PRINTER'S NO. 2544
No. 1932 Session of 1989
INTRODUCED BY HARPER, KUKOVICH, WAMBACH, DeWEESE, O'DONNELL,
McCALL, ROBINSON, COHEN, COWELL, KOSINSKI, CORRIGAN,
MICHLOVIC, PESCI, VEON, BELFANTI, WILLIAMS, MORRIS, DALEY,
PISTELLA, CARN, J. L. WRIGHT, MELIO, JOSEPHS, R. C. WRIGHT,
TIGUE, MRKONIC, McNALLY, COLAIZZO, RYBAK, ITKIN, FREEMAN,
JAMES, VAN HORNE, BILLOW, LINTON, MAINE, NAHILL, BELARDI,
GIGLIOTTI AND BATTISTO, OCTOBER 10, 1989
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON URBAN AFFAIRS, OCTOBER 10, 1989
AN ACT
1 Amending the act of April 9, 1929 (P.L.177, No.175), entitled
2 "An act providing for and reorganizing the conduct of the
3 executive and administrative work of the Commonwealth by the
4 Executive Department thereof and the administrative
5 departments, boards, commissions, and officers thereof,
6 including the boards of trustees of State Normal Schools, or
7 Teachers Colleges; abolishing, creating, reorganizing or
8 authorizing the reorganization of certain administrative
9 departments, boards, and commissions; defining the powers and
10 duties of the Governor and other executive and administrative
11 officers, and of the several administrative departments,
12 boards, commissions, and officers; fixing the salaries of the
13 Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and certain other executive
14 and administrative officers; providing for the appointment of
15 certain administrative officers, and of all deputies and
16 other assistants and employes in certain departments, boards,
17 and commissions; and prescribing the manner in which the
18 number and compensation of the deputies and all other
19 assistants and employes of certain departments, boards and
20 commissions shall be determined," establishing the Affordable
21 Housing Trust Fund; establishing the Pennsylvania Housing
22 Council and the Affordable Housing Trust Fund Board and
23 providing for their powers and duties; providing for a ballot
24 question; and renaming the Department of Community Affairs.
25 The General Assembly finds and declares as follows:
26 (1) That there exists throughout the entire
1 Commonwealth, in urban, suburban and rural areas, a crisis
2 resulting from the lack of decent and affordable housing and
3 insufficient rental units for low-income and moderate-income
4 people and families. This crisis manifests itself in the
5 growing number of people and families who cannot afford to
6 purchase or rent housing, the increasing portions of total
7 income that low-income and moderate-income people and
8 families must spend on housing, and the growing number of
9 those low-income people and families in need of subsidized
10 housing.
11 (2) That every citizen residing in this Commonwealth,
12 for their own health, safety and welfare, should have the
13 opportunity to obtain for rental or purchase decent and
14 affordable housing. Therefore, it is hereby declared that the
15 Department of Community Affairs shall be renamed the
16 Department of Community Affairs and Housing with a Deputy
17 Secretary of Housing to be named for the purpose of creating
18 and developing housing programs for the Commonwealth. It is
19 further declared that a Pennsylvania Housing Council shall be
20 created for the purpose of reviewing policies and programs
21 developed by the Department of Community Affairs and Housing.
22 (3) That funding for these programs shall include
23 funding provided through the creation of the Pennsylvania
24 Affordable Housing Trust Fund, which shall be administered by
25 the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency at the direction of
26 the Pennsylvania Affordable Housing Trust Fund Board. Funding
27 for the trust fund may be obtained through the issuance of
28 bonds for that purpose, with the approval of the qualified
29 electors of this Commonwealth.
