I 

115TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 7071 

To reform the programs of the Secretary of Agriculture for housing for 

rural farmworkers, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

OCTOBER 16, 2018 

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

Committee on Financial Services 

A BILL 

To reform the programs of the Secretary of Agriculture 

for housing for rural farmworkers, 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 ‘‘Farmworker Housing 

5 Improvement Act of 2018’’. 

6 SEC. 2. REFORMS TO FARMWORKER HOUSING PROGRAMS. 

7 Section 514 of the Housing Act of 1949 (42 U.S.C. 

8 1484) is amended by adding at the end the following new 

9 subsections: 


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1 ‘‘(j) COORDINATION WITH LOW-INCOME HOUSING

2 TAX CREDIT.— 

3 ‘‘(1) CONSULTATION.—The Secretary shall con4 sult with the Commissioner of the Internal Revenue 

5 Service and take such actions as are appropriate in 

6 conjunction with such consultation to simplify the 

7 coordination of rules, regulations, forms, and ap8 proval requirements for multifamily housing projects 

9 for which assistance is provided by the Secretary in 

10 conjunction with any low-income housing tax credits 

11 under section 42 of the Internal Revenue Code of 

12 1986 or tax-exempt housing bonds. 

13 ‘‘(2) RECOMMENDATIONS.—In implementing 

14 the changes required under this subsection, the Sec15 retary shall solicit recommendations regarding such 

16 changes from project owners and sponsors, investors 

17 and stakeholders in housing tax credits, State and 

18 local housing finance agencies, public housing agen19 cies, tenant advocates, and other stakeholders in 

20 such projects. 

21 ‘‘(3) REPORT.—Not later than the expiration of 

22 the 9-month period beginning on the date of the en23 actment of this subsection, the Secretary shall sub24 mit a report to the Committee on Financial Services 

25 of the House of Representatives and the Committee 


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1 on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs of the Sen2 ate that— 

3 ‘‘(A) identifies the actions taken by the 

4 Secretary to comply with this subsection; 

5 ‘‘(B) includes information regarding any 

6 resulting improvements in the expedited ap7 proval for multifamily housing projects; 

8 ‘‘(C) identifies recommendations made pur9 suant to paragraph (2); and 

10 ‘‘(D) makes recommendations for any leg11 islative changes that are needed to facilitate 

12 prompt approval of assistance for such projects. 

13 ‘‘(k) FUNDING CAPS.—Upon the enactment of this 

14 subsection, the Secretary shall increase the maximum 

15 amount of a loan or grant that may be made under this 

16 section or section 516 to $3,000,000 and may not estab17 lish a maximum funding amount that is lower than such 

18 amount. 

19 ‘‘(l) NOTICE OF FUNDING AVAILABILITY.—Any no20 tice of funding availability relating to assistance under this 

21 section or section 516 shall provide for a period for appli22 cation for such funding having a duration not shorter than 

23 60 days. 

24 ‘‘(m) ANNUAL SCHEDULE OF AWARDS OF ASSIST25 ANCE.—The Secretary shall establish and implement an 


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1 annual schedule for notice of funding, submission of appli2 cations, and awards of funding for assistance under this 

3 section and section 516. 

4 ‘‘(n) PUBLICATION OF SELF-SCORING ASSESS5 MENTS.—The Secretary shall make publicly available on 

6 a website of the Department, with respect to assistance 

7 under this section and section 516— 

8 ‘‘(1) the self-scoring form and assessment for 

9 such assistance of the applicant; 

10 ‘‘(2) a summary of the applications for such as11 sistance and such loans made and grants awarded; 

12 and 

13 ‘‘(3) a description of the compliance procedures, 

14 mechanisms, and activities used by the Department 

15 to monitor compliance and performance of such bor16 rowers and grantees. 

17 ‘‘(o) ELIGIBILITY FOR ASSISTANCE.—The Secretary 

18 shall provide that any person not ineligible for financial 

19 assistance by reason of section 214 of the Housing and 

20 Community Development Act of 1980 (42 U.S.C. 1436a) 

21 may not be denied occupancy in housing assisted under 

22 this title or for housing assistance under this title by rea23 son of such person’s citizenship or alien status.’’. 


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1 SEC. 3. CONSISTENCY BETWEEN PROGRAMS. 

2 Section 516 of the Housing Act of 1949 (42 U.S.C. 

3 1486) is amended— 

4 (1) in subsection (a), in the matter preceding 

5 paragraph (1), by inserting ‘‘or any limited partner6 ship in which the general partner is a nonprofit enti7 ty,’’ after ‘‘or any Indian tribe,’’; and 

8 (2) in subsection (k)(7)(A), by striking ‘‘any’’ 

9 and inserting ‘‘limited partnership in which the gen10 eral partner is a nonprofit entity, or’’. 

Æ 


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