Volunteer First Responder Housing Act
This bill expands eligibility for assistance under the Department of Agriculture Single Family Housing Guaranteed Loan Program and the Department of Housing and Urban Development Good Neighbor Next Door Sales Program with respect to qualified volunteer first responders.
[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1831 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
<DOC>
115th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 1831
To expand eligibility for certain housing programs for qualified
volunteer first responders.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
September 19, 2017
Ms. Heitkamp (for herself and Mr. Tester) introduced the following
bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking,
Housing, and Urban Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To expand eligibility for certain housing programs for qualified
volunteer first responders.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Volunteer First Responder Housing
Act''.
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Bona fide volunteer; eligible employer; qualified
services.--The terms ``bona fide volunteer'', ``eligible
employer'', and ``qualified services'' have the meanings given
those terms in section 457(e) of the Internal Revenue Code of
1986.
(2) Indian tribe.--The term ``Indian tribe'' has the
meaning given the term in section 4 of the Indian Self-
Determination and Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5304).
(3) Qualified volunteer first responder.--The term
``qualified volunteer first responder'' means any individual
who--
(A) is a bona fide volunteer performing qualified
services for an eligible employer;
(B) has volunteered for not less than 2 continuous
years for an eligible employer;
(C) during each of the 2 years described in
subparagraph (B)--
(i) met the minimum requirements for active
membership established by the eligible
employer; or
(ii) if the eligible employer did not
establish minimum requirements, volunteered for
not less than 200 hours; and
(D) is certified as a firefighter or other
responder in the State, unit of general local
government, or Indian tribe in which the individual is
serving as volunteer.
SEC. 3. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE SINGLE FAMILY HOUSING GUARANTEED LOAN
PROGRAM.
(a) In General.--A qualified volunteer first responder who submits
to the Secretary of Agriculture (referred to in this section as the
``Secretary'') a verification letter in accordance with subsection (b)
shall be eligible for a verified adjustment in annual income under
section 3555.152(c) of title 7, Code of Federal Regulations (or
successor regulations), in the amount of $18,000.
(b) Verification Letter.--To be eligible for a verified deduction
under subsection (a), a qualified volunteer first responder shall
submit to the Secretary a verification letter from the head of the
eligible employer for which the qualified volunteer first responder
volunteers, which shall--
(1) include the date on which the qualified volunteer first
responder joined the eligible employer as a volunteer;
(2) attest to the Secretary that the qualified volunteer
first responder--
(A) continuously served as a volunteer for the
eligible employer during the 2-year period preceding
the date of the verification letter; and
(B) during each of the 2 years described in
subparagraph (A)--
(i) met the minimum requirements for active
membership established by the eligible
employer; or
(ii) if the eligible employer did not
establish minimum requirements, volunteered for
not less than 200 hours; and
(3) include a copy of the certification of the qualified
volunteer first responder as a firefighter or other responder
in the State, unit of general local government, or Indian tribe
in which the individual served as a volunteer.
SEC. 4. GOOD NEIGHBOR NEXT DOOR SALES PROGRAM.
(a) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Department.--The term ``Department'' means the
Department of Housing and Urban Development.
(2) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
of Housing and Urban Development.
(b) Amendments.--The Secretary shall amend--
(1) section 291.530 of title 24, Code of Federal
Regulations, to provide that a qualified volunteer first
responder qualifies as a firefighter or emergency medical
technician for purposes of the Good Neighbor Next Door Sales
Program of the Department; and
(2) section 291.515 of title 24, Code of Federal
Regulations, to provide that, to qualify to purchase a home
through the Good Neighbor Next Door Sales Program of the
Department, a qualified volunteer first responder shall submit
to the Secretary a verification letter from the head of the
eligible employer for which the qualified volunteer first
responder volunteers, which shall--
(A) include the date on which the qualified
volunteer first responder joined the eligible employer
as a volunteer;
(B) attest to the Secretary that the qualified
volunteer first responder--
(i) continuously served as a volunteer for
the eligible employer during the 2-year period
preceding the date of the verification letter;
and
(ii) during each of the 2 years described
in clause (i)--
(I) met the minimum requirements
for active membership established by
the eligible employer; or
(II) if the eligible employer did
not establish minimum requirements,
volunteered for not less than 200
hours; and
(C) include a copy of the certification of the
qualified volunteer first responder as a firefighter or
other responder in the State, unit of general local
government, or Indian tribe in which the individual
served as a volunteer.
<all>
Introduced in Senate
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.
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