110TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1227

AN ACT

To assist in the provision of affordable housing to low-income 

families affected by Hurricane Katrina.

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Gulf Coast Hurricane 

3 Housing Recovery Act of 2007’’. 

4 SEC. 2. LIMITATION ON USE OF AUTHORIZED AMOUNTS. 

5 None of the amounts authorized by this Act may be 

6 used to lobby or retain a lobbyist for the purpose of influ7 encing a Federal, State, or local governmental entity or 

8 officer. 

9 TITLE I—COMMUNITY 

10 DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANTS 

11 SEC. 101. FLEXIBILITY OF FEDERAL FUNDS FOR ROAD 

12 HOME PROGRAM. 

13 (a) PROHIBITION OF RESTRICTION ON USE OF

14 AMOUNTS.—

15 (1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to paragraph (2) 

16 and notwithstanding any other provision of law, the 

17 Director of the Federal Emergency Management 

18 Agency may not prohibit or restrict the use, by the 

19 State of Louisiana under the Road Home Program 

20 of such State, of any amounts specified in paragraph 

21 (3) based upon the existence or extent of any re22 quirement or condition under such program that—

23 (A) limits or reduces the amount made 

24 available to an eligible homeowner who does not 

25 agree to remain an owner and occupant of a 

26 home in Louisiana; or 
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1 (B) waives the applicability of any limita2 tion or reduction referred to in subparagraph 

3 (A) for homeowners who are elderly or senior 

4 citizens. 

5 (2) SAVINGS PROVISION.—Except as provided 

6 in paragraph (1), all other provisions of section 404 

7 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emer8 gency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5170c) shall apply 

9 to amounts specified in paragraph (3) that are used 

10 by the State of Louisiana under the Road Home 

11 Program of such State. 

12 (3) COVERED AMOUNTS.—The amounts speci13 fied in this paragraph are any amounts provided for 

14 Hurricanes Katrina and Rita under the Hazard 

15 Mitigation Grant program of the Federal Emergency 

16 Management Agency to the State of Louisiana. 

17 (b) REPORTS.—

18 (1) LOUISIANA ROAD HOME PROGRAM.—The 

19 State of Louisiana shall submit reports under this 

20 subsection regarding the Road Home Program of 

21 such State to the Committees identified in para22 graph (5). Each such report under this subsection 

23 shall describe and analyze the implementation, sta24 tus, and effectiveness of the Road Home Program 

25 and shall include the information described in para-
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1 graph (3) regarding such program, for the applicable 

2 reporting period and for the entire period of the pro3 gram. 

4 (2) OTHER STATES’ HOUSEHOLD ASSISTANCE

5 PROGRAMS FUNDED WITH CDBG DISASTER ASSIST6 ANCE.—Each State that received amounts made 

7 available under the heading ‘‘Department of Hous8 ing and Urban Development—Community Planning 

9 and Development—Community Development Fund’’ 

10 in chapter 9 of title I of division B of Public Law 

11 109-148 (119 Stat. 2779) or under such heading in 

12 chapter 9 of title II of Public Law 109-234 (120 

13 Stat. 472) shall submit reports under this subsection 

14 regarding each grant program of the State for as15 sistance for individual households funded in whole or 

16 in part with such amounts to the Committees identi17 fied in paragraph (5). Each such report under this 

18 subsection shall describe and analyze the implemen19 tation, status, and effectiveness of each such grant 

20 program and shall include the information described 

21 in paragraph (3) regarding each such program, for 

22 the applicable reporting period and for the entire pe23 riod of such program. 
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1 (3) CONTENTS.—The information described in 

2 this paragraph with respect to a program is the fol3 lowing information: 

4 (A) The number of applications submitted 

5 for assistance under the program. 

6 (B) The number of households for which 

7 assistance has been provided under the pro8 gram. 

9 (C) The average amount of assistance pro10 vided for each household under the program 

11 and the total amount of assistance provided 

12 under the program. 

13 (D) The number of personnel involved in 

14 executing all aspects of the program. 

15 (E) Actions taken to improve the program 

16 and recommendations for further such improve17 ments. 

18 (4) REPORTING PERIODS.—With respect to any 

19 program described in paragraph (1) or (2), the first 

20 report under this subsection shall be submitted not 

21 later than the expiration of the 30-day period that 

22 begins upon the date of the enactment of this Act. 

23 Reports shall be submitted, during the term of each 

24 such program, not later than the expiration of each 

25 successive: (A) 30-day period thereafter, in the case 
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1 of the program described in paragraph (1); and (B) 

2 calendar quarter thereafter, in the case of the pro3 grams described in paragraph (2). 

4 (5) RECEIVING COMMITTEES.—The Committees 

5 specified in this paragraph are—

6 (A) the Committees on Financial Services 

7 and Transportation and Infrastructure of the 

8 House of Representatives; and 

9 (B) the Committees on Banking, Housing, 

10 and Urban Affairs and Homeland Security and 

11 Governmental Affairs of the Senate. 

12 (c) NEW ORLEANS REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY

13 PILOT PROGRAM.—

14 (1) AVAILABILITY OF AMOUNTS.—The Sec15 retary of Housing and Urban Development shall re16 quire the State of Louisiana to make available, from 

17 any amounts made available for such State under 

18 the heading ‘‘Department of Housing and Urban 

19 Development—Community Planning and Develop20 ment—Community Development Fund’’ in chapter 9 

21 of title I of division B of Public Law 109–148 (119 

22 Stat. 2779) or under such heading in chapter 9 of 

23 title II of Public Law 109–234 (120 Stat. 472) and 

24 that remain unexpended, $15,000,000 to the New 

25 Orleans Redevelopment Authority (in this subsection 
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1 referred to as the ‘‘Redevelopment Authority’’), sub2 ject to paragraph (3), only for use to carry out the 

3 pilot program under this subsection. 

4 (2) PURPOSE.—The pilot program under this 

5 subsection shall fund, through the combination of 

6 amounts provided under this subsection with public 

7 and private capital from other sources, the purchase 

8 or costs associated with the acquisition or disposition 

9 of individual parcels of land in New Orleans, Lou10 isiana, by the Redevelopment Authority to be aggre11 gated, assembled, and sold for the purpose of devel12 opment by private entities only in accordance with, 

13 and subject to, the Orleans Parish Recovery Plan, 

14 developed and adopted by the City of New Orleans. 

15 The costs associated with acquisition or disposition 

16 of a parcel of land may include costs for activities 

17 described paragraph (3)(C) with respect to such par18 cel and costs described in paragraph (3)(F). 

19 (3) CERTIFICATIONS.—The Secretary of Hous20 ing and Urban Development may make amounts 

21 available pursuant to paragraph (1) to the Redevel22 opment Authority only upon the submission to the 

23 Secretary of certifications, sufficient in the deter24 mination of the Secretary to ensure that the Rede25 velopment Authority—
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1 (A) has the authority to purchase land for 

2 resale for the purpose of development in accord3 ance with the pilot program under this sub4 section; 

5 (B) has bonding authority (either on its 

6 own or through a State bonding agency) or has 

7 credit enhancements sufficient to support pub8 lic/private financing to acquire land for the pur9 poses of the pilot program under this sub10 section; 

11 (C) has the authority and capacity to en12 sure clean title to land sold under the pilot pro13 gram and to reduce the risk attributable to and 

14 indemnify against environmental, flood, and 

15 other liabilities; 

16 (D) will provide a first right to purchase 

17 any land acquired by the Redevelopment Au18 thority to the seller who sold the land to the 

19 Redevelopment Authority; 

20 (E) has in place sufficient internal controls 

21 to ensure that funds made available under this 

22 subsection may not be used to fund salaries or 

23 other administrative costs of the employees of 

24 the Redevelopment Authority; and 
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1 (F) will, in carrying out the pilot program 

2 under this subsection, consult with the Office of 

3 Recovery Management of the City of New Orle4 ans regarding coordination of activities under 

5 the program with the Recovery Plan referred to 

6 in paragraph (2), reimbursement of such City 

7 for costs incurred in support of the program, 

8 and use of program income and other amounts 

9 generated through the program. 

