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erans to Agent Orange and Other Herbicides Used in Viet-
nam: Interim Findings and Recommendations’’. 
SEC. 121. No funds appropriated or otherwise made 
available for the Department of Veterans Affairs by this Act 
or any other Act may be obligated or expended to implement 
the policy contained in the memorandum of the Department 
of Veterans Affairs dated July 18, 2002, from the Deputy 
Under Secretary for Health for Operations and Manage-
ment with the subject ‘‘Status of VHA Enrollment and As-
sociated Issues’’ or any other policy prohibiting the Direc-
tors of the Veterans Integrated Service Networks (VISNs) 
from conducting outreach or marketing to enroll new vet-
erans within their Networks. 
TITLE II—DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND 
URBAN DEVELOPMENT 
PUBLIC AND INDIAN HOUSING 
HOUSING CERTIFICATE FUND 
(INCLUDING TRANSFER AND RESCISSION OF FUNDS) 
For activities and assistance under the United States 
Housing Act of 1937, as amended (42 U.S.C. 1437 et seq.) 
(‘‘the 
Act’’ 
herein), 
not 
otherwise 
provided 
for, 
$18,433,606,000, and amounts that are recaptured in this 
account, to remain available until expended: Provided, 
That of the amounts made available under this heading, 
$14,233,606,379 and the aforementioned recaptures shall be 
available on October 1, 2003 and $4,200,000,000 shall be
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available on October 1, 2004: Provided further, That 
amounts made available under this heading are provided 
as follows: 
(1) $16,202,616,000 for expiring or terminating 
section 8 project-based subsidy contracts (including 
section 8 moderate rehabilitation contracts), for 
amendments to section 8 project-based subsidy con-
tracts, for contracts entered into pursuant to section 
441 of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, 
for the 1-year renewal of section 8 contracts for units 
in projects that are subject to approved plans of ac-
tion under the Emergency Low Income Housing Pres-
ervation Act of 1987 or the Low-Income Housing 
Preservation and Resident Homeownership Act of 
1990, and for renewals of expiring section 8 tenant-
based annual contributions contracts (including 
amendments and renewals of enhanced vouchers 
under any provision of law authorizing such assist-
ance under section 8(t) of the Act (42 U.S.C. 
1437f(t))): Provided, That notwithstanding any other 
provision of law, the Secretary shall renew expiring 
section 8 tenant-based annual contributions contracts 
for each public housing agency (including for agencies 
participating in the Moving to Work demonstration, 
unit months representing section 8 tenant-based as-
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sistance funds committed by the public housing agen-
cy for specific purposes, other than reserves, that are 
authorized pursuant to any agreement and conditions 
entered into under such demonstration, and utilized 
in compliance with any applicable program obliga-
tion deadlines) based on the total number of unit 
months which were under lease as reported on the 
most recent end-of-year financial statement submitted 
by the public housing agency to the Department, ad-
justed by such additional information submitted by 
the public housing agency to the Secretary which the 
Secretary determines to be timely and reliable regard-
ing the total number of unit months under lease at 
the time of renewal of the annual contributions con-
tract, and by applying an inflation factor based on 
local or regional factors to the actual per unit cost as 
reported: Provided further, That funds may be made 
available in this paragraph to support a total number 
of unit months under lease that exceeds a public hous-
ing agency’s authorized level of units under lease to 
the extent that the use of these funds is part of a 
strategy for a public housing agency to attain its au-
thorized level of units under contract: Provided fur-
ther, That when a public housing agency is over its 
authorized contract level, that public housing agency
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may not issue another voucher (including turnover 
vouchers) until that public housing agency is at or 
below its authorized contract level for vouchers. 
