Ensuring Affordable Housing Security During the Coronavirus Emergency Act of 2020

To suspend requirements that tenants of assisted housing make contributions toward rent during the public health emergency relating to coronavirus, and for other purposes. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Ensuring Affordable Housing Security During the Coronavirus Emergency Act of 2020 2. Suspension of requirements regarding tenant contribution toward rent (a) Suspension Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the obligation of each tenant household of a dwelling unit in assisted housing to pay any contribution toward rent for occupancy in such dwelling unit shall be suspended with respect to such occupancy during the period beginning on the date of the enactment of this Act and ending 6 months after the date of the termination by the Federal Emergency Management Agency of the emergency declared on March 13, 2020, by the President under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act ( 42 U.S.C. 4121 (b) Federal reimbursement payments To the extent that amounts are made available pursuant to subsection (e) for reimbursements under this subsection, the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development or the Secretary of Agriculture, as appropriate, shall— (1) provide owners of assisted housing and public housing agencies for any amounts in rent not received as a result of subsection (a), plus the amount of any increases in costs of administering and maintaining such housing to the extent only that such increases result from the public health emergency relating to Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19); and (2) in the case of public housing agencies providing assistance under section 8(o) of the United States Housing Act of 1937 ( 42 U.S.C. 1437f(o) (c) Prohibitions (1) On fines No tenant or tenant household may be charged a fine or fee for nonpayment of rent in accordance with subsection (a) and such nonpayment of rent shall not be grounds for any termination of tenancy or eviction. (2) On debt No tenant or tenant household may be treated as accruing any debt by reason of suspension of contribution of rent under subsection (a). (3) On repayment No tenant or tenant household may be held liable for repayment of any amount of rent contribution suspended under subsection (a). (4) On credit scores The nonpayment of rent by a tenant or tenant household shall not be reported to a consumer reporting agency nor shall such nonpayment adversely affect a tenant or member of a tenant household’s credit score. (d) Assisted housing For purposes of this section, the term assisted housing (1) section 213, 220, 221(d)(3), 221(d)(4), 223(e), 231, or 236 of the National Housing Act ( 12 U.S.C. 1715l(d)(3) (2) section 101 of the Housing and Urban Development Act of 1965 ( 12 U.S.C. 1701s (3) section 202 of the Housing Act of 1959 ( 12 U.S.C. 1701q (4) section 811 of the Cranston-Gonzales National Affordable Housing Act ( 42 U.S.C. 8013 (5) title II of the Cranston-Gonzalez National Affordable Housing Act ( 42 U.S.C. 12701 (6) subtitle D of title VIII of the Cranston-Gonzalez National Affordable Housing Act ( 42 U.S.C. 12901 (7) title I of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 ( 42 U.S.C. 5301 (8) section 8 of the United States Housing Act of 1937 ( 42 U.S.C. 1437f (9) the public housing program under title I of the United States Housing Act of 1937 ( 42 U.S.C. 1437 (10) section 514, 515, 516, 521(a)(2), 538, or 542 of the Housing Act of 1949 ( 42 U.S.C. 1484 (e) Authorization of appropriations There is authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary to make payments under subsection (b) to all owners of assisted housing and public housing agencies.

Summary: Ensuring Affordable Housing Security During the Coronavirus Emergency Act of 2020 This bill provides for housing assistance during the COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) public health emergency. Specifically, tenants in certain federally assisted housing shall not be required to make rent payments from the date of the bill's enactment until six months after the end of the COVID-19 emergency declaration. The Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Department of Agriculture must reimburse public housing agencies (PHAs) and owners of federally assisted housing for these suspended rent payments, including any increase in low-income housing choice voucher assistance payments made by PHAs to compensate for the suspended rent payments.