HOME Investment Partnerships Act Amendments of 1994

Summary: HOME Investment Partnerships Act Amendments of 1994 - Amends the Cranston - Gonzalez National Affordable Housing Act to provide for State agency participation in the HOME investment partnership program (program). 
Eliminates the program's first-time homebuyer requirement. 
Requires HOME investment trust funds and specified homeless assistance programs to comply with current housing affordability strategy. 
Revises program matching requirements. 
Eliminates the program's independent audit requirement and revises environmental review provisions. 
Amends the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 to:  (1) permit the use of community development block grant (CDBG) funds for program administrative costs; and (2) suspend certain CDBG requirements for disaster areas. 
Amends the Cranston-Gonzalez National Affordable Housing Act to reduce matching grant requirements under the HOPE for homeownership of single family homes program.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``HOME Investment Partnerships Act 
Amendments of 1994''.

SEC. 2. PARTICIPATION BY STATE AGENCIES OR INSTRUMENTALITIES.

    Section 104(2) of the Cranston-Gonzalez National Affordable Housing 
Act (42 U.S.C. 12704(2)) is amended by inserting before the period at 
the end the following: ``, or any agency or instrumentality thereof 
that is established pursuant to legislation and designated by the chief 
executive to act on behalf of the State with regard to the provisions 
of this Act''.

SEC. 3. SIMPLIFICATION OF PROGRAM-WIDE INCOME TARGETING FOR RENTAL 
              HOUSING.

    Section 214(1) of the Cranston-Gonzalez National Affordable Housing 
Act (42 U.S.C. 12744(1)) is amended--
            (1) in subparagraph (A)--
                    (A) by striking ``such funds are invested with 
                respect to dwelling units that are occupied by'' and 
                inserting ``(i) the families receiving such rental 
                assistance are''; and
                    (B) by striking ``, and'' and inserting ``or (ii) 
                the dwelling units assisted with such funds are 
                occupied by families having such incomes; and''; and
            (2) in subparagraph (B)--
                    (A) by striking ``such funds are invested with 
                respect to dwelling units that are occupied by'' and 
                inserting ``(i) the families receiving such rental 
                assistance are''; and
                    (B) by inserting before the semicolon at the end 
                the following: ``, or (ii) the dwelling units assisted 
                with such funds are occupied by such households''.

SEC. 4. CHANGES RELATING TO HOMEOWNERSHIP UNITS.

    (a) Removal of First-Time Homebuyer Requirement.--Section 215(b) of 
the Cranston-Gonzalez National Affordable Housing Act (42 U.S.C. 
12745(b)) is amended--
            (1) by striking paragraph (3); and
            (2) by redesignating paragraphs (4) and (5) as paragraphs 
        (3) and (4), respectively.
    (b) Simplification of Resale Provisions.--Section 215(b)(4)(B) of 
the Cranston-Gonzalez National Affordable Housing Act (42 U.S.C. 
12745(b)(4)(B)), as redesignated by subsection (a) of this section, is 
amended by striking ``subsection'' and inserting ``title''.

SEC. 5. STABILIZATION OF FUNDING THRESHOLDS.

    The Cranston-Gonzalez National Affordable Housing Act (42 U.S.C. 
12701 et seq.) is amended--
            (1) in section 216, by striking paragraph (10);
            (2) in section 217(b), by striking paragraph (4);
            (3) in section 217(b)(3)--
                    (A) in the first sentence, by striking ``only those 
                jurisdictions'' and all that follows through 
                ``allocation'' and inserting ``jurisdictions that are 
                not participating jurisdictions that are allocated an 
                amount of $500,000 or more and jurisdictions that are 
                participating jurisdictions shall receive an 
                allocation''; and
                    (B) in the last sentence, by striking ``, except as 
                provided in paragraph (4)''; and
            (4) in section 216--
                    (A) in paragraph (3)(A), by striking ``Except as 
                provided in paragraph (10), a jurisdiction'' and 
                inserting ``A jurisdiction''; and
                    (B) in paragraph (9)(B), by striking ``, except as 
                provided in paragraph (10)''.

SEC. 6. COMPREHENSIVE AFFORDABLE HOUSING STRATEGY.

    (a) HOME Program.--Section 218(d) of the Cranston-Gonzalez National 
Affordable Housing Act (42 U.S.C. 12748(d)) is amended in the first 
sentence, by inserting ``that it is complying with a current housing 
affordability strategy that has been approved by the Secretary in 
accordance with section 105, and'' after ``certification''.
    (b) Homeless Housing Assistance Programs.--Section 401 of the 
Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 11361) is 
amended to read as follows:

``SEC. 401. HOUSING AFFORDABILITY STRATEGY.

    ``(a) Requirement To Comply With CHAS.--Assistance may be made 
available under subtitle B to metropolitan cities, urban counties, and 
States receiving a formula amount under section 413, only if the 
jurisdiction certifies that it is complying with a current housing 
affordability strategy that has been approved by the Secretary in 
accordance with section 105 of the Cranston-Gonzalez National 
Affordable Housing Act.
    ``(b) Requirement for Consistency With CHAS.--Assistance may be 
made available under this title only if the application for such 
assistance contains a certification that the proposed project or 
activities are consistent with the housing affordability strategy of 
the State or unit of general local government in which the project is 
located. The certification shall be made by the public official 
responsible for submitting the strategy for the jurisdiction.''.
    (c) Conforming Amendments.--Title IV of the Stewart B. McKinney 
Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 11361 et seq.) is amended--
            (1) in section 426(a)(2)--
                    (A) in subparagraph (E), by inserting ``and'' after 
                the semicolon at the end;
                    (B) by striking subparagraph (F); and
                    (C) by redesignating subparagraph (G) as 
                subparagraph (F);
            (2) in section 434(a)--
                    (A) by striking paragraph (10); and
                    (B) by redesignating paragraphs (11), (12), and 
                (13) as paragraphs (10), (11), and (12), respectively; 
                and
            (3) in section 454(b)--
                    (A) by striking paragraph (9); and
                    (B) by redesignating paragraphs (10), (11), and 
                (12) as paragraphs (9), (10), and (11), respectively.

