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A17, R26, H3770
STATUS INFORMATION
Joint Resolution
Sponsors: Reps. G.M. Smith, Stavrinakis, Wetmore, Weeks, Hewitt, Wheeler, Erickson, Bradley, W. Newton and Dillard
Document Path: l:\council\bills\bh\7408sa21.docx
Introduced in the House on January 28, 2021
Introduced in the Senate on March 9, 2021
Last Amended on March 24, 2021
Passed by the General Assembly on April 8, 2021
Governor's Action: April 16, 2021, Signed
Summary: Emergency Rental Assistance Program
HISTORY OF LEGISLATIVE ACTIONS
Date Body Action Description with journal page number
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1/28/2021 House Introduced and read first time (House Journal-page 32)
1/28/2021 House Referred to Committee on Ways and Means
(House Journal-page 32)
2/16/2021 House Member(s) request name added as sponsor: Stavrinakis,
Wetmore, Weeks, Hewitt
3/2/2021 House Committee report: Favorable with amendment Education and
Public Works (House Journal-page 6)
3/3/2021 House Member(s) request name added as sponsor: Wheeler,
Erickson, Bradley, W.Newton
3/4/2021 House Member(s) request name added as sponsor: Dillard
3/4/2021 House Amended (House Journal-page 21)
3/4/2021 House Requests for debate-Rep(s). Hill and May
(House Journal-page 21)
3/4/2021 House Read second time (House Journal-page 24)
3/4/2021 House Roll call Yeas-96 Nays-14 (House Journal-page 24)
3/9/2021 House Read third time and sent to Senate
(House Journal-page 13)
3/9/2021 Senate Introduced and read first time (Senate Journal-page 6)
3/9/2021 Senate Referred to Committee on Finance (Senate Journal-page 6)
3/17/2021 Senate Committee report: Favorable with amendment Finance
(Senate Journal-page 13)
3/24/2021 Senate Committee Amendment Adopted (Senate Journal-page 21)
3/24/2021 Senate Amended (Senate Journal-page 21)
3/24/2021 Senate Read second time (Senate Journal-page 21)
3/24/2021 Senate Roll call Ayes-41 Nays-0 (Senate Journal-page 21)
3/25/2021 Senate Read third time and returned to House with amendments
(Senate Journal-page 8)
3/25/2021 Senate Reconsider vote whereby read third time and returned
with amendments (Senate Journal-page 8)
3/25/2021 Scrivener's error corrected
3/30/2021 Senate Read third time and returned to House with amendments
(Senate Journal-page 6)
4/8/2021 House Concurred in Senate amendment and enrolled
(House Journal-page 9)
4/15/2021 Ratified R 26
4/16/2021 Signed By Governor
4/21/2021 Effective date 04/16/21
4/21/2021 Act No. 17
View the latest legislative information at the website
VERSIONS OF THIS BILL
1/28/2021
3/2/2021
3/4/2021
3/17/2021
3/24/2021
3/25/2021
(A17, R26, H3770)
A JOINT RESOLUTION TO AUTHORIZE THE USE OF FEDERAL FUNDS DISBURSED TO THE STATE PURSUANT TO THE FEDERAL "CONSOLIDATED APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2021" FOR THE EMERGENCY RENTAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM; TO CREATE THE SOUTH CAROLINA EMERGENCY RENTAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM AND TO PROVIDE THE MANNER IN WHICH THE FUNDS MUST BE DISTRIBUTED; TO PROVIDE THAT CERTAIN COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES MAY CONTRACT WITH PRIVATE PARTIES TO PROVIDE SERVICES RELATED TO CERTAIN FEDERAL EMPLOYMENT TAX CREDITS; AND TO PROVIDE THAT THE SOUTH CAROLINA STATE HOUSING FINANCING AND DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY SHALL TAKE CERTAIN ACTIONS TO ENSURE THAT ELIGIBLE HOUSEHOLDS AND LANDLORDS ARE AWARE OF THE PROGRAM.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:
Authorization to expend funds
SECTION 1. (A) The federal funds disbursed to the State pursuant to the federal "Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021" for the Emergency Rental Assistance Program, are hereby authorized to be expended as set forth in this Joint Resolution.
