Rental housing task force.

WORKING DRAFT
2007
STATE OF
WYOMING
07LSO-0623

SENATE FILE
NO.
SF0143

Rental housing task force.

Sponsored by:
Senator(s) Sessions, Job, Mockler and Vasey and Representative(s) Alden, Davison and White

A BILL

for

AN ACT relating to rental housing; creating a joint legislative-executive task force to review issues related to availability and affordability of rental housing and landlord-tenant issues as specified; specifying membership and duties of the task force; specifying scope of the review; requiring a report; providing appropriations; and providing for an effective date.

Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of
Wyoming
:

Section 1.

(a)

There is created a rental housing task force consisting of:

(i)

The members of the real estate commission;

(ii)

Two (2) members of the senate appointed by the president from different areas of the state, with one (1) member from the majority party and one (1) member from the minority party;

(iii)

Two (2) members of the house of representatives appointed by the speaker from different areas of the state, with one (1) member from the majority party and one (1) member from the minority party
;

(iv)

Two (2) rental property owners from different parts of the state, appointed by the governor;

(v)

Two (2) tenants from different parts of the state, referred by the
Wyoming
office of the
United States
department of housing and urban development and appointed by the governor.

(b)

Members of the task force shall select a chairman and a vice chairman.

(c)

The task force shall meet at the call of the chairman and shall convene its first meeting no later than May 1, 2007. The task force shall review and evaluate issues related to the status of the rental housing market in
Wyoming
, including but not limited to:

(i)

An assessment of the current availability and affordability of rental housing in the various regions of the state;

(ii)

An assessment of the need for additional rental housing in the various regions of the state;

(iii)

An evaluation of construction costs and the availability of construction contractors in those areas found to have a shortage of rental housing, as a potential barrier to the construction of new rental housing;

(iv)

Identification of other factors, by region if not applicable statewide, that operate as barriers to the construction of new rental housing;

(v)

An examination of recurrent landlord-tenant issues, including but not limited to:

(A)

Health and safety concerns;

(B)

Content, compliance and abuses in the lease agreement;

(C)

Accessibility of the courts in resolving common landlord-tenant disputes;

(D)

Landlord and tenant liability issues that may be resolved by legislation.

(d)

The task force shall issue a final report to the joint judiciary interim committee, with any recommended legislation, no later than November 1, 2007.

(e)

The task force shall be staffed by the department of administration and information. The task force may contract for administrative and research services to aid in preparation of the task force report.

(f)

The task force shall exist until March 15, 2008.

(g)

Members of the task force shall be paid as follows:

(i)

Legislative members of the committee shall be paid salary, per diem and travel expenses as provided in W.S. 28
‑
5
‑
101 for their official duties as members of the committee;

(ii)

State employees serving on the task force shall receive no additional compensation for serving on the task force, but shall be paid as provided in W.S. 9
‑
3
‑
102 and 9
‑
3
‑
103 for travel and per diem expenses incurred for their official duties as members of the task force;

(iii)

All other members of the task force shall not receive a salary but shall be paid as provided in W.S. 9
‑
3
‑
102 and 9
‑
3
‑
103 for travel and per diem expenses incurred for their official duties as members of the task force.

Section 2.

(a)

There is appropriated from the general fund to the department of administration and information fifty thousand dollars ($50,000.00), effective immediately and for the balance of the fiscal biennium ending June 30, 2008, for purposes of this act.

(b)

There is appropriated from the general fund to the legislative service office ten thousand dollars ($10,000.00), effective immediately, to fund the salaries, per diem and travel expenses of the state legislative members of the task force pursuant to section 1 of this act.

Section 3.

This act is effective immediately upon co
m
pletion of all acts necessary for a bill to become law as provided by Article 4, Section 8 of the Wyoming Constit
u
tion.

(END)

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SF0143