Housing Committee
AN ACT TRANSFERRING CERTAIN POWERS AND FUNCTIONS OF THE DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMIC AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT TO THE DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING
SUMMARY: This act transfers various housing-related powers from the Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD) commissioner to the Department of Housing (DOH) commissioner.
It also makes a technical change allowing the DECD commissioner to continue delegating her powers.
EFFECTIVE DATE: October 1, 2014, except for the provisions concerning grants to nonprofit housing organizations, which are effective July 1, 2014.
TRANSFERRED POWERS
The act authorizes the DOH commissioner, rather than the DECD commissioner, to (1) award grants to nonprofit housing organizations to plan, develop, construct, and manage housing developments and (2) adopt regulations concerning such grants.
It also transfers, from the DECD commissioner to the DOH commissioner, the authority to, among other things:
1. accept federal and state grants;
2. defer payments due on a loan made by DOH that is, or may become, delinquent, subject to the State Bond Commission's approval;
3. acquire and convey, or place in a DOH program, state-financed housing owned by a legally dissolved developer;
4. operate and accept state and federal funds on behalf of, or to operate, housing projects that the state acquires to preserve its interest under the contract that initially funded it;
5. enter into contracts on housing authorities' behalf, for state-financed projects;
6. provide technical assistance to public housing authorities;
7. collect information on public housing projects;
8. study, and develop plans to meet, housing needs;
9. study public housing financing options; and
10. adopt regulations to carry out the department's purposes.
BACKGROUND
Department of Housing
In 2012, legislation established DOH and made it the lead state agency responsible for all housing matters, including housing and neighborhood policy, development, redevelopment, preservation, maintenance, and improvement. PA 13-234 transferred many housing-related responsibilities to DOH from DECD, the Office of Policy and Management, and the Department of Social Services.
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