10 (4) DEVELOPMENT REQUIREMENTS.—In car11 rying out the pilot program under this subsection, 

12 the Redevelopment Authority shall—

13 (A) sell land acquired under the pilot pro14 gram only as provided in paragraph (2); 

15 (B) use any proceeds from the sale of such 

16 land to replenish funds available for use under 

17 the pilot program for the purpose of acquiring 

18 new parcels of land or to repay any private fi19 nancing for such purchases; 

20 (C) sell land only—

21 (i) to purchasers who agree to develop 

22 such sites for sale to the public; or 

23 (ii) to purchasers pursuant to para24 graph (3)(D); and 
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1 (D) in the case of a purchaser of land pur2 suant to paragraph (3)(D), ensure that the de3 veloper of any adjacent parcels sold by the Re4 development Authority makes an offer to the 

5 purchaser to develop such land for a fee. 

6 (5) INAPPLICABILITY OF STAFFORD ACT LIMI7 TATIONS.—Any requirements or limitations under or 

8 pursuant to the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief 

9 and Emergency Assistance Act relating to use of 

10 properties acquired with amounts made available 

11 under such Act for certain purposes, restricting de12 velopment of such properties, or limiting subsequent 

13 alienation of such properties shall not apply to 

14 amounts provided under this subsection or prop15 erties acquired under the pilot program with such 

16 amounts. 

17 (6) GAO STUDY AND REPORT.—Upon the expi18 ration of the 2-year period beginning on the date of 

19 the enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General 

20 of the United States shall conduct a study of the 

21 pilot program carried out under this subsection to 

22 determine the effectiveness and limitations of, and 

23 potential improvements for, such program. Not later 

24 than 90 days after the expiration of such period, the 

25 Comptroller General shall submit a report to the 
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1 Committees on Financial Services and Transpor2 tation and Infrastructure of the House of Represent3 atives and the Committees on Banking, Housing, 

4 and Urban Affairs and Homeland Security and Gov5 ernmental Affairs of the Senate regarding the re6 sults of the study. 

7 (d) ONGOING GAO REPORTS ON USE OF

8 AMOUNTS.—

9 (1) QUARTERLY REPORTS.—During the period 

10 that amounts referred to in subsection (a)(3) are 

11 being expended under the Road Home Program of 

12 the Louisiana Recovery Authority, the Comptroller 

13 General of the United States shall submit reports on 

14 a quarterly basis to the Committees on Financial 

15 Services and Transportation and Infrastructure of 

16 the House of Representatives and the Committees 

17 on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs and Home18 land Security and Governmental Affairs of the Sen19 ate. Such reports shall describe and account for the 

20 use of all such amounts expended during the appli21 cable quarterly period and identify any waste, fraud, 

22 or abuse involved in the use of such amounts. 

23 (2) MONITORING.—The Comptroller General 

24 shall monitor the total amount referred to in sub-
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1 section (a)(3) that has been expended by such Au2 thority and, pursuant to such monitoring—

3 (A) upon determining that at least two 

4 percent of such amount has been expended, 

5 shall include in the first quarterly report there6 after a written determination of such expendi7 ture; and 

8 (B) upon determining, at any time after 

9 the determination under subparagraph (A), that 

10 the portion of such total amount expended at 

11 such time that was subject to waste, fraud, or 

12 abuse exceeds 10 percent, shall include in the 

13 first quarterly report thereafter a certification 

14 to that effect. 

15 (3) ACTIONS IN RESPONSE TO WASTE, FRAUD, 

16 AND ABUSE.—If at any time the Comptroller Gen17 eral submits a report under paragraph (1) that in18 cludes a certification under paragraph (2)(B)—

19 (A) the Committee on Financial Services 

20 of the House of Representatives and the Com21 mittee on Banking, Finance, and Urban Affairs 

22 of the Senate shall each hold hearings within 60 

23 days to identify the reasons for such waste, 

24 fraud, and abuse; and 
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1 (B) the Comptroller General shall submit a 

2 report to the Committees referred to in para3 graph (1) within 90 days recommending actions 

4 to be taken to prevent further waste fraud and 

5 abuse in expenditure of such amounts. 

6 SEC. 102. TREATMENT OF BENEFITS FROM OTHER PRO7 GRAMS UNDER ROAD HOME PROGRAM. 

8 (a) IN GENERAL.—Subject to subsection (b) and not9 withstanding any other provision of law, to the extent that 

10 amounts made available under the heading ‘‘Department 

11 of Housing and Urban Development-Community Planning 

12 and Development—Community Development Fund’’ in 

13 chapter 9 of title I of division B of Public Law 109–148 

14 (119 Stat. 2779), under such heading in chapter 9 of title 

15 II of Public Law 109–234 (120 Stat. 472), and under sec16 tion 101 of this title, are used by the State of Louisiana 

17 under the Road Home program, the procedures preventing 

18 duplication of benefits established pursuant to the penul19 timate proviso under such heading in Public Law 109–

20 148 (119 Stat. 2781) and the 15th proviso under such 

21 heading in Public Law 109–234 (120 Stat. 473) shall not 

22 apply with respect to any benefits received from hazard 

23 insurance, flood insurance, or disaster payments from the 

24 Federal Emergency Management Agency, except to the ex25 tent that the inapplicability of such procedures would re-
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1 sult in a windfall gain under the Road Home Program 

2 to any person. 

3 (b) APPLICABILITY.—During the period consisting of 

4 fiscal years 2008 through 2012, the Secretary of Housing 

5 and Urban Development shall monitor the expenditure, 

6 under the Road Home Program, of amounts referred to 

7 in subsection (a) that were made available from Public 

8 Laws 109–148 and 109–234. If at any time during such 

9 period the cumulative outlays resulting from the inapplica10 bility, pursuant to subsection (a), of the procedures re11 ferred to in such subsection preventing duplication of ben12 efits exceed $1,250,000,000, the Secretary shall suspend 

13 the applicability of subsection (a) for the remainder of 

14 such period. 

15 SEC. 103. ELIMINATION OF PROHIBITION OF USE FOR 

16 MATCH REQUIREMENT. 

17 (a) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding any other provi18 sion of law, any amounts made available before the date 

19 of the enactment of this Act for activities under the com20 munity development block grant program under title I of 

21 the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 

22 (42 U.S.C. 5301 et seq.) for expenses related to disaster 

23 relief, long-term recovery, and restoration of infrastruc24 ture in the areas impacted or distressed by the con25 sequences of Hurricane Katrina, Rita, or Wilma in States 
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1 for which the President declared a major disaster, or made 

2 available before such date of enactment for such activities 

3 for such expenses in the areas impacted or distressed by 

4 the consequences of Hurricane Dennis, may be used by 

5 a State or locality as a matching requirement, share, or 

6 contribution for any other Federal program. 

