118 HR 7451 IH: Youth Homelessness Guaranteed Income Pilot Program Act of 2024
U.S. House of Representatives
2024-02-23
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I
118th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 7451
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
February 23, 2024
Ms. Tlaib (for herself, Ms. Norton, Ms. Garcia of Texas, Ms. Bush, Ms. Lee of California, and Ms. Schakowsky) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Financial Services, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned
A BILL
To establish a pilot program to provide financial and non-financial housing assistance to certain homeless individuals, to provide for a study of the effects of the pilot program, and for other purposes.
1.

Short title
This Act may be cited as the “Youth Homelessness Guaranteed Income Pilot Program Act of 2024”.
2.

Findings
The Congress finds the following:
(1)
Each year, an estimated 4,200,000 youth and young adults experience homelessness in the United States.
(2)
Youth and young adults face many barriers to safe and stable housing, such as systemic and structural racism, age discrimination, and a scarce supply of affordable housing suitable for occupancy.
(3)
Black, Indigenous, and other youth and young adults of color have been systematically excluded from employment opportunities and access to stable income.
(4)
Prior to the COVID–19 pandemic, 1 in 5 young people of color were living in poverty, as opposed to 1 in 9 young White people, and the impact of the pandemic has resulted in an exponential widening of the inequity faced by Black, Indigenous, and other youth and young adults of color when seeking safe housing and careers of their choice with stable income.
(5)
Full-time minimum-wage earners cannot afford the average cost of a 2-bedroom apartment anywhere in the United States.
(6)
The changing nature of the economy—including the growth of the “gig economy” in which workers earn income providing on-demand work, services, or goods; unemployment risks posed by automation; and the fluctuating nature of waged labor—will result in increased income volatility and prevent upward economic mobility, especially among young adults.
3.

Definitions
In this Act:
(1)

Appropriate congressional committees
The term “appropriate congressional committees” means—
(A)
the Committee on Financial Services of the House of Representatives;
(B)
the Committee on Ways and Means of the House of Representatives;
(C)
the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs of the Senate; and
(D)
the Committee on Finance of the Senate.
(2)

Certified community development financial institution
The term “certified community development financial institution” means a community development financial institution, as defined in section 103 of the Community Development Banking and Financial Institutions Act of 1994 (12 U.S.C. 4702), certified by the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund under section 1805.201 of title 12, Code of Federal Regulations.
(3)

Council
The term “Council” means the National Youth Economic Advisory Council.
(4)

Database
The term “database” means the database created under section 4(b)(1).
(5)

Fair market rent
The term “fair market rent” means the applicable fair market rental established pursuant to section 8(c) of the United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437f(c)).
(6)

Historically marginalized communities
The term “historically marginalized communities” includes low-income communities and minority religious, racial, and ethnic groups.
(7)

Homeless
The term “homeless” has the meaning given that term in section 103 of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 11302) and includes homeless children and youths as defined in section 725 of such Act (42 U.S.C. 11434a).
(8)

Low-income geographic area
The term “low-income geographic area” has the meaning given that term in section 351 of the Small Business Investment Act of 1958 (15 U.S.C. 689).
(9)

Payment-receiving group
The term “payment-receiving group” means the group designated to receive cash payments pursuant to section 4(c)(3).
(10)

Pilot program
The term “pilot program” means the Youth Homelessness Guaranteed Income Pilot Program.
(11)

Program payment
The term “program payment” means a payment made under section 4(c)(3).
(12)

Racial and ethnic minority group
The term “racial and ethnic minority group” has the meaning given the term in section 1707(g) of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 300u–6(g)).
(13)

Secretary
The term “Secretary” means the Secretary of Health and Human Services.
(14)

Socially disadvantaged group
The term “socially disadvantaged group” means a group whose members have been subjected to racial, ethnic, or gender prejudice because of their identity as members of a group without regard to their individual qualities.
4.

