No Place Like Home Program: financing.

(1) The Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) , an initiative measure enacted by the voters as Proposition 63 at the November 2, 2004, statewide general election, imposes a 1% tax on that portion of a taxpayer's taxable income that exceeds $1,000,000 and requires that the revenue from that tax be deposited in the Mental Health Services Fund to fund various county mental health programs. The MHSA authorizes the Legislature to amend its provisions by a 23 vote, provided that the amendment is consistent with and furthers the intent of the act. Existing law, known as the No Place Like Home Program, requires the Department of Housing and Community Development to award $2,000,000,000 among counties to finance capital costs, including, but not limited to, acquisition, design, construction, rehabilitation, or preservation, and to capitalize operating reserves, of permanent supportive housing for the target population, as specified. Existing law requires the department to distribute $1,800,000,000 through a competitive program and to allocate $200,000,000 among all counties within this state on an "over-the-counter" population basis. The bill would authorize the California Health Facilities Financing Authority and the department to, among other things, enter into contracts to provide services pursuant to the No Place Like Home Program related to permanent supportive housing. The bill would also authorize the authority to issue taxable or tax-exempt revenue bonds in an amount not to exceed $2,000,000,000 for these purposes and to make secured or unsecured loans to the department in connection with financing permanent supportive housing pursuant to the No Place Like Home Program. The bill would require that the dollar limit on amounts distributed under the No Place Like Home Program be based on the principal amount of bonds issued by the authority and loaned to the department. The bill would additionally authorize the use of moneys in the Mental Health Services Fund for the purposes of the No Place Like Home Program. The bill would also establish and continuously appropriate the Supportive Housing Program Subaccount in the Mental Health Services Fund. The bill would require the Controller, no later than the last day of each month and prior to any transfer or expenditure from the fund for any other purpose for the following month, to transfer from the Mental Health Services Fund to the Supportive Housing Program Subaccount an amount necessary to cover the costs the authority is required to pay to the department pursuant to an above-described service contract, as determined by the authority but not to exceed an aggregate amount of $140,000,000 per year. The bill would prohibit moneys in the Supportive Housing Program Subaccount from being loaned to the General Fund pursuant to specified statutes. The bill would exempt service contracts between the department and the authority pursuant to these provisions from specified public contracting laws. The bill would also exempt loan agreements between the department and the authority and revenue bonds issued by the authority from any other law applicable to the execution of those agreements or issuance of those bonds, including the California Environmental Quality Act. (2) Existing law establishes the No Place Like Home Fund and continuously appropriates the moneys in this fund to the Department of Housing and Community Development for the purposes of the No Place Like Home Program. Existing law requires the deposit into the fund of, among other moneys, any proceeds from the issuance of bonds by the Treasurer. This bill would instead require the department to deposit into the fund the proceeds of loans derived from the issuance of bonds under this bill by the California Health Facilities Financing Authority. The bill would additionally continuously appropriate moneys in the fund to the Treasurer and the authority for purposes of the No Place Like Home Program. (3) Existing law requires counties to annually report specified information to the Department of Housing and Community Development on activities funded under the No Place Like Home Program, including information on the funded supportive housing development. Existing law also requires the department to report specified information on the program to the Legislature by December 31 of each year, commencing with the year after the first full year in which the program is in effect. This bill would require the department to monitor county compliance with applicable program regulations, loan agreements and regulatory agreements and any agreements related to the program that designate the department as a 3rd party beneficiary, and enforce those agreements to the extent necessary and desirable in order to provide, to the greatest degree possible, the successful provision of permanent supportive housing. The bill would require the department to submit a report to the California Health Facilities Financing Authority by December 31 of each year, commencing with the year after the first full year in which the program is in effect, that contains specified information about the counties participating in the program and the services that have been provided pursuant to any service contracts between the department and the authority, as described above. (4) Existing law establishes a procedure by which a public agency may bring an action in the superior court to determine the validity of any matter authorized by other law. Existing law authorizes an action under this procedure to determine the legality of any action by the Department of Housing and Community Development related to the No Place Like Home Program. Existing law requires the department to issue its first request for proposal for the competitive program no later than 180 days, and to make its first allocation of "over-the-counter" funds within 60 days, after the deadline for appeals under the validation procedure. This bill would recast this authorization to instead authorize an action to determine the validity of any service contract or loan agreement between the department and the California Health Facilities Financing Authority, as described above, in accordance with specified provisions governing actions to determine the validity of bonds, warrants, contracts, obligations, or evidences of indebtedness. The bill would instead require the department to issue its first request for proposal no later than 180 days, and to make its first allocation of "over-the-counter" funds as soon as reasonably practical, but no later than 150 days, after the effective date of a final judgment with no further opportunity for appeals, in any court proceeding affirming the validity of the service contracts between the department and the authority and any bonds issued by the authority. (5) Existing law authorizes the Department of Finance to authorize a loan from the General Fund to the No Place Like Home Fund for cashflow purposes in an amount not to exceed $1,000,000. Existing law requires that a loan comply with certain requirements, including that the purpose of the loan is to allow the department to begin implementation activities related to the No Place Like Home Program, including drafting program guidelines and regulations. This bill would instead authorize the Department of Finance to authorize one or more loans from the General Fund to the No Place Like Home Fund in an aggregate amount not to exceed $2,000,000. The bill would additionally authorize loans for the purpose of allowing the Department of Housing and Community Development, the California Health Facilities Financing Authority, and the Treasurer to implement the above-described provisions pertaining to service contracts and loan agreements between the department and the authority and revenue bonds issued by the authority. (6) Existing law makes various findings and declarations regarding the No Place Like Home Program. This bill would make additional findings and declarations pertaining to the financing and implementation of the No Place Like Home Program. The bill would also make various technical and conforming changes to the No Place Like Home Program. (7) This bill would declare that its provisions further the intent of the MHSA. (8) This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as a bill providing for appropriations related to the Budget Bill.