;
 (3)  not later than the third working day after the date
 of the relevant determination, the results of each stage of the
 application process, including the results of the application
 scoring and underwriting phases and the allocation phase;
 (4)  before the 15th day preceding the date of board
 action on the amendment, notice of an amendment under Section
 2306.6712 and the recommendation of the director and monitor
 regarding the amendment; [and]
 (5)  an appeal filed with the department or board under
 Section 2306.0504 or 2306.6715 and any other document relating to
 the processing of the appeal; and
 (6)  the land use restriction agreement, including any
 amendments to the agreement, for each low income housing tax credit
 property subject to such an agreement.
 SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2019.