Senate committee advances bill allowing Mississippi Home Corporation to seek federal funds for neighborhood housing rehab

The Mississippi Senate Committee on Housing and Finance advanced Senate Bill 22-52 on a voice vote to give the Mississippi Home Corporation authority to seek federal funds and establish a neighborhood housing rehabilitation program to preserve and improve owner-occupied properties.

The bill, as explained to the committee by the chair, would direct Mississippi Home Corporation (referred to in the hearing as "Home Corp") to pursue federal funds — including American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) dollars, Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding administered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), or other federal sources — to create a neighborhood housing rehab program. The program would target households with incomes at or below 50% of area median income and cover work such as accessibility modifications for elderly and disabled homeowners, weatherization and energy-efficiency upgrades, and lead-based paint hazard remediation.

Why it matters: Committee members said the measure aims to address blight and shortages of habitable owner-occupied housing in municipalities that lack local funds to repair or demolish deteriorating homes.

Discussion in committee focused on funding and program scope. Senator Jordan questioned the absence of a dollar figure in the bill: "You're asking for federal funds. You don't know how many how much you're asking for," he told the chair. The chair replied that the legislation does not set a minimum or maximum appropriation and that Home Corp would pursue whatever federal funding it could secure. The chair offered an example, saying Home Corp currently receives about $3,000,000 a year in federal support for the state's housing trust fund and suggested an expectation in the range of $3 million to $5 million if comparable funds were available.

Senator Jordan proposed an amendment to set a minimum request of $5,000,000; he later withdrew that amendment after committee discussion about restricting Home Corp's flexibility. Other senators raised implementation questions: Senator Barrett said municipalities in his district lack funds to address blighted properties, and the chair compared the proposal to existing federal programs such as LIHEAP and weatherization, describing the bill as a grant or loan program to assist qualifying low-income homeowners. Senator Hawkins queried whether lease-purchase programs or non-owner-occupied units would be eligible; the chair said the bill is intended for owner-occupied structures and that staff would consult Home Corp for clarifications if the bill moves forward.

The committee voted the bill out on a voice vote with the motion recorded as "title sufficient to pass on Senate Bill 22 52." The measure was double-referred for further vetting in a second committee.

Next steps: The committee recorded the bill as passed out of the committee for additional consideration in the committee of reference.