II 

115TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 2856 

To reform the requirements regarding the safety and security of families 

living in public and federally assisted housing in high-crime areas. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MAY 16, 2018 

Mr. RUBIO introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred 

to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs 

A BILL 

To reform the requirements regarding the safety and security 

of families living in public and federally assisted housing 

in high-crime areas. 

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 ‘‘Liberty City Rising 

5 Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. SAFETY STANDARDS FOR FEDERALLY ASSISTED 

7 HOUSING IN HIGH-CRIME AREAS. 

8 (a) PUBLIC HOUSING.—Section 6(f)(2) of the United 

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

10 amended— 


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1 (1) by striking ‘‘The Secretary shall’’ and in2 serting the following: 

3 ‘‘(A) SAFE AND HABITABLE.—The Sec4 retary shall’’; and 

5 (2) by adding at the end the following: 

6 ‘‘(B) HIGH-CRIME AREAS.— 

7 ‘‘(i) DEFINITION.—In this subpara8 graph, the term ‘high-crime area’ means a 

9 neighborhood or other small geographic 

10 area that the Secretary determines has a 

11 high incidence of violent crime, based on 

12 the most recent violent crime data avail13 able from a State, unit of local govern14 ment, or other source determined appro15 priate by the Secretary, that lists the types 

16 of crimes and number of offenses com17 mitted in the area. 

18 ‘‘(ii) ADDITIONAL SAFETY AND SECU19 RITY STANDARDS.—In addition to the 

20 standards under subparagraph (A), the 

21 Secretary shall establish standards to en22 sure the safety and security of dwellings 

23 located in a high-crime area. 

24 ‘‘(iii) CONTENTS.—The standards es25 tablished under clause (ii)— 


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1 ‘‘(I) shall require a public hous2 ing agency to consider security meas3 ures that meet the specific needs of a 

4 property or building; and 

5 ‘‘(II) may include requirements 

6 related to security cameras, locks, 

7 lighting, or other security measures. 

8 ‘‘(iv) ANONYMOUS HOTLINE.—A pub9 lic housing agency that operates a public 

10 housing project in a high-crime area shall 

11 establish an anonymous hotline for tenants 

12 to report suspicious activity and crimes 

13 that occur in the community in which the 

14 public housing project is located.’’. 

15 (b) PROJECT-BASED ASSISTED HOUSING.— 

16 (1) IN GENERAL.—Section 8(o)(13) of the 

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

18 1437f(o)(13)) is amended by adding at the end the 

19 following: 

20 ‘‘(M) SAFETY AND SECURITY STANDARDS

21 FOR HIGH-CRIME AREAS.— 

22 ‘‘(i) DEFINITION.—In this subpara23 graph, the term ‘high-crime area’ means a 

24 neighborhood or other small geographic 

25 area that the Secretary determines has a 


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1 high incidence of violent crime, based on 

2 the most recent violent crime data avail3 able from a State, unit of local govern4 ment, or other source determined appro5 priate by the Secretary, that lists the types 

6 of crimes and number of offenses com7 mitted in the area. 

8 ‘‘(ii) CONTRACT REQUIREMENT.—An 

9 assistance contract for project-based assist10 ance entered into under this paragraph 

11 with respect to a structure shall require 

12 that the owner maintain the structure, if 

13 determined to be in a high-crime area, in 

14 a condition that complies with standards 

15 that meet or exceed the safety and security 

16 standards established under clause (iii). 

17 ‘‘(iii) SAFETY AND SECURITY STAND18 ARDS.—The Secretary shall establish 

19 standards to ensure the safety and security 

20 of structures located in a high-crime area. 

21 ‘‘(iv) CONTENTS.—The standards es22 tablished under clause (iii)— 

23 ‘‘(I) shall require the owner of a 

24 structure that receives project-based 

25 assistance under this paragraph to 


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1 consider security measures that meet 

2 the specific needs of the structure; 

3 and 

4 ‘‘(II) may include requirements 

5 related to security cameras, locks, 

6 lighting, or other security measures. 

7 ‘‘(v) INSPECTIONS.—When deter8 mining whether a dwelling unit that is in 

9 a high-crime area meets the housing qual10 ity standards under paragraph (8)(A), a 

11 public housing agency shall also determine 

12 whether the dwelling unit meets the stand13 ards established under this subparagraph. 

14 ‘‘(vi) ANONYMOUS HOTLINE.—A pub15 lic housing agency that provides project16 based assistance under this paragraph with 

17 respect to a structure in a high-crime area 

18 shall establish an anonymous hotline for 

19 tenants to report suspicious activity and 

20 crimes that occur in the community in 

21 which the structure is located.’’. 

22 (2) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Section 

23 8(d)(2) of the United States Housing Act of 1937 

24 (42 U.S.C. 1437f(d)(2)) is amended by adding at 

25 the end the following: 


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1 ‘‘(E)(i) Subsection (o)(13)(M) (relating to safety and 

2 security standards for high-crime areas) shall apply to a 

3 contract for project-based assistance under this paragraph 

4 and to a public housing agency that enters into such a 

5 contract. 

6 ‘‘(ii) When determining whether a structure assisted 

7 under this paragraph that is in a high-crime area, as de8 fined in subsection (o)(13)(M), meets any applicable hous9 ing quality standards, a public housing agency shall also 

10 determine whether the structure meets the safety and se11 curity standards established under that subsection.’’. 

12 (c) DEADLINES.— 

13 (1) DETERMINATION OF HIGH-CRIME AREAS.— 

14 Not later than 90 days after the date of enactment 

15 of this Act, the Secretary of Housing and Urban De16 velopment shall make an initial determination as to 

17 which areas of the United States are high-crime 

18 areas for purposes of sections 6(f)(2)(B), 

19 8(d)(2)(E), and 8(o)(13)(M) of the United States 

20 Housing Act of 1937, as added by this section. 

21 (2) SAFETY AND SECURITY STANDARDS.—Not 

22 later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this 

23 Act, the Secretary of Housing and Urban Develop24 ment shall establish the safety and security stand25 ards for public housing projects and other assisted 


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1 structures located in high-crime areas required 

2 under sections 6(f)(2)(B), 8(d)(2)(E), and 

3 8(o)(13)(M) of the United States Housing Act of 

4 1937, as added by this section. 

5 SEC. 3. GRANT PRIORITY FOR PUBLIC HOUSING PROJECTS 

6 IN HIGH-CRIME AREAS. 

7 Section 9(d) of the United States Housing Act of 

8 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437g(d)) is amended by adding at the 

9 end the following: 

10 ‘‘(4) EMERGENCY SAFETY AND SECURITY

11 FUNDING PRIORITY FOR HIGH-CRIME AREAS.—In 

12 awarding grants for safety and security measures 

13 using amounts from the Capital Fund, the Secretary 

14 shall give priority to an application from a public 

15 housing agency that proposes to use the grant for a 

16 public housing project located in a high-crime area 

17 (as defined in section 6(f)(2)(B)).’’. 

Æ 


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