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87th Texas Legislative Priorities

TAAHP is a trade organization whose members’ finance and/or develop affordable housing around the state of Texas. A key program used to finance affordable housing developments is the Housing Tax Credit (HTC) Program (formerly called Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC)). The following priorities regard the HTC application process or HTC properties in place.

The Texas 87th Legislature commenced on January 12th, 2021 and will run for 140 days, ending May 31st, 2021. See the significant dates, listed from the Texas Legislative Council.

2021 TAAHP Legislative Priorities

Exchange Resolutions of No Objection with a Local Certification Process

  • 4% HTC applicants are required to obtain a Resolution of No Objection (RONO) from the local jurisdiction. Failure to do so would make the development ineligible for credits with no opportunity to appeal.
  • The requirement of RONOs limits building affordable housing, especially in suburban areas where land is already appropriately zoned. Often, this means developments aren’t built where they are most needed.
  • TAAHP proposes RONOs be swapped for a Local Jurisdiction Certification Process. Doing so would keep local involvement in place, while creating a more inclusive process that fosters continuous communication between parties.

Remove Census Tract Limitations

  • The 9% HTC program incentivizes developments in census tracts in which there are no other existing tax credit developments. Oftentimes, there is no other existing development there because there is limited market demand. This rule means developments in densely populated urban areas, where there is the most need, are disincentivized.
  • There are other de-concentration factors in the rule that more equitably distribute tax credit dollars
  • TAAHP proposes the removal of Section 2306.6725(b)(2) which requires TDHCA to incentivize developments in “census tracts in which there are no other existing developments supported by tax credits.”

Allow TDHCA to Prioritize Scoring Criteria

  • The Texas Housing Tax Credit program is highly prescribed by state statute, hampering the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs’ (TDHCA) ability to be nimble from year-to-year in addressing changing policy goals and objectives.
  • Section 2306.6710 sets forth required scoring criteria in descending priority order. TDHCA is then unable to make any substantive changes to the scoring rubric, limiting the program’s ability to meet regional needs.
  • TAAHP proposes the directive to “prioritize in descending order” be replaced with a simple directive to “consider” the enumerated scoring criteria in Section 2306.6710(b)(1) and/or reorder the prioritization of the scoring items.

TAAHP will also follow legislation relating to the following topics:

  1. Public Facility Corporations (PFC)
  2. Two-Mile Rule for cities with population over 1 million
  3. Right of First Refusal
  4. 2-Year Qualified Allocation Plan
  5. Linkage Fees
  6. Landlord Rental Requirements
  7. Property Tax

Advocacy Action Center

Sign up on TAAHP’s Advoacy Action Center to stay on top of bills affecting the affordable housing industry in Texas, receive alerts and calls to act on important legislation.

Important Committees & Leadership

Legislative Leadership

Governor: Gregg Abbott
Lieutenant Governor: Dan Patrick
Speaker of the House: Dade Phelan (Beaumont)

Legislative Committees

Housing related legislation is typically reviewed in the House Urban Affairs Committee and the Senate Local Government Committee (Replaced Intergovernmental Relations Committee).

House Urban Affairs Committee

Rep. Philip Cortez, Chair
Rep. Holland Justin, Vice Chair
Rep. Bernal Diego
Rep. Liz Campos
Rep. Gary Gates
Rep. Jarvis D. Johnson
Rep. Ina Minjarez
Rep. Penny Morales Shaw
Rep. Bryan Slaton

Click HERE for full House Committee Appointments

Click HERE for full House Committee Schedule

Click HERE to watch House Committee Hearings LIVE online.

Local Government Committee (replaced Intergovernmental Relations Committee)

Sen. Paul Bettencourt, Chair
Sen. Jose Menendez, Vice Chair
Sen. Sarah Eckhardt
Sen. Roland Guiterrez
Sen. Bob Hall
Sen. Robert Nichols
Sen. Angela Paxton
Sen. Drew Springer
Sen. Judith Zaffirini

Click HERE for full Senate Committee Appointments.

Click HERE for full Senate Committee Schedule

Click HERE to watch Senate Committee Hearings LIVE online.

Important Legislative Dates

January 12

87th Legislature Convenes

March 12

Deadline for the unrestricted filing of bills and joint resolutions other than local bills, emergency appropriations, and emergency matters submitted by

May 31

Last day of 87th Regular Session (sine die)

Participate in Legislative Meetings

Virtual legislative meetings are being scheduled through April. You must sign up in advance to access the required training video, access educational tools, be assigned to a team, and receive your virtual meeting schedule.

TAAHP Rally Days

Legislative News