Texas 2025 - 89th Regular

Texas House Bill HB714 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	89R903 JAM-D
2	2	By: Walle H.B. No. 714
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7	7	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
8	8	AN ACT
9	9	relating to the establishment and implementation by the Texas
10	10	Department of Housing and Community Affairs of the Texas Tenant
11	11	Readiness and Landlord Incentive Pilot Program.
12	12	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
13	13	SECTION 1. Subchapter K, Chapter 2306, Government Code, is
14	14	amended by adding Section 2306.254 to read as follows:
15	15	Sec. 2306.254. TEXAS TENANT READINESS AND LANDLORD
16	16	INCENTIVE PILOT PROGRAM. (a) In this section:
17	17	(1) "Program" means the Texas Tenant Readiness and
18	18	Landlord Incentive Pilot Program.
19	19	(2) "Program participant" means an individual or
20	20	family who receives assistance under the program.
21	21	(b) The department shall establish and implement the Texas
22	22	Tenant Readiness and Landlord Incentive Pilot Program to enable the
23	23	department to contract with and provide funding to local
24	24	governmental entities, including county and municipal housing
25	25	authorities, and nonprofit organizations for the purpose of
26	26	assisting, and providing incentives to landlords with respect to,
27	27	individuals and families who:
28	28	(1) are currently experiencing homelessness,
29	29	including newly homeless individuals and families for whom
30	30	providing assistance will prevent further homelessness and housing
31	31	instability;
32	32	(2) are fleeing, or attempting to flee, domestic
33	33	violence, dating violence, sexual assault, stalking, or human
34	34	trafficking; or
35	35	(3) were recently homeless or otherwise have a high
36	36	risk of housing instability, including persons experiencing
37	37	chronic homelessness and persons with disabilities.
38	38	(c) To identify local governmental entities to administer
39	39	the program, the department shall:
40	40	(1) issue a notice of funding availability; and
41	41	(2) establish an application and selection process as
42	42	described by Subsection (d).
43	43	(d) The application process established under Subsection
44	44	(c)(2) must require a local governmental entity to submit to the
45	45	department a housing search assistance plan that demonstrates the
46	46	entity's ability to help individuals and families obtain housing in
47	47	the area served by the entity. In selecting local governmental
48	48	entities to administer the program, the department shall consider
49	49	an applicant's:
50	50	(1) ability to serve:
51	51	(A) rural areas; and
52	52	(B) a variety of populations as differentiated by
53	53	age, gender, race, or ethnicity; and
54	54	(2) existing partnerships with other relevant local
55	55	entities, including landlords, direct service providers, and
56	56	housing authorities.
57	57	(e) A local governmental entity selected by the department
58	58	to administer the program may provide financial and other forms of
59	59	assistance, not to exceed a total value of $3,500 per household, to
60	60	cover the qualified costs of individuals and families described by
61	61	Subsection (b) who are recipients of assistance provided through
62	62	the housing choice voucher program authorized under Section 8,
63	63	United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. Section 1437f), or
64	64	another federal, state, or local housing voucher program.
65	65	(f) Qualified costs under Subsection (e):
66	66	(1) must include costs associated with a program
67	67	participant's initial housing search, including:
68	68	(A) the identification and visitation of
69	69	residential units that meet the participant's needs, including any
70	70	disability-related needs; and
71	71	(B) assistance with the completion of rental
72	72	applications and forms;
73	73	(2) may include other tenant-related costs associated
74	74	with obtaining housing, including:
75	75	(A) the payment of a holding fee required by a
76	76	landlord after a tenant's application has been accepted but before
77	77	the tenant's lease is signed;
78	78	(B) the provision of security deposit
79	79	assistance, provided that the deposit does not exceed the lesser
80	80	of:
81	81	(i) two months' rent;
82	82	(ii) the maximum security deposit allowed
83	83	under applicable state or local law; or
84	84	(iii) the actual security deposit required
85	85	by the landlord;
86	86	(C) assistance in obtaining utility services,
87	87	including any required deposit or the payment of arrears owed to a
88	88	utility service provider;
89	89	(D) the payment of initial moving expenses;
90	90	(E) the purchase of essential household items;
91	91	(F) renter's insurance; and
92	92	(G) the creation of a customized plan to address
93	93	or mitigate barriers a program participant may encounter in
94	94	attempting to obtain housing; and
95	95	(3) may include landlord-related incentives,
96	96	including:
97	97	(A) payments to a landlord who provides housing
98	98	under the program; and
99	99	(B) the payment of a landlord's costs associated
100	100	with any inspection or pre-inspection necessary to allow a
101	101	residential unit to be used in the program.
102	102	(g) Not later than January 1, 2030, the department shall
103	103	submit to the legislature a report documenting the outcomes of the
104	104	pilot program. The report must include:
105	105	(1) demographic information relating to program
106	106	participants, including identifiable demographic trends;
107	107	(2) a summary of the use of the financial assistance
108	108	provided under the program;
109	109	(3) an analysis of housing outcomes for program
110	110	participants, including:
111	111	(A) the period for which a program participant
112	112	remained in the residential unit that was the focus of the initial
113	113	assistance provided under the program; and
114	114	(B) any other known housing outcomes associated
115	115	with program participants;
116	116	(4) a summary of the experiences of the local
117	117	governmental entities that administered the program, and those
118	118	entities' suggested improvements to the program; and
119	119	(5) an analysis of the program's success in serving
120	120	individuals and families living in rural areas of the state.
121	121	(h) The department shall adopt rules necessary to
122	122	administer the pilot program. Rules adopted under this section
123	123	must establish eligibility requirements for participation in the
124	124	program.
125	125	(i) This section expires September 1, 2030.
126	126	SECTION 2. Section 394.003(13), Local Government Code, is
127	127	amended to read as follows:
128	128	(13) "Residential development" means the acquisition,
129	129	construction, reconstruction, rehabilitation, repair, alteration,
130	130	improvement, or extension of any of the following items or any
131	131	combination of the following items for the purpose of providing
132	132	decent, safe, and sanitary housing and nonhousing facilities that
133	133	are an integral part of or are functionally related to any
134	134	affordable housing project, whether in one or multiple locations,
135	135	including any facilities used for the purpose of delivering tenant
136	136	services[, as defined by Section 2306.254, Government Code]:
137	137	(A) land, an interest in land, a building or
138	138	other structure, facility, system, fixture, improvement, addition,
139	139	appurtenance, or machinery or other equipment;
140	140	(B) real or personal property considered
141	141	necessary in connection with an item described by Paragraph (A); or
142	142	(C) real or personal property or improvements
143	143	functionally related and subordinate to an item described by
144	144	Paragraph (A).
145	145	SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.