The Youth Homelessness Guaranteed Income Pilot Program
(a)

In general
The Secretary shall establish a program, entitled the “Youth Homelessness Guaranteed Income Pilot Program”, to provide housing assistance to certain eligible individuals in accordance with this section.
(b)

Preparation
Within 2 years after the date of the enactment of this Act:
(1)

Database of homeless individuals
(A)

Creation of database
The Secretary shall create a database of individuals who are homeless while living in the United States containing the information described in section 6(b)(1).
(B)

Eligible participants
Based on the recommendations issued by the Council under section 6(b)(1), the Secretary—
(i)
shall make reasonable efforts using reliable sources to identify homeless individuals for inclusion in the database; and
(ii)
may communicate recommendations to the Secretary of Agriculture, the Secretary of Education, or the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development with respect to the prescription of regulations described in subparagraph (C).
(C)

Authority to prescribe regulations
The Secretary of Agriculture, the Secretary of Education, and the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development may each prescribe regulations requiring a recipient of funds or other assistance under the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 11301–11435)—
(i)
to make reasonable efforts to identify homeless individuals who receive benefits or assistance provided through the funds; and
(ii)
to submit sufficient information to the Secretary for the homeless individuals to be listed in the database.
(D)

Requirements for database information
The Secretary—
(i)
shall verify the accuracy of the information in the database;
(ii)
shall include in the database, with respect to each individual listed in the database, only the information necessary to—
(I)
determine the eligibility of the individual to participate in the pilot program; or
(II)
administer the pilot program with the individual as a participant; and
(iii)
may not include in the database any information about the citizenship status, immigration status, or Social Security number of any individual listed in the database.
(E)

Report to Congress on the database
The Secretary shall submit a written report to the appropriate congressional committees describing the process used to create the database.
(2)

Selection of pilot program participants
(A)

Criteria
The Secretary, in coordination with the External Partner and the Council, shall develop criteria for the selection of pilot program participants that are—
(i)
consistent with the objectives of the study described in section 5;
(ii)
inclusive of low-income geographic areas; and
(iii)
representative of the demographics of the population of homeless individuals in the United States who have not attained 30 years of age.
(B)

Selection
The Secretary shall select, consistent with the criteria developed under subparagraph (A), not more than 105,000 individuals listed in the database to participate in the pilot program, each of whom shall be—
(i)
an emancipated minor; or
(ii)
an individual who has attained 18 years of age but not 30 years of age.
(C)

Impermissible factors
The Secretary may not use citizenship or immigration status as factors in the selection of pilot program participants.
(3)

Conditions for participation in the pilot program
An individual may not participate in the pilot program until the individual, in a form and manner determined by the Secretary—
(A)
consents to the disclosure of Federal and State income tax return information of the individual to the Secretary and the External Partner; and
(B)
discloses other personal information determined by the Secretary to be necessary for the administration of the pilot program and the study described in section 5, including the ZIP Code of the primary place of residence maintained by the individual.
(c)

Provision of assistance
(1)

Duration
The Secretary shall provide the assistance described in this subsection to the pilot program participants for 36 consecutive months.
(2)

Assistance available to all participants
Based on the recommendations issued by the Council under section 6(b)(2), and in consultation with the External Partner, the Secretary shall, directly or by contract or cooperative agreement, provide to each participant, appropriate to the circumstances of the participant, the following:
(A)
Housing navigation services.
(B)
Financial coaching courses.
(C)
Workforce development services.
(D)
Educational attainment services.
(E)
Education on the landlord-tenant laws of the jurisdiction of residence of the participant and the rights that the participant would have as a tenant.
(F)
Additional services recommended by the Council and the External Partner, at the discretion of the Secretary.
(G)
Assistance in identifying, applying for, and using any service or assistance available to the participant that is funded under the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 11301–11435).
(3)

Cash payments to the payment-receiving group
(A)

