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House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
House of Representatives
Session of 2023 - 2024
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | April 9, 2024 04:05 PM |
|---|---|
| From: | Representative Kristin Marcell |
| To: | All House members |
| Subject: | Annual Audit of Pennsylvania Housing and Finance Agency |
| Current law, provides for the Pennsylvania Auditor General to audit the Pennsylvania Housing and Finance Agency (PHFA) from “time to time.”This language is exceptionally vague and concerning. The Pennsylvania Auditory General’s office was unable to provide a date, or an audit conducted by the office in recent history. The Auditor General’s office speculated that the last time the PHFA was audited was likely in the 1980s, but unable to provide the actual audit report. During the Covid-19 pandemic, the PHFA was charged with delivering millions of government CARE Act dollars to Pennsylvanians in need. Throughout the most recent PHFA budget hearing it was discovered that there were several issues and concerns with the administration and implementation processes. In 2020, the PHFA was tasked with distributing $175 million in rent and mortgage assistance. Of that money, only $54 million was disbursed to homeowners and renters around the Commonwealth. In 2021, the PHFA was appropriated $350 million from the American Rescue Plan to create the Homeowners Assistance Grant Program. The program was shut down for more than a year due to technical issues between the PHFA and a vendor. Under Governor Shapiro’s budget proposal, he intends to expand the responsibility of the PHFA by increasing the Housing Affordability and Rehabilitation Enhancement Fund (PHARE) annual cap to $100 million by fiscal year 2027-28. Before the General Assembly can authorize any expansion to the PHFA we must ensure lessons learned from past failures are solved. To ensure transparency and accountability of both Federal and state dollars, I intend to introduce legislation that will require the Pennsylvania Auditor General to conduct an annual audit of the PHFA by June 30th of each year. Please join me in co-sponsoring this legislation that will ensure that all programs and program dollars funneled through the PHFA are being managed with the utmost of integrity. Please consider co-sponsoring this legislation. |
Introduced as HB2387