[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5735 Referred in Senate (RFS)]

<DOC>
115th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 5735


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             June 18, 2018

Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, 
                           and Urban Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 AN ACT


 
     To amend the United States Housing Act of 1937 to establish a 
   demonstration program to set aside section 8 housing vouchers for 
  supportive and transitional housing for individuals recovering from 
 opioid use disorders or other substance use disorders, 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 ``Transitional Housing for Recovery in 
Viable Environments Demonstration Program Act'' or the ``THRIVE Act''.

SEC. 2. DEMONSTRATION PROGRAM TO STUDY THE IMPACT OF USING RENTAL 
              VOUCHERS FOR SUPPORTIVE HOUSING FOR INDIVIDUALS 
              RECOVERING FROM OPIOID USE DISORDERS OR OTHER SUBSTANCE 
              USE DISORDERS.

    Section 8(o) of the United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 
1437f(o)) is amended by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
            ``(21) Rental voucher demonstration program for supportive 
        housing for individuals recovering from opioid use disorders or 
        other substance use disorders.--
                    ``(A) Establishment.--The Secretary shall establish 
                a demonstration program under which the Secretary shall 
                set aside, allocate, and distribute directly to 
                eligible entities, from amounts made available for 
                rental assistance under this subsection, the amounts 
                specified in subparagraph (B) for an eligible entity to 
                provide a voucher for such assistance to a covered 
                individual through a supportive housing program that 
                provides treatment for opioid use disorders or other 
                substance use disorders (as applicable), coordination 
                with workforce development providers, and such 
                assistance, as determined by the entity.
                    ``(B) Amount.--The amount specified in this 
                subparagraph is, for fiscal year 2019, the amount 
                necessary to provide the lesser of--
                            ``(i) 0.5 percent of the total number of 
                        vouchers renewed under this subsection during 
                        the fiscal year ending immediately before the 
                        date of the enactment of this paragraph; or
                            ``(ii) 10,000 vouchers.
                    ``(C) Criteria for eligible entities.--An eligible 
                entity shall--
                            ``(i) provide an evidence-based treatment 
                        program and demonstrate the ability to 
                        coordinate with workforce development providers 
                        for individuals recovering from an opioid use 
                        disorder or other substance use disorder, as 
                        applicable, that meet standards established by 
                        the Secretary; and
                            ``(ii) demonstrate prior experience 
                        administering rental assistance vouchers, 
                        demonstrate prior experience administering 
                        supportive housing programs under the McKinney-
                        Vento Homeless Act, or demonstrate a 
                        partnership with a public housing agency or a 
                        housing program of a State, unit of local 
                        government, or Indian tribe (as such term is 
                        defined in section 4 of the Native American 
                        Housing and Self-Determination Act of 1996 (25 
                        U.S.C. 4103)) that ensures effective 
                        administration of rental assistance vouchers.
                    ``(D) Application.--To receive a rental assistance 
                voucher under this paragraph, an eligible entity shall 
                submit an application to the Secretary that shall 
                include--
                            ``(i) a description of the terms of 
                        treatment program, coordination with workforce 
                        development providers, and rental assistance to 
                        be provided to a covered individual, and 
                        assurances that such description shall be 
                        communicated to covered individuals that 
                        receive vouchers pursuant to the demonstration 
                        program established under this paragraph;
                            ``(ii) a transitional plan that begins on 
                        the date on which a covered individual 
                        completes the treatment program of the eligible 
                        entity that includes information on additional 
                        treatment, coordination with workforce 
                        development opportunities, and housing 
                        resources and services available to such 
                        covered individual; and
                            ``(iii) evidence sufficient to demonstrate 
                        that the local government having jurisdiction 
                        over the location of any supportive housing 
                        facility to be used by the eligible entity in 
                        connection with the demonstration program under 
                        this paragraph permits such facilities in such 
                        location.
                    ``(E) Selection.--In selecting eligible entities to 
                receive rental assistance vouchers under this 
                paragraph, the Secretary shall--
                            ``(i) ensure that such eligible entities--
                                    ``(I) are diverse;
                                    ``(II) represent an appropriate 
                                balance of eligible entities located in 
                                urban and rural areas, including tribal 
                                communities;
                                    ``(III) have adequate resources for 
                                treatment, recovery, and supportive 
                                services;
                                    ``(IV) fully comply with the Fair 
                                Housing Act (42 U.S.C. 3601 et seq.) 
                                and the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (42 
                                U.S.C. 2000a et seq.);
                                    ``(V) appropriately reflect the 
                                impact that opioids are having in 
                                tribal communities; and
                                    ``(VI) provide supportive and 
                                transitional housing programs in 
