SENATE, No. 1430
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
221st LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2024 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Senator ANGELA V. MCKNIGHT
District 31 (Hudson)
Senator TROY SINGLETON
District 7 (Burlington)
Co-Sponsored by:
Senator Burgess
SYNOPSIS
Provides for expanded use of affordable housing voucher program funding.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As reported by the Senate Community and Urban Affairs Committee on January 25, 2024, with amendments.
An Act concerning use of affordable housing vouchers for homeownership expenses, amending P.L.2004, c.140, and supplementing P.L.1992, c.79 (C.40A:12A-1 et seq.).
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. Section 1 of P.L.2004, c.140 (C.52:27D-287.1) is amended to read as follows:
1. The Commissioner of Community Affairs shall establish a 1State1 rental assistance program for low income individuals or households. This program shall be in addition to and supplement any existing programs established pursuant to the "Prevention of Homelessness Act (1984)," P.L.1984, c.180 (C.52:27D-280 et al.).
a. The program shall provide rental assistance grants comparable to the federal section 8 program, but shall be available only to State residents who are not currently holders of federal section 8 vouchers.
b. Assistance to an individual or household under the State program shall be terminated upon the award of federal section 8 rental assistance to the same individual or household.
c. The program shall reserve a portion of the grants for assistance to senior citizens aged 62 or older who otherwise meet the criteria of subsection a. of this section.
d. The program shall reserve a portion of the grants for assistance to veterans who have successfully completed the Veterans Transitional Housing Program, or "Veterans Haven," a vocational and transitional housing program for homeless veterans administered by the New Jersey Department of Military and Veterans' Affairs.
e. The program shall reserve a portion of the funds available to it for tenant-based vouchers to veterans, other than those veterans eligible for assistance pursuant to subsection d. of this section.
f. The program shall reserve a portion of the funds available to it to establish and administer a program comparable to the federal section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Homeownership Program, authorized pursuant to Subpart M of Part 982 of Title 24 of the Code of Federal Regulations, to enable a household to use a program voucher to buy a home 1[and receive monthly assistance in meeting homeownership expenses] by providing monthly homeownership assistance or a single down payment assistance grant.
g. The program shall reserve a portion of the funds available to it to establish and administer a program comparable to the federal Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Family Self-Sufficiency Program, authorized pursuant to Section 1437u of Title 42 of the Code of Federal Regulations, to help families achieve economic independence and reduce dependence on welfare assistance and rental subsidies.
h. The program shall reserve a portion of the funds available to it to establish and administer a Home Repair Emergency Assistance Fund, to assist families with costs of necessary home repairs and other homeownership expenses over the course of their participation1.
(cf: P.L.2017, c.29, s.1)
2. (New section) A housing authority created or continued pursuant to the "Local Redevelopment and Housing Law," P.L.1992, c.79 (C.40A:12A-1 et seq.), that administers funding through the federal section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program, shall use a portion of the funds available to it to implement the Housing Choice Voucher Homeownership Program, established pursuant to Subpart M of Part 982 of Title 24 of the Code of Federal Regulations, to enable a household to use a program voucher to buy a home 1[and receive monthly assistance in meeting homeownership expenses] by providing monthly homeownership assistance or a single down payment assistance grant, or shall utilize the federal section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Portability Program to allow households to transfer to the Department of Community Affairs federal section 8 Housing Choice Voucher program to participate in the Homeownership program established by subsection f. of section 1 of P.L.2004, c.140 (C.52:27D-287.1)1.
3. On or before the first day of the sixth month next following enactment of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill), the Commissioner of Community Affairs shall, pursuant to the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52: 14B-1 et seq.), adopt rules and regulations to implement P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill).
4. This act shall take effect on the first day of the sixth month next following enactment, but the commissioner may take anticipatory action necessary to effectuate the purposes of the act prior to that date.