I 

114TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 3424 

To provide for extension of agreements between the Secretary of Housing 

and Urban Development and public housing agencies participating in 

the Moving to Work Demonstration Program, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JULY 29, 2015 

Ms. MAXINE WATERS of California (for herself and Ms. VELA ́ZQUEZ) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Financial Services 

A BILL 

To provide for extension of agreements between the Secretary 

of Housing and Urban Development and public housing 

agencies participating in the Moving to Work Demonstration Program, 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 ‘‘Moving to Work Re5 form Act of 2015’’. 

6 SEC. 2. TERMS OF MOVING TO WORK AGREEMENTS. 

7 The Secretary of Housing and Urban Development 

8 may not enter into or extend any Moving to Work agreeVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:16 Aug 10, 2015 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3424.IH H3424

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1 ment for any public housing agency for participation in 

2 the demonstration established under section 204 of the 

3 Departments of Veterans Affairs and Housing and Urban 

4 Development, and Independent Agencies Appropriations 

5 Act, 1996 (Public Law 104–134; 110 Stat. 1321), unless 

6 such agreement is subject to the following terms and con7 ditions for the entire duration of such agreement: 

8 (1) EVALUATION OF MAJOR POLICY

9 CHANGES.—A public housing agency may not newly 

10 establish any rent policy that raises rent burdens for 

11 a significant portion of participating families, any 

12 time limitation on the term of housing assistance, or 

13 any policy that conditions receipt of housing assist14 ance from program funds on employment status, un15 less— 

16 (A) the policy change will be subject to a 

17 detailed evaluation using a rigorous research 

18 methodology which includes, at least in part, 

19 random assignment to treatment and control 

20 groups to compare the impact on assisted fami21 lies (including families that cease to receive as22 sistance during the term of the evaluation) to 

23 similar families not subject to such policy 

24 change; and 


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1 (B) the Secretary determines that ade2 quate Federal or other resources are available 

3 to undertake the required evaluation. 

4 (2) USE OF TENANT-BASED RENTAL ASSIST5 ANCE FUNDS.—A public housing agency may use 

6 funds appropriated for renewal of tenant-based rent7 al assistance only for payments to or on behalf of el8 igible families that assist such families with housing 

9 costs, except that up to 10 percent of such funds 

10 may be used for other eligible purposes, subject to 

11 such requirements as the Secretary shall establish. 

12 (3) DETERMINATION OF TENANT-BASED RENT13 AL ASSISTANCE FUNDING.—A public housing agency 

14 shall receive funding for renewal of tenant-based 

15 rental assistance determined using the same formula 

16 applied to public housing agencies that do not par17 ticipate in the demonstration, except that up to 10 

18 percent of such funds may be renewed by adjusting 

19 the prior year’s funding by an inflation factor deter20 mined by the Secretary. 

21 (4) PROHIBITION OF REDUCTION IN NUMBER

22 OF FAMILIES ASSISTED.—A public housing agency 

23 shall provide ongoing housing assistance resulting in 

24 average cost burdens no higher than those of fami25 lies assisted under sections 8 and 9 of the United 


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1 States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437f, 

2 1437g) to substantially the same number of eligible 

3 low-income families as the agency could assist if it 

4 expended the full amount of funding it receives 

5 under such sections 8 and 9 pursuant to the require6 ments of such sections. 

7 (5) HOUSING CHOICE.—If the Secretary deter8 mines that a disproportionately low share of families 

9 assisted by a public housing agency using funds ap10 propriated pursuant to sections 8 and 9 of the 

11 United States Housing Act of 1937 lives in neigh12 borhoods with low crime, high-performing schools, or 

13 other indicators of high opportunity, the public hous14 ing agency shall develop and implement a plan to ex15 pand families’ access to such neighborhoods. 

16 (6) DETERMINATION OF PUBLIC HOUSING OP17 ERATING FUNDING.—A public housing agency shall 

18 receive funding for operation and management of 

19 public housing determined using the same formula 

20 applied to public housing agencies that do not par21 ticipate in the demonstration, except that, for an 

22 agency that currently receives such funding under 

23 an alternative formula established by its Moving to 

24 Work agreement, the Secretary shall phase in the re25 quirements of this paragraph in a manner sufficient 


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1 so as to avoid reducing funding by more than 10 

2 percent per year. 

3 (7) RETAINED PROVISIONS.—The Secretary 

4 shall not waive any of the following provisions of the 

5 United States Housing Act of 1937: 

6 (A) Subsections (a)(2)(A) and (b)(1) of 

7 section 16 (42 U.S.C. 1437n; relating to tar8 geting for new admissions). 

9 (B) Section 2(b) (42 U.S.C. 1437(b); re10 lating to tenant representatives on the public 

11 housing agency board of directors). 

12 (C) Section 3(b)(2) (42 U.S.C. 

13 1437a(b)(2); relating to definitions for the 

14 terms ‘‘low-income families’’, ‘‘very low-income 

15 families’’, and ‘‘extremely low-income fami16 lies’’). 

