HBA-GUM H.B. 3609 76(R)    BILL ANALYSIS


Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 3609
By: Burnam
Urban Affairs
4/12/1999
Introduced



BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE 

The Section 8 rental voucher and rental certificate programs administered
by the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs (department) are
the federal government's major programs for assisting very low-income
families, the elderly, and the disabled to rent housing in the private
market.  As a result of the expiration of low-income housing use
restrictions, thousands of units of multi-family housing in Texas are at
risk of being lost as affordable housing.  H.B. 3609 directs the department
to contact property owners participating in the Section 8 program whose
contracts have expired or soon will expire and to attempt to restructure
those contracts. 

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that this bill does
not expressly delegate any additional rulemaking authority to a state
officer, department, agency, or institution. 

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1.  Requires the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs,
under the authority granted by the contract with the United States
Department of Housing and Urban Development under the Multifamily Assisted
Housing Reform and Affordability Act of 1997 (Title 5, Pub. L. No. 105-65),
to contact and attempt to restructure the contracts of owners of property
who have contracted to provide housing assistance under Section 8, United
States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. Section 1437 et seq.) and whose
contracts have expired or soon will expire, to ensure permanent
affordability under the Section 8 housing assistance program for those
properties. 

SECTION 2.  Emergency clause.
  Effective date: upon passage.