Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to pass a bill that amends provisions relating to affordable housing.

Highlights:

-Repeals the Council on Affordable Housing, and assigns its remaining powers and duties to the Department of Community Affairs (Sec. 2). -Requires that for a municipality in which at least 20 percent, but less than 50 percent, of children in its schools are eligible for free or reduced price meals under the federal School Lunch Program, 8 percent of the housing stock for that municipality must be qualified housing units, subject to conditions including, but not limited to, the following (Sec. 22):

-Requires at least 50 percent of the total qualified housing units to be low income units; -Requires at least 13 percent of the total qualified housing units constructed after the date of enactment of this bill to be very low income units; and -Requires any municipality claiming compliance to submit an analysis to the Commissioner of Community Affairs that calculates the number of substandard housing occupied by low and moderate income families, and a plan for rehabilitating those units within the next 10 years.

-Requires developers of any new residential project to pay a fee of 1.5 percent of the assessed value of the development into a municipal housing trust fund (Sec. 26). -Specifies that the duties of the State Board of Professional Planners shall include, but not be limited to (Sec. 30):

-Promulgating standards and requirements for licensing housing compliance professionals; -Reviewing and issuing applications for licensing housing compliance professionals, and also to issue licenses and license renewals to all qualifying housing compliance professionals; -Establishing and collecting fees for examinations, licenses, renewals, or any other services required for the licensing of housing compliance professionals; and -Publishing both the names of and contact information for all licensed housing compliance professionals, including all the housing compliance professionals whose licenses have been revoked by the board.

-Requires applicants seeking to be housing compliance professionals to meet the following requirements (Sec. 30):

-Be a professional planner, licensed by the State Board of Professional Planners, for at least 8 years; -Have substantial experience in the preparation or independent review of affordable housing elements for New Jersey municipalities; -Demonstrate knowledge of the legal and constitutional standards governing affordable housing elements, and of other considerations that affect whether affordable housing creates realistic housing opportunities; -Not have any prior convictions of any crime concerning public office or employment; and -Not have had a professional license revoked by a state licensing board or any other professional licensing agency within the last 10 years.

Full Bill Text