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[Congressional Bills 103th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4141 Introduced in House (IH)]

103d CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 4141

To amend section 8 of the United States Housing Act of 1937 to provide 
  rental assistance to obtain new residences for families residing in 
 dwelling units assisted under such section or in public housing, who 
  provide information regarding criminal activity to law enforcement 
    agencies and are subject to violence because of providing such 
                              information.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 24, 1994

Mr. Lazio (for himself, Mr. Schumer, Mr. Penny, Mr. Baker of Louisiana, 
  Mr. Flake, Mr. Knollenberg, Mr. Bereuter, Mr. Blute, Mr. Ewing, Mr. 
  McCandless, Mr. Rangel, Mr. Ackerman, Mr. Fish, Mr. Gunderson, Mr. 
Calvert, Ms. Pryce of Ohio, Mr. Frost, and Mrs. Roukema) introduced the 
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Banking, Finance 
                           and Urban Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

 
To amend section 8 of the United States Housing Act of 1937 to provide 
  rental assistance to obtain new residences for families residing in 
 dwelling units assisted under such section or in public housing, who 
  provide information regarding criminal activity to law enforcement 
    agencies and are subject to violence because of providing such 
                              information.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Neighborhood Crime Fighters Housing 
Assistance Act''.

SEC. 2. SECTION 8 ASSISTANCE FOR PROTECTION OF NEIGHBORHOOD CRIME 
              FIGHTERS.