7 (b) EFFICIENT ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW.—Not8 withstanding any other provision of law, when a State, 

9 unit of general local government, or Indian tribe, or De10 partment of Hawaiian Home Lands uses amounts referred 

11 to in subsection (a), the release of which would otherwise 

12 be subject to environmental reviews under the procedures 

13 authorized under section 104(g) of the Housing and Com14 munity Development Act of 1974 (42 U.S.C. 5304(g)), to 

15 match or supplement the federal assistance provided under 

16 section 402, 403, 406, 407, or 502 of Robert T. Stafford 

17 Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, and the 

18 Director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency 

19 conducts an environmental review that encompasses all ac20 tivities assisted by such matching funds, the Director’s en21 vironmental review shall satisfy all of the environmental 

22 responsibilities that would otherwise be assumed by the 

23 State, unit of general local government, Indian tribe, or 

24 Department of Hawaiian Home Lands under such section 

25 104(g), and the requirements and procedures of such pro-
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1 vision, including assumption of environmental review re2 sponsibilities and submission and approval of a request for 

3 release of funds and certification, shall be inapplicable, if, 

4 prior to its commitment of any matching funds for such 

5 activities, the State, unit of general local government, In6 dian tribe, or Department of Hawaiian Home Lands noti7 fies the Director and the Secretary of Housing and Urban 

8 Development that it elects to defer to the Director’s envi9 ronmental review responsibilities. If a deferral is elected 

10 under this subsection, the Director shall be the responsible 

11 party for any liability under the applicable law if the envi12 ronmental review as described in the preceding sentence 

13 is deficient in any manner. 

14 SEC. 104. REIMBURSEMENT OF CDBG AMOUNTS USED FOR 

15 RENTAL HOUSING ASSISTANCE. 

16 There are authorized to be appropriated, from any 

17 amounts made available before the date of the enactment 

18 of this Act under any provision of law to the Federal 

19 Emergency Management Agency for disaster relief under 

20 the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency As21 sistance Act relating to the consequences of Hurricane 

22 Katrina, Rita, or Wilma that remain unobligated, and 

23 from any amounts made available before such date of en24 actment under any provision of law to such Agency for 

25 such disaster relief relating to the consequences of Hurri-
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1 cane Dennis that remain unobligated, such sums as may 

2 be necessary to be made available to the Director of the 

3 Federal Emergency Management Agency for transfer to 

4 the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, for 

5 such Secretary to provide assistance under title I of the 

6 Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 (42 

7 U.S.C. 5301 et seq.) to metropolitan cities and urban 

8 counties that used amounts previously made available 

9 under such title to provide rental housing assistance for 

10 families residing in such city or county pursuant to evacu11 ation from their previous residences because of such hurri12 canes in the amount necessary to provide each such city 

13 and county with an amount equal to the aggregate amount 

14 of previous assistance under such title so used. 

15 TITLE II—PUBLIC HOUSING 

16 SEC. 201. SURVEY OF PUBLIC HOUSING RESIDENTS. 

17 (a) SURVEY.—The Secretary of Housing and Urban 

18 Development shall provide for the conducting of a survey, 

19 using appropriate scientific research methods, by an inde20 pendent entity or organization, to determine, of the house21 holds who as of August 28, 2005, resided in public hous22 ing (as such term is defined in section 3(b) of the United 

23 States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437a(b))) oper24 ated or administered by the Housing Authority of New 

25 Orleans, in Louisiana—
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1 (1) which and how many such households in2 tend to return to residences in dwelling units de3 scribed in section 202(d) of this Act, when presented 

4 with the options of—

5 (A) returning to residence in a repaired 

6 public housing or comparable dwelling unit in 

7 New Orleans; or 

8 (B) continuing to receive rental housing 

9 assistance from the Federal Government; and 

10 (2) when such households intend to return. 

11 (b) PARTICIPATION OF RESIDENTS.—The Secretary 

12 shall solicit recommendations from resident councils and 

13 residents of public housing operated or administered by 

14 such Housing Authority in designing and conducting the 

15 survey under subsection (a). 

16 (c) PROPOSED SURVEY DOCUMENT.—The Secretary 

17 shall submit the full research design of the proposed docu18 ment to be used in conducting the survey to the Com19 mittee on Financial Services of the House of Representa20 tives and the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban 

21 Affairs of the Senate not less than 10 business days before 

22 the commencement of such survey. 

23 (d) REPORT.—The Secretary shall submit a report 

24 the Committees referred to in subsection (c) detailing the 

25 results of the survey conducted under subsection (a) not 
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1 later than 60 days after the date of the enactment of this 

2 Act. 

3 SEC. 202. RIGHT OF RETURN FOR PREVIOUS RESIDENTS OF 

4 PUBLIC HOUSING. 

5 (a) REQUIREMENT TO PROVIDE DWELLING

6 UNITS.—Not later than August 1, 2007, the Housing Au7 thority of New Orleans shall make available for occupancy, 

8 subject to subsection (b), a number of dwelling units (in9 cluding those currently occupied) described in subsection 

10 (d) that is not less than the greater of—

11 (1) 3,000; or 

12 (2) the number of households who have indi13 cated, in the survey conducted pursuant to section 

14 201, that they intend to return to residence in public 

15 housing operated or administered by such public 

16 housing agency. 

17 (b) RIGHT OF RETURN.—

18 (1) IN GENERAL.—Subject only to subsection 

19 (c), the Housing Authority of New Orleans shall 

20 make available, upon the request of any household 

21 who, as of August 28, 2005, was a tenant of public 

22 housing operated or administered by such public 

23 housing agency, occupancy for such household in a 

24 dwelling unit provided pursuant to subsection (a). 

25 As a condition of exercising a right under this para-
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1 graph to occupancy in such a dwelling unit, not later 

2 than August 1, 2007, a tenant shall provide notice 

3 to such Housing Authority of intent to exercise such 

4 right and shall identify a date that the tenant in5 tends to occupy such a dwelling unit, which shall not 

6 be later than October 1, 2007. 

7 (2) PREFERENCES.—In making dwelling units 

8 available to households pursuant to paragraph (1), 

9 such Housing Authority shall provide preference to 

10 each such household for occupancy in a dwelling unit 

11 in the following locations, in the following order: 

12 (A) A dwelling unit in the same public 

13 housing project occupied by the household as of 

14 August 28, 2005, if available. 

15 (B) A dwelling unit in the same census 

16 tract in which was located the public housing 

17 dwelling unit occupied by the household as of 

18 August 28, 2005, if available. 

19 (C) A dwelling unit in a census tract adja20 cent to the census tract in which was located 

21 the public housing dwelling unit occupied by the 

22 household as of August 28, 2005, if available. 

23 (D) A dwelling unit in the neighborhood in 

24 which was located the public housing dwelling 
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1 unit occupied by the household as of August 28, 

2 2005, if available. 

3 (c) PROHIBITION OF EXCLUSION.—The Housing Au4 thority of New Orleans, and any other manager of replace5 ment dwelling units set forth in this section shall not, in6 cluding through the application of any waiting list or eligi7 bility, screening, occupancy, or other policy or practice, 

8 prevent any household referred to in subsection (b)(1) 

9 from occupying a replacement dwelling unit provided pur10 suant to subsection (a), except that such Housing Author11 ity or other manager shall prevent a household from occu12 pying such a dwelling unit, and shall provide priority for 

13 occupancy in such dwelling units, as follows: any other 

14 provision of Federal law prohibits occupancy or tenancy 

15 of such household in the type of housing of the replace16 ment dwelling unit provided for such household. 

