I 

109TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 2655 

To establish neighborhood review committees to advise public housing agencies 

regarding the enforcement of laws and regulations governing assistance 

provided under tenant-based rental assistance programs. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MAY 26, 2005 

Mr. ANDREWS introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 

Committee on Financial Services 

A BILL 

To establish neighborhood review committees to advise public 

housing agencies regarding the enforcement of laws and 

regulations governing assistance provided under tenantbased rental assistance programs. 

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 ‘‘Section 8 Voucher Res5 idential Screening Committees Act’’. 
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1 SEC. 2. NEIGHBORHOOD REVIEW COMMITTEES. 

2 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 8 of the United States 

3 Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437f) is amended by 

4 inserting after subsection (k) the following new subsection: 

5 ‘‘(l) NEIGHBORHOOD REVIEW COMMITTEES.— 

6 ‘‘(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—Each public housing 

7 agency that administers tenant-based assistance 

8 under subsection (b) or (o) of this section shall es9 tablish and maintain a neighborhood review com10 mittee (in this subsection referred to as the ‘com11 mittee’). The committee shall consist of not less 

12 than 3 and not more than 6 individuals, who shall 

13 be appointed by the public housing agency and shall 

14 include not less than 3 individuals who are not, di15 rectly or indirectly, recipients of housing assistance 

16 under this section or any other housing assistance 

17 provided by the Federal Government or any State or 

18 local government (not including single family mort19 gage insurance provided under title II of the Na20 tional Housing Act). The members of the committee 

21 shall be residents of the jurisdiction served by the 

22 agency. Members of the committee shall serve for 

23 terms of not more than 2 years and there shall be 

24 no limit to the number of terms that any member 

25 may serve. 
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1 ‘‘(2) FUNCTIONS.—The committee shall obtain 

2 and review information referred to in paragraphs (3) 

3 and (4) for the purpose of advising the public hous4 ing agency regarding enforcement of laws and regu5 lations governing assistance provided under the ten6 ant-based rental assistance programs under this sec7 tion and assisting the agency to enforce such laws 

8 and regulations. 

9 ‘‘(3) AVAILABILITY OF RECORDS REGARDING

10 ASSISTED FAMILIES.— 

11 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding any 

12 other provision of Federal or State law (includ13 ing any law regarding confidentiality of such in14 formation), the committee for a public housing 

15 agency may obtain any of the following records 

16 and information relating to any member of a 

17 household on whose behalf tenant-based assist18 ance under subsection (b) or (o) of this section 

19 is provided and who resides within the jurisdic20 tion of the agency: 

21 ‘‘(i) Criminal conviction, arrest, and 

22 activity records from any law enforcement 

23 agency. 

24 ‘‘(ii) Police reports. 
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1 ‘‘(iii) Juvenile arrest and punishment 

2 records. 

3 ‘‘(iv) References and reports of past 

4 or present lessors. 

5 ‘‘(v) Records of civil actions filed 

6 against the member and any related judg7 ments, settlements, or other dispositions. 

8 ‘‘(vi) Any other information reason9 ably related to the procurement of infor10 mation described in this paragraph. 

11 ‘‘(B) APPLICABILITY AND NOTICE.—This 

12 paragraph shall apply with respect to any mem13 ber of any household on whose behalf such ten14 ant-based assistance is provided after the date 

15 on which the regulations implementing this sub16 section take effect. A public housing agency 

17 shall provide written notice to each applicant 

18 for tenant-based assistance from the agency of 

19 the effect of the provisions of this paragraph on 

20 the applicant’s rights to confidentiality of infor21 mation described in this paragraph. 

22 ‘‘(4) AVAILABILITY OF RECORDS REGARDING

23 LANDLORDS.— 

24 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding any 

25 other provision of Federal or State law (includ-
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1 ing any law regarding confidentiality of such in2 formation), the committee for a public housing 

3 agency may obtain any of the following records 

4 and information relating to any owner of a 

5 dwelling unit located within the jurisdiction of 

6 the agency for which assistance payments are 

7 made under subsection (b) or (o) of this sec8 tion: 

9 ‘‘(i) Criminal conviction, arrest, and 

10 activity records from any law enforcement 

11 agency. 

12 ‘‘(ii) Police reports. 

13 ‘‘(iii) Citations, convictions, fines, or 

14 judgments for violations of any laws, regu15 lations, standards, or codes relating to 

16 housing quality or habitability. 

17 ‘‘(iv) Complaints, grievances, or ac18 tions filed by any current or former ten19 ants, and any records of any related judg20 ments, settlements, or other dispositions. 

21 ‘‘(v) Any other information reasonably 

22 related to the procurement of information 

23 described in this paragraph. 

24 ‘‘(B) APPLICABILITY.—This paragraph 

25 shall apply with respect to any owner of an as-
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1 sisted dwelling unit for which assistance pay2 ments are made after the date on which the 

3 regulations implementing this subsection take 

4 effect. 

5 ‘‘(5) PENALTY.—Any person who obtains or 

6 uses information under this subsection for purposes 

7 other than those described in paragraph (2), or dis8 closes such information in any manner to any indi9 vidual not authorized under law to receive such in10 formation, shall be imprisoned not more than one 

11 year and fined not more than $10,000 (and such of12 fense is hereby exempted from the applicability of 

13 the fine provided under section 3571 of title 18, 

14 United States Code), or both.’’. 

15 (b) REGULATIONS.—The Secretary of Housing and 

16 Urban Development shall issue any regulations necessary 

17 to carry out the amendment made by subsection (a) not 

18 later than the expiration of the 12-month period beginning 

19 on the date of the enactment of this Act, and such regula20 tions shall take effect not later than the expiration of the 

21 90-day period beginning upon such issuance. 

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