COVID-19 Emergency Housing Relief Act of 2020

COVID-19 Emergency Housing Relief Act of 2020

This bill suspends certain requirements for federally assisted public housing residents and prohibits termination of available low-income housing choice vouchers during the COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) public health emergency period.

Specifically, the bill suspends (1) community service requirements, (2) any work requirement or time limitation established in connection with the Moving to Work demonstration program, (3) the minimum rental amount families are required to pay, and (4) the requirement that a family not be absent from a unit for more than 180 consecutive calendar days. These suspensions last until six months after the end of the COVID-19 public health emergency period.

Additionally, during the COVID-19 public health emergency period, and for 60 days thereafter, public housing agencies may not terminate available low-income housing choice vouchers for the failure to enter into a lease.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6806 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 6806

 To suspend certain requirements under the public housing and housing 
 choice voucher programs during the COVID-19 emergency, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 12, 2020

Mr. Cleaver (for himself and Ms. Waters) introduced the following bill; 
       which was referred to the Committee on Financial Services

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To suspend certain requirements under the public housing and housing 
 choice voucher programs during 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. 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 period that begins upon the date of the enactment of this Act and 
ends 6 months after the end of the incident period for the emergency 
declared on March 13, 2020, by the President under section 501 of 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, 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. 3. 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; 
        and
            (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.
    (b) Definition.--For purposes of this section, the term ``COVID-19 
emergency period'' means the period that begins upon the date of the 
enactment of this Act and ends upon the end of the incident period for 
the emergency declared on March 13, 2020, by the President under 
section 501 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency 
Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5191) relating to the Coronavirus Disease 
2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.
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