118 HR 2974 IH: Interagency Council on Affordable Housing Act of 2023
U.S. House of Representatives
2023-04-27
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I
118th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 2974
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
April 27, 2023
Mr. Schiff (for himself, Ms. Clarke of New York, Mr. Carson, Mr. Carter of Louisiana, Mr. Evans, Mr. Grijalva, Ms. Norton, and Ms. Ross) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Financial Services
A BILL
To establish a Federal Interagency Council on Housing Affordability and Preservation, and for other purposes.
1.

Short title
This Act may be cited as the “Interagency Council on Affordable Housing Act of 2023”.
2.

Establishment
There is established in the executive branch an independent establishment to be known as the United States Interagency Council on Housing Affordability and Preservation, whose mission shall be to develop Federal policy designed to preserve and increase affordable housing supply and increase fairness in the rental market and further the principles of fair housing and create a national partnership at every level of government and with the private sector to carry out such purposes.
3.

Membership
(a)

Members
The Council shall be composed of the heads of the following agencies or offices, or the designee of such agency or office head:
(1)
Department of Housing and Urban Development.
(2)
Department of Justice.
(3)
Department of Labor.
(4)
Department of the Treasury.
(5)
Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection.
(6)
Department of Health and Human Services.
(7)
Department of Education.
(8)
Department of Veterans Affairs.
(9)
Department of Agriculture.
(10)
Department of Commerce.
(11)
Department of Defense.
(12)
Department of Energy.
(13)
Department of Homeland Security.
(14)
Department of Interior.
(15)
Department of Transportation.
(16)
Corporation for National and Community Service.
(17)
General Services Administration.
(18)
Office of Management and Budget.
(19)
Social Security Administration.
(20)
United States Postal Service.
(21)
White House Office on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships.
(b)

Chairperson
The Council shall elect a Chairperson and a Vice Chairperson from among its members. The positions of Chairperson and Vice Chairperson shall rotate among its members on an annual basis.
(c)

Meetings
The Council shall meet at the call of its Chairperson or a majority of its members, but not less often than four times each year, and the rotation of the positions of Chairperson and Vice Chairperson required under subsection (b) shall occur at the first meeting of each year.
(d)

Prohibition of additional pay
Members of the Council shall receive no additional pay, allowances, or benefits by reason of their service on the Council.
(e)

Administration
The Executive Director of the Council shall report to the Chairman of the Council.
4.

Functions
(a)

Duties
The Council shall—
(1)
not later than 12 months after the date of the enactment of this Act, develop, make available for public comment, and submit to the President and to the Congress a National Strategic Plan to Preserve Affordable Housing, and shall update such plan annually;
(2)
review all Federal activities and programs relating to public housing, affordable housing production, affordable housing programs, and housing voucher programs;
(3)
monitor, evaluate, and recommend improvements in programs and activities to assist affordable housing production conducted by Federal agencies, State and local governments, and private voluntary organizations;
(4)
provide professional and technical assistance (by not less than 5, but in no case more than 10, regional coordinators employed by the Council, each having responsibility for interaction and coordination of the activities of the Council within the 10 standard Federal regions) to States, local governments, and other public and private nonprofit organizations, in order to enable such governments and organizations to—
(A)
interpret regulations and assist in the application process for Federal assistance, including grants;
(B)
provide assistance on the ways in which Federal programs may best be coordinated to complement the objectives of this Act;
(C)
develop recommendations and program ideas based on regional specific issues in serving homeless and low-income populations; and
(D)
establish a schedule for biennial regional workshops to be held by the Council in each of the 10 standard Federal regions to further carry out and provide the assistance described in subparagraphs (A), (B), and (C) and other appropriate assistance as necessary;
(5)
encourage the creation of State Interagency Councils on Affordable Housing and the formulation of jurisdictional 10-year plans to end homelessness at State, city, and county levels;
(6)
annually obtain from Federal agencies their identification of consumer-oriented entitlement and other resources for which individuals may be eligible and the agencies' identification of improvements to ensure access; develop mechanisms to ensure access by persons and families to all Federal, State, and local programs for which the persons are eligible, and to verify collaboration among entities within a community that receive Federal funding under programs targeted for persons experiencing homelessness, and other affordable housing programs for which persons and families are eligible;
(7)
conduct research and evaluation related to its functions as defined in this section;
(8)
develop joint Federal agency and other initiatives to fulfill the goals of the agency;
(9)
collect and disseminate information relating to low-income individuals;
(10)
prepare the annual reports required in subsection (c)(2);
(11)
prepare and distribute to States (including State contact persons described in section 7(a)), local governments, and other public and private nonprofit organizations, a bimonthly bulletin that describes the Federal resources available to them to assist with affordable housing; and
(12)
not later than 6 months after completion of the report, convene a meeting of representatives of all Federal agencies and committees of the House of Representatives and the Senate having jurisdiction over any Federal program to assist affordable housing programs or production, local and State governments, academic researchers who specialize in homelessness, nonprofit housing and service providers that receive funding under any Federal program to assist homeless individuals or families, organizations advocating on behalf of such nonprofit providers and persons receiving housing or services under any such Federal affordable housing program, and persons receiving housing or services under any such Federal program, at which meeting such representatives shall discuss all issues relevant to the council’s jurisdiction.
(b)

