[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3793 Introduced in House (IH)]
111th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 3793
To establish the Council on Healthy Housing, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
October 13, 2009
Mr. Brady of Pennsylvania introduced the following bill; which was
referred to the Committee on Financial Services
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To establish the Council on Healthy 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 ``Healthy Housing Council Act of
2009''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) In the United States--
(A) 5,700,000 households live in homes with
moderate or severe physical hazards;
(B) 23,000,000 homes have significant lead-based
paint hazards;
(C) 8,700,000 homes have had leaks in the last 12
months;
(D) 6,000,000 homes have had signs of mice in the
last 3 months; and
(E) 1 in 15 homes have dangerous levels of radon.
(2) Residents of housing that is poorly designed,
constructed, or maintained are at risk for cancer, carbon
monoxide poisoning, burns, falls, rodent bites, childhood lead
poisoning, asthma, and other illnesses and injuries. Vulnerable
subpopulations, such as children and the elderly, are at
elevated risk for housing-related illnesses and injuries.
(3) Because substandard housing typically poses the
greatest risks, the disparities in the distribution of housing-
related health hazards are striking. One million two-hundred
thousand housing units with significant lead-based paint
hazards house low-income families with children under 6 years
of age.
(4) Housing-related illnesses, including asthma and lead
poisoning, disproportionately affect children from lower-income
families and from specific racial and ethnic groups. In 2005,
13 percent of Black children were reported to have asthma, as
compared with 9 percent of both Hispanic and White children.
Black children are twice as likely to die from residential
injuries as White children, and 3 percent of Black children and
2 percent of Mexican-American children have elevated blood lead
levels, as compared to only 1.3 percent of White children.
(5) The annual costs for environmentally attributable
childhood diseases in the United States, including lead
poisoning, asthma, and cancer, total $54,900,000,000. This
amount is approximately 3 percent of total health care costs.
(6) Appropriate housing design, construction, and
maintenance, timely correction of deficiencies, planning
efforts, and low-cost preventative measures can reduce the
incidence of serious injury or death, improve the ability of
residents to survive in the event of a major catastrophe, and
contribute to overall well-being and mental health. Housing
units that are kept lead-safe are approximately 25 percent less
likely to have another child with elevated blood lead levels.
Properly installed and maintained smoke alarms reduce the risk
of fire deaths by 50 percent.
(7) Providing healthy housing to families and individuals
in the United States will help prevent an estimated 240,000
elevated blood lead levels in young children, 11,000
unintentional injury deaths, 12,000,000 nonfatal injuries,
3,000 deaths in house fires, 14,000 burn injuries, and 21,000
radon-associated lung cancer deaths that occur in United States
housing each year, as well as 20,000,000 asthma cases and
14,000,000 missed school days.
(8) While there are many programs in place to address
housing-related health hazards, these programs are fragmented
and spread across many agencies, making it difficult for at-
risk families and individuals to access assistance or to
receive comprehensive information.
(9) Better coordination among Federal agencies is needed,
as is better coordination at State and local levels, to ensure
that families and individuals can access government programs
and services in an effective and efficient manner.
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act, the following definitions shall apply:
(1) Council.--The term ``Council'' means the Interagency
Council on Healthy Housing established under section 4.
(2) Housing.--The term ``housing'' means any form of
residence, including rental housing, homeownership, group home,
or supportive housing arrangement.
(3) Healthy housing.--The term ``healthy housing'' means
housing that is designed, constructed, rehabilitated, and
maintained in a manner that supports the health of the
occupants of such housing.
(4) Housing-related health hazard.--The term ``housing-
related health hazard'' means any biological, physical, or
chemical source of exposure or condition either in, or
immediately adjacent to, housing, that can adversely affect
human health.
(5) Low-income families and individuals.--The term ``low-
income families and individuals'' means any household or
individual with an income at or below 200 percent of the
Federal poverty line.
(6) Poverty line.--The term ``poverty line'' means the
official poverty line defined by the Office of Management and
Budget based on the most recent data available from the Bureau
of the Census.
(7) Program.--The term ``program'' includes any Federal,
State, or local program providing housing or financial
assistance, health care, mortgages, bond and tax financing,
homebuyer support courses, financial education, mortgage
insurance or loan guarantees, housing counseling, supportive
services, energy assistance, or other assistance related to
healthy housing.
(8) Service.--The term ``service'' includes public and
environmental health services, housing services, energy
efficiency services, human services, and any other services
needed to ensure that families and individuals in the United
States have access to healthy housing.
SEC. 4. INTERAGENCY COUNCIL ON HEALTHY HOUSING.
(a) Establishment.--There is established in the executive branch an
independent council to be known as the Interagency Council on Healthy
Housing.
(b) Objectives.--The objectives of the Council are as follows:
(1) To promote the supply of and demand for healthy housing
in the United States through capacity building, technical
assistance, education, and public policy.
