RELATING TO AFFORDABLE HOUSING.

Mandated retention of third-party consultants for affordable housing projects only when the state division cannot complete its review within 60 days, replacing a more complex set of conditions.

Removed the exemption clause that previously prevented the use of third-party consultants for projects utilizing federal funds.

Deleted the specific requirement that a qualified third-party consultant must be available before one is retained.

Changed the fee payment requirement from 'full costs' to 'reasonable fee requirements' for third-party consultants.

Updated the bill's effective date from July 1, 3000, to July 1, 2050.

The effective date of the Act was changed from July 1, 2050, to July 1, 3000.

The sunset clause for Sections 2 and 3 was updated to explicitly state they will be repealed on July 1, 2032, followed by the reenactment of specific statutes.

The bill designation was changed from H.D. 1 to H.D. 2, and various administrative metadata fields were updated.

Added a conflict-of-interest clause prohibiting third-party consultants from reviewing projects they or their employers have previously been involved with.

Changed the trigger for hiring a third-party consultant to occur when a project proponent submits a request, rather than solely at the department's discretion.

Updated the consultant termination clause to include failure to comply with laws or complete reviews accurately as grounds for dismissal.

Extended the sunset date for the bill's provisions from 2027 to 2032 and set the effective date to July 1, 2050.

Clarified that project proponents must pay the full costs of third-party consultants, removing ambiguity about 'reasonable fee requirements'.

Changed the rule publication timeline from publishing adopted rules within one year to publishing proposed rules first, then presenting final rules to the board.