Housing Legislation and Budget

• 2005 initiated support for legislation establishing specific policies for real estate tax assessments for Low Income Housing Tax Credit rental communities and after adoption of the legislation worked with the Maryland Department of Assessments and Taxation to develop implementation policies and procedures
• 2006 initiated a campaign to encourage the Governor to increase the budget for DHCD rental housing programs resulting in an increase in general funds of $3 million for rental housing and $500,000 for Community Legacy; worked with DHCD and the legislature to secure approval of the increased budget
• 2006 secured legislative support of a Bond Bill to provide $1 million in additional funds to the Maryland Affordable Housing Trust
• 2007 Worked with Governor O'Malley's office and DHCD to add additional funds to the DHCD budget after the budget was announced. This corrected an unintended mistake which budgeted $3 million less for rental housing than the prior year. Governor O'Malley restored the $3 million and added another $1 million to homeownership programs.
• 2007 initiated and secured approval of legislation to enable local governments to implement broad incentives for affordable housing on the local level without submitting individual requests to the legislature (SB 7109 and HB 784). Locally authority now includes--establishing trust funds, enacting inclusionary zoning ordinances, providing land or property, and offering payments in lieu of taxes
• 2007 initiated and supported The Maryland Affordable Investment Fund (SB 644 and HB 486) to create a dedicated revenue source to fund a State and local housing trust fund. The legislation was not adopted. MAHC is continuing to work to secure approval of this legislation in 2008.

• The Development Process (a presentation to CDA staff by developers)
• Housing Preservation
• Refinancing Section 202 Housing Communities
• Low Income Housing Tax Credit Compliance Monitoring Workshop
• Nuts and Bolts of Working with CDA

• January - Annual Meeting, breakfast meeting featuring a keynote speaker, update on MAHC activities and initiatives, and presentation of the Housing Advocate of the Year award
• February - Housing Day in Annapolis (2007 Housing Day was attended by over 200 individuals and co-sponsored by 50 organizations. For the first time in the history of Housing Day, the Governor attended Housing Day and announced restoration of funds to the housing budget.)
• September - Membership Mixer, social event
• Each calendar quarter the MAHC Program Committee meets with key DHCD staff to discuss issues, program improvements, new policies and other matters beneficial to MAHC's membership

The following is a wrap up of the 2007 Maryland Legislative Session by Trudy McFall, head of the MAHC Legislative Committee and Chairman of Homes for America:

1. We convinced the Governor to restore and add additional funds AFTER the budget was announced. For those of you who know the legislative process this is almost impossible to do. Thanks primarily to the skills of our terrific lobbyist, Barbara Hoffman, the Governor and other administrative officials were convinced that it had been an unintended mistake to budget $5 million less this year than last for rental housing and special loan programs. Governor O'Malley came to Housing Day and personally announced that not only was the $5 million to be restored but he added another $1 million to the homeownership programs, for a total of $6 million--and, as a result, we have a total DHCD housing budget that exceeded last year. This was a good victory.

2. The Maryland Affordable Investment Fund (SB 644, HB 486) did not pass, despite excellent support and good legislative hearings. In the end it was doomed by the legislative leadership who decided that nothing could come out of Committees if it cost more that $250,000. Since we were asking for $100 million obviously we were grounded for this year. The Governor and the Legislature want to fix the big budget deficit problems before the State takes on new financial obligations. Once that is done we expect to be very much back in the picture.

3. The Local Government Enabling Legislation (SB 710, HB 784) did PASS--almost as proposed but with an important exception. We could not get the provision to waive or modify impact fees for affordable housing through the Committees. What we got was a bill that enables local jurisdictions to do the following to promote affordable housing; establish trust funds or appropriate fund; enact inclusionary zoning ordinances; provide land or property; and offer payments in lieu of taxes(PILOTS). Even without the impact fee provision this is an important piece of legislation that makes clear to all what local governments can do to provide affordable housing. We will be back next year with more advocacy homework done to add the waiving of impact fees to the list.

4. We had a great Housing Day. Over 50 groups cosponsored the event and 200 plus people turned out in force, even the Governor came for the first time! We had numerous key legislators stop by to express their support for the housing agenda. Most importantly all sorts of folks went to see their key legislators. We got great coverage that day and afterwards.