Item 3 - Lege and Housing Priorities — original pdf

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90th Texas Legislature & Texas Housing Group Priorities Austin Housing | November 10, 2026 Contents  Overview of the Legislature and Session  General information on the Legislature  Timeline for the 90th Session (2027)  Expected issues for the 90th Session  Texas Housing Group priorities  City of Austin Legislative Agenda 2 State Leadership Legislative Chambers State Leadership & Legislative Chambers Governor-Elect Hinojosa Elected by voters for a four-year term. Texas Senate Lt. Governor-Elect Vikki Goodwin Elected by voters for a four-year term. Members: 31 State Senators Presided over by Lt. Governor Elected term: 4 years Texas House House Speaker Designate Senfronia Thompson Elected by Texas House Members every two-years on 1st day of Regular Session. Members: 150 State Representatives Presided over by the Speaker Elected term: 2-years 33 3 Austin State Delegation (90th Session) Austin State Delegation (90th Session) SENATE Judith Zaffirini Charles Schwertner Donna Campbell Vacant* Pete Flores HOUSE * Senator Eckhardt’s former seat Donna Howard Montserrat Garibay Erin Zwiener Pooja Sethi Samantha Lopez-Resendez John Bucy III Sheryl Cole Maria Luisa “Lulu” Flores Ellen Troxclair 44 4 Timeline for the 90th Session (2027) 1,511 bills were filed on the first day of prefiling for the 89th Session, 11/12/2024 875 bills filed on last day to file bills for the 89th Session, 3/14/2025, and 2,720 filed in the last week Nov 3, 2026 Nov 9, 2026 Jan 12, 2027 Late-Feb to Mar March & April Mid- March Early to Mid-May Late- May General Election First day of bill filing First day of Regular Session Commit- tees begin to hear bills Heavy hearing schedule Last day to file bills Commit- tees stop passing bills from own chamber Commit- tees stop passing bills from other chamber May 31, 2027 Sine Die 5 6 Expected Issues in 90th Legislative Session Expected Issues in 90th Legislative Session Local control of city finances Land use and housing Water future Public safety, homelessness & mental health Autonomous vehicles New Issues: Data centers 6 Texas Housing Group (THG) Legislative Priorities THG 2027 Legislative Priorities  Protect Housing Finance Corporations (HFCs) & Public Facility Corporations (PFCs) as tools for the public good  Housing for vulnerable populations  Heirs’ property protections  Make property taxes fairer for affordable housing  Modernize LIHTC implementation 8 Protect Housing Finance Corporations (HFCs) & Public Facility Corporations (PFCs) as tools for the public good  Share the unintended consequences of recent modifications  Protect projects which were already underway prior to last legislative session  Modify the annual 50% rent-reduction requirement  Expand existing exemptions to all Federal affordable programs & permanent supportive housing 9 Housing for vulnerable populations  Increase access to Foster Youth to Independence housing vouchers  Increase funding for transitional housing, supportive services, mental health care and respite care that help people with complex needs  Remove unnecessary barriers to creating housing and shelters for persons experiencing homelessness 10 Heirs’ property protections  Prevent title fraud and deceptive practices by establishing safeguards for partition actions initiated by non-heir co-owners or third parties  Strengthen notice and due process, including an Heirs’ Bill of Rights, notice to all co-owners, taxpayers, and occupants, and adequate time for families to seek legal counsel and financing before a partition sale  Ensure fair outcomes for families by requiring independent appraisals at fair market value and giving heirs buy-out rights before non-family members can initiate a partition action 11 Make property taxes fairer for Affordable Housing  Protect homeowners who receive home repairs  Fairly valuing income-restricted rental housing  Create clear and consistent tax valuation and appraisal for affordable housing 12 Modernize LIHTC implementation  Prioritize developments that need less additional funding  Increase and permanently fund the State Housing Tax Credit program (target increase of ~$50 million/year)  Make the two-mile rule more flexible to serve different populations based on local priorities. For example, offer exceptions to developments that:  Are in a high opportunity area (SB 1944), or  Only propose to refurbish an existing income-restricted housing (SB 2549) 13 THG Priorities Homelessness Support Anti- Displacement Housing Development 14 Other Housing Topics of Interest  Addressing the rising cost of insurance  Source of income protections  Rental housing fee transparency  Increased State funding for housing and planning  Protect tenants who win their eviction case or have it dismissed  Homestead Preservation District updates  Increase per development LIHTC cap from $2 million to $3 million  And many more 15 City of Austin State Legislative Agenda (2026)  July 2026  Housing Access & Affordability  Preserve Local Authority: Protect City’s ability to promote smart land use & incentivize affordable housing.  Support FYI Vouchers: Expand supportive services matching dollars for federal Foster-Youth-to- Independence (FYI) housing vouchers.  Mental Health, Homelessness, & Public Safety Strengthen Crisis Response  Seek additional tools and funding to address mental health, homelessness and public safety, including emergency mental health holds for high-acuity individuals, and closing the gaps between crisis and long-term care for those in greatest need of intervention.  Invest in Transitional & Acute Care Beds: Secure approval and funding for step-down, transitional housing as well as scaling of state supported living centers to aid people in need of higher levels of care.  December 2026  City Council plans to adopt updates based on the new legislative context 16 Questions/Discussion