AN ACT REESTABLISHING THE DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING.

The bill reestablishes the Department of Housing (DOH), removes all housing related matters from the jurisdiction of the Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD), and makes DOH the lead agency on all housing matters. The bill makes DOH the successor agency to the Department of Commerce and the Department of Community Affairs. DECD is currently the successor.

A commissioner heads the department. He or she has the same powers and duties of other department heads, including the power to organize the department, employ staff, enter contracts, and adopt regulations. The bill also specifies other powers of the DOH commissioner.

The bill makes conforming changes by specifying that the terms “commissioner of housing” and “department of housing” should replace the terms “commissioner of economic and community development” and “department of economic and community development” when the latter appear in the general statutes related to housing.

1. ensuring there is adequate affordable housing and overseeing housing programs;

2. overseeing the affordable housing land use appeals procedure (CGS §8-30g);

3. administering urban action bonds for housing projects not exceeding $ 3 million;

4. monitoring progress of the public and private sectors toward meeting housing needs, and collecting and publishing state housing production data;

5. preparing, with the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority (CHFA), a long-range state housing plan that conforms with, and is subject to, the state plan of conservation and development;

6. working with regional planning agencies, regional and local governments, and housing authorities to coordinate housing policy and activities;

7. coordinating state programs related to housing, including a review of CHFA's annual housing plan;

8. conducting research activities, such as examining housing needs;

9. developing model ordinances for land development;

10. with the approval of the Office of Policy Management secretary, the public works commissioner, and the State Properties Review Board, selling, exchanging, leasing, or entering into agreements concerning real property under its custody or control and buying, selling, or leasing federal properties;

11. overseeing disposition of public housing and housing authority housing that received state funds;

12. developing and maintaining an inventory of all assisted housing in the state;

13. ensuring that the fewest amount of people residing in any single-family or multifamily housing are involuntarily displaced due to any housing or community development project or economic development project receiving state financial assistance under any program the DOH commissioner administers under state law; and

14. requiring a residential anti-displacement and relocation plan for anyone applying for financial assistance for housing or community development project or economic development project from DOH.

Under the bill, the DOH commissioner, in addition to oversight of DOH activities, has a seat on the following:

PA 95-250 combined the former Housing and Community Development departments, creating DECD.