SB 5875-S.E - DIGEST
(DIGEST AS ENACTED)

Extends the forty-dollar document recording surcharge for local homeless housing and assistance to June 30, 2019.

Requires the department of commerce to use a percentage of the surcharge funds for private rental housing payments.

Requires the office of financial management to secure an independent audit of the department's data and expenditures of state funds received from the surcharge and, if the audit finds that the department has failed to set aside the funds, the independent auditor must notify the department and the office of its finding.

Requires the department of commerce, if an independent audit finds that the department has failed to set aside funds for the use of private rental housing payments, to submit a corrective action plan to the office of financial management within thirty days of receipt of the independent audit.

Requires the office of financial management to monitor the department's corrective action plan and expenditures from the home security fund account for the remainder of the fiscal year, and if the department is not in compliance following submission of the corrective action plan, the office must reduce the department's allotments from the home security fund account and hold in reserve status a portion of the department's appropriation.

Requires certain local governments to communicate and interact with landlord and tenant associations to facilitate development, maintenance, and distribution of the interested landlord list to private rental housing landlords.

Requires the department of commerce to make reasonable efforts to ensure that local providers conduct outreach to private rental housing landlords regarding rental housing for the homeless and availability of funds.

Requires the office of financial management to contract with an independent auditor to conduct a performance audit of the programs funded by document recording surcharge funds.

Requires the department of commerce to convene a stakeholder group to discuss long-term funding strategies for homeless housing programs that do not include a surcharge on document recording fees.