SENATE BILL REPORT

                   SB 5802

               As Passed Senate, March 10, 1995

Title:  An act relating to housing authorities.

Brief Description:  Regulating housing authorities.

Sponsors:  Senators Fraser and Sellar.

Brief History:

Committee Activity:  Government Operations:  2/22/95, 3/1/95 [DP].

Passed Senate, 3/10/95, 44-0.

SENATE COMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS

Majority Report:  Do pass.

  Signed by Senators Haugen, Chair; Sheldon, Vice Chair; Drew, Hale, Heavey, McCaslin and Winsley.

Staff:  Eugene Green (786-7405)

Background:  An inactive housing authority exists in every county, city and town, which can be activated if the county, city or town governing body adopts a resolution declaring the need for the housing authority and making certain findings.

Housing authorities construct, acquire and operate housing projects for low-income persons and administer contracts for housing assistance payments to low-income persons under federal laws.  Housing authorities may issue revenue bonds to finance their projects but may not issue general obligation bonds or impose taxes.

The governing body of a housing authority is a five-member board of commissioners appointed by the mayor of the city or town, or county legislative authority, to staggered five-year terms of office.  A housing authority commissioner may not be an officer or employee of the county, city or town that activated the housing authority.

A pledge securing housing authority bonds must be recorded and instruments creating that pledge must be filed or recorded.  This filing, under the Uniform Commercial Code, serves no purpose.

Summary of Bill:  Restrictions on the designation of housing authority commissioners are altered.  A commissioner in a housing authority of a county with a population of less than 175,000, as of the 1990 federal census, and the total government employment in that county exceeds 40 percent of total employment (Garfield, Lincoln, Pend Oreille, Skamania, Thurston, Whitman), is allowed to be an employee of a separately elected official of the county, other than the county governing body.

A pledge securing bonds need not be recorded and instruments creating that pledge need not be filed or recorded.

Appropriation:  None.

Fiscal Note:  Not requested.

Effective Date:  Ninety days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.

Testimony For:  We have lost some people with valuable expertise due to the existing law.

Testimony Against:  None.

Testified:  Chris Lowell, Housing Authority of Thurston County (pro).