30 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
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1 hereby enacts as follows:
2 Section 1. Section 201 of the act of April 9, 1929 (P.L.177,
3 No.175), known as The Administrative Code of 1929, amended
4 December 30, 1984 (P.L.1299, No.145) and repealed in part May
5 26, 1988 (P.L.414, No.72), is amended to read:
6 Section 201. Executive Officers, Administrative Departments
7 and Independent Administrative Boards and Commissions.--The
8 executive and administrative work of this Commonwealth shall be
9 performed by the Executive Department, consisting of the
10 Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of the Commonwealth,
11 Attorney General, Auditor General, State Treasurer, and
12 Secretary of Education; by the Executive Board, and the
13 Pennsylvania State Police; by the following administrative
14 departments: Department of State, Office of Attorney General,
15 Department of Corrections, Department of the Auditor General,
16 Treasury Department, Department of Education, Department of
17 Military Affairs, Insurance Department, Department of Banking,
18 Department of Agriculture, Department of Transportation,
19 Department of Health, Department of Labor and Industry,
20 Department of Aging, Department of Public Welfare, Department of
21 General Services, Department of Revenue, Department of Commerce,
22 Department of Community Affairs and Housing and Department of
23 Environmental Resources; and by the following independent
24 administrative boards and commissions: Pennsylvania Game
25 Commission, Pennsylvania Fish Commission, State Civil Service
26 Commission, Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission and the
27 Pennsylvania Securities Commission.
28 All of the provisions of this act, which apply generally to
29 administrative departments, or generally except to the
30 Department of the Auditor General, the Treasury Department and
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1 the Office of Attorney General, shall apply to the Executive
2 Board and to the Pennsylvania State Police.
3 Section 2. Sections 206 and 207.1(d)(1) of the act, amended
4 December 30, 1984 (P.L.1299, No.245), are amended to read:
5 Section 206. Department Heads.--Each administrative
6 department shall have as its head an officer who shall, either
7 personally, by deputy, or by the duly authorized agent or
8 employe of the department, and subject at all times to the
9 provisions of this act, exercise the powers and perform the
10 duties by law vested in and imposed upon the department.
11 The following officers shall be the heads of the
12 administrative departments following their respective titles:
13 Secretary of the Commonwealth, of the Department of State;
14 Auditor General, of the Department of the Auditor General;
15 State Treasurer, of the Treasury Department;
16 Attorney General, of the Office of Attorney General;
17 Secretary of Education, of the Department of Education;
18 Adjutant General, of the Department of Military Affairs;
19 Insurance Commissioner, of the Insurance Department;
20 Secretary of Banking, of the Department of Banking;
21 Secretary of Agriculture, of the Department of Agriculture;
22 Secretary of Transportation, of the Department of
23 Transportation;
24 Secretary of Health, of the Department of Health;
25 Secretary of Labor and Industry, of the Department of Labor
26 and Industry;
27 Secretary of Aging, of the Department of Aging;
28 Secretary of Public Welfare, of the Department of Public
29 Welfare;
30 Secretary of Revenue, of the Department of Revenue;
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1 Secretary of Commerce, of the Department of Commerce;
2 Secretary of Community Affairs and Housing, of the
3 Department of Community Affairs and Housing;
4 Secretary of Environmental Resources, of the Department of
5 Environmental Resources;
6 Secretary of General Services, of the Department of General
7 Services;
8 Secretary of Corrections, of the Department of Corrections.
9 Section 207.1. Gubernatorial Appointments.--* * *
10 (d) The Governor shall nominate in accordance with the
11 provisions of the Constitution of the Commonwealth of
12 Pennsylvania and, by and with the advice and consent of a
13 majority of the members elected to the Senate appoint persons to
14 fill the following positions:
