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An Act To Support Housing for Homeless Veterans
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1.  30-A MRSA c. 201, sub-c. 3-C  is enacted to read:
SUBCHAPTER 3-C
HOUSING FOR HOMELESS VETERANS
§ 4765. Homeless Veterans Housing Fund
 
1.  Fund established.     The Homeless Veterans Housing Fund, referred to in this section as "the fund," is established. The fund is administered by the Maine State Housing Authority as an interest-bearing, nonlapsing fund. The fund may include appropriations, allocations and credits for inclusion in the fund, grants and gifts from outside sources and interest earned from investments from the fund. The purpose of the fund is to provide housing for homeless veterans.
 
2.  Fiscal year 2015-16 credited funds from Treasurer of State.     The Maine State Housing Authority shall disburse all funds received from outside sources for the fund and $1 of funds credited to the fund by the Treasurer of State in fiscal year 2015-16 for every $3 received from an outside source to a nonprofit volunteer organization planning to construct housing for homeless veterans on the grounds of the United States Department of Veterans Affairs medical center in the City of Augusta for the purpose of constructing the housing. The nonprofit volunteer organization may request funds to be disbursed from the fund for the construction of housing for homeless veterans under this subsection on an as-needed basis. On June 30, 2017, the Maine State Housing Authority shall transfer from the fund to the General Fund an amount equal to the amount credited to the fund by the Treasurer of State in fiscal year 2015-16 that was not matched by funds received from outside sources.
Sec. 2. 36 MRSA §4641-B, sub-§4-B, ¶E, as enacted by PL 2011, c. 453, §6, is amended to read:
 
E. In fiscal year 2015-16 and each fiscal year thereafter, the Treasurer of State shall credit the revenues derived from the tax imposed pursuant to section 4641-A, subsection 1 in accordance with this paragraph.
 
(1) At the beginning of the fiscal year, the Maine State Housing Authority shall certify to the Treasurer of State the amount that is necessary and sufficient to meet the authority's obligations relating to bonds issued or planned to be issued by the authority under Title 30-A, section 4864.
 
(2) On a monthly basis the Treasurer of State shall apply 50% of the revenues in accordance with this subparagraph. The Treasurer of State shall first pay revenues available under this subparagraph to the Maine State Housing Authority, which shall deposit the funds in the Maine Energy, Housing and Economic Recovery Fund established in Title 30-A, section 4863, until the amount paid equals the amount certified by the Maine State Housing Authority under subparagraph (1), after which, for fiscal year 2015-16, the Treasurer of State shall credit $1,000,000 to the Homeless Veterans Housing Fund under Title 30-A, section 4765 and credit any remaining revenues available under this subparagraph to the General Fund and, for fiscal year 2016-17 and each fiscal year thereafter, the Treasurer of State shall credit any remaining revenues available under this subparagraph to the General Fund.
 
(3) On a monthly basis, the Treasurer of State shall credit 50% of the revenues to the Maine State Housing Authority, which shall deposit the funds in the Housing Opportunities for Maine Fund created in Title 30-A, section 4853.
 
SUMMARY
This bill establishes the Homeless Veterans Housing Fund within the Maine State Housing Authority to provide housing for homeless veterans and, for fiscal year 2015-16, directs the Treasurer of State to credit $1,000,000 derived from the real estate transfer tax to the Homeless Veterans Housing Fund to support, with a 3-to-1 match by outside sources, the construction by the Volunteers of America of housing for homeless veterans on the grounds of the United States Department of Veterans Affairs medical center in the City of Augusta.