(2) $461,329,000 for a central fund to be allo-
cated by the Secretary for the support of section 8 
subsidy contracts or amendments to such contracts, 
and for such other purposes as are set forth in this 
paragraph: Provided, That subject to the following 
proviso, the Secretary shall use amounts in such fund, 
as necessary, for contract amendments to maintain 
the total number of unit months under lease (up to 
the 
authorized 
level) 
including 
turnover 
and 
reissuance of authorized vouchers, and for contract 
amendments resulting from a significant increase in 
per-unit costs, or otherwise provide funds so that pub-
lic housing agencies may lease units up to their au-
thorized unit level: Provided further, That the Sec-
retary may use up to $36,000,000 in such funds for 
incremental vouchers under section 8 of the Act to be 
used for non-elderly disabled families affected by the 
designation of a public housing development under 
section 7 of the Act, the establishment of preferences 
in accordance with section 651 of the Housing and 
Community Development Act of 1992 (42 U.S.C. 
13611), or the restriction of occupancy to elderly fam-
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ilies in accordance with section 658 of such Act (42 
U.S.C. 13618): Provided further, That the Secretary 
may only allocate the incremental vouchers under the 
previous proviso upon a determination that there are 
adequate funds under this heading to fund all voucher 
needs in this fiscal year: Provided further, That if a 
public housing agency, at any point in time during 
their fiscal year, has obligated the amounts made 
available to such agency pursuant to paragraph (1) 
under this heading for the renewal of expiring section 
8 tenant-based annual contributions contracts, and if 
such agency has expended 50 percent of the amounts 
available to such agency in its annual contributions 
contract reserve account, the Secretary shall make 
available such amounts as are necessary from 
amounts available from such central fund to fund 
amendments under the preceding proviso within 30 
days of a request from such agency: Provided further, 
That none of the funds made available in this para-
graph may be used to support a total number of unit 
months under lease which exceeds a public housing 
agency’s authorized level of units under contract: Pro-
vided further, That the Secretary shall provide quar-
terly reports to the Committees on Appropriations of
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the House and the Senate on the obligation of funds 
provided in this paragraph; 
(3) $252,203,000 for section 8 rental assistance 
for relocation and replacement of housing units that 
are demolished or disposed of pursuant to the Omni-
bus Consolidated Rescissions and Appropriations Act 
of 1996 (Public Law 104–134), conversion of section 
23 projects to assistance under section 8, the family 
unification program under section 8(x) of the Act, re-
location of witnesses in connection with efforts to 
combat crime in public and assisted housing pursu-
ant to a request from a law enforcement or prosecu-
tion agency, enhanced vouchers under any provision 
of law authorizing such assistance under section 8(t) 
of the Act (42 U.S.C.1437f(t)), and tenant protection 
assistance, including replacement and relocation as-
sistance; 
(4) $72,000,000 for family self-sufficiency coordi-
nators under section 23 of the Act; 
(5) not to exceed $1,339,448,400 for administra-
tive and other expenses of public housing agencies in 
administering the section 8 tenant-based rental assist-
ance program: Provided, That the fee otherwise au-
thorized under section 8(q) of the Act shall be deter-
mined in accordance with section 8(q), as in effect
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immediately before the enactment of the Quality 
Housing and Work Responsibility Act of 1998; 
(6) $100,000,000 for contract administrators for 
section 8 project-based assistance; 
(7) not less than $3,010,000 shall be transferred 
to the Working Capital Fund for the development of 
and modifications to information technology systems 
which serve activities under ‘‘Public and Indian 
Housing’’; and 
(8) up to $3,000,000 for an outside audit by a 
major accounting firm to assess the current status of 
all funds within this account, including the amounts 
of obligated and unobligated funds for all programs 
funded under this heading for fiscal year 2004 as well 
as the availability of funds currently appropriated 
under this heading for fiscal years 2005 and there-
after. 
