Bill Text: NJ S1412 | 2020-2021 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Establishes "New Jersey Affordable Housing Internet Portal Study Commission."
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2020-02-13 - Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Community and Urban Affairs Committee [S1412 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2020-S1412-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Senator CHRISTOPHER "KIP" BATEMAN
District 16 (Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex and Somerset)
SYNOPSIS
Establishes "New Jersey Affordable Housing Internet Portal Study Commission."
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act establishing a commission to study the creation of an affordable housing Internet portal.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. There is established in, but not of, the Department of Community Affairs, an advisory commission to be known as the "New Jersey Affordable Housing Internet Portal Study Commission." The commission shall consist of 11 members as follows:
(1) two members of the Senate, one appointed by the Senate President, and one appointed by the Senate Minority Leader; and two members of the General Assembly, one appointed by the Speaker of the general Assembly, and one appointed by the Assembly Minority Leader;
(2) the Commissioner of Community Affairs, the Executive Director of the Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency, the Executive Director of the Council on Affordable Housing, and the Chief Technology Officer, or their designees, who shall serve ex-officio; and
(3) three public members, who shall be appointed by the Governor no later than the 30th day after the effective date of this act, as follows: one person upon the recommendation of the New Jersey League of Municipalities, one person upon the recommendation of the New Jersey Association of Counties, and one person upon the recommendation of a non-profit affordable housing advocacy group.
b. The commission shall organize as soon as practicable after the appointment of its members. Vacancies in the membership of the commission shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointments were made.
c. Members of the commission shall serve without compensation but shall be reimbursed for necessary expenses incurred in the performance of their duties within the limits of funds made available to the commission for its purposes.
d. The Commissioner of Community Affairs, or the Commissioner's designee, shall serve as chairperson of the commission. The commission shall select a vice-chairperson from among the members. The chairperson shall appoint a secretary who need not be a member of the commission.
e. The commission shall examine the feasibility of creating an affordable housing Internet portal that includes the following:
(1) complete, up-to-date accounting of available affordable housing, including publicly supported housing, privately supported housing, and housing supported by non-profit organizations and religious groups;
(2) an affordable housing checklist, including links to information deemed necessary by the commission;
(3) a streamlined process by which individuals may apply for subsidized housing with the ability to:
(a) complete the application on a smartphone;
(b) compile all of the paperwork required for submission by an applicant by municipal, county, and State housing agencies, agents, and authorities, as customized by pre-selected user preferences;
(c) track the process of an application and provide digital updates through email and text messaging to applicants; and
(d) complete a financial and housing literacy educational module;
(4) the creation of an automated "chatbot" which can answer frequently asked questions in real-time, and direct those seeking affordable housing to a hotline for additional information when necessary;
(5) the creation of a feedback portal which shall be monitored to consider potential improvements for the Internet website on a regular basis; and
(6) information available for municipalities on zoning best practices, including ways to integrate affordable housing into the existing municipal infrastructure.
f. The commission shall hold not less than three public hearings, with no less than one public hearing each in the northern, central, and southern regions of the State.
2. The commission may issue any interim reports it deems appropriate and shall submit a final report of its findings and recommendations to the Governor, and to the Legislature pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1), no later than nine months after the date of the commission organization meeting.
3. This act shall take effect immediately and shall expire upon the issuance of the final commission report.
STATEMENT
This bill would establish the "New Jersey Affordable Housing Internet Portal Study Commission." The purpose of the commission will be to examine the feasibility of creating an affordable housing Internet portal. The commission will include the following 11 members: two members of the Senate, one appointed by the Senate President, and one appointed by the Senate Minority Leader; and two members of the General Assembly, one appointed by the Speaker of the General Assembly, and one appointed by the Assembly Minority Leader; the Commissioner of Community Affairs, the Executive Director of the Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency, the Executive Director of the Council on Affordable Housing, and the Chief Technology Officer, or their designees, who shall serve ex-officio; and three public members, who shall be appointed by the Governor no later than the 30th day after the effective date of this act, as follows: one person upon the recommendation of the New Jersey League of Municipalities, one person upon the recommendation of the New Jersey Association of Counties, and one person upon the recommendation of a non-profit affordable housing advocacy group.
Under the bill, the commission will examine the feasibility of creating an affordable housing Internet portal which would include complete, up-to-date accounting of available affordable housing, including publicly supported housing, privately supported housing, and housing supported by non-profit organizations and religious groups. The portal will also include an affordable housing checklist, including links to information deemed necessary by the study commission and a streamlined application process by which individuals may apply for subsidized housing. Finally, the portal will include: the creation of an automated "chatbot" which can answer frequently asked questions in real-time and direct those seeking affordable housing to a hotline for additional information when necessary; the creation of a feedback portal which will be monitored to consider potential improvements for the internet website on a regular basis; and information available for municipalities on zoning best practices, including ways to integrate affordable housing into the existing municipal infrastructure.
The commission will conduct at least three public hearings, with one each to be located in the northern, central, and southern regions of the State. The commission may issue any interim reports it deems necessary, and will issue a final report of its findings and recommendations to the Governor and the Legislature.
