HF 4556

as introduced - 93rd Legislature (2023 - 2024) Posted on 03/21/2024 03:43pm

A bill for an act
relating to housing; implementing recommendations of the Workgroup on
Expediting Rental Assistance for improving application approval times for the
family homelessness prevention and assistance program, the emergency assistance
program, and emergency general assistance; requiring reports; proposing coding
for new law in Minnesota Statutes, chapter 462A.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

Section 1.

new text begin [462A.2096] ANNUAL PROJECTION OF EMERGENCY RENTAL
ASSISTANCE NEEDS.
new text end

new text begin The agency must develop a projection of emergency rental assistance needs in
consultation with the commissioner of human services and representatives from county and
Tribal housing administrators and housing nonprofit agencies. The projection must identify
the amount of funding required to meet all emergency rental assistance needs, including
the family homelessness prevention and assistance program, the emergency assistance
program, and emergency general assistance. By January 15 each year, the commissioner
must submit a report on the projected need for emergency rental assistance to the chairs and
ranking minority members of the legislative committees having jurisdiction over housing
and human services finance and policy.
new text end

Sec. 2.

new text begin [462A.2098] PROVIDING INFORMATION ON RENTAL HOUSING.
new text end

new text begin The agency shall regularly provide information to emergency rental assistance program
providers and to rental property owners that connect renters to state and federal programs
that help renters stay stably housed. The agency shall leverage existing programs and
resources in providing information under this section.
new text end

Sec. 3. new text begin DATA COLLECTION TO MEASURE TIMELINESS OF RENTAL
ASSISTANCE.
new text end

new text begin The commissioner of the Minnesota Housing Finance Agency, working with the
commissioner of human services and county housing administrators, must develop criteria
for measuring the timeliness of processing emergency rental assistance applications, and
collect data to monitor application processing speeds. Programs to be monitored include
family homelessness prevention and assistance, emergency assistance, and emergency
general assistance. The commissioners of the Minnesota Housing Finance Agency and
human services must use the data collected to inform improvements to emergency rental
assistance application processing systems. By January 15, 2027, the commissioner of the
Minnesota Housing Finance Agency must submit a report to the chairs and ranking minority
members of the legislative committees having jurisdiction over housing and human services
finance and policy. The report must include analysis of the data collected and whether goals
have been met to (1) process an emergency rental assistance application within two weeks
of receipt of a complete application, and (2) if approved, make payment to a landlord within
30 days of receipt of a complete rental assistance application.
new text end

Sec. 4. new text begin DIRECTION TO COMMISSIONER OF HUMAN SERVICES; MAXIS
MODIFICATIONS.
new text end

new text begin The commissioner of human services must make modifications to the MAXIS system
to ensure it has greater flexibility in issuing assistance payments while maintaining controls
to monitor and prevent inaccurate, unnecessary, or fraudulent payments. The commissioner
must identify gaps and plan modifications as needed to fulfill the stated goals in this bill.
new text end

Sec. 5. new text begin DIRECTION TO COMMISSIONERS OF HUMAN SERVICES AND THE
MINNESOTA HOUSING FINANCE AGENCY; EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE
PROGRAM MODIFICATIONS.
new text end

new text begin The commissioners of human services and the Minnesota Housing Finance Agency must
develop program recommendations for emergency rental assistance that have the flexibility
to provide relief for crises within a time frame that corresponds to the emergency and that
are simple enough for applicants to understand across all emergency rental assistance
programs. In the development of these recommendations, the commissioners must:
new text end

new text begin (1) recognize differences between administrative and legislative authority and propose
legislative changes to the definition of emergency general assistance;
new text end

new text begin (2) adopt policies and practices that prioritize easy-to-understand eligibility criteria and
definitions that prioritize accessible, humanizing approaches when assisting persons through
a crisis; and
new text end

new text begin (3) develop guidance to emergency rental assistance program administrators that
encourage the program administrators to be flexible with the required forms of documentation
for the program and to avoid establishing documentation requirements that are likely to be
barriers to participation in emergency rental assistance for eligible households.
new text end

Sec. 6. new text begin DIRECTION TO COMMISSIONERS OF HUMAN SERVICES AND THE
MINNESOTA HOUSING FINANCE AGENCY; EXPAND OUTREACH AND
CONSOLIDATE PROGRAM INFORMATION.
new text end

new text begin (a) The commissioners of human services and the Minnesota Housing Finance Agency,
in consultation with counties and nonprofit community partners, must develop and implement
strategies that expand outreach to community members to increase awareness of emergency
rental assistance availability and how persons can apply for assistance.
new text end

new text begin (b) The commissioners of human services and the Minnesota Housing Finance Agency
must create a resource that consolidates program requirements for emergency assistance,
emergency general assistance, and family homeless prevention assistance in one location
that potential applicants can utilize to ensure they are able to apply for assistance as early
as possible. The commissioners must develop a process to ensure updates are made to the
resource created under this section as program changes are implemented.
new text end

Sec. 7. new text begin E-SIGNATURE OPTIONS FOR RENTAL ASSISTANCE.
new text end

new text begin The commissioner of the Minnesota Housing Finance Agency and the commissioner of
human services shall develop uniform e-signature options to be used in applications for
emergency general assistance, emergency assistance, and family homeless prevention and
assistance program assistance. No later than June 30, 2026, the commissioners shall require
administrators of the emergency general assistance, emergency assistance, and family
homeless prevention and assistance program to incorporate and implement the developed
e-signature options.
new text end

