85R14152 JAM-D     By: Alvarado H.B. No. 3685       A BILL TO BE ENTITLED   AN ACT   relating to the administration of the low income housing tax credit   program by the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs.          BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:          SECTION 1.  Section 2306.67022, Government Code, is amended   to read as follows:          Sec. 2306.67022.  QUALIFIED ALLOCATION PLAN; MANUAL.  (a)     At least biennially, the board shall adopt a qualified allocation   plan and a corresponding manual to provide information regarding   the administration of and eligibility for the low income housing   tax credit program.  The board may adopt the plan and manual   annually, as considered appropriate by the board.          (b)  The department shall ensure that a qualified allocation   plan adopted under this section complies with all federal and state   fair housing laws and may not implement a qualified allocation plan   or a component of that plan in a manner that does not comply with   those laws.          SECTION 2.  Section 2306.6710(a), Government Code, is   amended to read as follows:          (a)  In evaluating an application, the department shall   determine whether the application satisfies the threshold criteria   required by the board in the qualified allocation plan. The   department shall reject and return to the applicant any application   that fails to satisfy the threshold criteria. On rejection and   return of an application under this subsection, the department   shall include an explanation of the reason the application fails to   satisfy the threshold criteria.           SECTION 3.  The change in law made by this Act applies only   to an application for low income housing tax credits that is   submitted to the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs   during an application cycle that is based on the 2018 qualified   allocation plan or a subsequent plan adopted by the governing board   of the department. An application that is submitted during an   application cycle that is based on an earlier qualified allocation   plan is governed by the law in effect on the date the application   cycle began, and the former law is continued in effect for that   purpose.          SECTION 4.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2017.