II 

109TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 1980 

To provide habitable living quarters for teachers, administrators, and other 

school staff, and their households, in rural areas of Alaska located 

in or near Alaska Native villages. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

NOVEMBER 9, 2005 

Ms. MURKOWSKI introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 

referred to the Committee on Indian Affairs 

A BILL 

To provide habitable living quarters for teachers, administrators, and other school staff, and their households, in 

rural areas of Alaska located in or near Alaska Native 

villages. 

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 ‘‘Rural Teacher Hous5 ing Act of 2005’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE. 

7 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds that— 
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1 (1) housing for teachers, administrators, other 

2 school staff, and the households of such staff in re3 mote and rural areas of the State of Alaska is often 

4 substandard, if available at all; 

5 (2) teachers, administrators, other school staff, 

6 and the households of such staff are often forced to 

7 find alternate shelter, sometimes even in school 

8 buildings; and 

9 (3) rural school districts in the State of Alaska 

10 face increased challenges, including meeting the re11 quirements of the Elementary and Secondary Edu12 cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6301 et seq.), in re13 cruiting employees due to the lack of affordable, 

14 quality housing. 

15 (b) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this Act is to provide 

16 habitable living quarters for teachers, administrators, 

17 other school staff, and the households of such staff in 

18 rural areas of the State of Alaska located in or near Alas19 ka Native villages. 

20 SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 

21 In this Act: 

22 (1) ALASKA HOUSING FINANCE CORPORA23 TION.—The term ‘‘Alaska Housing Finance Cor24 poration’’ means the State housing authority for the 
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1 State of Alaska created under the laws of the State 

2 of Alaska (or a successor authority). 

3 (2) ELEMENTARY SCHOOL.—The term ‘‘elemen4 tary school’’ has the meaning given the term in sec5 tion 9101 of the Elementary and Secondary Edu6 cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801). 

7 (3) ELIGIBLE SCHOOL DISTRICT.—The term 

8 ‘‘eligible school district’’ means a public school dis9 trict (as defined under the laws of the State of Alas10 ka) located in the State of Alaska that operates 1 

11 or more schools in a qualified community. 

12 (4) NATIVE VILLAGE.— 

13 (A) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘‘Native vil14 lage’’ has the meaning given the term in section 

15 3 of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act 

16 (43 U.S.C. 1602). 

17 (B) INCLUSION.—The term ‘‘Native vil18 lage’’ includes the Metlakatla Indian Commu19 nity of the Annette Islands Reserve. 

20 (5) OTHER SCHOOL STAFF.—The term ‘‘other 

21 school staff’’ means— 

22 (A) pupil services personnel; 

23 (B) librarians; 

24 (C) career guidance and counseling per25 sonnel; 
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1 (D) education aides; and 

2 (E) other instructional and administrative 

3 school personnel. 

4 (6) QUALIFIED COMMUNITY.—The term ‘‘quali5 fied community’’ means a home rule city or a gen6 eral law city incorporated under the laws of the 

7 State of Alaska, or an unincorporated community 

8 (as defined under the laws of the State of Alaska) 

9 in the State of Alaska located outside the boundaries 

10 of such a city, that, as determined by the Alaska 

11 Housing Finance Corporation— 

12 (A) has a population of not greater than 

13 6,500 individuals; 

14 (B) is located in or near a Native village; 

15 and 

16 (C) is not connected by road or railroad to 

17 the municipality of Anchorage, Alaska, exclud18 ing any connection— 

19 (i) by the Alaska Marine Highway 

20 System created under the laws of the State 

21 of Alaska; or 

22 (ii) that requires travel by road 

23 through Canada. 

24 (7) SECONDARY SCHOOL.—The term ‘‘sec25 ondary school’’ has the meaning given the term in 
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1 section 9101 of the Elementary and Secondary Edu2 cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801). 

3 (8) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 

4 the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. 

5 (9) TEACHER.—The term ‘‘teacher’’ means an 

6 individual who— 

7 (A) is employed as a teacher in a public el8 ementary school or secondary school; and 

9 (B) meets the teaching certification or li10 censure requirements of the State of Alaska. 

11 (10) TRIBALLY DESIGNATED HOUSING ENTI12 TY.—The term ‘‘tribally designated housing entity’’ 

13 has the meaning given the term in section 4 of the 

14 Native American Housing Assistance and Self-De15 termination Act of 1996 (25 U.S.C. 4103). 

16 (11) VILLAGE CORPORATION.— 

17 (A) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘‘Village Cor18 poration’’ has the meaning given the term in 

19 section 3 of the Alaska Native Claims Settle20 ment Act (43 U.S.C. 1602). 

21 (B) INCLUSIONS.—The term ‘‘Village Cor22 poration’’ includes, as defined in section 3 of 

23 that Act (43 U.S.C. 1602)— 

24 (i) Urban Corporations; and 

25 (ii) Group Corporations. 
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1 SEC. 4. RURAL TEACHER HOUSING PROGRAM. 

2 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall provide funds 

3 to the Alaska Housing Finance Corporation in accordance 

4 with regulations promulgated under section 5 for use in 

5 accordance with subsection (b). 

