I 

116TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 7084 

To authorize emergency rental voucher assistance, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JUNE 1, 2020 

Ms. WATERS introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 

Committee on Financial Services 

A BILL 

To authorize emergency rental voucher assistance, 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 ‘‘Emergency Housing 

5 Voucher Act of 2020’’. 

6 SEC. 2. EMERGENCY RENTAL ASSISTANCE VOUCHER PRO7 GRAM. 

8 (a) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 

9 authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of Housing 

10 and Urban Development (in this section referred to as the 


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1 ‘‘Secretary’’), $10,000,000,000 for fiscal year 2020, to re2 main available until expended, for— 

3 (1) 200,000 incremental emergency vouchers 

4 under subsection (b); 

5 (2) renewals of the vouchers under subsection 

6 (b); and 

7 (3) fees for the costs of administering vouchers 

8 under subsection (b). 

9 (b) EMERGENCY VOUCHERS.— 

10 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall provide 

11 emergency rental assistance vouchers under this sub12 section, which shall be tenant-based rental assistance 

13 under section 8(o) of the United States Housing Act 

14 of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437f(o)). 

15 (2) SELECTION OF FAMILIES.— 

16 (A) MANDATORY PREFERENCES.—Each 

17 public housing agency administering assistance 

18 under this section shall provide preference for 

19 such assistance to eligible families that are— 

20 (i) homeless (as such term is defined 

21 in section 103(a) of the McKinney-Vento 

22 Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 

23 11302(a)); 

24 (ii) at risk of homelessness (as such 

25 term is defined in section 401 of the 


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1 McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act 

2 (42 U.S.C. 11360)); or 

3 (iii) fleeing, or attempting to flee, do4 mestic violence, dating violence, sexual as5 sault, or stalking. 

6 (B) ALLOCATION.—In allocating amounts 

7 made available under this section, the Secretary 

8 shall— 

9 (i) not later than 60 days after the 

10 date of the enactment of this Act, allocate 

11 at least 50 percent of such amounts to 

12 public housing agencies in accordance with 

13 a formula that considers— 

14 (I) the capability of public hous15 ing agencies to promptly use emer16 gency vouchers provided under this 

17 section; and 

18 (II) the need for emergency 

19 vouchers provided under this section 

20 in the geographical area, based on 

21 factors determined by the Secretary, 

22 including risk of transmission of 

23 coronavirus, high numbers or rates of 

24 sheltered and unsheltered homelessVerDate Sep 11 2014 20:55 Jun 04, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H7084.IH H7084

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1 ness, and economic and housing mar2 ket conditions; 

3 (ii) allocate remaining amounts in ac4 cordance with a formula that considers— 

5 (I) the criteria under clause (i) 

6 and the success of a public housing 

7 agency in promptly utilizing vouchers 

8 awarded under clause (i); and 

9 (II) the capability of the public 

10 housing agency to create and manage 

11 structured partnerships with service 

12 providers for the delivery of appro13 priate community-based services; and 

14 (iii) designate the number of vouchers 

15 under this section that each public housing 

16 agency that is awarded funds under this 

17 section is authorized to administer. 

18 (C) ELECTION NOT TO ADMINISTER.—If a 

19 public housing agency elects not to administer 

20 amounts under this section, the Secretary shall 

21 award such amounts to other public housing 

22 agencies according to the criteria in subpara23 graph (B). 

24 (D) FAILURE TO USE VOUCHERS PROMPT25 LY.—If a public housing agency fails to issue 


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1 all of its authorized vouchers under this section 

2 on behalf of eligible families within a reasonable 

3 period of time as determined by the Secretary, 

4 the Secretary shall reallocate any unissued 

5 vouchers and associated funds to others public 

6 housing agencies according to the criteria under 

7 subparagraph (B)(ii). 

8 (3) WAIVERS AND ALTERNATIVE REQUIRE9 MENTS.—Any waiver or alternative requirement that 

10 the Secretary makes available to all public housing 

11 agencies in connection with assistance made avail12 able under the heading ‘‘Tenant-Based Rental As13 sistance’’ in title XII of division B of the CARES 

14 Act (Public Law 116–136; 134 Stat. 601) shall 

15 apply to assistance under this section until the expi16 ration of such waiver or alternative requirement. 

17 (4) TERMINATION OF VOUCHERS UPON TURN18 OVER.— 

19 (A) IN GENERAL.—A public housing agen20 cy may not reissue any vouchers made available 

21 under this section when assistance for the fam22 ily initially assisted is terminated. 

23 (B) REALLOCATION.—Upon termination of 

24 assistance for one or more families assisted by 

25 a public housing agency under this section, the 


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1 Secretary shall reallocate amounts that are no 

2 longer needed by such public housing agency 

3 for assistance under this section to another 

4 public housing agency for the renewal of vouch5 ers previously authorized under this section. 

Æ 


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