85R14152 JAM-D
 
  By: Alvarado H.B. No. 3685
 
 
 
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 
AN ACT
  relating to the administration of the low income housing tax credit
  program by the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs.
         BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
         SECTION 1.  Section 2306.67022, Government Code, is amended
  to read as follows:
         Sec. 2306.67022.  QUALIFIED ALLOCATION PLAN; MANUAL.  (a)  
  At least biennially, the board shall adopt a qualified allocation
  plan and a corresponding manual to provide information regarding
  the administration of and eligibility for the low income housing
  tax credit program.  The board may adopt the plan and manual
  annually, as considered appropriate by the board.
         (b)  The department shall ensure that a qualified allocation
  plan adopted under this section complies with all federal and state
  fair housing laws and may not implement a qualified allocation plan
  or a component of that plan in a manner that does not comply with
  those laws.
         SECTION 2.  Section 2306.6710(a), Government Code, is
  amended to read as follows:
         (a)  In evaluating an application, the department shall
  determine whether the application satisfies the threshold criteria
  required by the board in the qualified allocation plan. The
  department shall reject and return to the applicant any application
  that fails to satisfy the threshold criteria. On rejection and
  return of an application under this subsection, the department
  shall include an explanation of the reason the application fails to
  satisfy the threshold criteria. 
         SECTION 3.  The change in law made by this Act applies only
  to an application for low income housing tax credits that is
  submitted to the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs
  during an application cycle that is based on the 2018 qualified
  allocation plan or a subsequent plan adopted by the governing board
  of the department. An application that is submitted during an
  application cycle that is based on an earlier qualified allocation
  plan is governed by the law in effect on the date the application
  cycle began, and the former law is continued in effect for that
  purpose.
         SECTION 4.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2017.