LANSING, Mich., Sept. 20, 2023 — State Reps. Betsy Coffia (D-Traverse City), Ranjeev Puri (D-Canton), Will Snyder (D-Muskegon) and Donavan McKinney (D-Detroit) introduced a package of bills this week to bring the Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA) into further alignment with neighboring states and federal standards in an effort to create much needed affordable housing units.

“Affordable housing was one of the top issues I heard about while knocking doors and during my four years serving as a Grand Traverse County commissioner. Identifying solutions has been at the top of my mind and central to my office’s work,” Coffia said. “By enacting these bills, our state’s housing authority will be able to shore up all available resources to better address statewide affordable housing needs, so as to benefit our state economy and working families alike.”

These bills would:

  • House Bill 5029 (McKinney): Make MSHDA land use restrictions exempt from the Marketable Title Act to save the authority money, staff time and resources from recording Notices of Claims on all MSHDA projects, particularly those intended to remain affordable for persons of low and moderate income.
  • HB 5030 (Coffia): Allow MSHDA the flexibility to hold its debt until market conditions are more favorable for cancellation so the authority can retain more funds to address affordable housing needs. This is a re-introduction of HB 4948 of 2021.
  • House Bill 5031 (Puri): Allow MSHDA resident board members to have full voting rights to eliminate frequent legal questions regarding quorums and alleviate challenges that impede operational efficiency. This is a re-introduction of HB 4950 of 2021.
  • House Bill 5032 (Snyder): Allow MSHDA to increase the sales price limits to raise its revenues and serve more people, while also increasing the amount that MSHDA can raise the purchase price limit to pay for unexpected cost increases while adapting properties for use by disabled individuals. This is a re-introduction of HB 4951 of 2021.
  • House Bill 5033 (McKinney): Confirm that MSHDA is Michigan’s sole public housing agency to satisfy federal requirements. This will allow the authority to enter statewide or regional multistate contracts for the administration of housing subsidies and other federal housing assistance.

The bills have been referred to the House Committee on Economic Development and Small Business for further consideration.