I 
110TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 5490 
To reform the program for rental assistance under section 8 of the United 
States Housing Act of 1937, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
FEBRUARY 26, 2008 
Mr. CHABOT introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Financial Services 
A BILL 
To reform the program for rental assistance under section 
8 of the United States Housing Act of 1937, and for 
other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Section 8 Reform, Re-
sponsibility, and Accountability Act of 2007’’. 
SEC. 2. PROHIBITION OF SECTION 8 RENTAL ASSISTANCE 
FOR FELONS AND ILLEGAL ALIENS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 8 of the United States 
Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437f) is amended by 
inserting after subsection (i) the following new subsection: 
VerDate Aug 31 2005 
03:52 Feb 27, 2008
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00001
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H5490.IH
H5490
smartinez on PRODPC61 with BILLS
‘‘(j) PROHIBITION OF ASSISTANCE FOR FELONS.— 
Notwithstanding any other provision of law, assistance 
under this section (including tenant- and project-based as-
sistance) may not be provided for any family that includes 
an individual who— 
‘‘(1) at any time, has been convicted of a felony 
under any State or Federal law; or 
‘‘(2) is unlawfully present in the United 
States.’’. 
(b) APPLICABILITY.—The amendment made by sub-
section (a) shall apply beginning upon the expiration of 
the 24-month period that begins on the date of the enact-
ment of this Act. 
SEC. 3. 5-YEAR TIME LIMITATION ON SECTION 8 RENTAL 
ASSISTANCE. 
Section 16 of the United States Housing Act of 1937 
(42 U.S.C. 1437n) is amended by adding at the end the 
following new subsection: 
‘‘(g) 5-YEAR TIME LIMITATION ON SECTION 8 AS-
SISTANCE.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Except as otherwise pro-
vided in this subsection and notwithstanding any 
other provision of this Act, assistance under section 
8 may not be provided on behalf of any family that 
includes a member who has previously been provided 
VerDate Aug 31 2005 
03:52 Feb 27, 2008
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00002
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H5490.IH
H5490
smartinez on PRODPC61 with BILLS
such assistance for 60 months (whether or not con-
secutive) or longer. 
‘‘(2) EXCEPTION FOR ELDERLY AND DISABLED 
FAMILIES.—In determining the number of months 
for which an individual has been provided assistance 
under section 8, for purposes of paragraph (1), a 
public housing agency shall disregard any month 
during which such individual was a member of a dis-
abled or elderly family so assisted. 
‘‘(3) APPLICABILITY.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—This subsection shall 
apply beginning upon the expiration of the 24- 
month period that begins on the date of the en-
actment of the Section 8 Reform, Responsi-
bility, and Accountability Act of 2007. 
‘‘(B) TREATMENT OF ASSISTANCE BEFORE 
EFFECTIVE DATE OF LIMITATION.—Except as 
provided in subparagraph (C), any months that 
commenced before the expiration of such period 
shall be considered for purposes of determining, 
pursuant to paragraph (1), the number of 
months for which an individual has been pro-
vided assistance under section 8. 
‘‘(C) TWO-YEAR SAFE HARBOR AFTER EF-
FECTIVE
DATE.—For purposes of paragraph 
VerDate Aug 31 2005 
03:52 Feb 27, 2008
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00003
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H5490.IH
H5490
smartinez on PRODPC61 with BILLS
(1), the maximum number of months that com-
menced before the expiration of such 24-month 
period that any individual may be considered to 
have been provided assistance under section 8, 
shall be 36.’’. 
SEC. 4. WORK REQUIREMENTS FOR SECTION 8 RENTAL AS-
SISTANCE. 
Section 16 of the United States Housing Act of 1937 
(42 U.S.C. 1437n), as amended by the preceding provi-
sions of this Act, is further amendment by adding at the 
end the following new subsection: 
‘‘(h) WORK REQUIREMENT FOR ASSISTED FAMILIES 
RECEIVING SECTION 8 ASSISTANCE.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in this 
subsection and notwithstanding any other provision 
of this Act, assistance under section 8 may not be 
provided on behalf of any family, unless each mem-
ber of the family who is 18 years of age or older per-
forms not fewer than 20 hours of work activities (as 
such term is defined in section 407(d) of the Social 
Security Act (42 U.S.C. 607(d))) per week. 
‘‘(2) EXEMPTIONS.—The Secretary of Housing 
and Urban Development shall provide an exemption 
from the applicability of paragraph (1) for any indi-
vidual family member who— 
VerDate Aug 31 2005 
03:52 Feb 27, 2008
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00004
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H5490.IH
H5490
smartinez on PRODPC61 with BILLS
the State or other administering entity to be in 
noncompliance with such program; or 
‘‘(E) is a single custodial parent caring for 
a child who has not attained 6 years of age, 
and the individual proves that the individual 
has a demonstrated inability (as determined by 
the State) to obtain needed child care, for one 
or more of the following reasons: 
‘‘(i) 
Unavailability 
of 
appropriate 
child care within a reasonable distance 
from the individual’s home or work site. 
