[Congressional Bills 104th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1613 Introduced in House (IH)]







104th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1613

To amend the United States Housing Act of 1937 to require the Secretary 
      of Housing and Urban Development to administer a program of 
   construction and revitalization of public housing, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 11, 1995

 Mr. Conyers introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
              Committee on Banking and Financial Services

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend the United States Housing Act of 1937 to require the Secretary 
      of Housing and Urban Development to administer a program of 
   construction and revitalization of public housing, 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 ``Jesse Gray Housing Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE.

    (a) Findings.--The Congress finds that--
            (1) the number of rental dwelling units available for lower 
        income families is insufficient, and the physical condition of 
        a substantial portion of such dwelling units is inadequate;
            (2) new construction of rental dwelling units is occurring 
        primarily in higher income areas;
            (3) Federal housing assistance programs, such as rent 
        subsidies, vouchers, and other rental and mortgage assistance, 
        too frequently assist middle and higher income families and do 
        not meet the demand for housing by lower income families;
            (4) such Federal housing assistance programs are not cost 
        effective, due to a lack of suitable rental dwelling units 
        available for lower income families; and
            (5) a significant number of families are paying more than 
        25 percent of their monthly income for rent.
    (b) Purpose.--It is the purpose of this Act--
            (1) to ensure that all families in the United States have 
        access to rental dwelling units at rents that are not more than 
        25 percent of their monthly income, and that such rental 
        dwelling units are decent, safe, and sanitary;
            (2) to ensure that all funds for housing assistance by the 
        Federal Government benefit lower income families by requiring 
        the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to propose that 
        Federal housing assistance be limited to lower income families;
            (3) to encourage the establishment of a public housing 
        system that consists of--
                    (A) projects located throughout metropolitan and 
                rural areas;
                    (B) low-density projects, to the extent 
                practicable; and
                    (C) dwelling units that are visually 
                indistinguishable from comparable privately owned 
                dwelling units;
            (4) to provide for the revitalization of the housing 
        construction industry and related industries; and
            (5) to remedy the discriminatory practices of construction 
        unions by providing for the establishment of special procedures 
        for employing individuals to construct and revitalize public 
        housing.

SEC. 3. CONSTRUCTION OF PUBLIC HOUSING.

    Section 5 of the United States Housing Act of 1937 is amended by 
adding at the end the following new subsection:
    ``(m)(1) The Secretary shall carry out a program for the 
construction of 500,000 new dwelling units in public housing during 
each of the fiscal years 1996 through 2005.
    ``(2) There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this 
subsection such sums as may be necessary for each of the fiscal years 
1996 through 2005. Any amount appropriated under this paragraph shall 
remain available until expended.''.

SEC. 4. REVITALIZATION OF PUBLIC HOUSING.

    Section 14(b) of the United States Housing Act of 1937 is amended 
by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
    ``(3)(A) To the extent approved in appropriation Acts and subject 
to subparagraph (B), the Secretary shall make available and contract to 
make available financial assistance under this subsection, in addition 
to financial assistance made available under paragraphs (1) and (2). In 
making assistance available under this paragraph, the Secretary shall 
give particular preference to public housing agencies requesting such 
assistance for public housing projects that the Secretary determines 
would likely have been subject to demolition or disposition under 
section 18, as such section was in effect before the date of the 
enactment of the Jesse Gray Housing Act.
    ``(B) For purposes of this paragraph, the aggregate amount of 
budget authority that may be obligated for contracts for annual 
contributions is increased on October 1 of each of the years 1995 
through 2004 by the amount necessary to provide for the revitalization 
of 100,000 dwelling units in public housing during each of the fiscal 
years 1996 through 2005, respectively.''.

SEC. 5. PROHIBITION OF DEMOLITION AND DISPOSITION OF PUBLIC HOUSING.

