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104TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION H. R. 1613

To amend the United States Housing Act of 1937 to require the Secretary

of Housing and Urban Development to administer a program of construction and revitalization of public housing, and for other purposes.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

MAY 11, 1995

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

Committee on Banking and Financial Services

A BILL

To amend the United States Housing Act of 1937 to require

the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to

administer a program of construction and revitalization

of public housing, 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 ‘‘Jesse Gray Housing

5 Act’’.

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE.

7 (a) FINDINGS.—The Congress finds that—
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1 (1) the number of rental dwelling units avail2 able for lower income families is insufficient, and the

3 physical condition of a substantial portion of such

4 dwelling units is inadequate;

5 (2) new construction of rental dwelling units is

6 occurring primarily in higher income areas;

7 (3) Federal housing assistance programs, such

8 as rent subsidies, vouchers, and other rental and

9 mortgage assistance, too frequently assist middle

10 and higher income families and do not meet the de11 mand for housing by lower income families;

12 (4) such Federal housing assistance programs

13 are not cost effective, due to a lack of suitable rental

14 dwelling units available for lower income families;

15 and

16 (5) a significant number of families are paying

17 more than 25 percent of their monthly income for

18 rent.

19 (b) PURPOSE.—It is the purpose of this Act—

20 (1) to ensure that all families in the United

21 States have access to rental dwelling units at rents

22 that are not more than 25 percent of their monthly

23 income, and that such rental dwelling units are de24 cent, safe, and sanitary;
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1 (2) to ensure that all funds for housing assist2 ance by the Federal Government benefit lower in3 come families by requiring the Secretary of Housing

4 and Urban Development to propose that Federal

5 housing assistance be limited to lower income fami6 lies;

7 (3) to encourage the establishment of a public

8 housing system that consists of—

9 (A) projects located throughout metropoli10 tan and rural areas;

11 (B) low-density projects, to the extent

12 practicable; and

13 (C) dwelling units that are visually indis14 tinguishable from comparable privately owned

15 dwelling units;

16 (4) to provide for the revitalization of the hous17 ing construction industry and related industries; and

18 (5) to remedy the discriminatory practices of

19 construction unions by providing for the establish20 ment of special procedures for employing individuals

21 to construct and revitalize public housing.

22 SEC. 3. CONSTRUCTION OF PUBLIC HOUSING.

23 Section 5 of the United States Housing Act of 1937

24 is amended by adding at the end the following new sub25 section:
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1 ‘‘(m)(1) The Secretary shall carry out a program for

2 the construction of 500,000 new dwelling units in public

3 housing during each of the fiscal years 1996 through

4 2005.

5 ‘‘(2) There are authorized to be appropriated to carry

6 out this subsection such sums as may be necessary for

7 each of the fiscal years 1996 through 2005. Any amount

8 appropriated under this paragraph shall remain available

9 until expended.’’.

10 SEC. 4. REVITALIZATION OF PUBLIC HOUSING.

11 Section 14(b) of the United States Housing Act of

12 1937 is amended by adding at the end the following new

13 paragraph:

14 ‘‘(3)(A) To the extent approved in appropriation Acts

15 and subject to subparagraph (B), the Secretary shall make

16 available and contract to make available financial assist17 ance under this subsection, in addition to financial assist18 ance made available under paragraphs (1) and (2). In

19 making assistance available under this paragraph, the Sec20 retary shall give particular preference to public housing

21 agencies requesting such assistance for public housing

22 projects that the Secretary determines would likely have

23 been subject to demolition or disposition under section 18,

24 as such section was in effect before the date of the enact25 ment of the Jesse Gray Housing Act.
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1 ‘‘(B) For purposes of this paragraph, the aggregate

2 amount of budget authority that may be obligated for con3 tracts for annual contributions is increased on October 1

4 of each of the years 1995 through 2004 by the amount

5 necessary to provide for the revitalization of 100,000

6 dwelling units in public housing during each of the fiscal

7 years 1996 through 2005, respectively.’’.

8 SEC. 5. PROHIBITION OF DEMOLITION AND DISPOSITION

9 OF PUBLIC HOUSING.

10 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 18(a) of the United

11 States Housing Act of 1937 is amended by striking all

12 that follows ‘‘project’’ the second place it appears and in13 serting a period.

14 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.—Section 18 of the

15 United States Housing Act of 1937 is amended—

16 (1) by striking subsections (b) and (c);

17 (2) in subsection (d), by striking ‘subsections

18 (a) and (b)’ and inserting ‘subsection (a)’; and

19 (3) by redesignating subsection (d) as sub20 section (b).