                                diverse geographic regions with high 
                                rates of mortality due to opioid use 
                                disorders or other substance use 
                                disorders, as applicable, based on data 
                                of the Centers for Disease Control and 
                                Prevention; and
                            ``(ii) consider, in consultation with the 
                        Secretary of Health and Human Services and the 
                        Secretary of Labor--
                                    ``(I) the success of each recipient 
                                eligible entity at helping individuals 
                                complete the treatment program of the 
                                eligible entity and refrain from 
                                illicit opioid or other substance 
                                usage, as applicable;
                                    ``(II) the coordination with 
                                workforce development providers by the 
                                eligible entity;
                                    ``(III) the percentage of 
                                participants in unsubsidized employment 
                                during the second and fourth calendar 
                                quarter after exit from the program; 
                                and
                                    ``(IV) the percentage of 
                                participants in the treatment program 
                                of the eligible entity that do not 
                                relapse into opioid or other substance 
                                usage, as applicable.
                    ``(F) Reissuance of voucher.--Upon termination of 
                the provision of rental assistance through a voucher to 
                a covered individual, the eligible entity that 
                initially offered such voucher may use such voucher to 
                provide rental assistance to another covered 
                individual.
                    ``(G) Duration.--The Secretary shall not make 
                rental assistance available under this paragraph after 
                the expiration of the 5-year period beginning on the 
                date of the enactment of this paragraph.
                    ``(H) Waivers.--The Secretary may, through 
                publication of a notice in the Federal Register, waive 
                or specify alternative requirements for any provision 
                of statue or regulation governing the use of vouchers 
                under this subsection (except for requirements relating 
                to fair housing, nondiscrimination, labor standards, or 
                the environment) upon a finding by the Secretary that 
                such waiver or alternative requirement is necessary for 
                the purposes of this paragraph.
                    ``(I) Reports.--
                            ``(i) By the eligible entity.--An eligible 
                        entity that receives a rental assistance 
                        voucher under this paragraph shall submit to 
                        the Secretary--
                                    ``(I) annually, the transitional 
                                plan described in subparagraph (D)(ii) 
                                and information on each covered 
                                individual's housing upon termination 
                                of the provision of rental assistance 
                                through a voucher to such covered 
                                individual in a manner that protects 
                                the privacy of such covered individual; 
                                and
                                    ``(II) not later than 4 years after 
                                the date of the enactment of this 
                                paragraph, a plan describing the 
                                treatment and housing options for any 
                                covered individual assisted by such 
                                voucher who will not have completed the 
                                program before the day that is 5 years 
                                after such date of enactment.
                            ``(ii) By the secretary.--The Secretary 
                        shall submit to Congress a report that analyzes 
                        the impact of rental assistance provided under 
                        this paragraph--
                                    ``(I) not later than 2 years after 
                                the date of the enactment of this 
                                paragraph; and
                                    ``(II) not later than 4 years after 
                                the date of the enactment of this 
                                paragraph.
                    ``(J) Definitions.--In this paragraph:
                            ``(i) Eligible entity.--The term `eligible 
                        entity' means a tribally designated housing 
                        entity (as such term is defined in section 4 of 
                        the Native American Housing and Self-
                        Determination Act of 1996 (24 U.S.C. 4103)), or 
                        a nonprofit organization, that meets the 
                        criteria described under subparagraph (C).
                            ``(ii) Covered individual.--The term 
                        `covered individual' means an individual 
                        recovering from an opioid use disorder or other 
                        substance use disorder.''.

SEC. 3. REPEAL OF RENTAL VOUCHER DEMONSTRATION PROGRAM.

    Effective the day that is 5 years after the date of the enactment 
of this Act, paragraph (21) of section 8(o) of the United States 
Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437f(o)), as added by this Act, is 
repealed.

SEC. 4. DEMONSTRATION CLOSE-OUT.

    An eligible entity that provided vouchers for rental assistance 
under paragraph (21) of section 8(o) of the United States Housing Act 
of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437f(o)), as added by this Act, shall return any 
such vouchers to the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development not 
later than the day that is 5 years after the date of the enactment of 
this Act for use only for renewals of expiring contracts for such 
assistance.

SEC. 5. NO ADDITIONAL FUNDS AUTHORIZED.

    No additional funds are authorized to be appropriated to carry out 
the requirements of this Act and the amendments made by this Act. Such 
requirements shall be carried out using amounts otherwise authorized to 
be appropriated.

            Passed the House of Representatives June 14, 2018.

            Attest:

                                                 KAREN L. HAAS,

                                                                 Clerk.