(2) To promote coordination and collaboration among the
Federal departments and agencies involved with housing, public
health, energy efficiency, emergency preparedness and response,
and the environment to improve services for families and
individuals residing in inadequate or unsafe housing and to
make recommendations about needed changes in programs and
services with an emphasis on--
(A) maximizing the impact of existing programs and
services by transitioning the focus of such programs
and services from categorical approaches to
comprehensive approaches that consider and address
multiple housing-related health hazards;
(B) reducing or eliminating areas of overlap and
duplication in the provision and accessibility of such
programs and services;
(C) ensuring that resources, including assistance
with capacity building, are targeted to and sufficient
to meet the needs of high-risk communities, families,
and individuals; and
(D) facilitating access by families and individuals
to programs and services that help reduce health
hazards in housing.
(3) To identify knowledge gaps, research needs, and policy
and program deficiencies associated with inadequate housing
conditions and housing-related illnesses and injuries.
(4) To help identify best practices for achieving and
sustaining healthy housing.
(5) To help improve the quality of existing and newly
constructed housing and related programs and services,
including those programs and services which serve low-income
families and individuals.
(6) To establish an ongoing system of coordination among
and within such agencies or organizations so that the healthy
housing needs of families and individuals are met in a more
effective and efficient manner.
(c) Membership.--The Council shall be composed of the following
members:
(1) The Secretary of Health and Human Services.
(2) The Secretary of Housing and Urban Development.
(3) The Administrator of the Environmental Protection
Agency.
(4) The Secretary of Energy.
(5) The Secretary of Labor.
(6) The Secretary of Veterans Affairs.
(7) The Secretary of the Treasury.
(8) The Secretary of Agriculture.
(9) The Secretary of Education.
(10) The head of any other Federal agency as the Council
considers appropriate.
(11) Six additional non-Federal employee members, as
appointed by the President to serve terms not to exceed 2
years, of whom--
(A) 1 shall be a State or local Government Director
of Health or the Environment;
(B) 1 shall be a State or local Government Director
of Housing or Community Development;
(C) 2 shall represent non-profit organizations
involved in housing or health issues; and
(D) 2 shall represent for-profit entities involved
in the housing, banking, or health insurance
industries.
(d) Co-Chairpersons.--The co-Chairpersons of the Council shall be
the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development and the Secretary of
Health and Human Services.
(e) Vice Chair.--Every 2 years, the Council shall elect a Vice
Chair from among its members.
(f) Meetings.--The Council shall meet at the call of either co-
Chairperson or a majority of its members at any time, and no less often
than annually.
SEC. 5. FUNCTIONS OF THE COUNCIL.
(a) Relevant Activities.--In carrying out the objectives described
in section 4(b), the Council shall--
(1) review Federal programs and services that provide
housing, health, energy, or environmental services to families
and individuals;
(2) monitor, evaluate, and recommend improvements in
existing programs and services administered, funded, or
financed by Federal, State, and local agencies to assist
families and individuals in accessing healthy housing and make
recommendations about how such agencies can better work to meet
the healthy housing and related needs of low-income families
and individuals;
(3) recommend ways to--
(A) reduce duplication among programs and services
by Federal agencies that assist families and
individuals in meeting their healthy housing and
related service needs;
(B) ensure collaboration among and within agencies
in the provision and availability of programs and
services so that families and individuals are able to
easily access needed programs and services;
(C) work with States and local governments to
better meet the needs of families and individuals for
healthy housing by--
(i) holding meetings with State and local
representatives; and
(ii) providing ongoing technical assistance
and training to States and localities in better
meeting the housing-related needs of such
families and individuals;
(D) identify best practices for programs and
services that assist families and individuals in
accessing healthy housing, including model--
(i) programs linking housing, health,
environmental, human, and energy services;
(ii) housing and remodeling financing
products offered by government, quasi-
government, and private sector entities;
(iii) housing and building codes and
regulatory practices;
(iv) existing and new consensus
specifications and work practices documents;
(v) capacity building and training programs
that help increase and diversify the supply of
practitioners who perform assessments of
housing-related health hazards and
interventions to address housing-related health
hazards; and
(vi) programs that increase community
awareness of, and education on, housing-related
health hazards and available assessments and
interventions;
(E) develop a comprehensive healthy housing
research agenda that considers health, safety,
environmental, and energy factors, to--
(i) identify cost-effective assessments and
treatment protocols for housing-related health
hazards in existing housing;
(ii) establish links between housing
hazards and health outcomes;
(iii) track housing-related health problems
including injuries, illnesses, and death;
(iv) track housing conditions that may be
associated with health problems;
(v) identify cost-effective protocols for
construction of new healthy housing; and
(vi) identify replicable and effective
programs or strategies for addressing housing-
related health hazards;
(4) hold biannual meetings with stakeholders and other
interested parties in a location convenient for such
stakeholders, or hold open Council meetings, to receive input
and ideas about how to best meet the healthy housing needs of
families and individuals;
(5) maintain an updated website of policies, meetings, best
practices, programs and services, making use of existing
websites as appropriate, to keep people informed of the
activities of the Council; and
(6) work with member agencies to collect and maintain data
on housing-related health hazards, illnesses, and injuries so
that all data can be accessed in 1 place and to identify and
address unmet data needs.