15 (1) The Secretary of Education, the Secretary of the
16 Commonwealth, the Adjutant General, the Insurance Commissioner,
17 the Secretary of Banking, the Secretary of Agriculture, the
18 Secretary of Transportation, the Secretary of Health, the
19 Commissioner of the State Police, the Secretary of Corrections,
20 the Secretary of Labor and Industry, the Secretary of Aging, the
21 Secretary of Public Welfare, the Secretary of General Services,
22 the Secretary of Revenue, the Secretary of Commerce, the
23 Secretary of Community Affairs and Housing and the Secretary of
24 Environmental Resources.
25 * * *
26 Section 3. The article heading of Article XXV-C of the act,
27 added February 1, 1966 (1965 P.L.1849, No.582), is amended to
28 read:
29 ARTICLE XXV-C
30 POWERS AND DUTIES OF THE DEPARTMENT OF
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1 COMMUNITY AFFAIRS AND HOUSING, ITS
2 DEPARTMENTAL BOARDS, BUREAUS AND AGENCIES
3 Section 4. Section 2501-C of the act, added February 1, 1966
4 (1965 P.L.1849, No.582) and March 21, 1970 (P.L.198, No.78), is
5 amended to read:
6 Section 2501-C. Powers and Duties in General.--The
7 Department of Community Affairs and Housing shall have the
8 power, and its duties shall be:
9 (a) To coordinate the many programs of grants and subsidies
10 paid to political subdivisions by various agencies of State and
11 Federal government.
12 (a.1) To designate a Deputy Secretary for Housing within the
13 Department of Community Affairs and Housing, who will be
14 responsible for developing and coordinating the Commonwealth's
15 housing policy.
16 (b) Provide for a central clearing house for information
17 concerning local government problems between local governments
18 and the various State agencies; and to direct inquiries about
19 specific problems of local government to the proper State
20 agencies for solution.
21 (c) Maintain close contact with all local governments to
22 help them improve their administrative methods and to foster
23 better municipal government and development.
24 (d) To review State policy and Federal programs with respect
25 to major local governmental, metropolitan and area problems,
26 including housing; and to determine their impact on local units
27 of government as they pertain to community affairs.
28 (e) To conduct general research for various units of local
29 government on problems affecting community affairs in the field
30 of municipal administrative management, comprehensive planning,
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1 municipal forms of government, State-local relationships, fiscal
2 procedures and generally to do any and all things necessary as
3 an aid to better local and area government and community
4 development, including rendering assistance in the development
5 of local housing programs; and upon request of a specific
6 political subdivision to conduct under contract mutually agreed
7 upon, extensive and continuous research on general problems of
8 local and urban government and analysis of specific problems of
9 the political subdivision.
10 (f) Provide direct consultive services to political
11 subdivisions upon requests and staff services to special
12 commissions, or the Governor, or the Legislature as directed.
13 (g) Provide technical assistance and research to political
14 subdivisions participating in various operational programs
15 affecting political subdivisions in the State.
16 (h) To coordinate and wherever provided by law to supervise
17 or administer the various programs of State and Federal
18 assistance and grants, including but not limited to housing,
19 redevelopment, urban renewal, urban planning assistance, Project
20 70, area development, revitalization of central city cores, mass
21 transportation, river basin studies, port development, air and
22 water pollution, land and soil conservation, economic
23 opportunity, and public works and community facilities and
24 Appalachian assistance; and to furnish comprehensive planning
25 and technical assistance on any program set forth in this
26 subsection (h).
27 (i) To furnish assistance to political subdivisions in the
28 preparation of and advice on enforcement of codes and
29 ordinances.
30 (j) To aid in the preparation of and to distribute
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1 handbooks, research, financial and other reports derived from
2 the activities of the department.
3 (k) To generally do any and all things necessary to make
4 this act effective.
5 (l) Subject to the limitations of this act and of law, the
6 Secretary of Community Affairs and Housing shall, from time to
7 time, establish, rules and regulations to better carry this act
8 into effect.
9 (m) To make grants to any two or more counties, cities,
10 boroughs, incorporated towns, townships, or any other similar
11 general purpose unit of government which shall hereafter be
12 created by the General Assembly, or to any body which is
13 authorized to act in behalf of two or more units of government,
14 for the purpose of assisting them in acting in concert in the
15 performance of any local governmental function or functions, or
16 for the purpose of conducting studies and investigations to
17 determine the feasibility and desirability of acting in concert
18 in the performance of local governmental functions.