Authority
In carrying out subsection (a), the Council may—
(1)
arrange national, regional, State, and local conferences for the purpose of developing and coordinating effective programs and activities to assist in carrying out the mission described in section 2 and pay for expenses of attendance at meetings which are concerned with the functions or activities for which the appropriation is made; and
(2)
publish a newsletter concerning Federal, State, and local programs that are effective in carrying out such mission.
(c)

Reports
(1)

By agencies
Within 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, the head of each Federal agency that is a member of the Council shall prepare and transmit to the Congress and the Council a report that describes—
(A)
each affordable housing program administered by such agency and the number of individuals served by such program;
(B)
impediments, including any statutory and regulatory restrictions, to the use by individuals of each such program and to obtaining services or benefits under each such program; and
(C)
efforts made by such agency to increase the opportunities for individuals to obtain permanent housing, supportive services, and access to legal services in regards to housing matters.
(2)

By Council
The Council shall prepare and transmit to the President and the Congress an annual report that—
(A)
assesses the nature and extent of the problems relating to affordable housing and the needs of low-income individuals;
(B)
provides a comprehensive and detailed description of the activities and accomplishments of the Federal Government in resolving the problems and meeting the needs assessed pursuant to subparagraph (A);
(C)
describes the accomplishments and activities of the Council, in working with Federal, State, and local agencies and public and private organizations in order to preserve and expand affordable housing;
(D)
assesses the level of Federal assistance necessary to adequately resolve the problems and meet the needs assessed pursuant to subparagraph (A); and
(E)
specifies any recommendations of the Council for appropriate and necessary legislative and administrative actions to resolve such problems and meet such needs.
(d)

Notification of Other Federal Agencies
If, in monitoring and evaluating programs and activities to assist in carrying out the mission described in section 2 conducted by other Federal agencies, the Council determines that any significant problem, abuse, or deficiency exists in the administration of the program or activity of any Federal agency, the Council shall submit a notice of the determination of the Council to the Inspector General of the Federal agency (or the head of the Federal agency, in the case of a Federal agency that has no Inspector General).
(e)

Program Timetables
Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the head of each Federal agency or office that is a member of the Council and responsible for administering a program to assist in carrying out the mission described in section 2 shall provide to the Council a timetable regarding program funding availability and application deadlines. The Council shall furnish such information to each State (including the State contact person described in section 7(a)).
5.

Director and staff
(a)

Director
The Council shall appoint an Executive Director, who shall be compensated at a rate not to exceed the rate of basic pay payable for level V of the Executive Schedule under section 5316 of title 5, United States Code. The Council shall appoint an Executive Director at the first meeting of the Council held under section 3(c).
(b)

Additional personnel
With the approval of the Council, the Executive Director of the Council may appoint and fix the compensation of such additional personnel as the Executive Director considers necessary to carry out the duties of the Council.
(c)

Details From Other Agencies
Upon request of the Council, the head of any Federal agency may detail, on a reimbursable basis, any of the personnel of such agency to the Council to assist the Council in carrying out its duties under this Act.
(d)

Administrative Support
The Secretary of Housing and Urban Development shall provide the Council with such administrative and support services as are necessary to ensure that the Council carries out its functions under this Act in an efficient and expeditious manner.
(e)

Experts and Consultants
With the approval of the Council, the Executive Director of the Council may procure temporary and intermittent services under section 3109(b) of title 5, United States Code.
6.

Powers
(a)

Meetings
For the purpose of carrying out this Act, the Council may hold such meetings, and sit and act at such times and places, as the Council considers appropriate.
(b)

Delegation
Any member or employee of the Council may, if authorized by the Council, take any action that the Council is authorized to take in this Act.
(c)

Information
The Council may secure directly from any Federal agency such information as may be necessary to enable the Council to carry out this Act. Upon request of the Chairperson of the Council, the head of such agency shall furnish such information to the Council.
(d)

Donations
The Council may accept, use, and dispose of gifts or donations of services or property, both real and personal, public and private, without fiscal year limitation, for the purpose of aiding or facilitating the work of the Council.
(e)

Mails
The Council may use the United States mails in the same manner and under the same conditions as other Federal agencies.
7.

Encouragement of State involvement
(a)

State Contact Persons
Each State shall designate an individual to serve as a State contact person for the purpose of receiving and disseminating information and communications received from the Council.
(b)

State Interagency Councils and Lead Agencies
Each State is encouraged to establish a State interagency council on housing affordability and preservation or designate a lead agency for the State for the purpose of assuming primary responsibility for coordinating and interacting with the Council and State and local agencies as necessary.
8.

Definitions
For purposes of this Act, the following definitions shall apply:
(1)

Council
The term Council means the United States Interagency Council on Housing Affordability and Preservation established in section 2.
(2)

Federal agency
The term Federal agency has the meaning given the term agency in section 551(1) of title 5, United States Code.
9.

Authorization of appropriations
There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this Act $4,800,000 for each of fiscal years 2024 through 2028. Any amounts appropriated to carry out this Act shall remain available until expended.