The Secretary may transfer up to 15 percent of funds 
provided under paragraphs (1), (2), (3) or (5), herein to 
paragraphs (1), (2), (3) or (5), if the Secretary determines 
that such action is necessary because the funding provided 
under one such paragraph otherwise would be depleted and 
as a result, the maximum utilization of section 8 tenant-
based assistance with the funds appropriated for this pur-
pose by this Act would not be feasible: Provided, That prior
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to undertaking the transfer of funds in excess of 10 percent 
from any paragraph pursuant to the previous proviso, the 
Secretary shall notify the Chairman and Ranking Member 
of the Subcommittees on Veterans Affairs and Housing and 
Urban Development, and Independent Agencies of the Com-
mittees on Appropriations of the House of Representatives 
and the Senate and shall not transfer any such funds until 
30 days after such notification: Provided further, That, 
hereafter, the Secretary shall require public housing agen-
cies to submit accounting data for funds disbursed under 
this heading in this Act and prior Acts by source and pur-
pose of such funds: Provided further, That incremental 
vouchers previously made available under this heading for 
non-elderly disabled families shall, to the extent practicable, 
continue to be provided to non-elderly disabled families 
upon turnover: Provided further, That $1,372,000,000 is re-
scinded from unobligated balances remaining from funds 
appropriated to the Department of Housing and Urban De-
velopment under this heading or the heading ‘‘Annual con-
tributions for assisted housing’’ or any other heading for 
fiscal year 2003 and prior years, to be effected by the Sec-
retary no later than September 30, 2004: Provided further, 
That any such balances governed by reallocation provisions 
under the statute authorizing the program for which the 
funds were originally appropriated shall be available for
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the rescission: Provided further, That any obligated bal-
ances of contract authority from fiscal year 1974 and prior 
that have been terminated shall be cancelled. 
PUBLIC HOUSING CAPITAL FUND 
(INCLUDING TRANSFER OF FUNDS) 
For the Public Housing Capital Fund Program to 
carry out capital and management activities for public 
housing agencies, as authorized under section 9 of the 
United States Housing Act of 1937, as amended (42 U.S.C. 
1437g), $2,641,000,000 (the ‘‘Act’’), to remain available 
until September 30, 2007: Provided, That of the total 
amount provided under this heading, in addition to 
amounts 
otherwise 
allocated 
under 
this 
heading, 
$400,000,000 shall be allocated for such capital and man-
agement activities only among public housing agencies that 
have obligated all assistance for the agency for fiscal years 
2001 and 2002 made available under this same heading in 
accordance with the requirements under paragraphs (1) 
and (2) of section 9(j) of such Act: Provided further, That 
notwithstanding any other provision of law or regulation, 
during fiscal year 2004, the Secretary may not delegate to 
any Department official other than the Deputy Secretary 
any authority under paragraph (2) of such section 9(j) re-
garding the extension of the time periods under such section 
for obligation of amounts made available for fiscal years 
1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, or 2004: Provided fur-
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ther, That with respect to any amounts made available 
under the Public Housing Capital Fund for fiscal years 
1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, or 2004 that remain unobli-
gated in violation of paragraph (1) of such section 9(j) or 
unexpended in violation of paragraph (5)(A) of such section 
9(j), the Secretary shall recapture any such amounts and 
reallocate such amounts among public housing agencies de-
termined under 6(j) of the Act to be high-performing: Pro-
vided further, That for purposes of this heading, the term 
‘‘obligate’’ means, with respect to amounts, that the 
amounts are subject to a binding agreement that will result 
in outlays immediately or in the future: Provided further, 
That of the total amount provided under this heading, up 
to $50,000,000 shall be for carrying out activities under sec-
tion 9(h) of such Act, of which up to $13,000,000 shall be 
for the provision of remediation services to public housing 
agencies identified as ‘‘troubled’’ under the Section 8 Man-
agement Assessment Program and for surveys used to cal-
culate local Fair Market Rents and assess housing condi-
tions in connection with rental assistance under section 8 
