IIB 
110TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1851 
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 
JULY 16, 2007 
Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and 
Urban Affairs 
AN ACT 
To reform the housing choice voucher program under section 
8 of the United States Housing Act of 1937. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Section 8 Voucher Re-
form Act of 2007’’. 
SEC. 2. INSPECTION OF DWELLING UNITS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 8(o)(8) of the United 
States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437f(o)(8)) is 
amended— 
(1) by striking subparagraph (A) and inserting 
the following new subparagraph: 
‘‘(A) INITIAL INSPECTION.— 
‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—For each dwelling 
unit for which a housing assistance pay-
ment contract is established under this 
subsection, the public housing agency (or 
other entity pursuant to paragraph (11)) 
shall inspect the unit before any assistance 
payment is made to determine whether the 
dwelling unit meets the housing quality 
standards under subparagraph (B), except 
as provided in clause (ii) or (iii) of this 
subparagraph. 
‘‘(ii) 
CORRECTION
OF
NON-LIFE 
THREATENING CONDITIONS.—In the case 
of any dwelling unit that is determined, 
pursuant to an inspection under clause (i), 
not to meet the housing quality standards 
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under subparagraph (B), assistance pay-
ments may be made for the unit notwith-
standing subparagraph (C) if failure to 
meet such standards is a result only of 
non-life threatening conditions. A public 
housing agency making assistance pay-
ments pursuant to this clause for a dwell-
ing unit shall, 30 days after the beginning 
of the period for which such payments are 
made, suspend any assistance payments 
for the unit if any deficiency resulting in 
noncompliance with the housing quality 
standards has not been corrected by such 
time, and may not resume such payments 
until each such deficiency has been cor-
rected. 
‘‘(iii) PROJECTS RECEIVING CERTAIN 
FEDERAL
HOUSING
SUBSIDIES.—In the 
case of any property that within the pre-
vious 12 months has been determined to 
meet housing quality and safety standards 
under any Federal housing program in-
spection standard, including the program 
under section 42 of the Internal Revenue 
Code of 1986 or under subtitle A of title 
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II of the Cranston Gonzalez National Af-
fordable Housing Act of 1990, a public 
housing agency may authorize occupancy 
before the inspection under clause (i) has 
been completed, and may make assistance 
payments retroactive to the beginning of 
the lease term after the unit has been de-
termined pursuant to an inspection under 
clause (i) to meet the housing quality 
standards under subparagraph (B).’’; 
(2) by striking subparagraph (D) and inserting 
the following new subparagraph: 
‘‘(D) BIENNIAL INSPECTIONS.— 
‘‘(i) 
REQUIREMENT.—Each 
public 
housing agency providing assistance under 
this subsection (or other entity, as pro-
vided in paragraph (11)) shall, for each as-
sisted dwelling unit, make inspections not 
less often than biennially during the term 
of the housing assistance payments con-
tract for the unit to determine whether the 
unit is maintained in accordance with the 
requirements under subparagraph (A). The 
agency (or other entity) shall retain the 
records of the inspection for a reasonable 
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time and shall make the records available 
upon request to the Secretary, the Inspec-
tor General for the Department of Housing 
and Urban Development, and any auditor 
conducting an audit under section 5(h). 
‘‘(ii) SUFFICIENT
INSPECTION.—An 
inspection of a property shall be sufficient 
to comply with the inspection requirement 
under clause (i) if— 
‘‘(I) the inspection was conducted 
pursuant to requirements under a 
Federal, State, or local housing assist-
ance program (including the HOME 
investment 
partnerships 
program 
under title II of the Cranston-Gon-
zalez National Affordable Housing 
Act (42 U.S.C. 12721 et seq.)); and 
‘‘(II) pursuant to such inspec-
tion, the property was determined to 
meet the standards or requirements 
regarding housing quality or safety 
applicable to units assisted under such 
program, and, if a non-Federal stand-
ard was used, the public housing 
agency has certified to the Secretary 
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that such standards or requirements 
provide the same protection to occu-
pants of dwelling units meeting such 
standards or requirements as, or 
greater protection than, the housing 
quality standards under subparagraph 
(B).’’; and 
(3) by redesignating subparagraph (E) as sub-
paragraph (G); 
(4) by inserting after subparagraph (D) the fol-
lowing new subparagraphs: 
‘‘(E) INTERIM INSPECTIONS.—Upon notifi-
cation to the public housing agency, by a family 
on whose behalf tenant-based rental assistance 
is provided under this subsection or by a gov-
ernment official, that the dwelling unit for 
which such assistance is provided does not com-
ply with the housing quality standards under 
subparagraph (B), the agency shall inspect the 
dwelling unit— 
‘‘(i) in the case of any condition that 
is life-threatening, within 24 hours after 
receipt of such notice; and 
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‘‘(ii) in the case of any condition that 
is not life-threatening, within 15 days after 
receipt of such notice. 
‘‘(F) ENFORCEMENT OF HOUSING QUALITY 
STANDARDS.— 
‘‘(i) DETERMINATION OF NONCOMPLI-
ANCE.—A dwelling unit that is covered by 
a housing assistance payments contract 
under this subsection shall be considered, 
for purposes of this subparagraph, to be in 
noncompliance with the housing quality 
standards under subparagraph (B) if— 
‘‘(I) the public housing agency or 
an inspector authorized by the State 
or unit of local government deter-
mines upon inspection of the unit that 
the unit fails to comply with such 
standards; 
‘‘(II) the agency or inspector no-
tifies the owner of the unit in writing 
of such failure to comply; and 
‘‘(III) the failure to comply is not 
corrected— 
‘‘(aa) in the case of any 
such failure that is a result of 
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life-threatening conditions, within 
24 hours after receipt of such no-
tice; and 
‘‘(bb) in the case of any 
such failure that is a result of 
non-life threatening conditions, 
within 30 days after receipt of 
such notice or such other reason-
able period as the public housing 
agency may establish. 
‘‘(ii) WITHHOLDING
OF
ASSISTANCE 
AMOUNTS.—The public housing agency 
shall 
withhold 
all 
of 
the 
assistance 
amounts under this subsection with respect 
to a dwelling unit that is in noncompliance 
with housing quality standards under sub-
paragraph (B). Upon completion of repairs 
by the public housing agency or the owner 
sufficient so that the dwelling unit com-
plies with such housing quality standards, 
the agency shall recommence payments 
under the housing assistance payments 
contract to the owner of the dwelling unit. 
‘‘(iii) USE OF WITHHELD ASSISTANCE 
TO PAY FOR REPAIRS.—The public housing 
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