17 (1) Notwithstanding any priority under para18 graphs (4) through (6), a household shall be pre19 vented from such occupancy to the extent that any 

20 other provision of Federal law prohibits occupancy 

21 or tenancy of such household, or any individual who 

22 is a member of such household, in the type of hous23 ing of the replacement dwelling unit provided for 

24 such household. 
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1 (2) Notwithstanding any priority under para2 graphs (4) through (6), a household shall be pre3 vented from such occupancy if it includes any indi4 vidual who has been convicted of a drug dealing of5 fense, sex offense, or crime of domestic violence. 

6 (3) Notwithstanding any priority under para7 graphs (4) through (6), a household shall be pre8 vented from such occupancy on the basis of a deter9 mination that occupancy of any individual who is a 

10 member of the household may constitute a threat to 

11 public safety, including a threat caused by occu12 pancy that would facilitate reunification of members 

13 of gangs involved in criminal activity. 

14 (4) Priority in such occupancy shall be provided 

15 to individuals who are employed or households that 

16 include individuals who are employed. 

17 (5) Priority in such occupancy in public housing 

18 dwelling units shall be provided to—

19 (A) individuals who agree to contribute to20 ward community service, or to participate in an 

21 economic self-sufficiency program for, more 

22 hours per month than is required under section 

23 12(c) of the United States Housing Act of 1937 

24 (42 U.S.C. 1437j(c)); 
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1 (B) individuals who, under paragraph (2) 

2 of section 12(c) of the United States Housing 

3 Act of 1937, are exempt from the requirement 

4 under paragraph (1) of such section; and 

5 (C) households that include such individ6 uals. 

7 (6) A household that consists of a family or 

8 youth described in section 8(x)(2) of the United 

9 States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437f(x)(2); 

10 relating to family unification) shall be provided pri11 ority in such occupancy. 

12 The Secretary of Housing and Urban Development shall 

13 issue regulations to carry out the exceptions under para14 graphs (1) through (6). 

15 (d) REPLACEMENT DWELLING UNITS.—A dwelling 

16 unit described in this subsection is—

17 (1) a dwelling unit in public housing operated 

18 or administered by the Housing Authority of New 

19 Orleans; or 

20 (2) a dwelling unit in other comparable housing 

21 located in the jurisdiction of the Housing Authority 

22 of New Orleans for which the sum of the amount re23 quired to be contributed by the tenant for rent and 

24 any separate utility costs for such unit borne by the 

25 tenant is comparable to the sum of the amount re-
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1 quired to be contributed by the tenant for rental of 

2 a comparable public housing dwelling unit and any 

3 separate utility costs for such unit borne by the ten4 ant. 

5 (e) RELOCATION ASSISTANCE.—The Housing Au6 thority of New Orleans shall provide, to each household 

7 provided occupancy in a dwelling unit pursuant to sub8 section (b), assistance under the Uniform Relocation As9 sistance and Real Property Acquisitions Policy Act of 

10 1970 (42 U.S.C. 4601 et seq.) for relocation to such dwell11 ing unit. 

12 SEC. 203. ONE-FOR-ONE REPLACEMENT OF ALL PUBLIC 

13 HOUSING DWELLING UNITS. 

14 (a) CONDITIONS ON DEMOLITION.—After the date of 

15 the enactment of this Act, the Housing Authority of New 

16 Orleans may not demolish or dispose of any dwelling unit 

17 of public housing operated or administered by such agency 

18 (including any uninhabitable unit and any unit previously 

19 approved for demolition) except pursuant to a plan for re20 placement of such units in accordance with, and approved 

21 by the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development pur22 suant to, subsection (b). 

23 (b) PLAN REQUIREMENTS.—The Secretary may not 

24 approve a plan that provides for demolition or disposition 
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1 of any dwelling unit of public housing referred to in sub2 section (a) unless—

3 (1) such plan is developed with the active par4 ticipation of the resident councils of, and residents 

5 of public housing operated or administered by, such 

6 Housing Authority and with the City of New Orle7 ans, at every phase of the planning and approval 

8 process, through a process that provides opportunity 

9 for comment on specific proposals for redevelopment, 

10 demolition, or disposition; 

11 (2) not later than 60 days before the date of 

12 the approval of such plan, such Housing Authority 

13 has convened and conducted a public hearing re14 garding the demolition or disposition proposed in the 

15 plan; 

16 (3) such plan provides that for each such dwell17 ing unit demolished or disposed of, such public hous18 ing agency will provide an additional dwelling unit 

19 through—

20 (A) the acquisition or development of addi21 tional public housing dwelling units; or 

22 (B) the acquisition, development, or con23 tracting (including through project-based assist24 ance) of additional dwelling units that are sub25 ject to requirements regarding eligibility for oc-
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1 cupancy, tenant contribution toward rent, and 

2 long-term affordability restrictions which are 

3 comparable to public housing units; 

4 (4) such plan provides for the implementation 

5 of a right for households to occupancy housing in ac6 cordance with section 202; 

7 (5) such plan provides priority in making units 

8 available under paragraph (3) to residents identified 

9 in section 201; 

10 (6) such plan provides that the proposed demo11 lition or disposition and relocation will be carried out 

12 in a manner that affirmatively furthers fair housing, 

13 as described in subsection (e) of section 808 of the 

14 Civil Rights Act of 1968; and 

15 (7) to the extent that such plan provides for the 

16 provision of replacement or additional dwelling units, 

17 or redevelopment, in phases over time, such plan 

18 provides that the ratio of dwelling units described in 

19 subparagraphs (A) and (B) of paragraph (3) that 

20 are provided in any such single phase to the total 

21 number of dwelling units provided in such phase is 

22 not less than the ratio of the aggregate number of 

23 such dwelling units provided under the plan to the 

24 total number of dwelling units provided under the 

25 plan. 
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1 (c) INAPPLICABLE PROVISIONS.—Subparagraphs (B) 

2 and (D) of section 8(o)(13) of the United States Housing 

3 Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437f(o)(13)) shall not apply with 

4 respect to vouchers used to comply with the requirements 

5 of subsection (b)(3) of this section. 

6 (d) MONITORING.—The Secretary of Housing and 

7 Urban Development shall provide for the appropriate field 

8 offices of the Department to monitor and supervise en9 forcement of this section and plans approved under this 

10 section and to consult, regarding such monitoring and en11 forcement, with resident councils of, and residents of pub12 lic housing operated or administered by, the Housing Au13 thority of New Orleans and with the City of New Orleans. 

14 SEC. 204. PROTECTION FOR PUBLIC HOUSING RESIDENTS 

15 IN HURRICANE AREAS. 

16 (a) CONDITIONS ON TRANSFER.—During the two 

17 year period beginning on the date of the enactment of this 

18 Act, a public housing agency may not transfer ownership 

19 of any public housing dwelling units described in sub20 section (h) unless the transferee enters into such binding 

21 commitments as the Secretary of Housing and Urban De22 velopment considers necessary to maintain, for the longest 

23 feasible period, the requirements regarding eligibility for 

24 occupancy in such dwelling units and tenant contribution 
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1 toward rent for such dwelling units that are applicable to 

2 such units as public housing dwelling units. 

