Legislative Session number- 82

Bill Name: SF1837

E Relating to housing ARTICLE 1 PROGRAM CONSOLIDATIONConsolidating supportive
housing related programs into the housing trust fund program; modifying a
certain provision providing for housing finance agency grants for low income
housing, requiring the housing trust fund account to be used for the benefit of
certain low income persons and families and rental assistance to be provided by
governmental units administering housing assistance supplements or by for-profit
or nonprofit organizations experienced in housing management, specifying certain
limits and priorities; reducing the frequency of and expanding the content
requirements for the HFA report to the governor and legislature on the account;
changing the full cycle home ownership services program to the homeownership
education, counseling and training program and expanding program services and
eligibility criteria, requiring the HFA to consider certain criteria in
selecting organizations eligible for the funds, requiring designated program
areas, communities or neighborhoods, providing for assistance and counseling to
prevent mortgage foreclosures or cancellations of contracts for deed, requiring
annual nonprofit organization reports to the agency and agency reports to the
legislature; authorizing the HFA to spend money from the housing development
fund for the economic development and housing challenge program and expanding
the purposes of the grant and loan program, providing for gap financing,
eliminating certain preference requirements and modifying certain income limits;
repealing the housing trust fund account advisory committee, the mortgage
foreclosure prevention and emergency rental assistance and entry cost home
ownership opportunity programs and certain provisions under the economic
development and housing challenge program ARTICLE 2 MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS
Authorizing the housing finance agency (HFA) to waive certain requirements
relating to renting housing units to low income persons in certain smaller
developments occupied by the owner; lengthening a certain rehabilitation loan
forgiveness time limit; authorizing aggregation of investment earnings in the
housing development fund and authorizing costs and expenses relating to the
development and operation of programs funded by state appropriations to be paid
from the aggregated earnings before periodic distributions of earnings to
separate accounts; clarifying certain elements of the rental housing assistance
(bridges) program, authorizing project based rental assistance; authorizing the
agency to spend money from the housing development fund for the family
stabilization demonstration project; expanding eligibility for the Bruce F.
Vento year 2000 affordable housing program relating to the loss of eligibility
for the Minnesota family investment program (MFIP) ARTICLE 3 TECHNICAL AND
CONFORMING CHANGESMaking conforming amendments to certain provisions under the
Minnesota housing finance agency law of 1971; requiring new construction of
single family homes, duplexes, triplexes and multilevel townhouses financed in
whole or in part by the HFA to incorporate basic visitability access into the
design and construction, defining visitability, authorizing HFA waiver of the
design requirements under certain conditions; repealing certain redundant
definitions (ra, ja)