| |
|
| |
| THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA |
| |
| HOUSE BILL |
|
| |
| |
| INTRODUCED BY BARRAR, BAKER, D. COSTA, CREIGHTON, DENLINGER, GEIST, GRELL, GROVE, HORNAMAN, KOTIK, MICCARELLI, MOUL, MUNDY, MURT, O'NEILL, ROCK, SIPTROTH AND VULAKOVICH, FEBRUARY 2, 2010 |
| |
| |
| REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE, FEBRUARY 2, 2010 |
| |
| |
| |
| AN ACT |
| |
1 | Amending the act of December 3, 1959 (P.L.1688, No.621), |
2 | entitled, as amended, "An act to promote the health, safety |
3 | and welfare of the people of the Commonwealth by broadening |
4 | the market for housing for persons and families of low and |
5 | moderate income and alleviating shortages thereof, and by |
6 | assisting in the provision of housing for elderly persons |
7 | through the creation of the Pennsylvania Housing Finance |
8 | Agency as a public corporation and government |
9 | instrumentality; providing for the organization, membership |
10 | and administration of the agency, prescribing its general |
11 | powers and duties and the manner in which its funds are kept |
12 | and audited, empowering the agency to make housing loans to |
13 | qualified mortgagors upon the security of insured and |
14 | uninsured mortgages, defining qualified mortgagors and |
15 | providing for priorities among tenants in certain instances, |
16 | prescribing interest rates and other terms of housing loans, |
17 | permitting the agency to acquire real or personal property, |
18 | permitting the agency to make agreements with financial |
19 | institutions and Federal agencies, providing for the purchase |
20 | by persons of low and moderate income of housing units, and |
21 | approving the sale of housing units, permitting the agency to |
22 | sell housing loans, providing for the promulgation of |
23 | regulations and forms by the agency, prescribing penalties |
24 | for furnishing false information, empowering the agency to |
25 | borrow money upon its own credit by the issuance and sale of |
26 | bonds and notes and by giving security therefor, permitting |
27 | the refunding, redemption and purchase of such obligations by |
28 | the agency, prescribing remedies of holders of such bonds and |
29 | notes, exempting bonds and notes of the agency, the income |
30 | therefrom, and the income and revenues of the agency from |
31 | taxation, except transfer, death and gift taxes; making such |
32 | bonds and notes legal investments for certain purposes; and |
|
1 | indicating how the act shall become effective," further |
2 | providing for agency powers. |
3 | The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania |
4 | hereby enacts as follows: |
5 | Section 1. Section 205 of the act of December 3, 1959 |
6 | (P.L.1688, No.621), known as the Housing Finance Agency Law, is |
7 | amended by adding a clause to read: |
8 | Section 205. Agency Powers.--The agency shall have the |
9 | following powers: |
10 | * * * |
11 | (22) To train and certify counseling personnel as necessary |
12 | to administer the provisions of this act. The following shall |
13 | apply: |
14 | (i) The agency shall certify counseling personnel for each |
15 | counseling program it operates or reimburses another entity to |
16 | operate. Individuals not certified by the agency shall not |
17 | provide counseling services that are directly or indirectly |
18 | funded by the agency. |
19 | (ii) The agency shall keep a record of all persons that it |
20 | certifies to provide counseling services. The record shall be |
21 | subject to the provisions of the act of February 14, 2008 |
22 | (P.L.6, No.3), known as the "Right-to-Know Law." |
23 | (iii) The agency shall adopt guidelines for each counseling |
24 | program it operates or reimburses another entity to operate. The |
25 | guidelines shall include criteria for relevant training and |
26 | precertification examinations, as well as any other criteria for |
27 | certification the agency may require. The agency may develop |
28 | precertification training courses and examinations, or it may |
29 | contract with any outside entity to do so in accordance with |
30 | agency guidelines. |
31 | (iv) The agency shall require a minimum of ten hours of |
|
1 | precertification training for each counselor it certifies and a |
2 | minimum ten hours annually of continuing education. If a |
3 | counselor certified by the agency fails to complete continuing |
4 | education as required by law or agency guidelines, the agency |
5 | shall rescind certification. |
6 | (v) The agency shall refuse to certify an individual unless |
7 | that individual has passed a precertification examination to the |
8 | satisfaction of the agency. |
9 | (vi) The agency shall review the criminal history of each |
10 | applicant for counseling certification, and it may refuse to |
11 | certify any applicant in accordance with 18 Pa.C.S. § 9124 |
12 | (relating to use of records by licensing agencies). |
13 | (vii) The agency may require an applicant for counseling |
14 | certification or the applicant's employer to obtain the |
15 | applicant's criminal history record from the Pennsylvania State |
16 | Police or the agency may require the applicant or the |
17 | applicant's employer to reimburse the agency for such costs the |
18 | agency may incur when obtaining the applicant's criminal history |
19 | record from the Pennsylvania State Police. |
20 | Section 2. This act shall take effect in 60 days. |
|