SEC. 7. MATCHING REQUIREMENTS.

    Section 220(a) of the Cranston-Gonzalez National Affordable Housing 
Act (42 U.S.C. 12750(a)) is amended to read as follows:
    ``(a) Contribution.--Each participating jurisdiction shall make 
contributions to housing that qualifies as affordable housing under 
this title that total, throughout a fiscal year, not less than 25 
percent of the funds drawn from the jurisdiction's HOME Investment 
Trust Fund in such fiscal year. Such contributions shall be in addition 
to any amounts made available under section 216(3)(A)(ii).''.

SEC. 8. SEPARATE AUDIT REQUIREMENT.

    Section 283 of the Cranston-Gonzalez National Affordable Housing 
Act (42 U.S.C. 12833) is amended--
            (1) by striking the section designation and heading and 
        inserting the following:

``SEC. 283. AUDITS BY COMPTROLLER GENERAL.'';

            (2) by striking subsection (a);
            (3) in subsection (b)--
                    (A) by striking ``(b) Audits by the Comptroller 
                General.--'';
                    (B) by redesignating paragraphs (1) and (2) as 
                subsections (a) and (b), respectively; and
                    (C) by moving subsections (a) and (b), as 
                redesignated by subparagraph (B), 2 ems to the left so 
                that such subsections are flush with the left margin; 
                and
            (4) in subsection (a), as redesignated by paragraph (3)(B), 
        by striking the second sentence.

SEC. 9. ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW.

    Section 288 of the Cranston-Gonzalez National Affordable Housing 
Act (42 U.S.C. 12838) is amended--
            (1) in subsection (a)--
                    (A) in the first sentence, by striking 
                ``participating jurisdictions'' and inserting 
                ``jurisdictions, Indian tribes, or insular areas''; and
                    (B) by adding at the end the following new 
                sentences: ``The regulations shall--
            ``(1) provide for the monitoring of environmental reviews 
        performed under this section;
            ``(2) at the discretion of the Secretary, facilitate 
        training for the performance of such reviews; and
            ``(3) establish criteria for the suspension or termination 
        of the assumption under this section.
The Secretary's duty under this subsection shall not be construed to 
limit any responsibility assumed by a State or unit of general local 
government with respect to any particular release of funds.'';
            (2) in the first sentence of subsection (b), by striking 
        ``participating jurisdiction'' and inserting ``jurisdiction, 
        Indian tribe, or insular area'';
            (3) in subsection (c)(4)(B), by striking ``participating 
        jurisdiction'' and inserting ``jurisdiction, Indian tribe, or 
        insular area''; and
            (4) in subsection (d), by striking ``Assistance to a 
        State.--In the case of assistance to States'' and inserting the 
        following: ``Assistance to Units of General Local Government 
        From a State.--In the case of assistance to units of general 
        local government from a State''.

SEC. 10. USE OF CDBG FUNDS FOR HOME PROGRAM EXPENSES.

    (a) Administrative Expenses.--Section 105(a)(13) of the Housing and 
Community Development Act of 1974 (42 U.S.C. 5305(a)(13)) is amended by 
inserting after ``charges related to'' the following: ``(A) 
administering the HOME program under title II of the Cranston-Gonzalez 
National Affordable Housing Act; and (B)''.
    (b) Project Delivery Costs.--Section 105(a)(21) of the Housing and 
Community Development Act of 1974 (42 U.S.C. 5305(a)(21)) is amended--
            (1) by inserting ``in connection with tenant-based rental 
        assistance and affordable housing projects assisted under title 
        II of the Cranston-Gonzalez National Affordable Housing Act'' 
        after ``housing counseling''; and
            (2) by striking ``authorized'' and all that follows through 
        ``any law'' and inserting ``assisted under title II of the 
        Cranston-Gonzalez National Affordable Housing Act''.

SEC. 11. MATCHING REQUIREMENT UNDER HOPE III PROGRAM.

    Section 443(c)(1) of the Cranston-Gonzalez National Affordable 
Housing Act (42 U.S.C. 12893(c)(1)) is amended by striking ``33 
percent'' and inserting ``25 percent''.

SEC. 12. FLEXIBILITY OF CDBG PROGRAM FOR DISASTER AREAS.

    Title I of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 (42 
U.S.C. 5301 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following new 
section:

``SEC. 122. SUSPENSION OF REQUIREMENTS FOR DISASTER AREAS.

    ``For the duration that the declaration of an area as a disaster 
area by the President under title IV of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster 
Relief and Emergency Assistance Act is in effect, the Secretary may 
suspend any or all requirements for assistance under section 106 for 
such area, except for the requirements related to public notice of 
funding availability, nondiscrimination, fair housing, labor standards, 
and environmental standards, and requirements that activities benefit 
persons of low- and moderate-income.''.