[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7412 Introduced in House (IH)]
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118th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 7412
To facilitate the use of rural housing vouchers.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
February 20, 2024
Ms. Crockett (for herself, Mr. Jackson of Illinois, and Ms. Salinas)
introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on
Financial Services
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To facilitate the use of rural housing vouchers.
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 ``Rural Housing Voucher Enhancement
Act of 2024''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES.
(a) Findings.--The Congress finds the following:
(1) Across the Nation, Americans are facing a shortage of
affordable housing.
(2) The right to a peaceful, affordable, dignified place to
live is a right to which every American is entitled.
(3) In rural communities, a lack of housing supply makes
the loss of formerly affordable housing devastating to the
community.
(4) That is why the United States Department of Agriculture
provides essential rural housing vouchers for those who lose
their affordability guarantees.
(5) The people served by this program are predominately
seniors and Americans with disabilities.
(6) The Department of Agriculture has been charged with a
monumentally important task that it has generally excelled in
performing, especially considering it operates with far less
funding than it needs.
(7) Nevertheless, there are Americans who fall through the
cracks and face housing instability as a result.
(b) Purposes.--The purposes of this Act are as follows:
(1) To provide the Department of Agriculture with the tools
necessary to ensure everyone entitled to a rural housing
voucher remains housed.
(2) To clearly establish a standard that it is unacceptable
for any person who is eligible for and chooses to use a rural
housing voucher to not be able to fully use their voucher.
(3) To make clear, de facto and de jure, that giving full
force to rural housing vouchers is a whole-of-Government effort
to guarantee that housing is a human right.
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.
For purposes of this Act the following definitions shall apply:
(1) Rural housing voucher.--The term ``rural housing
voucher'' means a voucher for rental assistance issued by the
Secretary of Agriculture pursuant to title V of the Housing Act
of 1949 (42 U.S.C. 1471 et seq.) to a tenant of a multifamily
property previously financed with a loan made or insured under
section 515 of such title (42 U.S.C. 1485) or section 514 of
such title (42 U.S.C. 1484), or a grant under section 516 of
such title (42 U.S.C. 1486).
(2) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'', except where
otherwise specified, means the Secretary of Agriculture.
SEC. 4. MODALITY OF NOTICE.
(a) Modality Requirements.--
(1) Standard.--The Secretary of Agriculture shall provide
all notices relating to rural housing vouchers that are mailed
to tenants to be provided in the format that best facilitates
the tenant's understanding of the notice and advises the tenant
of any applicable appellate rights.
(2) Alternative formats.--
(A) Requirement.--If a tenant has elected to
receive information from another agency of the Federal
Government agency in an alternative format to the
standard format, including in a language other than
English or in braille, large type, or audio format, the
Secretary shall send all notices referred to in
paragraph (1) in such alternative format, together with
the notice in the standard format.
(B) Indication of preference.--The Secretary of
Agriculture shall make available a mechanism for
tenants to indicate their preference for receipt of
notices referred to in paragraph (1) in alternative
formats and shall provide such notices to tenants in
accordance with their indicated preference.
(C) Action on tenant's behalf.--The Secretary shall
provide for another individual, upon a signed
certification that the tenant has authorized such
action, to act on a tenant's behalf in indicating a
preference with respect to an alternative format of
notices.
(b) Coordination Across Federal Agencies.--The Secretary of
Agriculture shall consult and coordinate with the Secretary of the
Treasury and the Commissioner of the Social Security Administration to
implement the procedures and systems necessary to comply with
subsection (a)(2)(A). The Secretary of the Treasury and the
Commissioner of the Social Security Administration shall provide all
information necessary to ensure such compliance.
(c) Plain Language.--Within one year after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall revise the language on the
standard notices provided pursuant to paragraph (1) to be in compliance
with the Plain Writing Act of 2010 (5 U.S.C. 301 note).
(d) Timeline of Notice.--
(1) In general.--For each property financed under section
515, or 514 and 516, of title V of the Housing Act of 1949
having tenants who may be eligible for a rural housing voucher,
the Secretary shall provide notice as required by paragraph (2)
within a reasonable time. In the event of eligibility due to
prepayment or mortgage maturity, the Secretary shall provide
initial notice as required by paragraph (2) and subsequently on
an annual basis to each household following the initial notice.
(2) Initial notice.--
(A) Prepayment.--Within 30 days of the approval by
the Secretary of a borrowers' request to prepay its
loan under such section 515 or 514 and at least 120
days before the prepayment date, the Secretary shall
provide written notice to each household residing in
the property that informs them of the prepayment
approval, the possible actions that may happen with
respect to the property upon that prepayment, and how
to secure a rural housing voucher.
(B) Mortgage maturity.--Not later than the date
that is 3 years before the date that the loan under
such section 515 or 514 for the property will mature,
the Secretary shall provide written notice to each
household residing in the property that informs them of
the date of the loan maturity, the possible actions
that may happen with respect to the property upon that
maturity, and how to secure a rural housing voucher.
SEC. 5. LANDLORD OUTREACH.
