I 

116TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 5609 

To authorize the President to declare a homelessness emergency, and for 

other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JANUARY 15, 2020 

Mr. HARDER of California introduced the following bill; which was referred 

to the Committee on the Budget, and in addition to the Committees on 

Financial Services, and Transportation and Infrastructure, 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 authorize the President to declare a homelessness 

emergency, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Homelessness Emer5 gency Declaration Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress finds the following: 


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1 (1) Homelessness in the Central Valley and 

2 across the country is a threat to public health and 

3 safety. 

4 (2) One-third of people in the United States ex5 periencing homelessness are families with children. 

6 (3) 1.2 million children under age 6 experience 

7 homelessness. 

8 (4) Sixty-nine percent of California’s homeless 

9 population is unsheltered. 

10 (5) There are 12,396 homeless children and 

11 11,000 homeless veterans in California. 

12 (6) One in 5 California Community College stu13 dents is homeless. 

14 (7) The rate of increase in homelessness is 

15 cause for national concern and action. 

16 (8) Incidences of homelessness grew 14 percent 

17 in California between 2014 and 2018. 

18 (9) On a given day, 40,000 U.S. military vet19 erans experience some form of homelessness. 

20 (10) The experience of homelessness is dam21 aging to a child’s mental health and development, as 

22 evidenced by the fact that 40 percent of homeless 

23 children experience mental health challenges. 

24 (11) Homelessness is a deadly condition, de25 creasing life expectancy by up to 36 years. 


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1 SEC. 3. ASSISTANCE FOR HOMELESSNESS EMERGENCY 

2 DECLARATION. 

3 (a) IN GENERAL.—Upon the request of a Governor, 

4 or other appropriate agency, of a State under subsection 

5 (b), the President may declare a homelessness emergency. 

6 (b) REQUEST FROM GOVERNOR.—The Governor, or 

7 other appropriate agency, of a State that is or will be af8 fected by a significant number of or increase in the num9 ber of homeless individuals may request a declaration 

10 under subsection (a). 

11 (c) ASSISTANCE.—If the President declares a home12 lessness emergency under subsection (a), the President, 

13 acting through the Federal Emergency Management 

14 Agency and other appropriate Federal agencies, may pro15 vide homelessness emergency assistance, including housing 

16 vouchers and increases in fair market rents under section 

17 8 of the United States Housing Assistance Act of 1937 

18 (42 U.S.C. 1437f), to States and local communities that 

19 are or will be affected by the homelessness emergency, in20 cluding resources for establishing temporary or permanent 

21 homeless shelters, emergency food assistance, transpor22 tation, access to physical and behavioral healthcare, and 

23 access to Federal employment and job training programs. 

24 (d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

25 are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be 

26 necessary to carry out this Act. 


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1 SEC. 4. BUDGET ADJUSTMENT FOR HOMELESS EMER2 GENCY ASSISTANCE. 

3 Section 251(b)(2) of the Balanced Budget and Emer4 gency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (2 U.S.C. 901(b)(2)) 

5 is amended by adding at the end the following: 

6 ‘‘(H) HOMELESS EMERGENCY ASSIST7 ANCE.— 

8 ‘‘(i) If, for any fiscal year, appropria9 tions for discretionary accounts are en10 acted that Congress designates as being 

11 for homelessness emergency assistance in 

12 statute, the adjustment for a fiscal year 

13 shall be the total of such appropriations 

14 for the fiscal year in discretionary accounts 

15 designated as being for homelessness emer16 gency assistance. 

17 ‘‘(ii) For purposes of this subpara18 graph, the term ‘homelessness emergency 

19 assistance’ means assistance provided 

20 under a determination under section 2 of 

21 the Homelessness Emergency Declaration 

22 Act. 

23 ‘‘(iii) Appropriations considered home24 lessness emergency assistance under this 

25 subparagraph in a fiscal year shall not be 


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1 eligible for adjustments under subpara2 graph (A) for the fiscal year.’’. 

Æ 


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