19 Section 5. The act is amended by adding an article to read:
20 ARTICLE XXV-D
21 HOUSING
22 Section 2501-D. Definitions.--As used in this article:
23 "Agency" means the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency.
24 "Board" means the Affordable Housing Trust Fund Board.
25 "Bonds" means the general obligation bonds of the
26 Commonwealth.
27 "Council" means the Pennsylvania Housing Council created
28 under this article.
29 "Department" means the Department of Community Affairs and
30 Housing.
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1 "Deputy secretary" means the Deputy Secretary for Housing of
2 the Department of Community Affairs and Housing.
3 "Low-income and moderate-income households" or "lower-income
4 household" means a household having an income equal to or less
5 than the lower-income limits established by the Department of
6 Housing and Urban Development under section 8 of the Housing and
7 Community Development Act of 1974 (42 U.S.C. § 5301 et seq.).
8 The method for determining income under the section 8 Housing
9 Assistance Payments program need not be used for this purpose.
10 "Low-income household" means a household having an income
11 equal to or less than the very low-income limit established by
12 the Department of Housing and Urban Development under section 8
13 of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 (42 U.S.C.
14 § 5301 et seq.). The method for determining income under the
15 section 8 Housing Assistance Payments program need not be used
16 for this purpose.
17 "Low-income persons or families" and "moderate-income persons
18 or families" means persons and families who cannot afford to pay
19 the amounts at which private enterprise, without the assistance
20 of this act, is providing a substantial supply of decent, safe
21 and sanitary housing. The income limits for the admission of
22 such persons and families to projects shall be those established
23 pursuant to the rules and regulations established by the
24 Department of Community Affairs and Housing in conjunction with
25 the Pennsylvania Housing Council.
26 "Moderate income household" means a household having an
27 income equal to or less than the section 8 lower-income limit
28 and greater than the very low-income limit established by the
29 Department of Housing and Urban Development under section 8 of
30 the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 (42 U.S.C. §
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1 5301 et seq.). The method for determining income under the
2 section 8 Housing Assistance Payments program need not be used
3 for this purpose.
4 "Qualified elector" means any person who shall possess all of
5 the qualifications for voting now or hereafter prescribed by the
6 Constitution of this Commonwealth, or who, being otherwise
7 qualified by continued residence in his or her election
8 district, shall obtain such qualifications before the next
9 ensuing election.
10 "Secretary" means the Secretary of Community Affairs and
11 Housing.
12 "Trust fund" means the Affordable Housing Trust Fund created
13 under this article.
14 Section 2502-D. The Pennsylvania Housing Council.--(a)
15 There is hereby established an advisory body to be known as the
16 Pennsylvania Housing Council. This council shall consist of
17 seventeen members as follows:
18 (1) Two members of the Senate, one appointed by the
19 President pro tempore and the other by the Minority Leader.
20 (2) Two members of the House of Representatives, one
21 appointed by the Speaker and the other by the Minority Leader.
22 (3) The remaining thirteen members shall be appointed by the
23 Governor as follows:
24 (i) A for-profit home builder or developer;
25 (ii) A member of an independent non-profit organization
26 involved in developing housing for low and moderate income
27 people;
28 (iii) A member of a housing co-operative association;
29 (iv) A member of the Board of the Pennsylvania Housing
30 Finance Agency;
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1 (v) A representative of a municipal housing or redevelopment
2 authority;
3 (vi) A representative of the banking industry;
4 (vii) A representative of the savings and loan industry;
5 (viii) A member of a non-profit organization representing a
6 group facing special barriers to decent and affordable housing,
7 such as the elderly, victims of racial discrimination, the
8 physically challenged, the mentally ill or mentally retarded;
9 (ix) A representative of owners of residential multi-family
10 dwellings;
11 (x) A representative of an association of low-income and
12 moderate-income tenants;
13 (xi) A representative of an organization of mobile home park
14 owners;
15 (xii) A representative of an organization of mobile home
16 park tenants; and
17 (xiii) A representative from organized labor.
