H.B. No. 1301
AN ACT
relating to services provided by colonia self-help centers and a
study on colonias in this state.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Sections 2306.586(a), (b), (c), and (d),
Government Code, are amended to read as follows:
(a) The purpose of a self-help center is to assist
individuals and families of low income and very low income to
finance, refinance, construct, improve, or maintain a safe,
suitable home and otherwise improve living conditions in the
colonias' designated service area or in another area the department
has determined is suitable.
(b) A self-help center shall set a goal to improve the
living conditions of residents in the colonias designated under
Section 2306.583(b) [2306.583(a)(2)] within a two-year period
after a contract is awarded under this subchapter.
(c) A self-help center may serve individuals and families of
low income and very low income by:
(1) providing assistance in obtaining loans or grants
to build a home;
(2) teaching construction skills necessary to repair
or build a home;
(3) providing model home plans;
(4) operating a program to rent or provide tools for
home construction and improvement for the benefit of property
owners in colonias who are building or repairing a residence or
installing necessary residential infrastructure;
(5) helping to obtain, construct, access, or improve
the service and utility infrastructure designed to service
residences in a colonia, including potable water, wastewater
disposal, drainage, streets, and utilities;
(6) surveying or platting residential property that an
individual purchased without the benefit of a legal survey, plat,
or record;
(7) providing credit and debt counseling related to
home purchase and finance;
(8) applying for grants and loans to provide housing
and other needed community improvements;
(9) providing other services that the self-help
center, with the approval of the department, determines are
necessary to assist colonia residents in improving their [physical]
living conditions, including help in:
(A) obtaining suitable alternative housing
outside of a colonia's area; and
(B) performing the following authorized public
service activities under Title 1 of the Housing and Community
Development Act of 1974 (42 U.S.C. Section 5301 et seq.):
(i) securing employment;
(ii) establishing or expanding a small
business;
(iii) developing professional skills; or
(iv) managing personal finances and
achieving financial literacy;
(10) providing assistance in obtaining loans or grants
to enable an individual or a family to acquire fee simple title to
property that originally was purchased under a contract for a deed,
contract for sale, or other executory contract; and
(11) providing monthly programs to educate
individuals and families on their rights and responsibilities as
property owners.
(d) A self-help center may not provide grants, financing, or
mortgage loan services to purchase, build, rehabilitate, or finance
construction or improvements to a home or otherwise improve living
conditions in a colonia if water service and suitable wastewater
disposal are not available.
SECTION 2. (a) In this section, "colonia" has the meaning
assigned by Section 2306.581, Government Code.
(b) A joint interim committee is established to study
colonias and colonia initiatives in this state.
(c) The joint interim committee is composed of the members
of the standing committees of the legislature with primary
jurisdiction over colonias and colonia issues. The committee
members shall select a presiding officer from among the membership.
(d) In conducting the study under this section, the joint
interim committee shall:
(1) determine the best methods for updating and
maintaining colonia identification systems and for identifying and
classifying colonias in which the highest public health risks
exist;
(2) consider whether colonias should be defined
uniformly across all relevant state agencies and whether that
definition should include essential metrics such as:
(A) economic mobility levels;
(B) poverty levels;
(C) mortality rates;
(D) health professional shortage area scores;
and
(E) the average level of education attained by
colonia residents;
(3) to address the enduring lack of services and
infrastructure in colonias, assess best practices and funding needs
for surveying the services and infrastructure available in, and
demographics of, each colonia;
(4) assess the status of state agency tracking and
reporting of state-funded colonia projects and whether
improvements to the tracking or reporting mechanisms are necessary;
(5) determine and assess any non-infrastructure needs
within colonias and options for this state to address those needs;
and
(6) assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on
colonias and whether additional state services are necessary to
address those impacts.
(e) The joint interim committee has all other powers and
duties provided to a special or select committee by the rules of the
senate and house of representatives, by Subchapter B, Chapter 301,
Government Code, and by policies of the senate and house committees
on administration.
(f) Not later than September 1, 2022, the joint interim
committee shall prepare and submit to the governor, the lieutenant
governor, the speaker of the house of representatives, and the
legislature a written report that includes the findings of the
committee under this section, including any legislative
recommendations.
(g) The joint interim committee established under this
section is abolished and this section expires November 1, 2022.
SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2021.
______________________________ ______________________________
President of the Senate Speaker of the House
I certify that H.B. No. 1301 was passed by the House on April
30, 2021, by the following vote: Yeas 79, Nays 49, 1 present, not
voting; and that the House concurred in Senate amendments to H.B.
No. 1301 on May 28, 2021, by the following vote: Yeas 93, Nays 46,
2 present, not voting.
______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House
I certify that H.B. No. 1301 was passed by the Senate, with
amendments, on May 24, 2021, by the following vote: Yeas 28, Nays
2.
______________________________
Secretary of the Senate
APPROVED: __________________
Date
__________________
Governor