(a) Identification of At-Risk Properties.--On an annual basis, the
Secretary shall identify the addresses of the multifamily housing
properties with loans financed under section 515 of the Housing Act of
1949 having mortgages that are subject to loan acceleration or maturity
or rental assistance contracts that the Secretary determines are at
risk of being terminated within the ensuing 4 years without an
extension of the rental assistance contract.
(b) Education and Outreach to Landlords.--The Secretary shall
engage in education and outreach to landlords, using multiple
modalities and in-person outreach, to promote landlord interest in
accepting rural housing vouchers that may be issued to tenants of such
identified at-risk properties.
(c) Area.--Such education and outreach shall be performed first
with landlords owning properties with dwelling units for rent that are
nearest to such identified at-risk properties and if, after extensive
outreach, the Secretary determines there to be insufficient interest
among such landlords the Secretary shall expand the radius for the area
of such education and outreach progressively up to an area within a 20-
mile radius of such identified at-risk properties.
(d) Sharing of Information.--The Secretary of Housing and Urban
Development shall provide the Secretary of Agriculture with technical
assistance and training on conducting landlord outreach and education,
such as partnering with at the public housing agency whose jurisdiction
is nearest to an identified at-risk property.
SEC. 6. STRATEGIC PLAN.
(a) Establishment.--The Secretary shall, not later than one year
after the date of the enactment of this Act, establish and submit to
the Congress a strategic plan that identifies--
(1) for each of the ensuing 5 years, the multifamily
housing properties with loans financed under section 515 of the
Housing Act of 1949 having rental assistance contracts that
Secretary determines are at risk of exiting the portfolio,
whether because of the loan being paid off or for some other
reason;
(2) for properties at risk of exiting the portfolio in the
next year, tenants whose leases would expire or come up for
renewal within one, two, and three months of the anticipated
exit date of the property;
(3) a process for regularly updating the information
described in (2), as precisely as possible, as the anticipated
exit date of the property approaches;
(4) a method for identifying at-risk tenants who may not
receive a rural housing voucher;
(5) an outreach strategy to inform such at-risk tenants of
their status and options for remaining housed;
(6) metrics and procedures to track the status and outcomes
of such at-risk tenants; and
(7) a comprehensive procedure to ensure at-risk tenants
have their vouchers and have a suitable dwelling to rent using
the voucher by the time their lease expires or comes up for
renewal.
(b) Implementation.--The Secretary shall fully and expeditiously
implement the strategic plan established pursuant to subsection (a)
within two years after the date of the enactment of this Act.
(c) Reports.--During the 30-month period beginning on the date of
the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall provide a report to the
Congress not less frequently than every three months on the status of
the development of the strategic plan and the implementation of the
plan.
(d) Coordination Across Federal Government.--To the extent other
Federal agencies are identified under the strategic plan established
pursuant to subsection (a) as being necessary for the implementation of
the plan, it shall be the duty of each such agency so identified to
assist to the greatest extent practical in fulfilling relevant requests
by the Secretary of Agriculture.
SEC. 7. PROTECTION OF AT-RISK TENANTS.
(a) Waiver and Modification.--The Secretary may waive any waiting
period or deadline involved in the disbursement or execution of a rural
housing voucher for at-risk tenants as the Secretary deems necessary to
ensure such tenants remain housed.
(b) Identifying Housing Stock.--The Secretary shall work with
interested landlords identified in section 5 of this Act to pre-clear
dwellings near at-risk tenants as available for rental using a rural
housing voucher.
SEC. 8. REPORTS TO CONGRESS.
(a) Initial Report.--The Secretary shall, not later than one year
after the date of the enactment of this Act, submit to the Congress and
make publicly available on the website of the Department of
Agriculture, a report detailing--
(1) for tenants in rural multifamily housing properties
with loans financed under section 515 of the Housing Act of
1949 having rental assistance contracts that terminated, the
housing outcomes for such tenants one month, three months, six
months, and one year after the tenant's lease expires or is
renewed; and
(2) for each of the ensuing 4 years how many rural
multifamily housing properties are expected to end
participation the programs under title V of the Housing Act of
1949, the number of potentially impacted residents, and how
many properties are at-risk as described in section 5(a).
(b) Annual Report.--On an annual basis, the Secretary shall submit
to the Congress and make publicly available on the website of the
Department of Agriculture information identifying--
(1) the number of rural housing vouchers issued during the
preceding year;
(2) the reason for the issuance such vouchers, including
whether the mortgage on a property was prepaid, the mortgage
for the property was foreclosed, or any other reason;
(3) whether the property was subject to any form of use
restriction; and
(4) the number of vouchers that were not renewed that were
previously utilized by tenants and the reason for non-renewal
of the voucher.
SEC. 9. REGULATIONS.
The Secretary shall issue any regulations that may be necessary to
carry out this Act and shall issue a notice of proposed rulemaking for
such regulations not later than 3 years after the date of the enactment
of this Act.
SEC. 10. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
There is authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be
necessary for the Secretary of Agriculture to--
(1) hire additional staff to implement and enforce this
Act; and
(2) obtain such additional supplies and information
technology to carry out this Act.
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