18 (4) The United States Department of Housing and Urban
19 Development shall be invited to send a representative to attend
20 all council meetings.
21 (b) Gubernatorial appointments shall be made from a list
22 supplied by each specified organization. It is incumbent upon
23 each organization to consult with and provide a list which
24 reflects the input of other equivalent organizations
25 representing smaller interests. The Governor shall have the
26 discretion to request additions to the list originally
27 submitted. Additional names shall be provided no later than
28 fifteen days after such request. Appointments shall be made by
29 the Governor no later than ninety days after receipt of the
30 original list. If, for any reason, any specified organization
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1 supplying a list ceases to exist, the Governor shall specify a
2 new equivalent organization to fulfill the responsibilities of
3 this act.
4 (c) In making appointments to the council, the Governor, the
5 President pro tempore and Minority Leader of the Senate and the
6 Speaker and Minority Leader of the House of Representatives
7 shall make every effort to ensure geographic and racial
8 diversity among council members.
9 (d) The members shall annually elect, by a majority vote of
10 the members, a chairperson of the council and other such
11 officers as they deem appropriate from among the members of the
12 council.
13 (e) Nine members shall constitute a quorum for the
14 transaction of any business, and the act by the majority of
15 members present at any meeting in which there is a quorum shall
16 be deemed to be the act of the council.
17 (f) All meetings of the council shall be advertised and
18 conducted pursuant to the act of July 3, 1986 (P.L.388, No.84),
19 known as the "Sunshine Act," unless otherwise provided in this
20 section.
21 (g) The council shall meet at least four times a year, or as
22 necessary, and may provide for such special meetings as it deems
23 necessary. Meeting dates shall be set by a majority vote of the
24 members of the council or by the call of the chairperson, upon
25 seven days' notice to all council members.
26 (h) All action taken by the council shall be taken in open
27 public session, and action of the council shall not be taken
28 except upon the affirmative vote of the majority of the members
29 of the council present during meetings at which a quorum is
30 present.
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1 (i) Only the members of the Senate and House of
2 Representatives appointed to the council may designate other
3 persons to attend council meetings in their places. Such
4 designees shall be considered as council members for the
5 purposes of establishing a quorum and voting. Any other council
6 member who fails to attend three consecutive meetings shall
7 forfeit his or her seat, unless the chairperson, upon written
8 request of the member, finds that the member should be excused
9 from attending a meeting because of illness or death of a family
10 member.
11 (j) The council may adopt such bylaws, not inconsistent with
12 this act, as it deems advisable.
13 (k) The members of the council shall not receive a salary or
14 per diem allowance for serving as members of the council but
15 shall be reimbursed for actual and necessary expenses incurred
16 in the performance of their duties. Said expenses may include
17 reimbursement of travel and living expenses while engaged in
18 council business.
19 (l) Each council member shall serve at the pleasure of the
20 appointing authority or until a successor is appointed.
21 Vacancies on the council shall be filled in the same manner in
22 which the original appointments were made.
23 (m) Within sixty days after the effective date of this
24 section, each organization or individual required to submit a
25 list of recommended persons to the Governor shall submit the
26 list.
27 (n) Within ninety days of the effective date of this
28 section, the Governor, the President pro tempore and the
29 Minority Leader of the Senate and the Speaker and the Minority
30 Leader of the House of Representatives shall make all of the
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1 appointments called for in this section, and the council shall
2 begin operations immediately following these appointments.
3 (o) Should any organization or individual fail to submit a
4 list of recommended persons as required under this section
5 within the time limits prescribed, the Governor shall appoint as
6 many acting council members as required until such time as the
7 list of recommended persons is submitted by the original
8 organization.
9 Section 2503-D. Powers and Duties of Council.--(a) The
10 council shall review all the housing policies and programs of
11 the Commonwealth and make appropriate recommendations for the
12 revision, modification and codification thereof.