Division into 2 groups
The Secretary shall—
(i)
divide the participants randomly into 2 groups, approximately equal in size and equally representative with respect to the criteria for the selection of participants; and
(ii)
designate 1 group to receive cash payments pursuant to this paragraph.
(B)

Frequency; amount
(i)

In general
The Secretary shall make a payment to each member of the payment-receiving group every month for the duration described in paragraph (1), with each monthly payment in the amount equal to or the greater of $1,400 or the adjusted fair market rent cost for the member involved.
(ii)

Adjusted fair market rent cost
The Secretary shall determine the adjusted fair market rent cost for such a member based on the fair market rent cost for a 2-bedroom home in the ZIP Code designated by the member and any modifications recommended by the Council under section 6(b)(4).
(iii)

Lump sum payment permitted for the 1st year
Notwithstanding clause (i), not more than half of the members of the payment-receiving group may elect to receive not more than the first 12 monthly payments under clause (i) in a single lump sum payment.
(C)

Forms of payment
The Secretary shall make each program payment by whichever of the following methods is elected by the participant involved:
(i)
Cash.
(ii)
Electronic funds transfer.
(iii)
Prepaid debit card.
(iv)
Any other method offered by the Secretary.
(D)

Day of payment
Each member of the payment-receiving group may elect to receive the monthly payment on the first or last weekday of the month that is not a legal public holiday.
(d)

Privacy protections
(1)

Disclosures prohibited
A person shall not disclose any information related to the pilot program, except to the extent permitted by regulations prescribed under paragraph (2).
(2)

Regulations for sharing information
The Secretary, in consultation with the Council and External Partner, may prescribe regulations to provide for the sharing of information in the database, without personal identifiers, with nonprofit organizations and academic institutions for noncommercial research purposes.
(3)

Destruction of database
The Secretary shall destroy the database within 30 days after the Council terminates.
(4)

Violations
(A)
Any person who, by virtue of an official position or affiliation with the Secretary, the Council, or the External Partner—
(i)
has possession of, or access to, any record containing individually identifiable information the disclosure of which is prohibited by or under this Act; and
(ii)
knowingly discloses such a record to any person or agency not entitled to receive the record,
shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and fined not more than $25,000.
(B)
Any person who knowingly requests or obtains any record related to the pilot program from the Secretary, the Council, or the External Partner under false pretenses shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and fined not more than $25,000.
(e)

Relationship to other programs, benefits, and laws
Notwithstanding any other provision of law:
(1)
Participation in the pilot program, including the receipt of program payments, may not be considered for the purposes of determining—
(A)
the eligibility of a participant for, or the amount or timing of, any benefit or assistance under any Federal program or under any State or local program financed, in whole or in part, with Federal funds; or
(B)
whether a participant is a public charge under section 212(a)(4) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1182(a)(4)) or section 237(a)(5) of such Act (8 U.S.C. 1227(a)(5)).
(2)
For purposes of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, gross income shall not include any program payment to a participant.
(3)
Section 401 of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (8 U.S.C. 1611) shall not apply to this Act.
5.

Study
(a)

In general
The Secretary shall conduct, in coordination with the External Partner selected pursuant to this section, a study on the effects of the pilot program.
(b)

Objectives
The primary objectives of the study shall be—
(1)
to analyze the effect of the program payments on—
(A)
the housing outcomes of the pilot program participants;
(B)
the microeconomic outcomes of the participants;
(C)
the physical and mental health and well-being of the participants; and
(D)
the social cost attributable to income volatility and homelessness, including through public expenditures for government-provided services in health, education, employment, and childcare; and
(2)
to evaluate the feasibility of—
(A)
expanding the pilot program to include more participants in the payment-receiving group; and
(B)
using direct cash transfers to reduce homelessness in the United States.
(c)

Selection of the External Partner
(1)

In general
Within 270 days after the date of enactment of this Act, and before complying with section 4(b)(2), the Secretary shall choose an organization with demonstrated experience and expertise in mixed-methods experimental design and the implementation of cash-transfer programs to be the External Partner.
(2)

