A.  This Chapter may be cited as the “Louisiana Housing Trust Fund Act of 2003”.

B.  The legislature hereby finds and declares that there exists in the state a need to assist low-income individuals and families in accessing affordable housing and to provide for the development, rehabilitation, and preservation of decent, safe, and affordable housing for low-income individuals and families and to address homelessness; and, therefore, to address these needs, the purposes of this Chapter shall be the following:

(1)  To fill the growing gap in Louisiana’s ability to build affordable housing by encouraging the dedication of public and private sources to fund additional housing activities.

(2)  To develop rental housing for individuals and families with the greatest economic need, in mixed-income settings and in areas with the greatest economic opportunities.

(3)  To promote home ownership for low-income individuals and families, to address homelessness and the prevention of homelessness, and to produce, rehabilitate, and preserve affordable dwellings.

C.  The Louisiana Housing Corporation shall create and establish the Louisiana Housing Trust Fund, hereinafter referred to as the “trust fund”, to be administered by the Louisiana Housing Corporation.  Interest earned on investment of monies in the trust fund shall be credited to the trust fund.  Unexpended and unencumbered monies in the trust fund at the end of each fiscal year shall remain in the trust fund.  Monies in the trust fund shall be made available for assisting the development, rehabilitation, and preservation of affordable housing and for other purposes consistent with this Chapter.

D.  The trust fund shall receive monies in the following manner:

(1)  Donations to the trust fund from the income tax checkoff as provided in La. Rev. Stat. 47:120.64.

(2)  Gifts, grants, and donations to the trust fund received from individuals, partnerships, and public or private organizations.

(3)  Monies appropriated to the trust fund by the legislature subject to budgetary control or authority of the division of administration as may be provided in the Act appropriating such funds.

(4)  Any federal funds made available to the state under any federal housing trust fund legislation for which the trust fund shall be the sole repository for the state.

(5)  Monies appropriated or otherwise made available to the trust fund, from income derived under the Road Home Housing Program from the sale of real property, acquired by the state, or its agent, under the program and sold for purposes of redevelopment of housing or from the repayment of loans, grants, or any other agreement wherein the state provided financial assistance to an individual for rehabilitation or buyout of a home under the program, but only in such amounts as are approved by the Louisiana Recovery Authority and the division of administration and provided that such monies shall be subject to budgetary control and authority of the division of administration.

E.  The monies in the trust fund shall be available for the purposes of loans and investments in accordance with guidelines determined by the Louisiana Housing Corporation.

F.  The Louisiana Housing Corporation is authorized to retain six percent of the monies in the trust fund for necessary and associated administrative expenses of the trust fund.

G.  Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, the Louisiana Housing Corporation shall give priority to assisting municipalities and displaced citizens, of a declared disaster area, with developing, rehabilitating, and preserving affordable housing.

Acts 2003, No. 734, §1, eff. June 27, 2003; Acts 2006, No. 654, §1, eff. June 29, 2006; Acts 2011, No. 408, §5(B), eff. July 5, 2011.