Sec. 8. new text begin LANGUAGE ACCESS IN APPLICATIONS FOR RENTAL ASSISTANCE.
new text end

new text begin The commissioner of the Minnesota Housing Finance Agency and the commissioner of
human services shall research state and federal laws and regulations to determine language
access standards applying to the organizations' emergency general assistance, emergency
assistance, and family homelessness prevention and assistance programs and shall ensure
compliance with all applicable language access requirements. The commissioners shall
identify specific languages into which program materials could be translated to improve
access to emergency general assistance, emergency assistance, and family homeless
prevention and assistance program assistance and shall translate the materials into the
identified languages. The commissioners shall develop and implement a plan to translate
any website applications for emergency general assistance, emergency assistance, and family
homeless prevention and assistance program assistance into multilingual website applications.
The commissioners shall identify funding needs to improve their organizations' language
access and any available funding sources. The commissioner of the Minnesota Housing
Finance Agency shall provide technical assistance and support to family homeless prevention
and assistance program grantees to ensure grantees meet language access standards.
new text end

Sec. 9. new text begin PROMOTING ADEQUATE FUNDING FOR PROCESSING EMERGENCY
ASSISTANCE APPLICATIONS; DIRECTION TO COMMISSIONER.
new text end

new text begin (a) The commissioner of human services, in consultation with county and Tribal human
services agencies, the Minnesota Association of County Social Services Administrators,
the Minnesota Tribal Collaborative, and other stakeholders shall identify and evaluate
strategies to promote adequate funding for processing emergency rental assistance
applications. The commissioner shall:
new text end

new text begin (1) evaluate state and federal reimbursement for administrative support staff;
new text end

new text begin (2) determine adequate compensation for processors based on objective data such as
market studies or livable wage markers;
new text end

new text begin (3) determine if state funding increases are necessary to process emergency rental
assistance applications in a timely manner; and
new text end

new text begin (4) establish a process to determine an equitable funding formula that is adjustable as
needed.
new text end

new text begin (b) The commissioner shall report the results of the evaluation of funding for processing
emergency assistance applications and any related recommendations to the chairs and
ranking minority members of the legislative committees with jurisdiction over emergency
assistance by January 1, 2026. The report must also include any draft legislation necessary
to implement the recommendations.
new text end

Sec. 10. new text begin RECOMMENDATIONS FOR A CENTRALIZED RENTAL ASSISTANCE
APPLICATION SYSTEM.
new text end

new text begin Subdivision 1. new text end

new text begin Development of new emergency rental assistance application
system. new text end

new text begin The commissioner of human services, in collaboration with the commissioner of
the Minnesota Housing Finance Agency and the commissioner of information technology
services, must develop a recommendation for a new centralized emergency rental assistance
application system that will be administered by the state and be available statewide to all
emergency rental assistance providers to process emergency rental assistance applications.
The commissioner shall consult with various emergency rental assistance providers
throughout the state in making recommendations under this section.
new text end

new text begin Subd. 2. new text end

new text begin New system requirements. new text end

new text begin The emergency rental assistance application system
must:
new text end

new text begin (1) be a centralized system operated by the Department of Human Services;
new text end

new text begin (2) be able to integrate with existing emergency rental assistance application systems;
new text end

new text begin (3) serve as a single application portal into multiple state emergency rental assistance
programs;
new text end

new text begin (4) be flexible, scalable, and customizable;
new text end

new text begin (5) serve as a single source for agencies to view applications and supporting
documentation; and
new text end

new text begin (6) allow applicants to view their documentation and the status of their applications.
new text end

new text begin Subd. 3. new text end

new text begin Cost estimate. new text end

new text begin The commissioner of human services shall consult with other
individuals that have expertise in statewide data systems and shall put together a cost estimate
for the emergency rental assistance application system.
new text end

new text begin Subd. 4. new text end

new text begin Report to legislature. new text end

new text begin The commissioner of human services shall submit a
report by January 15, 2027, to the chairs and ranking minority members of the legislative
committees with jurisdiction over housing and human services finance and policy. The
report shall include proposed timelines, a sample request for a proposal with technical
specifications, and cost estimates for a new emergency rental assistance application system
under this section. The report must also include any draft legislation necessary to implement
the application system.
new text end

Sec. 11. new text begin VERIFICATION PROCEDURES FOR RENTAL ASSISTANCE.
new text end

new text begin (a) The commissioner of the Minnesota Housing Finance Agency and the commissioner
of human services shall consult with local officials to develop recommendations aimed at
simplifying the process of verifying the information in applications for emergency general
assistance, emergency assistance, and family homeless prevention and assistance program
assistance. In developing recommendations, the commissioners must consider:
new text end

new text begin (1) allowing self-attestation of emergencies, assets, and income;
new text end

new text begin (2) allowing verbal authorization by applicants to allow emergency rental assistance
administrators to communicate with landlords and utility providers regarding applications
for assistance; and
new text end

new text begin (3) allowing landlords to apply for emergency rental assistance on tenants' behalf.
new text end

new text begin (b) The commissioners must:
new text end

new text begin (1) prepare recommendations by January 1, 2025;
new text end

new text begin (2) adopt any recommendations by July 1, 2025; and
new text end

new text begin (3) provide technical assistance to counties, Tribes, and other emergency rental assistance
administrators to implement these recommendations.
new text end