HBA-JEK H.B. 3206 77(R) BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 3206 By: Turner, Sylvester Urban Affairs 4/2/2001 Introduced BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE The United States Congress created the Section 8 program in 1974 in an effort to help poor, elderly, and disabled people rent decent housing in locations of their choice. In Texas, the Section 8 program is the primary affordable housing program and is offered through the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs (TDHCA). Though the Section 8 certificate and voucher programs were merged in October, 1999 to give tenants more choice regarding their living locations, Texas voucher holders face fewer housing choices today because the low apartment vacancy rates in many of the state's cities have resulted in fewer landlords accepting the vouchers. House Bill 3206 prohibits multifamily rental housing developments funded or administered by TDHCA from excluding an individual or family from admission to the development for participating in the housing Section 8 voucher program. 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. ANALYSIS House Bill 3206 amends the Government Code to require the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs (TDHCA) to prohibit multifamily rental housing developments funded or administered by TDHCA from excluding an individual or family from admission to the development because of participation in the housing choice voucher program under Section 8 of the United States Housing Act of 1937. The bill also requires TDHCA to prohibit multifamily rental housing developments from using a financial or minimum income standard that requires an individual or family in the Section 8 voucher program to have a monthly income of more than 2-1/2 times the individual's or family's share of the total monthly rent. EFFECTIVE DATE September 1, 2001.