H.B. No. 1301
 
 
 
 
AN ACT
  relating to services provided by colonia self-help centers and a
  study on colonias in this state.
         BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
         SECTION 1.  Sections 2306.586(a), (b), (c), and (d),
  Government Code, are amended to read as follows:
         (a)  The purpose of a self-help center is to assist
  individuals and families of low income and very low income to
  finance, refinance, construct, improve, or maintain a safe,
  suitable home and otherwise improve living conditions in the
  colonias' designated service area or in another area the department
  has determined is suitable.
         (b)  A self-help center shall set a goal to improve the
  living conditions of residents in the colonias designated under
  Section 2306.583(b) [2306.583(a)(2)] within a two-year period
  after a contract is awarded under this subchapter.
         (c)  A self-help center may serve individuals and families of
  low income and very low income by:
               (1)  providing assistance in obtaining loans or grants
  to build a home;
               (2)  teaching construction skills necessary to repair
  or build a home;
               (3)  providing model home plans;
               (4)  operating a program to rent or provide tools for
  home construction and improvement for the benefit of property
  owners in colonias who are building or repairing a residence or
  installing necessary residential infrastructure;
               (5)  helping to obtain, construct, access, or improve
  the service and utility infrastructure designed to service
  residences in a colonia, including potable water, wastewater
  disposal, drainage, streets, and utilities;
               (6)  surveying or platting residential property that an
  individual purchased without the benefit of a legal survey, plat,
  or record;
               (7)  providing credit and debt counseling related to
  home purchase and finance;
               (8)  applying for grants and loans to provide housing
  and other needed community improvements;
               (9)  providing other services that the self-help
  center, with the approval of the department, determines are
  necessary to assist colonia residents in improving their [physical]
  living conditions, including help in:
                     (A)  obtaining suitable alternative housing
  outside of a colonia's area; and
                     (B)  performing the following authorized public
  service activities under Title 1 of the Housing and Community
  Development Act of 1974 (42 U.S.C. Section 5301 et seq.):
                           (i)  securing employment;
                           (ii)  establishing or expanding a small
  business;
                           (iii)  developing professional skills; or
                           (iv)  managing personal finances and
  achieving financial literacy;
               (10)  providing assistance in obtaining loans or grants
  to enable an individual or a family to acquire fee simple title to
  property that originally was purchased under a contract for a deed,
  contract for sale, or other executory contract; and
               (11)  providing monthly programs to educate
  individuals and families on their rights and responsibilities as
  property owners.
         (d)  A self-help center may not provide grants, financing, or
  mortgage loan services to purchase, build, rehabilitate, or finance
  construction or improvements to a home or otherwise improve living
  conditions in a colonia if water service and suitable wastewater
  disposal are not available.
         SECTION 2.  (a) In this section, "colonia" has the meaning
  assigned by Section 2306.581, Government Code.
         (b)  A joint interim committee is established to study
  colonias and colonia initiatives in this state.
         (c)  The joint interim committee is composed of the members
  of the standing committees of the legislature with primary
  jurisdiction over colonias and colonia issues. The committee
  members shall select a presiding officer from among the membership.
         (d)  In conducting the study under this section, the joint
  interim committee shall:
               (1)  determine the best methods for updating and
  maintaining colonia identification systems and for identifying and
  classifying colonias in which the highest public health risks
  exist;
               (2)  consider whether colonias should be defined
  uniformly across all relevant state agencies and whether that
  definition should include essential metrics such as:
                     (A)  economic mobility levels;
                     (B)  poverty levels;
                     (C)  mortality rates;
                     (D)  health professional shortage area scores;
  and
                     (E)  the average level of education attained by
  colonia residents;
               (3)  to address the enduring lack of services and
  infrastructure in colonias, assess best practices and funding needs
  for surveying the services and infrastructure available in, and
  demographics of, each colonia;
               (4)  assess the status of state agency tracking and
  reporting of state-funded colonia projects and whether
  improvements to the tracking or reporting mechanisms are necessary;
               (5)  determine and assess any non-infrastructure needs
  within colonias and options for this state to address those needs;
  and
               (6)  assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on
  colonias and whether additional state services are necessary to
  address those impacts.
         (e)  The joint interim committee has all other powers and
  duties provided to a special or select committee by the rules of the
  senate and house of representatives, by Subchapter B, Chapter 301,
  Government Code, and by policies of the senate and house committees
  on administration.
         (f)  Not later than September 1, 2022, the joint interim
  committee shall prepare and submit to the governor, the lieutenant
  governor, the speaker of the house of representatives, and the
  legislature a written report that includes the findings of the
  committee under this section, including any legislative
  recommendations.
         (g)  The joint interim committee established under this
  section is abolished and this section expires November 1, 2022.
         SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2021.
 
 
  ______________________________ ______________________________
     President of the Senate Speaker of the House     
 
 
         I certify that H.B. No. 1301 was passed by the House on April
  30, 2021, by the following vote:  Yeas 79, Nays 49, 1 present, not
  voting; and that the House concurred in Senate amendments to H.B.
  No. 1301 on May 28, 2021, by the following vote:  Yeas 93, Nays 46,
  2 present, not voting.
 
  ______________________________
  Chief Clerk of the House   
 
         I certify that H.B. No. 1301 was passed by the Senate, with
  amendments, on May 24, 2021, by the following vote:  Yeas 28, Nays
  2.
 
  ______________________________
  Secretary of the Senate   
  APPROVED: __________________
                  Date       
   
           __________________
                Governor