17 (D) Section 5A(e) (42 U.S.C. 1437c–1(e); 

18 relating to the formation of and consultation 

19 with a resident advisory board). 

20 (E) Sections 6(f)(1) and 8(o)(8)(B) (42 

21 U.S.C. 1437d(f)(1), 1437f(o)(8)(B); relating to 

22 compliance of units assisted with housing qual23 ity standards or other codes). 


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1 (F) Section 6(k) (42 U.S.C. 1437d(k); re2 lating to grievance procedures for public hous3 ing tenants). 

4 (G) Section 7 (42 U.S.C. 1437e; relating 

5 to designation of housing for elderly and dis6 abled households). 

7 (H) Sections 8(ee) and 6(u) (42 U.S.C. 

8 1437f(ee), 1437d(n); relating to records, certifi9 cation and confidentiality regarding domestic vi10 olence). 

11 (I) Paragraphs (3) and (4)(i) of section 

12 6(c) and sections 982.552 and 982.553 of the 

13 Secretary’s regulations (42 U.S.C. 1437d(c) 

14 and 24 C.F.R. 982.552, 982.553; relating to 

15 rights of applicants). 

16 (J) Section 6(l) (42 U.S.C. 1437d(l); relat17 ing to public housing lease requirements), ex18 cept that for units assisted both with program 

19 funds and low-income housing tax credits, the 

20 initial lease term may be less than 12 months 

21 if required to conform lease terms with such tax 

22 credit requirements. 

23 (K) Subparagraphs (C) through (F) of sec24 tion 8(o)(7) and section 8(o)(20) (42 U.S.C. 

25 1437f(o); relating to lease requirements and 


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1 eviction protections for families assisted with 

2 tenant-based assistance). 

3 (L) Section 8(o)(13)(B) (42 U.S.C. 

4 1437f(o)(13)(B); relating to the 20-percent 

5 portfolio cap on the use of voucher funds for 

6 project-based vouchers), except as follows: 

7 (i) A public housing agency that, pur8 suant to a Moving to Work agreement in 

9 effect on the date of the enactment of this 

10 Act, is using or has committed voucher 

11 funds as of such date of enactment for 

12 project-based vouchers in excess of the 20- 

13 percent cap may continue to use such 

14 funds in excess of such cap, but not in ex15 cess of the percentage in use or committed 

16 as of such date of enactment pursuant to 

17 such agreement, or as specified in clause 

18 (ii), whichever is higher. 

19 (ii) A public housing agency may use 

20 voucher funds for project-based vouchers 

21 in excess of the 20-percent cap, but not to 

22 exceed 35 percent, if such use meets one of 

23 the following criteria: 


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1 (I) The project-based vouchers 

2 serve homeless or other special needs 

3 families, as defined by the Secretary. 

4 (II) The project-based vouchers 

5 are used in a low-poverty area, as de6 fined by the Secretary. 

7 (III) The project-based vouchers 

8 are used in connection with a dem9 onstration of a project-based program 

10 that is subject to evaluation by the 

11 Secretary. 

12 (M) Section 8(o)(13)(E) (42 U.S.C. 

13 1437f(o)(13)(E); relating to the ability of fami14 lies with project-based vouchers to move, using 

15 tenant-based vouchers, after 12 months of occu16 pancy), unless the Secretary determines that 

17 waiver of such section is necessary to imple18 ment transitional or time-limited housing poli19 cies subject to evaluation described in para20 graph (1) of this section. 

21 (N) Section 8(r)(1) (42 U.S.C. 

22 1437f(r)(1); relating to the portability of vouch23 ers). 


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1 (O) The following requirements applicable 

2 to resident councils and jurisdiction-wide resi3 dent organizations: 

4 (i) Establishment of resident councils 

5 and resident organizations under section 

6 20 (42 U.S.C. 1437r). 

7 (ii) Minimum amount of public hous8 ing agency support for such councils and 

9 organizations under section 20. 

10 (iii) Involvement of such councils and 

11 organizations in public housing agency op12 erations, as authorized under sections 

13 3(c)(2), 6(c)(5)(C), and 9(e) (42 U.S.C. 

14 1437a(c)(2), 1437d(c)(5)(C), 1437g(e)). 

15 SEC. 3. ASSESSMENT OF DEMONSTRATION. 

16 The Secretary of Housing and Urban Development 

17 shall conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the Moving 

18 to Work demonstration and, upon completion of the eval19 uation, submit to the Congress a report— 

20 (1) describing and analyzing the risks and po21 tential benefits of expanding the Moving to Work 

22 demonstration program to additional agencies com23 pared to those of maintaining the demonstration 

24 program at its current size; and 


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1 (2) identifying reforms, and selection criteria in 

2 case the demonstration program is expanded, that 

3 would improve the program’s effectiveness in testing 

4 innovative policies while minimizing adverse effects 

5 on low-income families and ensuring efficient use of 

6 Federal funds to meet the most pressing housing 

7 needs. 

Æ 


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