[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6326 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 6326

   To provide additional waivers and authorities to HUD and USDA to 
       respond to the COVID-19 emergency, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 23, 2020

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

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To provide additional waivers and authorities to HUD and USDA to 
       respond to the COVID-19 emergency, 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 ``COVID-19 Emergency Housing Relief 
Act of 2020''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITION OF COVID-19 EMERGENCY PERIOD.

    For purposes of this Act, the term ``COVID-19 emergency period'' 
means the period that begins upon the date of the enactment of this Act 
and ends upon the date of the termination by the Federal Emergency 
Management Agency of the emergency declared on March 13, 2020, by the 
President under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency 
Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 4121 et seq.) relating to the Coronavirus 
Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

SEC. 3. SUSPENSION OF COMMUNITY SERVICE, WORK, PRESENCE IN UNIT, AND 
              MINIMUM RENT REQUIREMENTS AND TIME LIMITS ON ASSISTANCE.

    (a) Suspension.--Notwithstanding any other provision of law, during 
the COVID-19 emergency period, the following provisions of law and 
requirements shall not apply:
            (1) Section 12(c) of the United States Housing Act of 1937 
        (42 U.S.C. 1437j(c); relating to community service).
            (2) Any work requirement or time limitation on assistance 
        established by a public housing agency participating in the 
        Moving to Work demonstration program authorized under section 
        204 of the Departments of Veterans Affairs and Housing and 
        Urban Development and Independent Agencies Appropriations Act, 
        1996 (Public Law 104-134; 110 Stat. 1321).
            (3) Paragraph (3) of section 3(a) of the United States 
        Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437a(a)(3); relating to minimum 
        rental amount).
            (4) Section 982.312 of the regulations of the Secretary of 
        Housing and Urban Development (24 C.F.R. 982.312; relating to 
        absence from unit).
    (b) Prohibition.--No penalty may be imposed nor any adverse action 
taken for failure on the part of any tenant of public housing or a 
dwelling unit assisted under section 8 of the United States Housing Act 
of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437f) to comply with the laws and requirements 
specified in subsection (a) during the period specified in subsection 
(a).

SEC. 4. HOUSING CHOICE VOUCHERS.

    (a) Section 8 Vouchers.--Notwithstanding any other provision of 
law, the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development shall provide 
that--
            (1) during the COVID-19 emergency period, a public housing 
        agency may not terminate the availability to an eligible 
        household of a housing choice voucher under section 8(o) of the 
        United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437f(o)) for 
        failure to enter into a lease for an assisted dwelling unit;
            (2) in the case of any eligible household on whose behalf 
        such a housing choice voucher has been made available, if as of 
        the termination of the COVID-19 emergency period such 
        availability has not terminated (including by reason of 
        paragraph (1) of this subsection) and such voucher has not been 
        used to enter into a lease for an assisted dwelling unit, the 
        public housing agency making such voucher available may not 
        terminate such availability until the expiration of the 60-day 
        period beginning upon the termination of the COVID-19 emergency 
        period; and
            (3) during the COVID-19 emergency period, clause (i) of 
        section 8(o)(8)(A) of the United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 
        U.S.C. 1437f(o)(8)(A)(i); relating to initial inspection of 
        dwelling units) shall not apply, except that in any case in 
        which an inspection of a dwelling unit for which a housing 
        assistance payment is established is not conducted before an 
        assistance payment is made for such dwelling unit--
                    (A) such clause shall be applied by substituting 
                ``the expiration of the 90-day period beginning on the 
                termination of the COVID-19 emergency period (as such 
                term is defined in section 2 of the _______ Act of 
                2020)'' for ``any assistance payment is made''; and
                    (B) the public housing agency shall inform the 
                tenant household and the owner of such dwelling unit of 
                the inspection requirement applicable to such dwelling 
                unit pursuant to subparagraph (A).
    (b) Rural Housing Vouchers.--Notwithstanding any other provision of 
law, the Secretary of Agriculture shall provide that the same 
restrictions and requirements applicable under subsection (a) of this 
section to voucher assistance under section 8(o) of the United States 
Housing Act of 1937 shall apply with respect to voucher assistance 
under section 542 of the Housing Act of 1949 (42 U.S.C. 1490r). In 
applying such restrictions and requirements, the Secretary may take 
into consideration and provide for any differences between such 
programs while ensuring that the program under such section 542 is 
carried out in accordance with the purposes of such restrictions and 
requirements.

SEC. 5. SUSPENSION OF INCOME REVIEWS.

    During the COVID-19 emergency period, the Secretary of Housing and 
Urban Development and the Secretary of Agriculture shall waive any 
requirements under law or regulation requiring review of the income of 
an individual or household for purposes of assistance under a housing 
assistance program administered by such Secretary, except--
            (1) in the case of review of income upon the initial 
        provision of housing assistance; or
            (2) if such review is requested by an individual or 
        household due to a loss of income.

SEC. 6. AUTHORITY TO SUSPEND OR DELAY DEADLINES.

    During the COVID-19 emergency period, the Secretary of Housing and 
Urban Development and the Secretary of Agriculture may suspend or delay 
any deadline relating to public housing agencies or owners of housing 
assisted under a program administered by such Secretary, except any 
deadline relating to responding to exigent conditions related to health 
and safety or emergency physical conditions.

SEC. 7. SUSPENSION OF ASSISTED HOUSING SCORING ACTIVITIES.

    The Secretary of Housing and Urban Development shall suspend 
scoring under the Section 8 Management Assessment Program and the 
Public Housing Assessment System during the period beginning upon the 
date of the enactment of this Act and ending upon expiration of the 90-
day period that begins upon the termination of the COVID-19 emergency 
period.

SEC. 8. REQUIREMENTS REGARDING RESIDUAL RECEIPTS AND RESERVE FUNDS.

    (a) Suspension of Requirement To Submit Residual Receipts to HUD.--
During the COVID-19 emergency period, any requirements for owners of 
federally assisted multifamily housing to remit residual receipts to 
the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development shall not apply.
    (b) Eligible Uses of Reserve Funds.--During the COVID-19 emergency 
period, any costs of an owner of federally assisted multifamily housing 
for items, activities, and services related to responding to 
coronavirus or COVID-19 shall be considered eligible uses for the 
reserve fund for replacements for such housing.
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