[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3231 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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115th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 3231

  To establish the Task Force on the Impact of the Affordable Housing 
                    Crisis, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             July 18, 2018

Mr. Young (for himself, Ms. Cantwell, Mr. King, Mr. Heller, Mr. Kaine, 
   Mr. Jones, Mr. Gardner, Mr. Rubio, and Mr. Coons) introduced the 
 following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on 
                  Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To establish the Task Force on the Impact of the Affordable Housing 
                    Crisis, 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 ``Task Force on the Impact of the 
Affordable Housing Crisis Act of 2018''.

SEC. 2. PURPOSE OF TASK FORCE.

    The purpose of this Act is to establish the Task Force on the 
Impact of the Affordable Housing Crisis, which shall--
            (1) evaluate and quantify the impact that a lack of 
        affordable housing has on other areas of life and life 
        outcomes;
            (2) evaluate and quantify the costs incurred by other 
        Federal, State, and local programs due to a lack of affordable 
        housing; and
            (3) make recommendations to Congress on how to use 
        affordable housing to improve the effectiveness of other 
        Federal programs and improve life outcomes.

SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Affordable housing.--
                    (A) In general.--The term ``affordable housing'' 
                means--
                            (i) housing for which the household is 
                        required to pay not more than 30 percent of the 
                        household income for gross housing costs, 
                        including utilities, where such income is less 
                        than or equal to the area median income for the 
                        municipality in which the housing is located, 
                        as determined by the Secretary; and
                            (ii) housing--
                                    (I) for which the household pays 
                                more than 30 percent of the household 
                                income for gross housing costs, 
                                including utilities, where such income 
                                is less than or equal to the area 
                                median income for the municipality in 
                                which the housing is located, as 
                                determined by the Secretary; and
                                    (II) that is assisted or considered 
                                affordable by the Department of Housing 
                                and Urban Development, including--
                                            (aa) public housing;
                                            (bb) housing assisted under 
                                        section 8(o) of such Act (42 
                                        U.S.C. 1437f(o));
                                            (cc) housing receiving the 
                                        low-income housing credit under 
                                        section 42 of the Internal 
                                        Revenue Code; and
                                            (dd) housing assisted under 
                                        other Federal or local housing 
                                        programs serving households 
                                        with incomes at or below 80 
                                        percent of the area median 
                                        income or providing services or 
                                        amenities that will primarily 
                                        be used by low-income housing.
                    (B) Application.--The definition in subparagraph 
                (A) shall apply to Federal, State, and local affordable 
                housing programs.
            (2) Low-income housing; public housing.--The terms ``low-
        income housing'' and ``public housing'' have the meanings given 
        those terms in section 3(b) of the United States Housing Act of 
        1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437a(b)).
            (3) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of Housing and Urban Development.
            (4) Task force.--The term ``Task Force'' means the Task 
        Force on the Impact of the Affordable Housing Crisis 
        established under section 4(a).

SEC. 4. ESTABLISHMENT OF TASK FORCE.