6 (b) USE OF FUNDS.— 

7 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Alaska Housing Fi8 nance Corporation shall use funds provided under 

9 subsection (a) to provide grants and loans to eligible 

10 school districts for use in accordance with paragraph 

11 (2). 

12 (2) USE OF FUNDS BY ELIGIBLE SCHOOL DIS13 TRICTS.—An eligible school district shall use a grant 

14 or loan under paragraph (1) for— 

15 (A) the construction of new housing units 

16 in a qualified community; 

17 (B) the purchase and rehabilitation of ex18 isting structures to be used as housing units in 

19 a qualified community; 

20 (C) the rehabilitation of housing units in a 

21 qualified community; 

22 (D) the leasing of housing units in a quali23 fied community; 

24 (E) purchasing or leasing real property on 

25 which housing units will be constructed, pur-
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1 chased, or rehabilitated in a qualified commu2 nity; 

3 (F) the repayment of a loan to— 

4 (i) construct, purchase, or rehabilitate 

5 housing units; 

6 (ii) purchase real property on which 

7 housing units will be constructed, pur8 chased, or rehabilitated in a qualified com9 munity; or 

10 (iii) carry out an activity described in 

11 subparagraph (G); and 

12 (G) any other activity normally associated 

13 with the construction, purchase, or rehabilita14 tion of housing units, or the purchase or lease 

15 of real property on which housing units will be 

16 constructed, purchased, or rehabilitated, in a 

17 qualified community, including— 

18 (i) connecting housing units to a util19 ity; 

20 (ii) preparing construction sites; 

21 (iii) transporting any equipment or 

22 material necessary for the construction or 

23 rehabilitation of housing units to and from 

24 the site on which the housing units are or 

25 will be constructed; and 
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1 (iv) carrying out an environmental as2 sessment and remediation of a construction 

3 site or a site on which housing units are 

4 located. 

5 (c) OWNERSHIP OF HOUSING AND LAND.— 

6 (1) IN GENERAL.—Any housing unit con7 structed, purchased, or rehabilitated, and any real 

8 property purchased, using a grant or loan provided 

9 under this section shall be considered to be owned, 

10 as the Secretary determines to be appropriate, by— 

11 (A) the affected eligible school district; 

12 (B) the affected municipality, as defined 

13 under the laws of the State of Alaska; 

14 (C) the affected Village Corporation; 

15 (D) the Metlakatla Indian Community of 

16 the Annette Islands Reserve; or 

17 (E) a tribally designated housing entity. 

18 (2) TRANSFER OF OWNERSHIP.—Ownership of 

19 a housing unit or real property under paragraph (1) 

20 may be transferred between the entities described in 

21 that paragraph. 

22 (d) OCCUPANCY OF HOUSING UNITS.— 

23 (1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in para24 graphs (2) and (3), each housing unit constructed, 
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1 purchased, rehabilitated, or leased using a grant or 

2 loan under this section shall be occupied by— 

3 (A)(i) a teacher; 

4 (ii) an administrator; or 

5 (iii) other school staff; and 

6 (B) the household of an individual de7 scribed in subparagraph (A), if any. 

8 (2) NONSESSION MONTHS.—A housing unit 

9 constructed, purchased, rehabilitated, or leased using 

10 a grant or loan under this section may be occupied 

11 by an individual other an individual described in 

12 paragraph (1) only during a period in which school 

13 is not in session. 

14 (3) TEMPORARY OCCUPANTS.—A vacant hous15 ing unit constructed, purchased, rehabilitated, or 

16 leased using a grant or loan under this section may 

17 be occupied by a contractor or guest of an eligible 

18 school district for a period to be determined by the 

19 Alaska Housing Finance Corporation, by regulation. 

20 (e) COMPLIANCE WITH LAW.—An eligible school dis21 trict that receives a grant or loan under this section shall 

22 ensure that each housing unit constructed, purchased, re23 habilitated, or leased using the grant or loan complies with 

24 applicable laws (including regulations and ordinances). 

25 (f) PROGRAM POLICIES.— 
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1 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Alaska Housing Fi2 nance Corporation, in consultation with any appro3 priate eligible school district, shall establish policies 

4 governing the administration of grants and loans 

5 under this section, including a method of ensuring 

6 that funds are made available on an equitable basis 

7 to eligible school districts. 

8 (2) REVISIONS.—Not less frequently than once 

9 every 3 years, the Alaska Housing Finance Corpora10 tion, in consultation with any appropriate eligible 

11 school district, shall take into consideration revisions 

12 to the policies established under paragraph (1). 

13 SEC. 5. REGULATIONS. 

14 Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment 

15 of this Act, the Secretary shall promulgate such regula16 tions as are necessary to carry out this Act. 

17 SEC. 6. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

18 (a) IN GENERAL.—There are authorized to be appro19 priated to the Secretary such sums as are necessary to 

20 carry out this Act for each of fiscal years 2007 through 

21 2016. 

22 (b) ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSES.—Each of the Sec23 retary and the Alaska Housing Finance Corporation shall 

24 use not more than 5 percent of funds appropriated during 
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1 a fiscal year to pay administrative expenses incurred in 

2 carrying out this Act. 

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