[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 61 (Monday, May 12, 1997)]
[House]
[Pages H2488-H2489]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                               AMENDMENTS

  Under clause 6 of rule XXIII, proposed amendments were submitted as 
follows:

                                 H.R. 2

                   Offered By: Mr. Smith of Michigan

       Amendment No. 54. Page 294, strike line 5 and all that 
     follows through page 297, line 4, and insert the following:

     SEC. 622. PET OWNERSHIP BY ELDERLY PERSONS AND PERSONS WITH 
                   DISABILITIES.

       Section 227 of the Housing and Urban-Rural Recovery Act of 
     1983 (12 U.S.C. 1701r-1) is amended to read as follows:

     ``SEC. 227. PET OWNERSHIP BY ELDERLY PERSONS AND PERSONS WITH 
                   DISABILITIES IN FEDERALLY ASSISTED RENTAL 
                   HOUSING.

       ``(a) Right of Ownership.--A resident of a dwelling unit in 
     federally assisted rental housing who is an elderly person or 
     a person with disabilities may own common household pets or 
     have common household pets present in the dwelling unit of 
     such resident, subject to the reasonable requirements of the 
     owner of the federally assisted rental housing and providing 
     that the resident maintains the animals responsibly and in

[[Page H2489]]

     compliance with applicable local and State public health, 
     animal control, and anticruelty laws. Such reasonable 
     requirements may include requiring payments of a nominal fee 
     and pet deposit by such residents owning or having pets 
     present, to cover the operating costs to the project relating 
     to the presence of pets and to establish an escrow account 
     for additional such costs not otherwise covered, 
     respectively. Notwithstanding section 225(d) of the Housing 
     Opportunity and Responsibility Act of 1997, a public housing 
     agency may not grant any exemption under such section from 
     payment, in whole or in part, of any fee or deposit required 
     pursuant to the preceding sentence.
       ``(b) Prohibition Against Discrimination.--No owner of 
     federally assisted rental housing may restrict or 
     discrimination against any elderly person or person with 
     disabilities in connection with admission to, or continued 
     occupancy of, such housing by reason of the ownership of 
     common household pets by, or the presence of such pets in the 
     dwelling unit of, such person.
       ``(c) Definitions.--For purposes of this section, the 
     following definitions shall apply:
       ``(1) Federally assisted rental housing.--The term 
     `federally assisted rental housing' means any multifamily 
     rental housing project that is--
       ``(A) public housing (as such term is defined in section 
     103 of the Housing Opportunity and Responsibility Act of 
     1997);
       ``(B) assisted with project-based assistance pursuant to 
     section 601(f) of the Housing Opportunity and Responsibility 
     Act of 1997 or under section 8 of the United States Housing 
     Act of 1937 (as in effect before the effective date of the 
     repeal under section 601(b) of the Housing Opportunity and 
     Responsibility Act of 1997);
       ``(C) assisted under section 202 of the Housing Act of 1959 
     (as amended by section 801 of the Cranston-Gonzalez National 
     Affordable Housing Act);
       ``(D) assisted under section 202 of the Housing Act of 1959 
     (as in effect before the enactment of the Cranston-Gonzalez 
     National Affordable Housing Act);
       ``(E) assisted under title V of the Housing Act of 1949; or
       ``(F) insured, assisted, or held by the Secretary or a 
     State or State agency under section 236 of the National 
     Housing Act.
       ``(2) Owner.--The term `owner' means, with respect to 
     federally assisted rental housing, the entity or private 
     person, including a cooperative or public housing agency, 
     that has the legal right to lease or sublease dwelling units 
     in such housing (including a manager of such housing having 
     such right).
       ``(3) Elderly person and person with disabilities.--The 
     terms `elderly person' and `persons with disabilities have 
     the meanings given such terms in section 102 of the Housing 
     Opportunity and Responsibility Act of 1997.
       ``(d) Regulations.--Subsections (a) through (c) of this 
     section shall take effect upon the date of the effectiveness 
     of regulations issued by the Secretary to carry out this 
     section. Such regulations shall be issued no later than the 
     expiration of the 1-year period beginning on the date of the 
     enactment of the Housing Opportunity and Responsibility Act 
     of 1997 and after notice and opportunity for public comment 
     in accordance with the procedure under section 553 of title 
     5, United States Code, applicable to substantive rules 
     (notwithstanding subsections (a)(2), (b)(B), and (d)(3) of 
     such section).''.