    Section 8 of the United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 
1437f) is amended by adding at the end the following new subsection:
    ``(z) Neighborhood Crime Fighters Assistance.--
            ``(1) Assistance.--To the extent amounts for assistance 
        under this section are reserved under section 213(d)(4)(A) of 
        the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 for use under 
        this subsection, the Secretary may provide such amounts to any 
        public housing agency approved under paragraph (3) to make 
        assistance payments under this subsection on behalf of any 
        family described under paragraph (2) for the rental of a 
        dwelling unit for the family that, in the determination of the 
        public housing agency (after consultation with law enforcement 
        agency concerned) provides for the protection of the family.
            ``(2) Eligible families.--A family referred to in paragraph 
        (1) shall be any family that--
                    ``(A) contains a member that has provided 
                information to any Federal, State, or local law 
                enforcement agency that such law enforcement agency 
                determines substantially contributes to the arrest, 
                criminal prosecution, or conviction of any person for 
                any criminal activity in or near the area or 
                neighborhood in which the person providing the 
                information resides;
                    ``(B) is likely, in the determination of such law 
                enforcement agency, to be subject to a crime of 
                violence directed at the family on account of providing 
                the information referred to in subparagraph (A);
                    ``(C) is legally residing, at the time such 
                information is provided to the law enforcement agency, 
                in a dwelling unit in a public housing project 
                administered by a public housing agency meeting the 
                requirements of paragraph (3) or in a dwelling unit 
                assisted under this section by such a public housing 
                agency; and
                    ``(D) is not protected or assisted, or to be 
                protected or assisted, under chapter 224 of title 18, 
                United States Code.
            ``(3) Eligible pha's.--The Secretary may provide amounts 
        reserved for use under this subsection only to public housing 
        agencies approved by the Secretary under this paragraph. The 
        Secretary may approve only agencies that the Secretary 
        determines have--
                    ``(A) established sufficient cooperation with local 
                law enforcement agencies to make determinations to 
                provide assistance under this subsection; and
                    ``(B) coordinated with local law enforcement 
                agencies to promptly inform the public housing agency 
                and the Secretary of any determination that assistance 
                under this subsection is appropriate for a family, 
                except that such coordination shall be subject to the 
                procedures established under paragraph (6)(C) to ensure 
                confidentiality.
            ``(4) Guidelines.--
                    ``(A) Determination of need and coordination.--The 
                Secretary shall establish guidelines jointly with the 
                Attorney General that--
                            ``(i) describe the types of situations 
                        under subparagraphs (A) and (B) of paragraph 
                        (2) in which assistance may be provided under 
                        this subsection, which shall include situations 
                        in which the information referred to in 
                        paragraph (2)(A) is information regarding any 
                        crime that is detrimental to the health, 
                        safety, peace, or security of the area or 
                        neighborhood in which the family providing the 
                        information resides; and
                            ``(ii) describe elements of sufficient 
                        cooperation between public housing agencies and 
                        law enforcement agencies for purposes of 
                        paragraph (3)(A).
                    ``(B) Procedures.--The Secretary shall establish 
                procedures for public housing agencies approved under 
                paragraph (3)--
                            ``(i) to apply for, obtain, and administer 
                        amounts reserved for providing assistance under 
                        this subsection on behalf of families eligible 
                        under paragraph (2); and
                            ``(ii) to provide for the termination of 
                        the tenancy of any family assisted under this 
                        subsection from the dwelling unit in which the 
                        family is residing so that such assistance may 
                        be utilized.
            ``(5) Pha actions.--Each public housing agency approved by 
        the Secretary under paragraph (3) shall--
                    ``(A) periodically notify Federal, State, and local 
                law enforcement agencies in the area of jurisdiction of 
                the public housing agency of the availability of 
                assistance under this subsection;
                    ``(B) take such actions as may be appropriate to 
                inform residents of public housing projects 
                administered by the agency and dwelling units assisted 
                under this section by the agency of the availability of 
                such assistance; and
                    ``(C) coordinate with such law enforcement agencies 
                to promptly inform the public housing agency and the 
                Secretary of any determination that assistance under 
                this subsection is appropriate for a family, except 
                that such coordination shall be subject to the 
                procedures established under paragraph (6)(C) to ensure 
                confidentiality.
            ``(6) Notice and confidentiality.--The Secretary shall--
                    ``(A) periodically notify public housing agencies 
                of the availability of assistance under this 
                subsection;
                    ``(B) encourage public housing agencies to 
                cooperate and coordinate with law enforcement agencies 
                to encourage residents of public housing projects and 
                dwelling units assisted under this section to provide 
                information to law enforcement agencies regarding 
                criminal activity; and
                    ``(C) develop and implement procedures to ensure 
                the confidentiality of the identity and new location of 
                any family assisted under this subsection.
            ``(7) Other assistance.--A public housing agency that 
        provides assistance under paragraph (1) for a family and the 
        law enforcement agency involved shall ensure that the family is 
        provided access to other assistance and services appropriate to 
        ensure that the relocation of the family to the dwelling unit 
        assisted under paragraph (1) and the neighborhood of such 
        dwelling unit occurs with the minimum possible amount of 
        disruption to the life of the family.
            ``(8) Liability.--The United States, and its officers and 
        employees, shall not be subject to any civil liability on 
        account of any decision to provide or not to provide protection 
        under this subsection.''.

SEC. 3. SET ASIDE OF SECTION 8 ASSISTANCE AMOUNTS FOR NEIGHBORHOOD 
              CRIME FIGHTERS ASSISTANCE.

    Section 213(d)(4)(A) of the Housing and Community Development Act 
of 1974 (42 U.S.C. 1439(d)(4)(A)) is amended--
            (1) by inserting after the period at the end of the first 
        sentence the following new sentence: ``In addition to any 
        financial assistance for the rental housing assistance program 
        under section 8 of the United States Housing Act of 1937 that 
        is reserved pursuant to the preceding sentence, the Secretary 
        shall reserve an additional $15,000,000 of any financial 
        assistance that becomes available under such program during 
        each of fiscal years 1995 and 1996 and such additional amounts 
        may be used only for the purpose under clause (v) of this 
        subparagraph.'';
            (2) in clause (iii), by striking ``and'' at the end;
            (3) in clause (iv), by striking the period at the end and 
        inserting ``; and''; and
            (4) by adding at the end the following new clause:
            ``(v) in the case of financial assistance under the rental 
        housing assistance program under section 8 of the United States 
        Housing Act of 1937, providing assistance pursuant to section 
        8(z)(1) of such Act.''.

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