Florida Senate - 2019                                    SB 1504
       
       
        
       By Senator Berman
       
       
       
       
       
       31-01066-19                                           20191504__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to housing trust funds; amending ss.
    3         420.0005 and 420.9079, F.S.; requiring certain
    4         agencies to provide a report to the Legislature
    5         relating to the use of specified transferred funds;
    6         requiring the repayment of certain funds within a
    7         specified timeframe; providing an effective date.
    8          
    9  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   10  
   11         Section 1. Section 420.0005, Florida Statutes, is amended
   12  to read:
   13         420.0005 State Housing Trust Fund; State Housing Fund.—
   14         (1) There is established in the State Treasury a separate
   15  trust fund to be named the “State Housing Trust Fund.” There
   16  shall be deposited in the fund all moneys appropriated by the
   17  Legislature, or moneys received from any other source, for the
   18  purpose of this chapter, and all proceeds derived from the use
   19  of such moneys. The fund shall be administered by the Florida
   20  Housing Finance Corporation on behalf of the department, as
   21  specified in this chapter. Money deposited to the fund and
   22  appropriated by the Legislature must, notwithstanding the
   23  provisions of chapter 216 or s. 420.504(3), must be transferred
   24  quarterly in advance, to the extent available, or, if not so
   25  available, as soon as received into the State Housing Trust
   26  Fund, and subject to the provisions of s. 420.5092(6)(a) and (b)
   27  by the Chief Financial Officer to the corporation upon
   28  certification by the executive director of the Department of
   29  Economic Opportunity that the corporation is in compliance with
   30  the requirements of s. 420.0006. The certification made by the
   31  executive director shall also include the split of funds among
   32  programs administered by the corporation and the department as
   33  specified in chapter 92-317, Laws of Florida, as amended. Moneys
   34  advanced by the Chief Financial Officer must be deposited by the
   35  corporation into a separate fund established with a qualified
   36  public depository meeting the requirements of chapter 280 to be
   37  named the “State Housing Fund” and used for the purposes of this
   38  chapter. Administrative and personnel costs incurred in
   39  implementing this chapter may be paid from the State Housing
   40  Fund, but such costs may not exceed 5 percent of the moneys
   41  deposited into such fund. To the State Housing Fund shall be
   42  credited all loan repayments, penalties, and other fees and
   43  charges accruing to such fund under this chapter. It is the
   44  intent of this chapter that all loan repayments, penalties, and
   45  other fees and charges collected be credited in full to the
   46  program account from which the loan originated. Moneys in the
   47  State Housing Fund which are not currently needed for the
   48  purposes of this chapter shall be invested in such manner as is
   49  provided for by statute. The interest received on any such
   50  investment shall be credited to the State Housing Fund.
   51         (2) For any funds transferred from the State Housing Trust
   52  Fund in accordance with s. 215.32:
   53         (a)An agency receiving funds that originated from the
   54  State Housing Trust Fund must provide a report to the
   55  Legislature identifying with specificity the manner in which the
   56  funds were spent. The report must be submitted by the final day
   57  of the fiscal year in which the funds were appropriated.
   58         (b)Any funds appropriated from the State Housing Trust
   59  Fund for uses other than those specified in this chapter must be
   60  repaid within 5 years after the date on which the funds were
   61  appropriated For the 2018-2019 fiscal year, funds may be used as
   62  provided in the General Appropriations Act. This subsection
   63  expires July 1, 2019.
   64         Section 2. Section 420.9079, Florida Statutes, is amended
   65  to read:
   66         420.9079 Local Government Housing Trust Fund.—
   67         (1) There is created in the State Treasury the Local
   68  Government Housing Trust Fund, which shall be administered by
   69  the corporation on behalf of the department according to the
   70  provisions of ss. 420.907-420.9076 and this section. There shall
   71  be deposited into the fund a portion of the documentary stamp
   72  tax revenues as provided in s. 201.15, moneys received from any
   73  other source for the purposes of ss. 420.907-420.9076 and this
   74  section, and all proceeds derived from the investment of such
   75  moneys. Moneys in the fund that are not currently needed for the
   76  purposes of the programs administered pursuant to ss. 420.907
   77  420.9076 and this section shall be deposited to the credit of
   78  the fund and may be invested as provided by law. The interest
   79  received on any such investment shall be credited to the fund.
   80         (2) The corporation shall administer the fund exclusively
   81  for the purpose of implementing the programs described in ss.
   82  420.907-420.9076 and this section. With the exception of
   83  monitoring the activities of counties and eligible
   84  municipalities to determine local compliance with program
   85  requirements, the corporation shall not receive appropriations
   86  from the fund for administrative or personnel costs. For the
   87  purpose of implementing the compliance monitoring provisions of
   88  s. 420.9075(9), the corporation may request a maximum of one
   89  quarter of 1 percent of the annual appropriation per state
   90  fiscal year. When such funding is appropriated, the corporation
   91  shall deduct the amount appropriated before prior to calculating
   92  the local housing distribution pursuant to ss. 420.9072 and
   93  420.9073.
   94         (3) For any funds transferred from the Local Government
   95  Housing Trust Fund in accordance with s. 215.32:
   96         (a)An agency receiving funds that originated from the
   97  Local Government Housing Trust Fund must provide a report to the
   98  Legislature identifying with specificity the manner in which the
   99  funds were spent. The report must be submitted by the final day
  100  of the fiscal year in which the funds were appropriated.
  101         (b)Any funds appropriated from the Local Government
  102  Housing Trust Fund for uses other than those specified in this
  103  chapter must be repaid within 5 years after the date on which
  104  the funds were appropriated For the 2018-2019 fiscal year, funds
  105  may be used as provided in the General Appropriations Act. This
  106  subsection expires July 1, 2019.
  107         Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2019.