(B) In accordance with the provisions of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, applications for funding can be made by a utility, landlord, or tenant on behalf of the eligible household.
South Carolina Emergency Rental Assistance Program
SECTION 2. (A)(1) There is created the South Carolina Emergency Rental Assistance Program (program) administered by the South Carolina State Housing Financing and Development Authority (SC Housing), under the direction of its board of commissioners, with the funds appropriated in SECTION 1, to assist eligible households that are unable to pay rent, utilities, and other expenses incurred related to housing due to the COVID-19 pandemic, as defined by the Secretary of the Treasury.
(2) SC Housing shall obligate all the funds authorized in SECTION 1 for the program by September 30, 2021.
(B) SC Housing shall secure professional grant management services to assist with disbursing the federal funds authorized in SECTION 1 in an expeditious manner. SC Housing shall use the contract awarded pursuant to the procurement process established by Section 2(A) of Act 135 of 2020, for professional grant management services that provided for services including, but not limited to, understanding the requirements and funding streams related to federal COVID-19 relief funds; creating a framework for distribution management from application for funds to disbursement of funds to include the development of processes and controls, data collection, evaluation of requests, and reporting; and creating a system of monitoring for compliance and detecting possible fraud, waste, and abuse.
(C)(1) An "eligible household" means a renter household in which at least one individual:
(a) qualifies for unemployment or has experienced a reduction in household income, incurred significant costs, or experienced a financial hardship due to COVID-19;
(b) demonstrates a risk of experiencing homelessness or housing instability; and
(c) has a household income at or below eighty percent of the area median.
(2) Rental assistance provided to an eligible household should not be duplicative of any other federally funded rental assistance provided to such household.
(3) Eligible households that include an individual who has been unemployed for the ninety days or more before applying for assistance and households with income at or below fifty percent of the area median are to be prioritized for assistance.
(4) Household income is determined as either the household's total income for calendar year 2020 or the household's monthly income at the time of application. For household incomes determined using the latter method, income eligibility must be redetermined every three months.
(5) If the eligibility requirements of the federal Emergency Rental Assistance Program are amended, the eligibility requirements contained in this subsection are amended to conform to the federal amendments.
(D) SC Housing may not award funds to residents of Anderson, Berkeley, Charleston, Greenville, Horry, Richland, or Spartanburg counties unless there are additional funds remaining after obligating funds to all other eligible residents in the State.
(E)(1) There is created the South Carolina Emergency Rental Assistance Program Advisory Panel. The panel consists of:
(a) the Director of the Department of Administration, or his designee;
(b) the Director of the Office of Regulatory Staff, or his designee;
(c) one representative recommended by the Association of Counties appointed by the Board of Directors of SC Housing;
(d) one representative from the Affordable Housing Coalition of South Carolina appointed by the Board of Directors of SC Housing;
(e) one representative from the South Carolina Association for Community Economic Development appointed by the Board of Directors of SC Housing; and
(f) one representative from a utility provider appointed by the Public Service Commission.
(2) The panel shall review and monitor the implementation and evaluation of the program and funding.
Federal employment tax credits
SECTION 3. Colleges, universities, and entities that provide medical and hospital care, whose employees are employees of the State of South Carolina or any political subdivision thereof, are authorized to contract directly with private parties to provide services related to federal employment tax credits pursuant to the Federal CARES Act of 2020 as extended to such state employees under Section 207 of the Taxpayer Certainty and Disaster Tax Relief Act of 2020.
Notice of eligibility
SECTION 4. SC Housing must take action, to include working with the judicial department, to ensure that eligible households and landlords are aware of the program and that program information is distributed in rental deferrals and evictions cases.
Time effective
SECTION 5. This joint resolution takes effect upon approval by the Governor.
Ratified the 15th day of April, 2021.
Approved the 16th day of April, 2021.
This web page was last updated on May 3, 2021 at 3:28 PM