    (a) Establishment.--There is established a bipartisan task force to 
be known as the Task Force on the Impact of the Affordable Housing 
Crisis.
    (b) Membership.--
            (1) Composition.--The Task Force shall be composed of 18 
        members, of whom--
                    (A) 1 member shall be appointed by the Majority 
                Leader of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of 
                Representatives, who shall serve as co-chair of the 
                Task Force;
                    (B) 1 member shall be appointed by the Minority 
                Leader of the Senate and the Minority Leader of the 
                House of Representatives, who shall serve as co-chair 
                of the Task Force;
                    (C) 4 members shall be appointed by the Majority 
                Leader of the Senate;
                    (D) 4 members shall be appointed by the Minority 
                Leader of the Senate;
                    (E) 4 members shall be appointed by the Speaker of 
                the House of Representatives; and
                    (F) 4 members shall be appointed by the Minority 
                Leader of the House of Representatives.
            (2) Criteria.--Each member of the Task Force shall be an 
        academic researcher, an expert in a field or policy area 
        related to the purpose of the Task Force, or an individual who 
        has experience with government programs related to the purpose 
        of the Task Force.
            (3) Additional staff.--The co-chairs of the Task Force may 
        appoint and fix the pay of additional staff to the Task Force.
            (4) Detailees.--Any Federal Government employee may be 
        detailed to the Task Force without reimbursement from the Task 
        Force, and the detailee shall retain the rights, status, and 
        privileges of his or her regular employment without 
        interruption.
            (5) Compensation of members.--Members of the Task Force may 
        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 Task Force.
    (c) Timing of Appointments.--Appointments to the Task Force shall 
be made not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this 
Act.
    (d) Period of Appointment; Vacancies.--
            (1) In general.--A member of the Task Force shall be 
        appointed for the life of the Task Force.
            (2) Vacancies.--Any vacancy in the Task Force--
                    (A) shall not affect the powers of the Task Force; 
                and
                    (B) shall be filled in the same manner as the 
                original appointment.
    (e) Initial Meeting.--The Task Force shall meet not later than 30 
days after the date on which a majority of the members of the Task 
Force have been appointed.
    (f) Meetings.--
            (1) In general.--The Task Force shall meet at the call of 
        the co-chairs of the Task Force.
            (2) Quorum.--A majority of the members of the Task Force 
        shall constitute a quorum, but a lesser number of members may 
        hold hearings.

SEC. 5. DUTIES OF THE TASK FORCE.

    (a) In General.--The Task Force shall utilize available survey and 
statistical data related to the purpose of the Task Force to complete a 
comprehensive report to--
            (1) evaluate and quantify the impact that a lack of 
        affordable housing has on other areas of life and life outcomes 
        for individuals living in the United States, including--
                    (A) education;
                    (B) employment;
                    (C) income level;
                    (D) health;
                    (E) nutrition;
                    (F) access to transportation;
                    (G) the poverty level of the neighborhood in which 
                individuals live;
                    (H) regional economic growth;
                    (I) neighborhood and rural community stability and 
                revitalization; and
                    (J) other areas of life and life outcomes related 
                to the purpose of the Task Force necessary to complete 
                a comprehensive report;
            (2) evaluate and quantify the costs incurred by other 
        Federal, State, and local programs due to a lack of affordable 
        housing; and
            (3) make recommendations to Congress on how to use 
        affordable housing to improve the effectiveness of other 
        Federal programs and improve life outcomes for individuals 
        living in the United States.
    (b) Public Comment.--The Task Force shall publish in the Federal 
Register a notice for a public comment period of 90 days on the purpose 
and activities of the Task Force.
    (c) Report.--Not later than the date on which the Task Force 
terminates, the Task Force shall submit to the Committee on Banking, 
Housing, and Urban Affairs and the Committee on Finance of the Senate 
and the Committee on Financial Services and the Committee on Ways and 
Means of the House of Representatives and make publicly available a 
final report that--
            (1) contains the information, evaluations, and 
        recommendations described in subsection (a); and
            (2) is signed by each member of the Task Force.

SEC. 6. POWERS OF TASK FORCE.

    (a) Hearings.--The Task Force may hold such hearings, take such 
testimony, and receive such evidence as the Task Force considers 
advisable to carry out this Act.
    (b) Information From Federal Agencies.--
            (1) In general.--The Task Force may secure directly from 
        any Federal department or agency such information as the Task 
        Force considers necessary to carry out this Act.
            (2) Furnishing information.--On request of the co-chairs of 
        the Task Force, the head of a Federal department or agency 
        described in paragraph (1) shall furnish the information to the 
        Task Force.
    (c) Postal Services.--The Task Force may use the United States 
mails in the same manner and under the same conditions as other Federal 
departments and agencies.

SEC. 7. TERMINATION OF TASK FORCE.

    The Task Force shall terminate not later than 2 years after the 
date on which all members of the Task Force are appointed under section 
4.

SEC. 8. FUNDING.

    The co-chairs of the Task Force shall carry out this Act using 
amounts otherwise made available to the Office of Policy Development 
and Research within the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
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