COVID-19 Emergency Housing Relief Act of 2020
This bill establishes certain flexibilities related to public housing during the COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus 2019) emergency. For example, the bill
[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6326 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
116th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 6326
To provide additional waivers and authorities to HUD and USDA to
respond to the COVID-19 emergency, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
March 23, 2020
Mr. Cleaver introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Financial Services
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To provide additional waivers and authorities to HUD and USDA to
respond to the COVID-19 emergency, and for other purposes.
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 ``COVID-19 Emergency Housing Relief
Act of 2020''.
SEC. 2. DEFINITION OF COVID-19 EMERGENCY PERIOD.
For purposes of this Act, the term ``COVID-19 emergency period''
means the period that begins upon the date of the enactment of this Act
and ends upon the date of the termination by the Federal Emergency
Management Agency of the emergency declared on March 13, 2020, by the
President under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency
Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 4121 et seq.) relating to the Coronavirus
Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.
SEC. 3. SUSPENSION OF COMMUNITY SERVICE, WORK, PRESENCE IN UNIT, AND
MINIMUM RENT REQUIREMENTS AND TIME LIMITS ON ASSISTANCE.
(a) Suspension.--Notwithstanding any other provision of law, during
the COVID-19 emergency period, the following provisions of law and
requirements shall not apply:
(1) Section 12(c) of the United States Housing Act of 1937
(42 U.S.C. 1437j(c); relating to community service).
(2) Any work requirement or time limitation on assistance
established by a public housing agency participating in the
Moving to Work demonstration program authorized under section
204 of the Departments of Veterans Affairs and Housing and
Urban Development and Independent Agencies Appropriations Act,
1996 (Public Law 104-134; 110 Stat. 1321).
(3) Paragraph (3) of section 3(a) of the United States
Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437a(a)(3); relating to minimum
rental amount).
(4) Section 982.312 of the regulations of the Secretary of
Housing and Urban Development (24 C.F.R. 982.312; relating to
absence from unit).
(b) Prohibition.--No penalty may be imposed nor any adverse action
taken for failure on the part of any tenant of public housing or a
dwelling unit assisted under section 8 of the United States Housing Act
of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437f) to comply with the laws and requirements
specified in subsection (a) during the period specified in subsection
(a).
SEC. 4. HOUSING CHOICE VOUCHERS.
(a) Section 8 Vouchers.--Notwithstanding any other provision of
law, the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development shall provide
that--
(1) during the COVID-19 emergency period, a public housing
agency may not terminate the availability to an eligible
household of a housing choice voucher under section 8(o) of the
United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437f(o)) for
failure to enter into a lease for an assisted dwelling unit;
(2) in the case of any eligible household on whose behalf
such a housing choice voucher has been made available, if as of
the termination of the COVID-19 emergency period such
availability has not terminated (including by reason of
paragraph (1) of this subsection) and such voucher has not been
used to enter into a lease for an assisted dwelling unit, the
public housing agency making such voucher available may not
terminate such availability until the expiration of the 60-day
period beginning upon the termination of the COVID-19 emergency
period; and
(3) during the COVID-19 emergency period, clause (i) of
section 8(o)(8)(A) of the United States Housing Act of 1937 (42
U.S.C. 1437f(o)(8)(A)(i); relating to initial inspection of
dwelling units) shall not apply, except that in any case in
which an inspection of a dwelling unit for which a housing
assistance payment is established is not conducted before an
assistance payment is made for such dwelling unit--
(A) such clause shall be applied by substituting
``the expiration of the 90-day period beginning on the
termination of the COVID-19 emergency period (as such
term is defined in section 2 of the _______ Act of
2020)'' for ``any assistance payment is made''; and
(B) the public housing agency shall inform the
tenant household and the owner of such dwelling unit of
the inspection requirement applicable to such dwelling
unit pursuant to subparagraph (A).
(b) Rural Housing Vouchers.--Notwithstanding any other provision of
law, the Secretary of Agriculture shall provide that the same
restrictions and requirements applicable under subsection (a) of this
section to voucher assistance under section 8(o) of the United States
Housing Act of 1937 shall apply with respect to voucher assistance
under section 542 of the Housing Act of 1949 (42 U.S.C. 1490r). In
applying such restrictions and requirements, the Secretary may take
into consideration and provide for any differences between such
programs while ensuring that the program under such section 542 is
carried out in accordance with the purposes of such restrictions and
requirements.
SEC. 5. SUSPENSION OF INCOME REVIEWS.
During the COVID-19 emergency period, the Secretary of Housing and
Urban Development and the Secretary of Agriculture shall waive any
requirements under law or regulation requiring review of the income of
an individual or household for purposes of assistance under a housing
assistance program administered by such Secretary, except--
(1) in the case of review of income upon the initial
provision of housing assistance; or
(2) if such review is requested by an individual or
household due to a loss of income.
SEC. 6. AUTHORITY TO SUSPEND OR DELAY DEADLINES.
During the COVID-19 emergency period, the Secretary of Housing and
Urban Development and the Secretary of Agriculture may suspend or delay
any deadline relating to public housing agencies or owners of housing
assisted under a program administered by such Secretary, except any
deadline relating to responding to exigent conditions related to health
and safety or emergency physical conditions.
SEC. 7. SUSPENSION OF ASSISTED HOUSING SCORING ACTIVITIES.
The Secretary of Housing and Urban Development shall suspend
scoring under the Section 8 Management Assessment Program and the
Public Housing Assessment System during the period beginning upon the
date of the enactment of this Act and ending upon expiration of the 90-
day period that begins upon the termination of the COVID-19 emergency
period.
SEC. 8. REQUIREMENTS REGARDING RESIDUAL RECEIPTS AND RESERVE FUNDS.
(a) Suspension of Requirement To Submit Residual Receipts to HUD.--
During the COVID-19 emergency period, any requirements for owners of
federally assisted multifamily housing to remit residual receipts to
the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development shall not apply.
(b) Eligible Uses of Reserve Funds.--During the COVID-19 emergency
period, any costs of an owner of federally assisted multifamily housing
for items, activities, and services related to responding to
coronavirus or COVID-19 shall be considered eligible uses for the
reserve fund for replacements for such housing.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on Financial Services.
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