89th Legislature: Bills filed relating to affordable housing
Several bills filed for the 89th Legislature seek to address affordable housing issues within the state of Texas, including ones that would require certain cities to publish lists of properties they own.
As defined by the state, affordable housing means “residential property for which monthly rents or monthly mortgage payments, including taxes, insurance, and utilities, do not exceed 30 percent of the median adjusted gross annual income for a household with a total annual adjusted gross household income of less than 120 percent of the greater of the median annual adjusted gross income.”
SB 583, filed by state Sen. Royce West (D-Dallas) would require municipalities of more than 25,000 and counties of more than 50,000 to publish an annual list of properties they own that are “suitable for use [or development for use] as affordable housing.”
As an example, a recent simple search of the Ellis Appraisal District’s online database indicated the following:
• Ellis County (pop. 222,829) – 65 listings under “ELLIS COUNTY OF”
• city of Midlothian (pop. 41,352) – 27 listings under “CITY OF MIDLOTHIAN” and 106 under “MIDLOTHIAN CITY OF”
• city of Waxahachie (pop. 47,201)– 149 listings under “CITY OF WAXAHACHIE” and nine under “WAXAHACHIE CITY OF”
The above listings range from properties used by the respective governments for their own purposes to vacant lots they’ve acquired. The above numbers do not include the cities of Midlothian and Waxahachie’s joint ownership of two properties relating to Midway Regional Airport.
Under the bill, each affected entity would have to annually review its property listings for affordable housing potential and then publish that list on its website.
Under HB 385 (Ray Lopez, D-Bexar County), municipalities would each compile a listing of affordable housing options to include information on voucher-eligible, public housing, service-enriched, and certain rental units. While the bill is directed toward municipalities of 1.3 million or less that qualify for community development block grants, other municipalities could choose to participate. The municipalities would submit their data to the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs for its use in setting up a statewide database.
Examples of the information to be collected include:
• unit type
• monthly rent
• estimated monthly cost of basic utilities (not included in the rent)
• eligibility requirements, including income restrictions
• length of waiting list
• any social services provided to tenants
• distance to essential services, including public transit stops, public schools, community health centers, emergency medical facilities, public safety facilities, community centers, food retailers
• distance to public community spaces, including parks and playgrounds,
• contact information for the unit to include a telephone number, mailing address, and e-mail
HB 1608 (Josey Garcia, D-Bexar County) would establish a veterans’ land bank program under the Texas State Affordable Housing Corporation. If passed, the effort would assist veterans who are members of low-income households.
HB 158 (Richard Raymond, D-Laredo) would conduct a study on the use of surplus government property to provide housing for veterans and low-income families. The study would assess the availability of properties, their feasibility of development, and the identification of funding sources.
HB 714 (Armando Walle, D-Houston) would establish a Texas Tenant Readiness and Landlord Incentive Pilot Program under the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs that would focus on rural areas and populations experiencing homelessness or housing instability. It would provide up to $3,500 of assistance per household, with the pilot program running for five years. SB 337 (Sarah Eckhardt, D-Travis County) is a companion bill.
Other bills filed relating to affordable housing include:
• SB 653 (Royce West, D-Dallas) – relating to a refund of sales and use taxes paid on the purchase or use of building materials used to construct certain subsidized housing.
• HB 211 (Diego Bernal, D-San Antonio) – relating to the evaluation of applications for certain financial assistance administered by the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs.
• SB 368 (Sarah Eckhardt, D-Travis County) – relating to certain occupancy preferences given by developments supported with a low-income housing tax credit allocation.
• HB 2016 (John Bucy, D-Austin) – relating to the establishment of the housing Texas fund to be administered by the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs.
The deadline for lawmakers to file a bill for the 89th Legislature is Friday, March 14.
Compiled by Jo Ann Livingston/ITKE.