    (a) In General.--Section 18(a) of the United States Housing Act of 
1937 is amended by striking all that follows ``project'' the second 
place it appears and inserting a period.
    (b) Conforming Amendments.--Section 18 of the United States Housing 
Act of 1937 is amended--
            (1) by striking subsections (b) and (c);
            (2) in subsection (d), by striking `subsections (a) and 
        (b)' and inserting `subsection (a)'; and
            (3) by redesignating subsection (d) as subsection (b).

SEC. 6. EMPLOYMENT IN PUBLIC HOUSING CONSTRUCTION AND REVITALIZATION.

    The United States Housing Act of 1937 is amended by adding at the 
end the following new section:

     ``employment in public housing construction and revitalization

    ``Sec. 22. (a) In General.--In connection with any construction and 
revitalization of public housing under sections 5 and 14, each public 
housing agency shall carry out a program of job training and employment 
of individuals residing in the area with respect to which such public 
housing agency has authority. Each such program shall give preference 
to such individuals who reside in public housing.
    ``(b) Program Requirements.--
            ``(1) Each training and employment program required in 
        subsection (a) shall provide that 50 percent of the individuals 
        employed in connection with the construction of any public 
        housing project shall be individuals described in such 
        subsection. Of the individuals employed under this paragraph, 
        60 percent shall be trained and employed in skilled and semi-
        skilled positions.
            ``(2) Each training and employment program required in 
        subsection (a) shall provide that 35 percent of the individuals 
        employed in connection with the revitalization of any public 
        housing project shall be individuals described in such 
        subsection. Of the individuals employed under this paragraph, 
        70 percent shall be trained and employed in skilled and semi-
        skilled positions.
    ``(c) Regulations.--The Secretary shall issue such regulations as 
may be necessary to carry out the provisions of this section.''.

SEC. 7. TENANT RENT CONTRIBUTIONS.

    (a) Rental and Cooperative Housing for Lower Income Families.--
Section 236(f) of the National Housing Act is amended--
            (1) by striking ``30'' each place it appears and inserting 
        ``25''; and
            (2) in paragraph (1)(ii), by striking ``25'' and inserting 
        ``20''.
    (b) Lower Income Housing Under the United States Housing Act of 
1937.--
            (1) Section 3(a)(1)(A) of the United States Housing Act of 
        1937 is amended by striking ``30'' and inserting ``25''.
            (2) Section 8(o)(2) of the United States Housing Act of 
        1937 is amended by striking ``30'' and inserting ``25''.
    (c) Rural Housing for Lower Income Families.--
            (1) Section 521(a)(2)(A) of the Housing Act of 1949 is 
        amended by striking ``30'' and inserting ``25''.
            (2) Section 521(a)(3) of the Housing Act of 1949 is amended 
        by striking ``30'' each place it appears and inserting ``25''.
            (3) Section 530 of the Housing Act of 1949 is amended by 
        striking ``30'' and inserting ``25''.
    (d) Rent Supplements.--Section 101(d) of the Housing and Urban 
Development Act of 1965 is amended by striking ``30'' and inserting 
``25''.
    (e) Transitional Provisions.--Section 206(d)(6) of the Housing and 
Urban-Rural Recovery Act of 1983 is amended by striking ``30'' and 
inserting ``25''.
    (f) Exclusion of Certain Income.--For purposes of determining the 
monthly contribution to be made by a family under the provisions 
amended by this section, the adjusted income of a family shall exclude 
any income attributable to any cost-of-living adjustment made after the 
effective date of this section in--
            (1) any welfare assistance received by such family from a 
        public agency; or
            (2) any benefits received by such family under the Social 
        Security Act.
    (g) Effective Date.--The provisions of, and amendments made by, 
this section shall take effect on October 1, 1995.

SEC. 8. REPORT REGARDING FEDERAL HOUSING ASSISTANCE.

    The Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, following 
consultation with public housing agencies, shall prepare and submit to 
the Congress a comprehensive report setting forth a proposal to limit 
Federal housing assistance to assistance for public housing in order to 
ensure that all funds for housing assistance provided by the Federal 
Government benefit lower income families.
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