Public Housing Accountability Act of 2015

To amend the United States Housing Act of 1937 to ensure accountability in the provision of public housing, and for other purposes. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Public Housing Accountability Act of 2015 2. Income reviews Section 3(a) of the United States Housing Act of 1937 ( 42 U.S.C. 1437a(a) (1) in the first sentence of paragraph (1)— (A) by striking at the time of their initial occupancy of such units. (B) by inserting a period after low-income families (2) by amending the second sentence of paragraph (1) to read as follows: Reviews of family income shall be made at the time of their initial occupancy of such units, at least annually, and as required by paragraph (6) (3) by adding at the end the following new paragraph: (6) Reviews of family income Reviews of family income for purposes of this section shall be made at any time the income or deductions (under subsection (b)(5)) of the family change by an amount that is estimated to result in an increase of 10 percent or more in annual adjusted income, or such other amount as the Secretary may by notice establish, except that a public housing agency or owner may elect not to conduct such review in the last three months of a certification period. . 3. Amendments to occupancy by over-income families in certain public housing Paragraph (5) of section 3(a) of the United States Housing Act of 1937 ( 42 U.S.C. 1437a(a) (5) Occupancy by over-income families in certain public housing (A) Notice If a public housing agency determines that a family residing in a dwelling unit in public housing is an over-income family because of an income review conducted under this subsection, the public housing agency shall notify such family of that determination. (B) Termination of tenancy Within 30 days of receipt of a notice described in subparagraph (A), an over-income family residing in a dwelling unit in public housing— (i) may submit an appeal of determination that includes additional documentation that was not included during the income review to confirm eligibility for tenancy in public housing; or (ii) shall vacate the dwelling unit. (C) PHA appeals determination A public housing agency shall review an appeal submitted under subparagraph (B)(i) and notify the over-income family about the results of an appeal within 30 days of receipt of the appeal. If the public housing agency finds in such review that the over-income family is ineligible for tenancy in public housing, the family shall vacate the dwelling unit within 30 days of receipt of the results of an appeal. (D) Definition For purposes of this paragraph, the term over-income family (i) an annual income review is conducted under paragraph (1); or (ii) a review is conducted pursuant to paragraph (6). .

Summary: Public Housing Accountability Act of 2015 This bill amends the United States Housing Act of 1937 to add a requirement for periodic review of family income with respect to rental assistance for low-income families. Reviews of family income shall be made at any time the family income changes by an amount estimated to result in an increase of 10% or more in annual adjusted income (or such other amount as the Department of Housing and Urban Development may establish). A public housing agency (PHA) or owner may elect not to conduct such a review in the last three months of a period during which the family is certified eligible for rental assistance. The bill also revises the authorization for a PHA that owns or operates fewer than 250 units to lease a dwelling unit in a public housing project, on a month-to-month basis, to an over-income family if there are no eligible families applying to the PHA for housing assistance for that month. The PHA must give a 30-day notice-to-vacate, subject to a specified appeal procedure, to any family determined over-income because of an income review.