Conditions on selection
The Secretary may require the External Partner to employ the services of certain qualified individuals in carrying out the responsibilities of the External Partner under this Act.
(3)

Compensation for services rendered
The Secretary may pay not more than the hourly equivalent of the annual rate of basic pay for grade GS–12, step 5, of the General Schedule for each hour (including travel time) during which a person affiliated with the External Partner is engaged in the performance of duties of the External Partner under this section.
(d)

Duties of the External Partner
(1)

Selection of study criteria
The External Partner shall make recommendations to the Secretary on—
(A)
how to accomplish the primary objectives described in subsection (b); and
(B)
additional objectives for the study.
(2)

Data collection
Under the oversight of the Secretary, the External Partner shall collect the data required for the study and may use any information about a pilot program participant given by the Secretary to the External Partner for the study.
(e)

Reports to Congress
The Secretary, in consultation with the External Partner, shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees—
(1)
an interim report, within 24 months after the commencement of pilot program services; and
(2)
a final report, within 12 months after the conclusion of the pilot program services.
6.

National Youth Economic Advisory Council
(a)

Establishment
The Secretary shall establish the National Youth Economic Advisory Council.
(b)

Duties
(1)

Recommendations for the database and the selection of the External Partner
The Council shall issue recommendations to the Secretary with respect to—
(A)
the identification and utilization of reliable sources of information for identifying homeless individuals and listing the individuals in the database with sufficient information for the Secretary to select any individual listed in the database to participate in the pilot program;
(B)
any regulation that may be prescribed by the Secretary of Education, the Secretary of Agriculture, or the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development with respect to the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 11301–11435) to facilitate the identification of homeless individuals for inclusion in the database; and
(C)
the selection of the External Partner.
(2)

Recommendations for the selection criteria
The Council shall issue recommendations to the Secretary with respect to the selection criteria for pilot program participants that are consistent with the objectives of the study and with the demographics of the homeless population in the United States.
(3)

Recommendations for forms of assistance
The Council shall issue recommendations to the Secretary on the forms of assistance to be provided to a pilot program participant pursuant to section 4(c)(2).
(4)

Recommendations for the adjusted fair market cost
The Council shall issue recommendations to the Secretary on modifications to the fair market cost in the determination of the adjusted fair market cost under section 4(c)(3)(B)(ii).
(5)

Recommendations for administration of the program
The Council may issue recommendations to the Secretary for improving the performance and administration of the pilot program.
(6)

Recommendations for the study
The Council may issue recommendations to the Secretary or the External Partner on other objectives of the study.
(c)

Membership
(1)

Appointment
(A)

Regular members
The Secretary shall appoint the following regular members of the Council:
(i)
A member representing the Secretary, who shall chair the Council.
(ii)
A representative from a national nonprofit homeless youth organization.
(iii)
A representative from a national nonprofit civil rights organization representing historically marginalized communities or socially disadvantaged groups.
(iv)
A representative from a national organization representing LGBTQ+ populations.
(v)
A representative from an economic research organization or academic institution with expertise in cash-transfer programs.
(vi)
A representative from a community advocacy organization with expertise in cash-transfer programs.
(vii)
A representative from a certified community development financial institution whose central demographic is of a racial and ethnic minority group.
(viii)
A member representing the Department of Housing and Urban Development, nominated by the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development.
(ix)
A member representing the Department of Education, nominated by the Secretary of Education.
(B)

Authorized members
The Secretary shall appoint to the Council 3 individuals included in the database who were not selected as pilot program participants, after the Secretary begins providing the services under section 4(c).
(2)

Continuation of membership
If an incumbent member is appointed to the Council as a representative of an organization and the incumbent member ceases to be affiliated with the organization, the incumbent member may continue as a member until the Secretary appoints a new member in the stead of the incumbent member.
(3)

