[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3979 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

111th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 3979

  To amend the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 to allow 
amounts under the Troubled Assets Relief Program to be used to provide 
          legal assistance to homeowners to avoid foreclosure.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           November 29, 2010

    Mr. Brown of Ohio (for himself, Mr. Durbin, Mr. Whitehouse, Mr. 
    Merkley, Mr. Reed, Mr. Menendez, and Mr. Wyden) introduced the 
 following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on 
                  Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To amend the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 to allow 
amounts under the Troubled Assets Relief Program to be used to provide 
          legal assistance to homeowners to avoid foreclosure.

    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 ``Aiding Those Facing Foreclosure Act 
of 2010''.

SEC. 2. FORECLOSURE AVOIDANCE ASSISTANCE.

    Section 109 of the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 (12 
U.S.C. 5219) is amended by adding at the end the following new 
subsection:
    ``(d) Legal Assistance.--
            ``(1) Use of funds.--The Secretary may use any amounts 
        obligated under this title to provide assistance to nonprofit 
        counseling intermediaries and nonprofit legal organizations to 
        provide legal assistance to homeowners of owner-occupied homes 
        consisting of from one to four dwelling units who have 
        mortgages on such homes that are in default or delinquency, in 
        danger of default or delinquency, or subject to or at risk of 
        foreclosure, to assist such homeowners with legal issues 
        directly related to such default, delinquency, foreclosure, or 
        any deed in lieu of foreclosure or short sale.
            ``(2) Prohibition on litigation.--Paragraph (1) may not be 
        construed to authorize the use of any amounts made available 
        under this title to provide, obtain, or arrange on behalf of a 
        homeowner, legal representation involving or for the purposes 
        of civil litigation that is not directly related to any such 
        default, delinquency, foreclosure, or any deed in lieu of 
        foreclosure or short sale.
            ``(3) Authorization.--Amounts used as described under 
        paragraph (1) shall be deemed to be for actions authorized 
        under this title.''.
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