21 SEC. 6. EMPLOYMENT IN PUBLIC HOUSING CONSTRUCTION

22 AND REVITALIZATION.

23 The United States Housing Act of 1937 is amended

24 by adding at the end the following new section:
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1 ‘‘EMPLOYMENT IN PUBLIC HOUSING CONSTRUCTION AND

2 REVITALIZATION

3 ‘‘SEC. 22. (a) IN GENERAL.—In connection with any

4 construction and revitalization of public housing under

5 sections 5 and 14, each public housing agency shall carry

6 out a program of job training and employment of individ7 uals residing in the area with respect to which such public

8 housing agency has authority. Each such program shall

9 give preference to such individuals who reside in public

10 housing.

11 ‘‘(b) PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS.—

12 ‘‘(1) Each training and employment program

13 required in subsection (a) shall provide that 50 per14 cent of the individuals employed in connection with

15 the construction of any public housing project shall

16 be individuals described in such subsection. Of the

17 individuals employed under this paragraph, 60 per18 cent shall be trained and employed in skilled and

19 semi-skilled positions.

20 ‘‘(2) Each training and employment program

21 required in subsection (a) shall provide that 35 per22 cent of the individuals employed in connection with

23 the revitalization of any public housing project shall

24 be individuals described in such subsection. Of the

25 individuals employed under this paragraph, 70 per-
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1 cent shall be trained and employed in skilled and

2 semi-skilled positions.

3 ‘‘(c) REGULATIONS.—The Secretary shall issue such

4 regulations as may be necessary to carry out the provi5 sions of this section.’’.

6 SEC. 7. TENANT RENT CONTRIBUTIONS.

7 (a) RENTAL AND COOPERATIVE HOUSING FOR

8 LOWER INCOME FAMILIES.—Section 236(f) of the Na9 tional Housing Act is amended—

10 (1) by striking ‘‘30’’ each place it appears and

11 inserting ‘‘25’’; and

12 (2) in paragraph (1)(ii), by striking ‘‘25’’ and

13 inserting ‘‘20’’.

14 (b) LOWER INCOME HOUSING UNDER THE UNITED

15 STATES HOUSING ACT OF 1937.—

16 (1) Section 3(a)(1)(A) of the United States

17 Housing Act of 1937 is amended by striking ‘‘30’’

18 and inserting ‘‘25’’.

19 (2) Section 8(o)(2) of the United States Hous20 ing Act of 1937 is amended by striking ‘‘30’’ and in21 serting ‘‘25’’.

22 (c) RURAL HOUSING FOR LOWER INCOME FAMI23 LIES.—
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1 (1) Section 521(a)(2)(A) of the Housing Act of

2 1949 is amended by striking ‘‘30’’ and inserting

3 ‘‘25’’.

4 (2) Section 521(a)(3) of the Housing Act of

5 1949 is amended by striking ‘‘30’’ each place it ap6 pears and inserting ‘‘25’’.

7 (3) Section 530 of the Housing Act of 1949 is

8 amended by striking ‘‘30’’ and inserting ‘‘25’’.

9 (d) RENT SUPPLEMENTS.—Section 101(d) of the

10 Housing and Urban Development Act of 1965 is amended

11 by striking ‘‘30’’ and inserting ‘‘25’’.

12 (e) TRANSITIONAL PROVISIONS.—Section 206(d)(6)

13 of the Housing and Urban-Rural Recovery Act of 1983

14 is amended by striking ‘‘30’’ and inserting ‘‘25’’.

15 (f) EXCLUSION OF CERTAIN INCOME.—For purposes

16 of determining the monthly contribution to be made by

17 a family under the provisions amended by this section, the

18 adjusted income of a family shall exclude any income at19 tributable to any cost-of-living adjustment made after the

20 effective date of this section in—

21 (1) any welfare assistance received by such fam22 ily from a public agency; or

23 (2) any benefits received by such family under

24 the Social Security Act.
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1 (g) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The provisions of, and

2 amendments made by, this section shall take effect on Oc3 tober 1, 1995.

4 SEC. 8. REPORT REGARDING FEDERAL HOUSING ASSIST5 ANCE.

6 The Secretary of Housing and Urban Development,

7 following consultation with public housing agencies, shall

8 prepare and submit to the Congress a comprehensive re9 port setting forth a proposal to limit Federal housing as10 sistance to assistance for public housing in order to ensure

11 that all funds for housing assistance provided by the Fed12 eral Government benefit lower income families.

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