BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    



                                                                  AB 884
                                                                  Page  1

          Date of Hearing:  April 16, 2007

                     ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON REVENUE AND TAXATION
                               Charles Calderon, Chair

                    AB 884 (Dymally) - As Amended:  April 11, 2007

          Majority vote.  Fiscal committee.

           SUBJECT  :  Low income housing tax credit:  Allocation program

           SUMMARY  :  Amends existing rules dealing with the allocation of  
          tax credits for low-income housing.  Specifically,  this bill  :  

          1)States that public interest purpose is best served for  
            allocation of tax credits for low-income housing by special  
            efforts in urban areas and for projects sponsored by  
            community-based nonprofit organizations.  

          2)States that public interest is best served by the allocation  
            of tax credits under a system that allows fair competition for  
            new tax credit sponsors and developers.

          3)Adds two additional voting members to the California Tax  
            Credit Allocation Committee (TCAC):  One appointed by the  
            Senate Committee on Rules and one appointed by the Speaker of  
            the Assembly.

          4)Expands credit allocation criteria to include infill projects  
            and those that eliminate urban blight.

           EXISTING LAW  provides for a TCAC composed of the Governor (or  
          the Director of Finance in the Governor's absence), the  
          Controller, and the Treasurer.  The Director of Housing and  
          Community Development, the Executive Director of the California  
          Housing Finance Agency, and two representatives of local  
          government serve TCAC as ex officio, nonvoting members.  The  
          local government representatives are members of the California  
          Legislature appointed to represent the interests of cities and  
          counties.

          The TCAC is authorized to allocate low-income housing credits  
          for both federal and California tax purposes.  Currently, TCAC  
          is directed to develop and provide application forms for use by  
          housing credit applicants and has adopted uniform procedures for  








                                                                  AB 884
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          submission and review of applications.  The current credit  
          allocation plan contains two different processes:  One is  
          competitive among developers; one follows tax exempt bond caps.   
          The competitive process requires developers to apply for TCAC  
          credits in one of two annual rounds of funding.  The project  
          application competes with applications by other projects; the  
          credits are awarded based upon a point system reflecting  
          specific priorities of the state.  Currently, California sets  
          aside certain percentages of the credits to be awarded for  
          projects in the following categories:  Non-profits, rural, small  
          development, at-risk, special needs, and credit holdback.  TCAC  
          also considers California's priorities for the project's housing  
          type (large family, single room occupancy, special needs,  
          seniors, and at-risk individuals).  

           FISCAL EFFECT  :  This bill modifies the criteria by which credits  
          are allocated and changes the voting membership of the TCAC.  No  
          impact on the General Fund is anticipated by this bill.  

           Proposition 98 Fiscal Impact  :  None.

           COMMENTS  :  The author states that the Legislature does not have  
          any voting member appointments to the TCAC and notes that, over  
          the last ten years, the TCAC has changed the criteria for  
          awarding the limited tax credits without legislative input.   
          This bill gives the California Legislature two voting members on  
          the TCAC.  

          Assemblymember Dymally states, "The primary objective of this  
          measure is to ensure that the TCAC process of allocating credits  
          is fair and impartial to small and emerging firms. The TCAC  
          process of allocating credits should provide a fair opportunity  
          for small and emerging firms to secure an allocation of credits  
          to rehabilitate, reposition and development low-income rental  
          real estate projects."

           REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION  :   

           Support 
           
          None in file

           Opposition 
           
          None in file








                                                                  AB 884
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          Analysis Prepared by  :  Kimberly Bott / REV. & TAX. / (916)  
          319-2098