H-2297 _______________________________________________
SUBSTITUTE HOUSE BILL NO. 932
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State of Washington 50th Legislature 1987 Regular Session
By House Committee on Housing (originally sponsored by Representatives Nutley, Padden, Leonard, Ebersole, Sanders, J. Williams, Lewis, Doty, Nealey, L. Smith, Brough, Winsley, Wineberry, Silver, Ballard, Betrozoff, Taylor, Miller and D. Sommers)
Read first time 3/6/87 and passed to Committee on Rules.
AN ACT Relating to rental payments to landlords from public assistance; adding a new section to chapter 74.04 RCW; and providing an expiration date.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. A new section is added to chapter 74.04 RCW to read as follows:
(1) Persons receiving public assistance, particularly families, frequently have great difficulty obtaining adequate housing. The department of social and health services is directed to conduct a study and pilot program designed to show whether the supply of housing for persons on public assistance would increase if the department made rental payments directly to the landlords. The department shall report the findings of the study to the legislature by October 31, 1987.
(2) In the study phase, the department shall explore the use of public and private housing providers in the implementation of the pilot program.
(3) In the implementation phase of the pilot program, the department shall solicit not less than three and up to seven local governing bodies for participation in the program. In implementing this program the department shall:
(a) Stress that participation in the program by recipients on public assistance is voluntary;
(b) Utilize the services of local public and/or private housing providers to the maximum extent feasible; and
(c) Give consideration to obtaining a geographic distribution and balance throughout the state when selecting participating local governing bodies.
(4) Prior to the convening of the 1988 regular session of the legislature, the department shall report the results of the study and pilot program, together with its recommendations, to the chairperson of the house committee on housing and the chairperson of the senate committee on commerce and labor.