Initiatives For State Action on
Affordable Housing in 2009

Protect the ability of non-profit organizations with federal tax-exempt charitable status to rent condos and/or townhouses that they own in order to provide affordable housing.

Passed House 103-7.

Passed Senate Judiciary Committee 5/5/09.

Enhance municipal authority to address the foreclosure crisis by providing municipalities with tools to mitigate the impact of abandoned properties on their communities.

• Provide municipalities and the state with better information about foreclosures, including contact information for responsible parties.
• Speed the transfer of vacant, abandoned property so that they can be returned more quickly to productive use.
• Provide municipalities additional tools to require that responsible parties perform and pay for basic property maintenance.

The legislation would require that mortgage servicers provide municipalities notice when foreclosure proceedings are initiated, authorize municipalities to create land banks, and allow municipalities to recoup the costs of vacant and abandoned property maintenance by giving municipal liens for such maintenance greater priority in mortgage foreclosure proceedings.

HB 1195 passed House 112-2. On second reading in Senate.

SB 2101 on 3rd reading in Senate (with extended deadline).

Provide additional notice to renters in buildings where a foreclosure had been filed and/or completed. Require that rent be accepted and properties be maintained during and after completion of foreclosure. Provide additional protections and time for renters facing eviction.

HB 3863 passed House 98-12. On second reading in Senate.

Creates the Foreclosure Prevention Counseling Fund to make grants to HUD-certified housing counseling agencies to support pre-purchase and post-purchase home ownership education and foreclosure prevention counseling. SB 268 was amended to make the fund subject to appropriations and/or identification of dedicated funding source. (It had previously been written to be funded by a surcharge on the annual license fee for certain mortgage brokerage companies.)

Passed Senate. In House Executive Committee.

Secure $100 million annual allocation in the capital budget for the creation and preservation of affordable housing.

Proposed budget includes one-time allocation of $25 million

Advocate for $12.4 million in funding for the Emergency Food and Shelter Program for FY10.

Proposed budget flat funds program at $9.1 million

Advocate for $3 million in funding in the FY10 budget for supportive housing.

Proposed budget flat funds program at $21.6 million