1. (1)

   1. (i) many residents of the State live in dwellings that do not conform to building, health, safety, fire, occupancy, or other codes and standards applicable to housing;
   2. (ii) many communities or political subdivisions in the State do not have a minimum livability code; and
   3. (iii) these conditions impede the development and maintenance of healthy, safe, and viable communities;

2. (2) private sector financing is often unavailable for rehabilitation because:

   1. (i) owner-occupants of housing in need of rehabilitation often have low incomes; and
   2. (ii) nonoccupant owners often incur high risks in owning and managing the housing;

3. (3) rehabilitating suitable housing:

   1. (i) increases the economic life of the housing;
   2. (ii) is often more economical and less disruptive than replacing the housing and relocating its occupants;
   3. (iii) can better promote community development when it is done through organized housing rehabilitation programs;
   4. (iv) is essential for sound community development; and
   5. (v) can be helped by rehabilitating commercial buildings serving communities where housing rehabilitation is desirable;

4. (4) it is a proper public purpose for which public money may be spent and property acquired to:

   1. (i) rehabilitate housing;
   2. (ii) develop healthful, safe, and viable communities;
   3. (iii) rehabilitate commercial buildings to help rehabilitate and develop housing; and
   4. (iv) provide healthful and safe housing for migratory workers to maintain and expand the agricultural activities that are dependent on the labor of these workers; and

5. (5) it is a proper public purpose for which public money may be spent to:

   1. (i) improve, modify, and add to housing to increase the supply of special housing for special populations, such as elderly households, individuals with disabilities, and other disadvantaged residents of the State;
   2. (ii) prevent lead poisoning by modifying older housing to provide a lead-safe environment, as lead paint in older housing is a major source of lead poisoning in children;
   3. (iii) provide adequate indoor plumbing, water supply, and sewage disposal systems for dwellings; and
   4. (iv) reduce or eliminate radon and asbestos, which are major detriments to the health and safety of residents, on a pilot program basis.

The General Assembly finds that:

Added by Acts 2005, c. 26, § 2, eff. Oct. 1, 2005. Amended by Acts 2005, c. 25, § 13, eff. April 12, 2005; Acts 2006, c. 118, § 2, eff. Dec. 1, 2006; Acts 2014, c. 229, § 2, eff. July 1, 2014.