I 

113TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1193 

To require each owner of a dwelling unit assisted under the section 8 rental 

assistance voucher program to remain current with respect to local property and school taxes and to authorize a public housing agency to 

use such rental assistance amounts to pay such tax debt of such an 

owner, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MARCH 14, 2013 

Mr. MEEHAN (for himself, Mr. BARLETTA, Mr. GERLACH, Mr. NUGENT, Mr. 

TIBERI, and Mr. MURPHY of Pennsylvania) introduced the following bill; 

which was referred to the Committee on Financial Services 

A BILL 

To require each owner of a dwelling unit assisted under 

the section 8 rental assistance voucher program to remain current with respect to local property and school 

taxes and to authorize a public housing agency to use 

such rental assistance amounts to pay such tax debt 

of such an owner, 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 ‘‘Protect Our Schools 

5 from Tax Delinquents Act of 2013’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. OBLIGATION FOR OWNERS OF ASSISTED UNITS TO 

2 REMAIN CURRENT ON LOCAL PROPERTY AND 

3 SCHOOL TAXES. 

4 (a) IN GENERAL.—Subsection (o) of section 8 of the 

5 United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437f(o)) 

6 is amended by adding at the end the following new para7 graph: 

8 ‘‘(21) OBLIGATION FOR OWNERS TO REMAIN CUR9 RENT ON LOCAL PROPERTY AND SCHOOL TAXES.— 

10 ‘‘(1) OBLIGATION.—Each housing assistance 

11 payments contract entered into by a public housing 

12 agency and the owner of a dwelling unit shall pro13 vide that the owner of the dwelling unit assisted 

14 under the contract shall pay, on a timely basis, all 

15 covered taxes validly assessed against the property 

16 in which such dwelling unit is located. 

17 ‘‘(2) AUTHORITY TO PROVIDE FOR USE OF AS18 SISTANCE AMOUNTS TO PAY DELINQUENT TAXES.— 

19 A housing assistance payments contract entered into 

20 by a public housing agency and the owner of a dwell21 ing unit may provide that, upon notification by a 

22 taxing authority that the owner of a dwelling unit 

23 assisted under this subsection is delinquent with re24 spect to payment of any covered taxes assessed by 

25 such taxing authority against the property in which 


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1 such dwelling unit is located and identification of the 

2 amount of such delinquency— 

3 ‘‘(A) the public housing agency shall abate 

4 all of the assistance amounts under this sub5 section with respect such property until the 

6 transfer of amounts pursuant to subparagraph 

7 (B) is completed; and 

8 ‘‘(B) the agency shall transfer to such tax9 ing authority, on a monthly basis, an amount 

10 equal to the monthly assistance amounts under 

11 this subsection with respect to such dwelling 

12 unit (or such lesser amount as may be agreed 

13 to by the agency and such authority) until the 

14 delinquency identified in such notification is 

15 eliminated (or for such shorter period, as may 

16 be agreed to by the agency and such authority). 

17 ‘‘(3) REQUIREMENTS AND PROCEDURES.—The 

18 Secretary shall establish such requirements as may 

19 be necessary to provide for the housing assistance 

20 payments contract provisions under paragraphs (1) 

21 and (2), including, in the case of provisions author22 ized by paragraph (2), such requirements regarding 

23 notifications and transfer of amounts pursuant to 

24 paragraph (2)(B) as may be necessary to ensure 

25 that amounts are not so transferred except for acVerDate Mar 15 2010 22:18 Mar 22, 2013 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1193.IH H1193

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1 tual and confirmed taxes assessed to and owed by an 

2 owner of a dwelling unit, to ensure that no amounts 

3 are transferred in excess of the amount of such 

4 taxes owed, and to ensure the timely commencement 

5 and termination of such transfers. 

6 ‘‘(4) TREATMENT OF TENANTS.—Nothing in 

7 this section may be construed to authorize, or estab8 lish any cause or grounds for, the termination of the 

9 tenancy of any tenant from any dwelling unit as10 sisted under this subsection. 

11 ‘‘(5) DATABASE.— 

12 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall 

13 maintain a database of information regarding— 

14 ‘‘(i) owners of dwelling units assisted 

15 under this subsection whose housing assist16 ance payments contracts have been termi17 nated for failure to comply with the provi18 sion required under paragraph (1); and 

19 ‘‘(ii) owners of such dwelling units 

20 with respect to whom assistance amounts 

21 have been abated and transferred to a tax22 ing authority pursuant to paragraph (2). 

23 ‘‘(B) CONTENTS.—Such database shall in24 clude information that identifies the owner, the 

25 property for which such assistance was proVerDate Mar 15 2010 22:18 Mar 22, 2013 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1193.IH H1193

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1 vided, the amount transferred, and the period 

2 over which such abatement and transfer oc3 curred. 

4 ‘‘(C) INFORMATION FROM PUBLIC HOUS5 ING AGENCIES.—The Secretary shall require 

6 public housing agencies to submit information 

7 regarding the abatement and transfer of assist8 ance amounts pursuant to paragraph (2) suffi9 cient for the Secretary to maintain such data10 base. 

11 ‘‘(6) DEFINITIONS.—For purposes of this para12 graph, the following definitions shall apply: 

13 ‘‘(A) COVERED TAXES.—The term ‘covered 

14 taxes’ means any tax under the law of a State 

15 or any political subdivision of a State that is as16 sessed upon real property or the revenue of 

17 which is dedicated for use only for schools or 

18 for costs of education. 

19 ‘‘(B) TAXING AUTHORITY.—The term ‘tax20 ing authority’ means any State or political sub21 division of a State, including any agency or au22 thority thereof, having authority to assess and 

23 collect covered taxes.’’. 

24 (b) REGULATIONS.—The Secretary of Housing and 

25 Urban Development shall issue any regulations necessary 


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1 to carry section 8(o)(21) of the United States Housing 

2 Act of 1937, as added by the amendment made by sub3 section (a). 

Æ 


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