13 (b) The council shall consider, study and review the work of
14 the department that pertains to housing, and for this purpose,
15 the council shall have access to all books, papers, documents
16 and records pertaining or belonging to the department.
17 (c) The council shall advise the department, on request, and
18 shall make recommendations upon its initiative, for the
19 improvement of work of the department relating to housing.
20 (d) The council shall develop recommendations on the role to
21 be played by the private sector, both profit and nonprofit, in
22 developing decent and affordable housing and what State
23 assistance is needed to help the private sector reach this goal
24 and, specifically, evaluate and make recommendations regarding
25 the act of November 29, 1967 (P.L.636, No.292), known as the
26 "Neighborhood Assistance Act."
27 (e) The council shall develop recommendations regarding the
28 most effective means of meeting the housing needs of populations
29 facing special barriers to decent and affordable housing, such
30 as the elderly, the handicapped, the developmentally disabled,
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1 victims of racial discrimination, the mentally ill and the
2 mentally retarded.
3 (f) The council shall develop recommendations aimed at
4 reconciling the need for affordable housing while protecting the
5 need for communities to control land use.
6 (g) In developing recommendations, the council shall
7 emphasize public-private, profit-nonprofit and Federal-State-
8 local cooperative efforts.
9 (h) The council shall compile the proposed recommendations
10 under subsections (a) through (g), and make them available to
11 all interested parties, whose input the council shall solicit
12 through public hearings and such other means as the council
13 deems appropriate.
14 (i) The council shall have the power to employ and fix the
15 compensation of such experts, stenographers and assistants as
16 may be deemed necessary to carry out the work of the council,
17 but due diligence shall be exercised by the council to enlist
18 such voluntary assistance as may be available from citizens,
19 research organizations, and other agencies in Pennsylvania or
20 elsewhere, generally recognized as qualified to aid the council.
21 (j) Following receipt and consideration of public input on
22 the proposed recommendations, the council shall draft and
23 submit, annually, to the Governor and members of the General
24 Assembly, a report setting out the council's findings and
25 recommendations, along with any program designs, policy
26 initiatives and legislative proposals the council deems
27 appropriate.
28 (k) Following submission of the annual report, the council
29 shall hold special sessions for members of the General Assembly
30 and the Governor's Office to present the findings and
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1 recommendations of the council. In addition, the council shall
2 provide a forum where members of the General Assembly can
3 jointly develop legislative proposals, and shall facilitate
4 discussions between the members of the General Assembly and the
5 Governor's Office on legislative and administrative proposals.
6 (l) The department shall provide administrative staff
7 support to the council as required.
8 Section 2504-D. Affordable Housing Trust Fund.--(a) The
9 question of incurring indebtedness in the amount of fifty
10 million dollars ($50,000,000) for the purpose of providing low-
11 interest loans for housing programs for the benefit of low-
12 income and moderate-income persons and families, shall be
13 submitted to the electors at the next municipal, primary or
14 general election following enactment of this act. The Secretary
15 of the Commonwealth shall certify the form of the question to
16 the county boards of elections.
17 (b) In addition to proceeds from the issuance of bonds, the
18 fund may also be the recipient of grants-in-aid, gifts,
19 donations, legacies or usages of money made or extended by
20 individuals, organizations, public or private corporations,
21 departments or instrumentalities of the Federal Government or
22 the Commonwealth.
23 (c) Interest on issued bonds and costs associated with
24 mortgage defaults shall be paid from the Commonwealth General
25 Fund. Repayment of principal and interest on home mortgages
26 shall be utilized to satisfy principal payments on the bonds as
27 well as incremental growth of the fund.
28 Section 2505-D. Affordable Housing Trust Fund Board.--The
29 Affordable Housing Trust Fund Board is created within the
30 Housing Finance Agency. The board shall administer the
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1 Affordable Housing Trust Fund.