3 (b) CONDITIONS ON DEMOLITION.—After the date of 

4 the enactment of this Act, a public housing agency may 

5 not dispose or demolish any dwelling units described in 

6 subsection (h), except pursuant to a plan for replacement 

7 of such units in accordance with, and approved by the Sec8 retary of Housing and Urban Development pursuant to, 

9 subsection (c). 

10 (c) PLAN REQUIREMENT.—The Secretary of Housing 

11 and Urban Development may not approve a plan that pro12 vides for demolition or disposition of any dwelling unit of 

13 public housing described in subsection (h) unless such plan 

14 complies with the requirements under paragraphs (1), (2), 

15 (3), (6), and (7) of section 203(b), except that such para16 graphs shall be applied for purposes this subsection by 

17 substituting ‘‘the public housing agency’’ and ‘‘applicable 

18 unit of general local government’’ for ‘‘such Housing Au19 thority’’ and ‘‘City of New Orleans’’, respectively. 

20 (d) RELOCATION ASSISTANCE.—A public housing 

21 agency shall provide, to each household relocated pursuant 

22 to a plan under this section for demolition or disposition, 

23 assistance under the Uniform Relocation Assistance and 

24 Real Property Acquisitions Policy Act of 1970 for reloca25 tion to their new residence. 
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1 (e) RIGHT OF RETURN.—A public housing agency ad2 ministering or operating public housing dwelling units de3 scribed in subsection (h) has the obligation—

4 (1) to use its best efforts to locate tenants dis5 placed from such public housing as a result of Hur6 ricane Katrina or Rita; and 

7 (2) to provide such residents occupancy in pub8 lic housing dwelling units of such agency that be9 come available for occupancy, and to ensure such 

10 residents a means to exercise such right of return. 

11 (f) INAPPLICABILITY OF CERTAIN PROJECT-BASED

12 VOUCHER LIMITATIONS.—Subparagraphs (B) and (D) of 

13 section 8(o)(13) of the United States Housing Act of 1937 

14 (42 U.S.C. 1437f(o)(13)) shall not apply with respect to 

15 any project-based vouchers used to comply with the re16 quirements of a plan under subsection (c). 

17 (g) PROHIBITION ON DISPLACEMENT FROM HABIT18 ABLE UNITS.—A public housing agency may not displace 

19 a tenant from any public housing dwelling unit described 

20 in subsection (h) that is administered or operated by such 

21 agency and is habitable (including during any period of 

22 rehabilitation), unless the agency provides a suitable and 

23 comparable dwelling unit for such tenant in the same local 

24 community as such public housing dwelling unit. 
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1 (h) COVERED PUBLIC HOUSING DWELLING

2 UNITS.—The public housing dwelling units described in 

3 this subsection are any such dwelling units located in any 

4 area for which major disaster or emergency was declared 

5 by the President pursuant to the Robert T. Stafford Dis6 aster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act as a result of 

7 Hurricane Katrina or Rita of 2005, except that such 

8 dwelling units shall not include any public housing dwell9 ing units operated or administered by the Housing Au10 thority of New Orleans. 

11 SEC. 205. REPORTS ON PROPOSED CONVERSIONS OF PUB12 LIC HOUSING UNITS. 

13 Not later than the expiration of the 15-day period 

14 beginning on the date of the enactment of this Act, the 

15 Secretary of Housing and Urban Development shall sub16 mit to the Committee on Financial Services of the House 

17 of Representatives and the Committee on Banking, Hous18 ing, and Urban Affairs of the Senate a detailed report 

19 identifying all public housing projects located in areas im20 pacted by Hurricane Katrina or Rita of 2005, for which 

21 plans exist to transfer ownership to other entities or agen22 cies. Such report shall include the following information 

23 for each such project: 

24 (1) The name and location. 

25 (2) The number of dwelling units. 
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1 (3) The proposed new owner. 

2 (4) The existing income eligibility and rent pro3 visions. 

4 (5) Duration of existing affordability restric5 tions. 

6 (6) The proposed date of transfer. 

7 (7) Any other relevant information regarding 

8 the project. 

9 SEC. 206. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS FOR RE10 PAIR AND REHABILITATION. 

11 There are authorized to be appropriated such sums 

12 as may be necessary to carry out activities eligible for 

13 funding under the Capital Fund under section 9 of the 

14 United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437g) 

15 for the repair, rehabilitation, and development of public 

16 housing of the Housing Authority of New Orleans, and 

17 for community and supportive services for the residents 

18 of public housing operated or administered by the Housing 

19 Authority of New Orleans. 

20 SEC. 207. COMPLIANCE OF EXISTING REQUESTS FOR PRO21 POSALS. 

22 Each request for qualification or proposal issued be23 fore the date of the enactment of this Act with respect 

24 to any public housing operated or administered by the 

25 Housing Authority of New Orleans shall, notwithstanding 
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1 any existing terms of such requests, be subject to and 

2 comply with all provisions of this title and, to the extent 

3 necessary to so comply, such Housing Authority shall re4 issue such requests. 

5 SEC. 208. REPORTS ON COMPLIANCE. 

6 Not later than the expiration of the 30-day period 

7 beginning on the date of the enactment of this Act and 

8 not later than the expiration of each calendar quarter 

9 thereafter, the Secretary of Housing and Urban Develop10 ment shall submit a detailed report regarding compliance 

11 with the requirements of this title, including the resident 

12 participation requirement under section 203(b)(1), to the 

13 Committee on Financial Services of the House of Rep14 resentatives, the Committee on Banking, Housing, and 

15 Urban Affairs of the Senate, the resident councils of, and 

16 residents of public housing operated or administered by, 

17 the Housing Authority of New Orleans, and the City of 

18 New Orleans. 

19 SEC. 209. REQUIREMENTS REGARDING PUBLIC HOUSING 

20 CONSTRUCTION WORKERS. 

21 Any entity that receives any Federal funds made 

22 available pursuant to this title for construction, develop23 ment, rehabilitation, or repair of public housing shall 

24 verify that all workers employed by such entity and en25 gaged in such activities—
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1 (1) have an immigration status that allows 

2 them to legally be so employed; and 

3 (2) have a valid form of identification or docu4 mentation indicating such immigration status. 

5 TITLE III—DISASTER VOUCHER 

6 PROGRAM AND PROJECT7 BASED RENTAL ASSISTANCE 

8 SEC. 301. EXTENSION OF DVP PROGRAM. 

9 There are authorized to be appropriated such sums 

10 as may be necessary to provide assistance under the Dis11 aster Voucher Program of the Department of Housing and 

12 Urban Development established pursuant to Public Law 

13 109–148 (119 Stat. 2779) through January 1, 2008, and, 

14 to the extent that amounts for such purpose are made 

15 available, such program, and the authority of the Sec16 retary of Housing and Urban Development to waive re17 quirements under section 8 of the United States Housing 

18 Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437f) in administering assistance 

19 under such program, shall be so extended. 

20 SEC. 302. CLARIFICATION OF VOUCHER ALLOCATION FOR21 MULA FOR FISCAL YEAR 2007. 

22 In carrying out section 21033 of the Continuing Ap23 propriations Resolution, 2007, to provide renewal funding 

24 for tenant-based rental housing assistance under section 

25 8 of the United States Housing Act of 1937 for each pub-
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1 lic housing agency, the Secretary of Housing and Urban 

2 Development shall make, for any public housing agency 

3 impacted by Hurricane Katrina, Rita, or Wilma, such ad4 justments as are appropriate to provide adequate funding 

5 to adjust for reduced voucher leasing rates and increased 

6 housing costs arising from such hurricanes. 