of the Act: Provided further, That of the total amount pro-
vided under this heading, up to $500,000 shall be for lease 
adjustments to section 23 projects, and no less than 
$10,610,000 shall be transferred to the Working Capital 
Fund for the development of and modifications to informa-
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tion technology systems which serve programs or activities 
under ‘‘Public and Indian housing’’: Provided further, That 
no funds may be used under this heading for the purposes 
specified in section 9(k) of the United States Housing Act 
of 1937, as amended: Provided further, That of the total 
amount provided under this heading, up to $40,000,000 
shall be available for the Secretary of Housing and Urban 
Development to make grants to public housing agencies for 
emergency capital needs resulting from emergencies and 
natural disasters in fiscal year 2003: Provided further, 
That of the total amount provided under this heading, 
$15,000,000 shall be for Neighborhood Networks grants for 
activities authorized in section 9(d)(1)(E) of the United 
States Housing Act of 1937, as amended: Provided further, 
That notwithstanding any other provision of law, amounts 
made available in the previous proviso shall be awarded 
to public housing agencies on a competitive basis as pro-
vided in section 102 of the Department of Housing and 
Urban Development Reform Act of 1989: Provided further, 
That of the total amount provided under this heading, 
$55,000,000 shall be for supportive services, service coordi-
nators and congregate services as authorized by section 34 
of the Act and the Native American Housing Assistance and 
Self-Determination Act of 1996: Provided further, That of 
the total amount provided under this heading, up to
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$125,000,000 shall be for grants and credit subsidy to sup-
port a loan guarantee and loan program for the develop-
ment of public housing units in mixed income housing de-
velopments: Provided further, That the first proviso under 
this heading in the Departments of Veterans Affairs and 
Housing and Urban Development, and Independent Agen-
cies Appropriations Act, 2003 is amended by striking 
‘‘1998, 1999’’. 
PUBLIC HOUSING OPERATING FUND 
For payments to public housing agencies for the oper-
ation and management of public housing, as authorized by 
section 9(e) of the United States Housing Act of 1937, as 
amended (42 U.S.C. 1437g(e)), $3,576,600,000: Provided, 
That of the total amount provided under this heading, 
$10,000,000 shall be for programs, as determined appro-
priate by the Attorney General, which assist in the inves-
tigation, prosecution, and prevention of violent crimes and 
drug offenses in public and federally-assisted low-income 
housing, including Indian housing, which shall be adminis-
tered by the Department of Justice through a reimbursable 
agreement with the Department of Housing and Urban De-
velopment: Provided further, That, in fiscal year 2004 and 
all fiscal years hereafter, no amounts under this heading 
in any appropriations Act may be used for payments to 
public housing agencies for the costs of operation and man-
agement of public housing for any year prior to the current
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year of such Act: Provided further, That no funds may be 
used under this heading for the purposes specified in section 
9(k) of the United States Housing Act of 1937, as amended. 
REVITALIZATION OF SEVERELY DISTRESSED PUBLIC 
HOUSING (HOPE VI) 
For grants to public housing agencies for demolition, 
site revitalization, replacement housing, and tenant-based 
assistance grants to projects as authorized by section 24 of 
the United States Housing Act of 1937, as amended (‘‘such 
Act’’), $195,115,000, to remain available until expended: 
Provided, That the Secretary may recapture funds from 
grants previously awarded under this heading in fiscal year 
1997 and prior fiscal years for use in making grants in 
fiscal year 2004 as authorized under section 24 of such Act: 
Provided further, That the Secretary may only recapture 
grants under the previous proviso where the Secretary deter-
mines that a project is less than 90 percent complete and 
that the project is unlikely to be completed successfully with-
in the next 2 fiscal years: Provided further, That the Sec-
retary shall not recapture funds from any HOPE VI project 
that has unobligated funds due to litigation or a court or-
dered consent decree: Provided further, That the Secretary 
shall establish an alternative housing plan to meet tenant 
needs where the Secretary is recapturing HOPE VI funds 
from a public housing agency with a failed HOPE VI 
project and the Secretary may recapture only the amount