2 Section 2506-D. Board Membership.--(a) The board shall
3 consist of seventeen voting members as follows:
4 (1) The Secretary of Community Affairs and Housing.
5 (2) The Secretary of the Department of Public Welfare.
6 (3) One member appointed by the President pro tempore of the
7 Senate.
8 (4) One member appointed by the Minority Leader of the
9 Senate.
10 (5) One member appointed by the Speaker of the House of
11 Representatives.
12 (6) One member appointed by the Minority Leader of the House
13 of Representatives.
14 (7) The State Treasurer.
15 (8) The remaining ten members shall be appointed by the
16 Governor as follows:
17 (i) A member of the Board of the Pennsylvania Housing
18 Finance Agency;
19 (ii) A member of the Pennsylvania Builder's Association;
20 (iii) A representative of the savings and loan industry;
21 (iv) A representative of the commercial banking industry;
22 (v) A member of a housing co-operative association;
23 (vi) A representative from organized labor;
24 (vii) A representative of the Low-Income Housing Coalition;
25 (viii) A representative from Neighborhood Housing Services;
26 (ix) A representative from a redevelopment authority; and
27 (x) A representative of the Homeless Coalition.
28 (9) The United States Department of Housing and Urban
29 Development and the Federal Home Loan Bank Board shall each be
30 invited to attend all board meetings.
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1 Section 2507-D. Term of Office.--All appointed board members
2 shall serve at the pleasure of the appointing authority or until
3 a successor is named. Vacancies on the board shall be filled in
4 the same manner in which the original appointments were made.
5 Section 2508-D. Officers and Rules.--The board shall elect a
6 chairperson every two years from among the nongovernment members
7 and may elect other officers and establish committees as it
8 deems necessary and has provided for in the regulations it
9 promulgates. Business transacted by the board shall be conducted
10 in accordance with the act of July 3, 1986 (P.L.388, No.84),
11 known as the "Sunshine Act."
12 Section 2509-D. Meetings.--The board shall meet not less
13 than four times annually and as often as is necessary for the
14 transaction of business.
15 Section 2510-D. Compensation.--Board members shall serve on
16 the board without compensation or per diem allowance but shall
17 be reimbursed for actual and reasonable expenses incurred in the
18 performance of their official duties. Reimbursements shall be
19 allocated from funds available from the trust fund under this
20 act.
21 Section 2511-D. Powers and Duties of the Board.--(a) The
22 board has the following powers and duties:
23 (1) Develop a plan for the availability and coordination of
24 programs and for the distribution of funds from the trust fund.
25 This plan is to be developed in coordination with the efforts of
26 the department, the council and the agency.
27 (2) Provide for the coordination and exchange of information
28 on the establishment and maintenance of programs.
29 (3) Promulgate regulations providing for the criteria and
30 the terms for the lending of trust fund money to eligible
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1 programs and provide for publicizing such criteria and terms.
2 (4) Publicize programs in order to solicit funding from
3 private sources.
4 (5) Make loans of trust fund money and, through the agency
5 administer and monitor the expenditure of trust fund money by
6 eligible programs.
7 (6) On or before March 1, the board shall draft and submit a
8 comprehensive, detailed report on the activities of the previous
9 year of the trust fund to the Governor, members of the General
10 Assembly and members of the council.
11 (7) Accept grants-in-aid, gifts, donations, legacies or
12 usages of money made or extended by individuals, organizations,
13 public or private corporations, departments or instrumentalities
14 of the Federal Government or this Commonwealth.
15 (b) (1) The board shall endeavor to maintain the lowest
16 possible mortgage interest rates in line with the concept of
17 providing affordable mortgage to low-income and moderate-income
18 persons and families.
19 (2) Nothing in this article shall preclude the board from
20 establishing a program to aid low-income and moderate-income
21 persons and families with funds for down payments, closing costs
22 and mortgage insurance.
23 Section 6. This act shall take effect in 60 days.
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