7 SEC. 303. PRESERVATION OF PROJECT-BASED HOUSING AS8 SISTANCE PAYMENTS CONTRACTS FOR 

9 DWELLING UNITS DAMAGED OR DESTROYED. 

10 (a) TOLLING OF CONTRACT TERM.—Notwith11 standing any other provision of law, a project-based hous12 ing assistance payments contract for a covered assisted 

13 multifamily housing project shall not expire or be termi14 nated because of the damage or destruction of dwelling 

15 units in the project by Hurricane Katrina or Rita. The 

16 expiration date of the contract shall be deemed to be the 

17 later of the date specified in the contract or a date that 

18 is not less than three months after the dwelling units in 

19 the project or in a replacement project are first made hab20 itable. 

21 (b) OWNER PROPOSALS FOR REUSE OR RE22 SITING.—The Secretary of Housing and Urban Develop23 ment shall promptly review and shall approve all feasible 

24 proposals made by owners of covered assisted multifamily 

25 housing projects submitted to the Secretary, not later than 
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1 October 1, 2007, that provide for the rehabilitation of the 

2 project and the resumption of use of the assistance under 

3 the contract for the project, or, alternatively, for the trans4 fer, pursuant to subsection (c), of the contract or, in the 

5 case of a project with an interest reduction payments con6 tract, of the remaining budget authority under the con7 tact, to another multifamily housing project. 

8 (c) TRANSFER OF CONTRACT.—In the case of any 

9 covered assisted multifamily housing project, the Sec10 retary of Housing and Urban Development shall—

11 (1) in the case of a project with a project-based 

12 rental assistance payments contract described in 

13 subparagraph (A), (B), or (C) of subsection (d)(2), 

14 transfer the contract to another appropriate and 

15 habitable existing project or a project to be con16 structed (having the same or a different owner); and 

17 (2) in the case of a project with an interest re18 duction payments contract pursuant to section 236 

19 of the National Housing Act, use the remaining 

20 budget authority under the contract for interest re21 duction payments to reduce financing costs with re22 spect to dwelling units in other habitable projects 

23 not currently so assisted, and such dwelling units 

24 shall be subject to the low-income affordability re25 strictions applicable to projects for which such pay-
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1 ments are made under section 236 of the National 

2 Housing Act. 

3 A project to which a project-based rental assistance pay4 ments contract is transferred may have a different number 

5 of units or bedroom configuration than the damaged or 

6 destroyed project if approximately the same number of in7 dividuals are expected to occupy the subsidized units in 

8 the replacement project as occupied the damaged or de9 stroyed project. 

10 (d) DEFINITIONS.—For purposes of this section: 

11 (1) COVERED ASSISTED MULTIFAMILY HOUSING

12 PROJECT.—The term ‘‘assisted multifamily housing 

13 project’’ means a multifamily housing project that—

14 (A) as of the date of the enactment of this 

15 Act, is subject to a project-based rental assist16 ance payments contract (including pursuant to 

17 subsection (a) of this section); and 

18 (B) that was damaged or destroyed by 

19 Hurricane Katrina or Hurricane Rita of 2005. 

20 (2) PROJECT-BASED RENTAL ASSISTANCE PAY21 MENTS CONTRACT.—The term ‘‘project-based rental 

22 assistance payments contract’’ includes—

23 (A) a contract entered into pursuant to 

24 section 8 of the United States Housing Act of 

25 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437f); 
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1 (B) a contract for project rental assistance 

2 pursuant to section 202(c)(2) of the Housing 

3 Act of 1959 (12 U.S.C. 1701q(c)(2)); 

4 (C) a contract for project rental assistance 

5 pursuant to section 811(d)(2) of the Cranston6 Gonzalez National Affordable Housing Act (42 

7 U.S.C. 8013(d)(2)); and 

8 (D) an interest reduction payments con9 tract pursuant to section 236 of the National 

10 Housing Act (12 U.S.C. 1715z–1). 

11 SEC. 304. TENANT REPLACEMENT VOUCHERS FOR ALL 

12 LOST UNITS. 

13 There is authorized to be appropriated for fiscal year 

14 2008 such sums as may be necessary to provide tenant 

15 replacement vouchers under section 8 of the United States 

16 Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437f) for the number 

17 of households that is equal to—

18 (1) the number of assisted dwelling units 

19 (whether occupied or unoccupied) located in covered 

20 assisted multifamily housing projects (as such term 

21 is defined in section 303(d) of this Act) that are not 

22 approved for reuse or re-siting by the Secretary; plus 

23 (2) the number of public housing dwelling units 

24 that, as of August 28, 2005, were located in areas 

25 affected by Hurricane Katrina and were considered 
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1 for purposes of allocating operating and capital as2 sistance under section 9 of the United States Hous3 ing Act of 1937 (whether occupied or unoccupied), 

4 that will not be put back into use for occupancy; 

5 plus 

6 (3) the number of public housing dwelling units 

7 that, as of September 24, 2005, were located in 

8 areas affected by Hurricane Rita and were consid9 ered for purposes of allocating operating and capital 

10 assistance under section 9 of the United States 

11 Housing Act of 1937 (whether occupied or unoccu12 pied), that will not be put back into use for occu13 pancy; minus 

14 (4) the number of previously awarded enhanced 

15 vouchers for assisted dwelling units and tenant pro16 tection vouchers for public housing units covered 

17 under this section. 

18 Any amounts made available pursuant to this section 

19 shall, upon the request of a public housing agency for such 

20 voucher assistance, be allocated to the public housing 

21 agency based the number of dwelling units described in 

22 paragraph (1) or (2) that are located in the jurisdiction 

23 of the public housing agency. 
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1 SEC. 305. VOUCHER ASSISTANCE FOR SUPPORTIVE HOUS2 ING. 

3 There are authorized to be appropriated such sums 

4 as may be necessary to provide 4,500 vouchers for project5 based rental assistance under section 8(o)(13) of the 

6 United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 

7 1437f(o)(13)) for use in areas impacted by Hurricanes 

8 Katrina and Rita for supportive housing dwelling units for 

9 elderly families, persons with disabilities, or homeless per10 sons. The Secretary of Housing and Urban Development 

11 shall make available to the State of Louisiana or its des12 ignee or designees, upon request, 3,000 of such vouchers. 

13 Subparagraphs (B) and (D) of section 8(o)(13) of the 

14 United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 

15 1437f(o)(13)) shall not apply with respect to vouchers 

16 made available under this section. 

17 SEC. 306. TRANSFER OF DVP VOUCHERS TO VOUCHER PRO18 GRAM. 

19 (a) TRANSFER TO SECTION 8 VOUCHER PROGRAM.—

20 There are authorized to be appropriated, for tenant-based 

21 assistance under section 8(o) of the United States Hous22 ing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437f(o)), such sums as may 

23 be necessary to provide vouchers for such assistance for 

24 each household that, as of the termination date of the Dis25 aster Voucher Program referred to in section 301 of this 

26 Act, is assisted under such program, for the period that 
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1 such household is eligible for such voucher assistance. 

2 Such voucher assistance shall be administered by the pub3 lic housing agency having jurisdiction of the area in which 

4 such assisted family resides as of such termination date. 

