[Congressional Bills 107th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2116 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
107th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 2116
To reform the program of block grants to States for temporary
assistance for needy families to help States address the importance of
adequate, affordable housing in promoting family progress toward self-
sufficiency, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
April 11, 2002
Mr. Kerry introduced the following bill; which was read twice and
referred to the Committee on Finance
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To reform the program of block grants to States for temporary
assistance for needy families to help States address the importance of
adequate, affordable housing in promoting family progress toward self-
sufficiency, 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 ``Welfare Reform and Housing Act''.
SEC. 2. SIMPLIFICATION OF THE USE OF FUNDS FOR HOUSING ASSISTANCE AND
OTHER PURPOSES.
(a) Supplemental Housing Benefits.--Section 404 of the Social
Security Act (42 U.S.C. 604) is amended by adding at the end the
following:
``(l) Use of Funds for Supplemental Housing Benefits.--
``(1) In general.--A State to which a grant is made under
section 403 may use the grant to provide supplemental housing
benefits (as defined in paragraph (4)) to, or on behalf of, an
individual eligible for assistance under the State program
funded under this part, in order to carry out the purposes
specified in section 401(a).
``(2) Not considered assistance.--Supplemental housing
benefits (as so defined) shall not for any purpose, be
considered assistance under the State program funded under this
part.
``(3) Limitation on use of funds.--A State may not use any
part of the funds made available under a grant made under
section 403 to supplant existing State expenditures on housing-
related programs. Notwithstanding the preceding sentence, a
State may use such funds to supplement such State expenditures.
``(4) Definition of supplemental housing benefits.--In this
subsection, the term `supplemental housing benefits' means
payments made to, or on behalf of, an individual to reduce or
reimburse the costs incurred by the individual for housing
accommodations.
``(m) State Authority To Define Minor Housing Rehabilitation
Costs.--A State to which a grant is made under section 403 may use the
grant to provide grants, loans, or to otherwise pay the costs of minor
rehabilitation of housing owned or rented by individuals eligible for
assistance under the State program funded under this part, consistent
with a definition of minor housing rehabilitation adopted by the State
and incorporated into the State plan required under section 402(a).''.
(b) Authority To Reserve Grant for Future Use.--Section 404(e) (42
U.S.C. 604(e)) is amended to read as follows:
``(e) Authority to Reserve Certain Amounts for Future Use.--A State
or Indian tribe may reserve amounts paid to the State or Indian tribe
under this part for a fiscal year for any allowable expenditures under
this part without fiscal year limitation.''.
SEC. 3. CONSIDERATION OF HOUSING-RELATED BARRIERS TO WORK AND SELF-
SUFFICIENCY.
(a) State Plan Requirement on Description of Housing Needs and
Solutions.--Section 402(a)(1)(B) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C.
602(a)(1)(B)) is amended by adding at the end the following:
``(v) The document shall describe--
``(I) the primary problems that
families receiving assistance and
families who have recently ceased to
receive assistance under the State
program funded under this part
experience in securing and retaining
adequate, affordable housing and the
estimated extent of each such problem,
including the price of such housing in
various areas of the State that include
a large proportion of recipients of
assistance under the State program, and
the steps that have been and will be
taken by the State and other public or
private entities, including community
action partnership agencies, that
administer housing or homelessness
programs to address these needs; and
``(II) the methods the State has
adopted to identify barriers to work
posed by the living arrangement,
housing cost, and housing location of
individuals eligible for the State
program funded under this part and the
services and benefits that have been or
will be provided by the State and other
public or private entities to help
families overcome such barriers.''.
(b) Assessment of Housing Barriers to Work.--Section
408(b)(2)(A)(iv) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C.
608(b)(2)(A)(iv)) is amended by inserting ``, including the housing-
related benefits or services that the State or other public or private
entities, including community action partnership agencies, will provide
to overcome barriers to work posed by the individual's living
arrangement, housing cost, or housing location'' before the semicolon.
(c) Improvement of Housing-Related Data Collection.--
(1) Inclusion in quarterly reports.--Section 411(a)(1)(A)
of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 611(a)(1)(A)) is
amended--
(A) in clause (i), by inserting ``and city or other
political jurisdiction'' after ``county'';
(B) in clause (ix), by inserting ``and the type of
subsidized housing received'' after ``subsidized
housing''; and
(C) by adding at the end the following:
``(xviii) From a sample of closed cases in
which the family left due to employment, the
city or other political jurisdiction of the
employment and the employed individual's
estimated travel time from the family's
residence to the place of employment.''.