(b) Reports.--
(1) By members.--Each year the head of each agency who is a
member of the Council shall prepare and transmit to the Council
a report that briefly summarizes--
(A) each healthy housing-related program and
service administered by the agency and the number of
families and individuals served by each program or
service, the resources available in each program or
service, and a breakdown of where each program and
service can be accessed;
(B) the barriers and impediments, including
statutory or regulatory, to the access and use of such
programs and services by families and individuals, with
particular attention to the barriers and impediments
experienced by low-income families and individuals;
(C) the efforts made by the agency to increase
opportunities for families and individuals, including
low-income families and individuals, to reside in
healthy housing, including how the agency is working
with other agencies to better coordinate programs and
services; and
(D) any new data collected by the agency relating
to the healthy housing needs of families and
individuals.
(2) By the council.--Each year the Council shall prepare
and transmit to the President and the Congress, a report that--
(A) summarizes the reports required in paragraph
(1);
(B) utilizes recent data to assess the nature of
housing-related health hazards, and associated
illnesses and injuries, in the United States;
(C) provides a comprehensive and detailed
description of the programs and services of the Federal
Government in meeting the needs and problems described
in subparagraph (B);
(D) describes the activities and accomplishments of
the Council in working with Federal, State, and local
governments, non-profit organizations and for-profit
entities in coordinating programs and services to meet
the needs described in subparagraph (B) and the
resources available to meet those needs;
(E) assesses the level of Federal assistance
required to meet the needs described in subparagraph
(B); and
(F) makes recommendations for appropriate
legislative and administrative actions to meet the
needs described in subparagraph (B) and for
coordinating programs and services designed to meet
those needs.
SEC. 6. POWERS OF THE COUNCIL.
(a) Hearings.--The Council may hold such hearings, sit and act at
such times and places, take such testimony, and receive such evidence
as the Council considers advisable to carry out the purposes of this
Act.
(b) Information From Agencies.--Agencies which are represented on
the Council shall provide all requested information and data to the
Council as requested.
(c) Postal Services.--The Council may use the United States mails
in the same manner and under the same conditions as other departments
and agencies of the Federal Government.
(d) Gifts.--
(1) In general.--The Council may accept, use, and dispose
of gifts or donations of services or property.
(2) Internal regulations.--The Council shall adopt internal
regulations governing the receipt of gifts or donations of
services or property similar to those described in part 2601 of
title 5, Code of Federal Regulations.
(e) Contracts and Interagency Agreements.--The Council may enter
into contracts with State, Tribal, and local governments, public
agencies and private-sector entities, and into interagency agreements
with Federal agencies. Such contracts and interagency agreements may be
single-year or multi-year in duration.
SEC. 7. COUNCIL PERSONNEL MATTERS.
(a) Compensation of Members.--
(1) Non-federal employees.--A member of the Council who is
not an officer or employee of the Federal Government shall be
reasonably compensated for that member's participation in the
Council, including reimbursement for travel expenses as
described in subsection (b).
(2) Federal employees.--A member of the Council who is an
officer or employee of the United States shall serve without
compensation in addition to the compensation received for
services of the member as an officer or employee of the Federal
Government.
(b) Travel Expenses.--The members of the Council shall be allowed
travel expenses, including per diem in lieu of subsistence, at rates
authorized for employees of agencies under subchapter I of chapter 57
of title 5, United States Code, while away from their homes or regular
places of business in the performance of services for the Council.
(c) Staff.--
(1) Executive director.--The Council shall appoint an
Executive Director at its initial meeting. The Executive
Director shall be compensated at a rate not to exceed the rate
of pay payable for level V of the Executive Schedule under
section 5316 of title 5, United States Code.
(2) Compensation.--With the approval of the Council, the
Executive Director may appoint and fix the compensation of such
additional personnel as are necessary to carry out the duties
of the Council. The rate of compensation may be set without
regard to the provisions of chapter 51 and subchapter II of
chapter 53 of title 5, United States Code, relating to
classification of positions and General Schedule pay rates,
except that the rate of pay may not exceed the rate payable for
level V of the Executive Schedule under section 5316 of such
title.
(d) Temporary and Intermittent Services.--In carrying out its
objectives, the Council may procure temporary and intermittent services
of consultants and experts under section 3109(b) of title 5, United
States Code, at rates for individuals which do not exceed the daily
equivalent of the annual rate of basic pay prescribed for level V of
the Executive Schedule under section 5316 of such title.
(e) Detail of Government Employees.--Upon request of the Council,
any Federal Government employee may be detailed to the Council without
reimbursement, and such detail shall be without interruption or loss of
civil service status or privilege.
(f) Administrative Support.--The Secretary of Housing and Urban
Development shall provide the Council with such administrative
(including office space) and supportive services as are necessary to
ensure that the Council can carry out its functions.
SEC. 8. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
(a) In General.--There are authorized to be appropriated to carry
out this Act, $750,000 for each of fiscal years 2010 through 2014.
(b) Availability.--Amounts authorized to be appropriated by
subsection (a) shall remain available for the 2 fiscal years following
such appropriation.
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