5 (b) TEMPORARY VOUCHERS.—If at any time a house6 hold for whom a voucher for rental housing assistance is 

7 provided pursuant to this section becomes ineligible for 

8 further such rental assistance—

9 (1) the public housing agency administering 

10 such voucher pursuant to this section may not pro11 vide rental assistance under such voucher for any 

12 other household; 

13 (2) the Secretary of Housing and Urban Devel14 opment shall recapture from such agency any re15 maining amounts for assistance attributable to such 

16 voucher and may not reobligate such amounts to any 

17 public housing agency; and 

18 (3) such voucher shall not be taken into consid19 eration for purposes of determining any future allo20 cation of amounts for such tenant-based rental as21 sistance for any public housing agency. 

22 SEC. 307. IDENTIFICATION AND NOTIFICATION OF DVP-ELI23 GIBLE HOUSEHOLDS NOT ASSISTED. 

24 The Secretary of Housing and Urban Development 

25 shall make a good faith effort to identify all households 
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1 who, as of the date of the enactment of this Act, are eligi2 ble for assistance under the Disaster Voucher Program re3 ferred to in section 301 but are not assisted under such 

4 program. Upon identification of each such household, the 

5 Secretary shall—

6 (1) notify such household of the rights of the 

7 household to return a public housing or other as8 sisted dwelling unit; and 

9 (2) to the extent that the family is eligible at 

10 such time of identification, offer the household as11 sistance under the Disaster Voucher program. 

12 SEC. 308. GAO STUDY OF WRONGFUL OR ERRONEOUS TER13 MINATION OF FEDERAL RENTAL HOUSING 

14 ASSISTANCE. 

15 The Comptroller General of the United States shall 

16 conduct a study of households that received Federal assist17 ance for rental housing in connection with Hurricanes 

18 Katrina and Rita to determine if the assistance for any 

19 such households was wrongfully or erroneously termi20 nated. The Comptroller General shall submit a report to 

21 the Congress not later than June 1, 2007, setting forth 

22 the results of the study, which shall include an estimate 

23 of how many households were subject to such wrongful 

24 or erroneous termination and how many of those house25 holds have incomes eligible for the household to receive 
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1 tenant-based rental assistance under section 8 of the 

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

3 TITLE IV—DAMAGES ARISING 

4 FROM FEMA ACTIONS 

5 SEC. 401. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS TO REIM6 BURSE LANDLORDS FOR DAMAGES DUE TO 

7 FEMA MANAGEMENT OF LEASES ENTERED 

8 INTO UNDER SECTION 403 OF THE STAFFORD 

9 DISASTER RELIEF ACT. 

10 There are authorized to be appropriated, from 

11 amounts made available before the date of the enactment 

12 of this Act under any provision of law to the Federal 

13 Emergency Management Agency for disaster relief under 

14 the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief Emergency Assist15 ance Act, such sums as may be necessary for the Director 

16 of the Federal Emergency Management Agency to provide 

17 reimbursement to each landlord who entered into leases 

18 to provide emergency sheltering in response to Hurricane 

19 Katrina, Rita, or Wilma of 2005, pursuant to the program 

20 of the Federal Emergency Management Agency pursuant 

21 to section 403 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief 

22 and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5170b) in the 

23 amount of actual, documented damages incurred by such 

24 landlord as a result of abrogation by such Agency of com25 mitments entered into under such program, but not in-
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1 cluding reimbursement for any such landlord to the extent 

2 that such landlord has previously received reimbursement 

3 for such damages under any other Federal or non-Federal 

4 program. 

5 TITLE V—FHA SINGLE FAMILY 

6 HOUSING 

7 SEC. 501. TREATMENT OF NON-CONVEYABLE PROPERTIES. 

8 (a) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding any other provi9 sion of law, in the case of any property consisting of 1- 

10 to 4-family residence that is subject to a mortgage insured 

11 under title II of the National Housing Act (12 U.S.C. 

12 1707 et seq.) and was damaged or destroyed as a result 

13 of Hurricane Katrina or Rita of 2005, if there was no 

14 failure on the part of the mortgagee or servicer to provide 

15 hazard insurance for the property or to provide flood in16 surance coverage for the property to the extent such cov17 erage is required under Federal law, the Secretary of 

18 Housing and Urban Development—

19 (1) may not deny conveyance of title to the 

20 property to the Secretary and payment of the bene21 fits of such insurance on the basis of the condition 

22 of the property or any failure to repair the property; 

23 (2) may not reduce the amount of such insur24 ance benefits to take into consideration any costs of 

25 repairing the property; and 
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1 (3) with respect to a property that is destroyed, 

2 condemned, demolished, or otherwise not available 

3 for conveyance of title, may pay the full benefits of 

4 such insurance to the mortgagee notwithstanding 

5 that such title is not conveyed. 

6 (b) BUDGET ACT COMPLIANCE.—Insurance claims 

7 may be paid in accordance with subsection (a) only to the 

8 extent or in such amounts as are or have been provided 

9 in advance in appropriations Acts for the costs (as such 

10 term is defined in section 502 of the Federal Credit Re11 form Act of 1990 (2 U.S.C. 661(a)) of such claims. 

12 TITLE VI—FAIR HOUSING 

13 ENFORCEMENT 

14 SEC. 601. FAIR HOUSING INITIATIVES PROGRAM. 

15 (a) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 

16 authorized to be appropriated to carry out section 561 of 

17 the Housing and Community Development Act of 1987 

18 (42 U.S.C. 3616a), in each of fiscal years 2008 and 2009, 

19 such sums as may be necessary, but not less than 

20 $5,000,000, for areas affected by Hurricanes Katrina and 

21 Rita, of which, in each such fiscal year—

22 (1) 60 percent shall be available only for private 

23 enforcement initiatives for qualified private enforce24 ment fair housing organizations authorized under 

25 subsection (b) of such section, and, of the amount 
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1 made available in accordance with this paragraph, 

2 the Secretary shall set aside an amount for multi3 year grants to qualified fair housing enforcement or4 ganizations; 

5 (2) 20 percent shall be available only for activi6 ties authorized under paragraphs (1) and (2) of sub7 section (c) of such section; and 

8 (3) 20 percent shall be available only for edu9 cation and outreach programs authorized under sub10 section (d) of such section. 

11 (b) LOW FUNDING.—If the total amount appro12 priated to carry out the Fair Housing Initiatives Program 

13 for either fiscal year 2008 or 2009 is less than 

14 $50,000,000, not less than 5 percent of such total amount 

15 appropriated for such fiscal year shall be available for the 

16 areas described in subsection (a) for the activities de17 scribed in paragraphs (1), (2), and (3) of such subsection. 

