To improve the Operating Fund for public housing of the Department of Housing and Urban Development, and for other purposes.

Summary: Asset Management Improvement Act of 2008 - Prohibits the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development from imposing restrictions or limitations on the amount of management and related fees for a public housing project which the public housing agency (PHA) determines reasonable, unless such restriction or limitation: (1) is determined pursuant to a negotiated rulemaking convened by the Secretary no earlier than April 1, 2009, with representatives from interested parties; and (2) is effective only on or after January 1, 2011.

Allows any PHA that owns or operates fewer than 500 public housing units under the United States Housing Act of 1937 to elect to be exempt from asset management requirements imposed by the Secretary.

Prohibits the Secretary from imposing any requirement, regulation, or guideline relating to asset management that restricts or limits in any way the use by PHAs of amounts for Capital Fund assistance for costs of any PHA central office.

Requires the Secretary to ensure that PHAs encourage the reasonable efforts of resident tenant organizations to represent their members and of tenants to organize.

Makes illegal immigrants ineligible for financial assistance under this Act.

Prohibits the Secretary from accepting as reasonable any management or related fees for enforcing a dwelling lease or other similar agreement that requires the registration of or prohibits the possession of firearms by an individual for personal protection or for sport, if the possession is not prohibited, or the registration is not required, by existing law.

Amends the Quality Housing and Work Responsibility Act of 1998 to permit a PHA or owner of federally assisted housing to terminate the tenancy or assistance for any household with a member who is illegally using a firearm, or whose illegal use is determined by the PHA or owner to interfere with the health, safety, or right to peaceful enjoyment of the premises by other residents.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Asset Management Improvement Act of 
2008''.

SEC. 2. REVISIONS TO ASSET MANAGEMENT RULES AND RELATED FEES.

    (a) Management and Related Fees.--The Secretary of Housing and 
Urban Development shall not impose any restriction or limitation on the 
amount of management and related fees with respect to a public housing 
project if the fee is determined to be reasonable by the public housing 
agency, unless such restriction or limitation imposed by the Secretary 
on such fees--
            (1) is determined pursuant to a negotiated rulemaking which 
        is convened by the Secretary no earlier than April 1, 2009, and 
        in accordance with subchapter III of chapter 5 of title 5, 
        United States Code, with representatives from interested 
        parties; and
            (2) is effective only on or after January 1, 2011.
The Secretary may not consider a public housing agency as failing to 
comply with the asset management requirements of subpart H of part 990 
of title 24 of the Code of Federal Regulations, or any successor or 
amended regulation containing asset management requirements, or 
determine that an agency fails to comply with such requirements, 
because of or as a result of the agency determining its fees in 
accordance with this subsection.
    (b) Increase of Threshold for Exemption From Asset Management 
Requirements.--
            (1) Increase.--Any public housing agency that owns or 
        operates fewer than 500 public housing units under title I of 
        the United States Housing Act of 1937 may elect to be exempt 
        from any asset management requirement imposed by the Secretary 
        of Housing and Urban Development.
            (2) Determination of operating fund allocation.--If a 
        public housing agency elects pursuant to paragraph (1) to be 
        exempt from asset management requirements, the agency may, at 
        its option, retain the same number of separate public housing 
        projects, for purposes of determining its operating fund 
        allocation, as the agency had identified and the Secretary of 
        Housing and Urban Development had approved before the agency's 
        election to be so exempt.

SEC. 3. PROHIBITION ON RESTRICTION OF FUNGIBILITY OF CAPITAL FUND 
              AMOUNTS.

    The Secretary of Housing and Urban Development shall not impose any 
requirement, regulation, or guideline relating to asset management that 
restricts or limits in any way the use by public housing agencies of 
amounts for Capital Fund assistance under section 9(d) of such Act, 
pursuant to paragraph (1) or (2) of section 9(g) of the United States 
Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437g(g)), for costs of any central 
office of a public housing agency.

SEC. 4. TENANT PARTICIPATION.

    (a) Rule of Construction.--Neither the requirements of this Act, 
nor any other requirement, regulation, guideline, or other policy or 
action of the Department of Housing and Urban Development relating to 
public housing asset management may be construed to repeal or waive any 
provision of part 964 of title 24 of the Code of Federal Regulations, 
regarding tenant participation and tenant opportunities in public 
housing. The Secretary of Housing and Urban Development shall ensure 
that public housing agencies encourage the reasonable efforts of 
resident tenant organizations to represent their members or the 
reasonable efforts of tenants to organize.
    (b) PHAs in Receivership.--In the case of any public housing agency 
in receivership, the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development or any 
receiver may not abrogate, waive, repeal, or modify any provision of 
part 964 of title 24 of the Code of Federal Regulations or any 
provision of a formalized housing agreement entered into pursuant to 
such part 964 (including pursuant to section 964.11, 964.14, 
964.18(a)(6), or 964.135 of such part) before the commencement of such 
receivership by a resident or tenant organization and the public 
housing agency.
    (c) Guidance.--Guidance issued by the Secretary of Housing and 
Urban Development shall encourage participation by residents in the 
implementation of asset management and the development of local 
policies for such purposes.

SEC. 5. INELIGIBILITY OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS FOR ASSISTANCE.

    Immigrants who are not lawfully present in the United States shall 
be ineligible for financial assistance under this Act, as provided and 
defined by section 214 of the Housing and Community Development Act of 
1980 (42 U.S.C. 1436a). Nothing in this Act shall be construed to alter 
the restrictions or definitions in such section 214.

SEC. 6. ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS.

    (a) Prohibition of Management Fees for Agreements Prohibiting or 
Requiring Registration of Legal Firearms.--The Secretary of Housing and 
Urban Development shall not accept as reasonable any management or 
related fees for enforcing any provision of a dwelling lease agreement 
or other similar agreement that requires the registration of or 
prohibits the possession of any firearm that is possessed by an 
individual for his or her personal protection or for sport the 
possession of which is not prohibited, or the registration of which is 
not required, by existing law.
    (b) Termination of Tenancy and Assistance for Illegal Use of 
Firearm in Federally Assisted Housing.--Section 577 of the Quality 
Housing and Work Responsibility Act of 1998 (42 U.S.C. 13662) is 
amended--
            (1) in the section heading--
                    (A) by striking ``and'' the second place it appears 
                and inserting a comma; and
                    (B) by inserting ``, and firearms users'' after 
                ``abusers''; and
            (2) in subsection (a)--
                    (A) in paragraph (1), by striking ``or'' at the 
                end;
                    (B) in paragraph (2), by striking the period at the 
                end and inserting ``; or''; and
                    (C) by adding at the end the following new 
                paragraph:
            ``(3) who the public housing agency or owner determines is 
        illegally using a firearm, or whose illegal use of a firearm is 
        determined by the public housing authority or owner to 
        interfere with the health, safety, or right to peaceful 
        enjoyment of the premises by other residents.''.

            Passed the House of Representatives July 9, 2008.

            Attest:

                                            LORRAINE C. MILLER,

                                                                 Clerk.