Removal
The Secretary may remove a member for inefficiency, neglect of duty, or malfeasance in office.
(d)

Pay
(1)

Rates of pay
Members of the Council shall each be entitled to receive the daily equivalent of the annual rate of basic pay for grade GS–14, step 10, of the General Schedule for each day (including travel time) during which such members are engaged in the performance of duties of the Council.
(2)

Prohibition of compensation of Federal employees
Notwithstanding paragraph (1), the members of the Council who are full-time officers or employees of the United States or Members of Congress for purposes of title 5, United States Code, may not receive additional pay, allowances, or benefits by reason of service on the Council.
(3)

Travel expenses
Each member shall receive travel expenses, including per diem in lieu of subsistence, in accordance with applicable provisions of subchapter I of chapter 57 of title 5, United States Code.
(e)

Staff
On request of the Council and on a reimbursable basis, for the purpose of assisting the Council in carrying out the duties of the Council, the Secretary, the Secretary of Education, and the Secretary of Health and Human Services may each detail to the Council any personnel of their respective departments.
(f)

Frequency of meetings
(1)

In general
The Council shall meet at least every 3 months.
(2)

Discretion of the Secretary
The Secretary may require the Council to sit for additional meetings at the discretion of the Secretary.
(3)

Discretion of the Chair
The Chair may require the Council to sit for additional meetings at the discretion of the Chair or on written request of 1/3 of the members.
(4)

Notice to members
The Chair shall give each member of the Council notice of a meeting no fewer than 15 days before the meeting.
(g)

Charter; quorum
(1)

Council charter
The Council shall comply with section 1008(c) of title 5, United States Code, as if—
(A)
the Council were an advisory committee but not a Presidential advisory committee;
(B)
the Secretary were the head of the agency to whom the advisory committee reports; and
(C)
the appropriate congressional committees were the standing committees of the Senate and House of Representatives having legislative jurisdiction over the agency to which the advisory committee reports.
(2)

Additional contents in Council charter
The charter filed pursuant to paragraph (1) shall contain provisions to determine—
(A)
quorum;
(B)
the information required to be disclosed, in any notice of a Council meeting, about the matters to be discussed in the meeting;
(C)
when a member has a conflict of interest in a matter being considered by the Council; and
(D)
the circumstances under which a conflict of interest in a matter may or shall disqualify a member from participating in considering, or voting on, the matter.
(3)

Quorum
Until the filing of the charter, a majority of the members of the Council appointed shall constitute a quorum, but a lesser number may hold hearings.
(h)

Powers
(1)

Hearings and sessions
The Council may, for the purpose of carrying out this section, hold hearings, sit and act at times and places, take testimony, administer oaths or affirmations to witnesses appearing before the Council, and receive evidence as the Council considers appropriate.
(2)

Obtaining official data
The Council may secure directly from any department or agency of the United States information necessary to enable the Council to carry out the duties of the Council under this section.
(3)

Administrative support services
On request of the Council, the Administrator of General Services shall provide to the Council, on a reimbursable basis, the administrative support services necessary for the Commission to carry out the duties of the Council under this section.
(i)

Reports
(1)

Interim reports
The Council may submit to the Secretary such interim reports as the Council considers appropriate.
(2)

Final report
The Council shall submit a final report to the Secretary containing an assessment of the Council with respect to—
(A)
the pilot program; and
(B)
the report submitted by the Secretary pursuant to section 5(e)(2).
(j)

Termination
The Council shall terminate within 30 days after the Secretary submits the report pursuant to section 5(e)(2).
(k)

Exemption from Federal Advisory Committee Act
Except as provided in subsection (g)(1) of this section, chapter 10 of title 5, United States Code, shall not apply to the Council, but the Secretary may prescribe regulations directing the Council to comply with sections 1009 through 1111 of such title if the Secretary determines that the compliance is necessary for the Council to discharge the duties of the Council.