18 (c) AVAILABILITY.—Any amounts appropriated 

19 under this section shall remain available until expended. 
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1 TITLE VII—IMPROVED DIS2 TRIBUTION OF FEDERAL 

3 HURRICANE HOUSING FUNDS 

4 FOR HURRICANE RELIEF 

5 SEC. 701. GAO STUDY OF IMPROVED DISTRIBUTION OF 

6 FEDERAL HOUSING FUNDS FOR HURRICANE 

7 RELIEF. 

8 (a) STUDY.—The Comptroller General of the United 

9 States shall conduct a study to examine methods of im10 proving the distribution of Federal housing funds to assist 

11 States covered by this Act with recovery from hurricanes, 

12 which shall include identifying and analyzing—

13 (1) the Federal and State agencies used in the 

14 past to disburse such funds and the strengths and 

15 weakness of existing programs; 

16 (2) the means by and extent to which critical 

17 information relating to hurricane recovery, such as 

18 property valuations, is shared among various State 

19 and Federal agencies; 

20 (3) program requirements that create impedi21 ments to the distribution of such funds that can be 

22 eliminated or streamlined; 

23 (4) housing laws and regulations that have 

24 caused programs to be developed in a manner that 

25 complies with statutory requirements but fails to 
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1 meet the housing objectives or needs of the States 

2 or the Federal Government; 

3 (5) laws relating to privacy and impediments 

4 raised by housing laws to the sharing, between the 

5 Federal Government and State governments, and 

6 private industry, of critical information relating to 

7 hurricane recovery; 

8 (6) methods of streamlining applications for 

9 and underwriting of Federal housing grant or loan 

10 programs; and 

11 (7) how to establish more equitable Federal 

12 housing laws regarding duplication of benefits. 

13 (b) REPORT.—Not later than 6 months after the date 

14 of the enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General shall 

15 submit to the Congress a report describing the results of 

16 the study and any recommendations regarding the issues 

17 analyzed under the study. 

18 TITLE VIII—COMMENDING 

19 AMERICANS FOR THEIR RE20 BUILDING EFFORTS 

21 SEC. 801. COMMENDING AMERICANS. 

22 (a) CONGRESSIONAL FINDINGS.—The Congress finds 

23 that—

24 (1) over 500,000 individuals in the United 

25 States have volunteered their time in helping rebuild 
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1 the Gulf Coast region in the aftermath of Hurri2 cane’s Katrina and Rita; 

3 (2) over $3,500,000,000 in cash and in-kind do4 nations have been made for hurricane victims; 

5 (3) 40,000,000 pounds of food have been dis6 tributed by Catholic Charities’ Food Bank through 

7 hurricane relief efforts; 

8 (4) almost 7,000,000 hot meals have been 

9 served by Salvation Army volunteers in hurricane re10 lief efforts; 

11 (5) over 10,000,000 college students have de12 voted their spring and fall breaks to hurricane relief 

13 efforts; 

14 (6) almost 20,000 families displaced as a result 

15 of the hurricanes have been supported by Traveler’s 

16 Aid volunteers; 

17 (7) faith-based organizations, such as Jewish 

18 Family Services, Lutheran Disaster Response, the 

19 United Methodist Committee on Relief, Presbyterian 

20 Disaster Assistance, the National Baptist Conven21 tion of America, Inc., the Progressive National Bap22 tist Convention, the Southern Baptist Convention, 

23 and the African Methodist Episcopal Church have 

24 contributed tens of thousands of man-hours for hur25 ricane relief; and 
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1 (8) community-based organizations, such as the 

2 Boys and Girls Club of America, Junior League, 

3 Boy and Girl Scouts of America, and the YMCA, 

4 have had thousands of members volunteer with the 

5 cleanup in the Gulf States. 

6 (b) COMMENDATION.—The Congress hereby com7 mends the actions and efforts by the remarkable individ8 uals and organizations who contributed to the hurricane 

9 relief effort and recognizes that the rebuilding of the Gulf 

10 Coast region rests on the selfless dedication of private in11 dividuals and community spirit. 

12 TITLE IX—PROTECTION OF 

13 HOUSEHOLDS RECEIVING 

14 FEMA HOUSING ASSISTANCE 

15 SEC. 901. EXTENSION OF FEMA HOUSING ASSISTANCE. 

16 There are authorized to be appropriated such sums 

17 as may be necessary to provide until December 31, 2007, 

18 temporary housing assistance, including financial and di19 rect assistance, under section 408(c)(1) of the Robert T. 

20 Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act 

21 (42 U.S.C. 5174(c)(1)) to individuals and households eli22 gible to receive such assistance as a result of Hurricane 

23 Katrina, Rita, or Wilma, and to the extent that amounts 

24 for such purpose are made available, such assistance shall 

25 be so extended. 
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1 SEC. 902. VOUCHER ASSISTANCE FOR HOUSEHOLDS RE2 CEIVING FEMA RENTAL ASSISTANCE AND 

3 HOUSEHOLDS RESIDING IN FEMA TRAILERS. 

4 (a) TRANSFER OF FEMA RENTAL ASSISTANCE TO

5 SECTION 8 VOUCHER PROGRAM.—There are authorized 

6 to be appropriated, for tenant-based rental assistance 

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

8 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437f(o)), such sums as may be nec9 essary to provide vouchers for such assistance for each in10 dividual and household that is eligible for such voucher 

11 assistance and received financial assistance for temporary 

12 housing under section 408(c)(1) of the Robert T. Stafford 

13 Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 

14 5174(c)(1)) as a result of Hurricane Katrina, Rita, or 

15 Wilma, for the period beginning upon termination of such 

16 temporary housing assistance and continuing through 

17 such period that such individual or household remains eli18 gible for such voucher assistance. Such voucher assistance 

19 shall be administered by the public housing agency having 

20 jurisdiction of the area in which such assisted individual 

21 or household resides as of such termination date. 

22 (b) VOUCHER ASSISTANCE FOR HOUSEHOLDS RE23 SIDING IN FEMA TRAILERS.—

24 (1) OFFER.—The Secretary of Housing and 

25 Urban Development shall offer, to each individual 

26 and household who, as of the date of the enactment 
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1 of this Act, receives direct assistance for temporary 

2 housing under section 408(c)(2) of the Robert T. 

3 Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance 

4 Act (42 U.S.C. 5174(c)(2)) as a result of Hurricane 

5 Katrina, Rita, or Wilma and is eligible for tenant6 based rental assistance under section 8(o) of the 

7 United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 

8 1437f(o)), a voucher for such rental assistance, sub9 ject to the availability of amounts for such assist10 ance made available in advance in appropriation 

11 Acts. 

12 (2) PROVISION OF ASSISTANCE.—There are au13 thorized to be appropriated, for tenant-based rental 

14 assistance under section 8(o) of the United States 

15 Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437f(o)), such 

16 sums as may be necessary to provide vouchers for 

17 such assistance for each individual and household 

18 that, pursuant to an offer of such assistance under 

19 paragraph (1) requests such assistance, for the pe20 riod beginning upon occupancy of the individual or 

21 household in a dwelling unit acquired for rental with 

22 such assistance and continuing through such period 

23 that such individual or household remains eligible 

24 for such voucher assistance. 
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1 (c) TEMPORARY VOUCHERS.—If at any time an as2 sisted family for whom a voucher for rental housing assist3 ance is provided pursuant to this section becomes ineligible 

4 for further such rental assistance—

5 (1) the public housing agency administering 

6 such voucher pursuant to this section may not pro7 vide rental assistance under such voucher for any 

8 other household; 

9 (2) the Secretary of Housing and Urban Devel10 opment shall recapture from such agency any re11 maining amounts for assistance attributable to such 

12 voucher and may not reobligate such amounts to any 

13 public housing agency; and 

14 (3) such voucher shall not be taken into consid15 eration for purposes of determining any future allo16 cation of amounts for such tenant-based rental as17 sistance for any public housing agency. 

Passed the House of Representatives March 21, 

2007. 

Attest:

Clerk. 

110TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1227

AN ACT

To assist in the provision of affordable housing to 

low-income families affected by Hurricane Katrina.