RD164 - Annual Executive Summary of the Interim Activity and Work of the Virginia Housing Commission


    Executive Summary:
    [The reporting requirements of SJR 95 (2004) are included in this summary.]

    Virginia Housing Commission -- 2004 Interim

    Created by the 1970 General Assembly, the Virginia Housing Study Commission was originally mandated "to study the ways and means best designed to utilized existing resources and to develop facilities that will provide the Commonwealth's growing population with adequate housing." The Commission has long been recognized as a forum for new ideas in housing and community development, and serves as a focal point for developing a consensus on those ideas in the form of statutory, regulatory and non-governmental initiatives. The Commission is comprised of eleven members, including five members of the Virginia House of Delegates, three members of the Virginia Senate, and three citizen members appointed by the Governor. Delegate Thelma Drake serves as the Chair of the Commission and Delegate Jackie Stump serves as the Vice Chair.

    In 2004, the General Assembly passed House Bill 1231 establishing the Virginia Housing Commission as a permanent legislative commission charged with studying and providing recommendations to ensure and foster the availability of safe, sound, and affordable housing for every Virginian. One of the first actions of the Commission was to discontinue the use of independent staff support and relocate its office and staffing and administrative support to the Division of Legislative Services. This resulted in a savings of $174,000 that had been provided for the support of the Commission from special fund appropriations.

    The Commission's activities in the 2004 interim centered on establishing an organizational basis for the development of a statewide housing policy. Significant activities of the Commission during the 2004 interim included:

    • Holding three meetings over the course of the interim (June 8, July 6 and November 15).

    • Establishing three component work groups for developing the statewide housing policy: i) Regulatory and Financial Issues, ii) Local Revitalization and Blight Removal, and iii) Special Populations.

    • Reviewing and incorporating key housing policy documents into the statewide housing policy study.

    • Establishing an eminent domain work group to review and provide recommendations on referred legislation and other issues pertaining to the state's eminent domain laws.

    • Establishing a Commission website to serve as an information resource and focal point for housing partners and the general public.(website address: http://dls.state.va.us/houscomm.htm)