(2) Development of data collection protocol.--The Secretary
of Health and Human Services and the Secretary of Housing and
Urban Development jointly shall develop a procedure for
interagency data matching or other uniform data collection
protocol to determine the type of subsidized housing received
by families receiving assistance under the State programs
funded under part A of title IV of the Social Security Act (42
U.S.C. 601 et seq.) and federally funded (including through the
use of tax credits pursuant to section 42 of the Internal
Revenue Code of 1986) or State-funded housing benefits.
SEC. 4. COOPERATION AGREEMENTS WITH PUBLIC HOUSING AGENCIES FOR
ECONOMIC SELF-SUFFICIENCY ACTIVITIES.
Section 408(a) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 608(a)) is
amended by adding at the end the following:
``(12) Cooperation agreements with public housing
agencies.--
``(A) In general.--A State to which a grant is made
under section 403 shall, directly or through
appropriate agencies, enter into cooperation agreements
with public housing agencies for economic self-
sufficiency activities as required by section 12(d)(7)
of the United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C.
1437j(d)(7)). Such cooperation agreements may include
provisions on how--
``(i) agencies administering funds provided
under a grant made under section 403 will
cooperate with public housing agencies to
implement work incentive rent policies and
Federal housing policies and programs to
promote savings;
``(ii) public housing agencies will
cooperate with agencies administering such
funds to make residents of public housing and
recipients of housing vouchers under section
8(o) of the United States Housing Act of 1937
(42 U.S.C. 1437f(o)) that have ceased to
receive assistance under the State program
funded under this part aware of transitional
services and benefits for which the residents
or recipients may be eligible; and
``(iii) agencies will cooperate to assist
recipients of housing vouchers under section
8(o) of such Act in locating housing that will
help the recipients succeed at obtaining or
retaining employment.
``(B) Private participation.--A State may invite
private owners of federally assisted housing to
participate in cooperation agreements under this
paragraph.''.
SEC. 5. INTERAGENCY DEMONSTRATION ON HOUSING WITH SERVICES FOR FAMILIES
WITH MULTIPLE BARRIERS TO WORK.
Section 403(a) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 603(a)) is
amended by adding at the end the following:
``(6) Grants for interagency demonstration on housing with
services.--
``(A) In general.--The Secretary and the Secretary
of Housing and Urban Development (in this paragraph
referred to as the `Secretaries') jointly shall award
grants for the conduct and evaluation of demonstrations
of different models to provide housing with services to
promote the employment of parents and caretaker
relatives who are eligible for a benefit or service
under the State program funded under this part and who
have multiple barriers to work, including lack of
adequate housing.
``(B) Requirements.--
``(i) Eligible recipients.--Grants shall be
awarded under this paragraph on a competitive
basis to States and organizations which have
exempt status under section 501(c)(3) of the
Internal Revenue Code of 1986, including
community and faith-based organizations.
``(ii) Location.--In awarding such grants,
the Secretaries shall ensure that
demonstrations are conducted in metropolitan
and nonmetropolitan areas.
``(iii) Use of funds.--
``(I) In general.--Funds provided
under a grant awarded under this
paragraph shall be used for the cost of
implementation and evaluation of the
demonstrations conducted with such
funds.
``(II) Limitation on benefits or
services to non-custodial parents.--Not
more than 10 percent of the total
amount of grant funds awarded to a
State or organization under this
paragraph may be used to provide
benefits or services to noncustodial
parents.
``(iv) Not considered assistance.--A
benefit or service provided with funds made
available under a grant awarded under this
paragraph shall not for any purpose, be
considered assistance under the State program
funded under this part.
``(v) Duration; availability of funds.--
Funds provided under a grant awarded under this
paragraph shall remain available for a period
of 3 years after the date on which the grant is
made.
``(C) Evaluation.--Not later than December 31,
2006, the Secretaries shall publish an evaluation of
the demonstrations conducted under grants made under
this paragraph.
``(D) Appropriation.--Out of any money in the
Treasury of the United States not otherwise
appropriated, there are appropriated $50,000,000 for
fiscal year 2003 for grants under this paragraph.''.
SEC. 6. CONFORMING IMMIGRANT ELIGIBILITY FOR HOUSING ASSISTANCE WITH
RULES APPLICABLE TO OTHER FEDERAL NEEDS-BASED ASSISTANCE.
Section 214(a) of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1980
(42 U.S.C. 1436a(a)) is amended--
(1) in paragraph (6), by striking ``or'' at the end;
(2) in paragraph (7), by striking the period at the end and
inserting ``; or''; and
(3) by adding at the end the following--
``(8) an alien who is a qualified alien, as defined in
subsection (b) of section 431 of the Personal Responsibility
and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (8 U.S.C.
1641), including a battered alien or alien child who is
described in subsection (c) of such section.''.
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