[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2655 Introduced in House (IH)]






109th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2655

 To establish neighborhood review committees to advise public housing 
 agencies regarding the enforcement of laws and regulations governing 
   assistance provided under tenant-based rental assistance programs.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 26, 2005

 Mr. Andrews introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                    Committee on Financial Services

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To establish neighborhood review committees to advise public housing 
 agencies regarding the enforcement of laws and regulations governing 
   assistance provided under tenant-based rental assistance programs.

    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 ``Section 8 Voucher Residential 
Screening Committees Act''.

SEC. 2. NEIGHBORHOOD REVIEW COMMITTEES.

    (a) In General.--Section 8 of the United States Housing Act of 1937 
(42 U.S.C. 1437f) is amended by inserting after subsection (k) the 
following new subsection:
    ``(l) Neighborhood Review Committees.--
            ``(1) Establishment.--Each public housing agency that 
        administers tenant-based assistance under subsection (b) or (o) 
        of this section shall establish and maintain a neighborhood 
        review committee (in this subsection referred to as the 
        `committee'). The committee shall consist of not less than 3 
        and not more than 6 individuals, who shall be appointed by the 
        public housing agency and shall include not less than 3 
        individuals who are not, directly or indirectly, recipients of 
        housing assistance under this section or any other housing 
        assistance provided by the Federal Government or any State or 
        local government (not including single family mortgage 
        insurance provided under title II of the National Housing Act). 
        The members of the committee shall be residents of the 
        jurisdiction served by the agency. Members of the committee 
        shall serve for terms of not more than 2 years and there shall 
        be no limit to the number of terms that any member may serve.
            ``(2) Functions.--The committee shall obtain and review 
        information referred to in paragraphs (3) and (4) for the 
        purpose of advising the public housing agency regarding 
        enforcement of laws and regulations governing assistance 
        provided under the tenant-based rental assistance programs 
        under this section and assisting the agency to enforce such 
        laws and regulations.
            ``(3) Availability of records regarding assisted 
        families.--
                    ``(A) In general.--Notwithstanding any other 
                provision of Federal or State law (including any law 
                regarding confidentiality of such information), the 
                committee for a public housing agency may obtain any of 
                the following records and information relating to any 
                member of a household on whose behalf tenant-based 
                assistance under subsection (b) or (o) of this section 
                is provided and who resides within the jurisdiction of 
                the agency:
                            ``(i) Criminal conviction, arrest, and 
                        activity records from any law enforcement 
                        agency.
                            ``(ii) Police reports.
                            ``(iii) Juvenile arrest and punishment 
                        records.
                            ``(iv) References and reports of past or 
                        present lessors.
                            ``(v) Records of civil actions filed 
                        against the member and any related judgments, 
                        settlements, or other dispositions.
                            ``(vi) Any other information reasonably 
                        related to the procurement of information 
                        described in this paragraph.
                    ``(B) Applicability and notice.--This paragraph 
                shall apply with respect to any member of any household 
                on whose behalf such tenant-based assistance is 
                provided after the date on which the regulations 
                implementing this subsection take effect. A public 
                housing agency shall provide written notice to each 
                applicant for tenant-based assistance from the agency 
                of the effect of the provisions of this paragraph on 
                the applicant's rights to confidentiality of 
                information described in this paragraph.
            ``(4) Availability of records regarding landlords.--
                    ``(A) In general.--Notwithstanding any other 
                provision of Federal or State law (including any law 
                regarding confidentiality of such information), the 
                committee for a public housing agency may obtain any of 
                the following records and information relating to any 
                owner of a dwelling unit located within the 
                jurisdiction of the agency for which assistance 
                payments are made under subsection (b) or (o) of this 
                section:
                            ``(i) Criminal conviction, arrest, and 
                        activity records from any law enforcement 
                        agency.
                            ``(ii) Police reports.
                            ``(iii) Citations, convictions, fines, or 
                        judgments for violations of any laws, 
                        regulations, standards, or codes relating to 
                        housing quality or habitability.
                            ``(iv) Complaints, grievances, or actions 
                        filed by any current or former tenants, and any 
                        records of any related judgments, settlements, 
                        or other dispositions.
                            ``(v) Any other information reasonably 
                        related to the procurement of information 
                        described in this paragraph.
                    ``(B) Applicability.--This paragraph shall apply 
                with respect to any owner of an assisted dwelling unit 
                for which assistance payments are made after the date 
                on which the regulations implementing this subsection 
                take effect.
            ``(5) Penalty.--Any person who obtains or uses information 
        under this subsection for purposes other than those described 
        in paragraph (2), or discloses such information in any manner 
        to any individual not authorized under law to receive such 
        information, shall be imprisoned not more than one year and 
        fined not more than $10,000 (and such offense is hereby 
        exempted from the applicability of the fine provided under 
        section 3571 of title 18, United States Code), or both.''.
    (b) Regulations.--The Secretary of Housing and Urban Development 
shall issue any regulations necessary to carry out the amendment made 
by subsection (a) not later than the expiration of the 12-month period 
beginning on the date of the enactment of this Act, and such 
regulations shall take effect not later than the expiration of the 90-
day period beginning upon such issuance.
                                 <all>