‘‘(ii) Unavailability or unsuitability of 
informal child care by a relative or under 
other arrangements. 
‘‘(iii) Unavailability of appropriate 
and affordable formal child care arrange-
ments. 
‘‘(3) 
ADMINISTRATION.—A 
public 
housing 
agency providing rental assistance described in para-
graph (1) may administer the work activities re-
quirement under this subsection directly, through a 
resident organization, or through a contractor hav-
ing experience in administering work activities pro-
grams within the service area of the public housing 
VerDate Aug 31 2005 
03:52 Feb 27, 2008
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00006
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H5490.IH
H5490
smartinez on PRODPC61 with BILLS
agency. The Secretary may establish qualifications 
for such organizations and contractors. 
‘‘(4) PARTICIPATION OF NONPROFIT EMPLOY-
MENT AND WORK DEVELOPMENT ORGANIZATIONS.— 
In administering this subsection, each public housing 
agency shall provide for the active participation of 
nonprofit employment assistance and training orga-
nizations and nonprofit work development organiza-
tions in assisting families receiving rental assistance 
under section 8, in accordance with such require-
ments as the Secretary shall establish. 
‘‘(5) APPLICABILITY.—This subsection shall 
apply beginning upon the expiration of the 24-month 
period that begins on the date of the enactment of 
the Section 8 Reform, Responsibility, and Account-
ability Act of 2007.’’. 
SEC. 5. PREFERENCE FOR PROVIDING SECTION 8 RENTAL 
ASSISTANCE TO VETERANS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 8 of the United States 
Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437f) is amended— 
(1) in subsection (d)(1)(A)— 
(A) by inserting after ‘‘except that’’ the 
following: ‘‘each public housing agency shall 
give preference to families that include a mem-
ber who is a veteran as such term is defined in 
VerDate Aug 31 2005 
03:52 Feb 27, 2008
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00007
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H5490.IH
H5490
smartinez on PRODPC61 with BILLS
section 101 of title 38, United States Code) 
who will reside in the dwelling unit assisted, 
and except that’’; and 
(B) by inserting after ‘‘local preferences,’’ 
the following: ‘‘which shall be subordinate to 
the preference for veterans and shall be’’; and 
(2) in subsection (o)— 
(A) in paragraph (6)(A)— 
(i) in clause (ii)— 
(I) by striking ‘‘this subpara-
graph’’ and inserting ‘‘clause (ii)’’; 
and 
(II) by inserting before the pe-
riod at the end the following: ‘‘, and 
shall be subordinate to the preference 
established under clause (i)’’; 
(ii) by redesignating clauses (i) and 
(ii) (as so amended) as clauses (ii) and 
(iii), respectively; and 
(iii) by inserting before clause (ii) (as 
so redesignated by clause (ii) of this sub-
paragraph) the following new clause: 
‘‘(i) REQUIRED
PREFERENCE
FOR 
VETERANS.—In making tenant-based as-
sistance under this subsection available on 
VerDate Aug 31 2005 
03:52 Feb 27, 2008
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00008
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H5490.IH
H5490
smartinez on PRODPC61 with BILLS
behalf of eligible families, each public hous-
ing agency shall give preference to families 
that include a member who is a veteran (as 
such term is defined in section 101 of title 
38, United States Code) who will reside in 
the dwelling unit assisted.’’; and 
(B) in paragraph (13)(J)— 
(i) by striking ‘‘The agency’’ and in-
serting the following: ‘‘In selecting families 
to receive project-based assistance pursu-
ant to this paragraph, the agency shall 
give preference to families that include a 
member who is a veteran (as such term is 
defined in section 101 of title 38, United 
States Code) who will reside in the unit. In 
addition, the agency’’; and 
(ii) by inserting after ‘‘section 5A’’ 
the following: ‘‘, except that any such pref-
erences established pursuant to this sen-
tence shall be subordinate to the pref-
erence established by the preceding sen-
tence.’’. 
(b) APPLICABILITY.—The amendments made by sub-
section (a) shall apply beginning upon the date of the en-
actment of this Act. 
VerDate Aug 31 2005 
03:52 Feb 27, 2008
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00009
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H5490.IH
H5490
smartinez on PRODPC61 with BILLS
SEC. 6. SENSE OF THE CONGRESS REGARDING THE MOV-
ING TO WORK PROGRAM. 
It is the sense of the Congress that the Moving to 
Work demonstration program of the Department of Hous-
ing and Urban Development under section 204 of the De-
partments of Veterans Affairs and Housing and Urban 
Development, and Independent Agencies Appropriations 
Act, 1996 (42 U.S.C. 1437f note) should be expanded to 
include significantly more public housing agencies. 
SEC. 7. USE OF UNSPENT HOUSING ASSISTANCE PAYMENTS 
CONTRACT 
AMOUNTS 
FOR 
COMPLIANCE 
MEASURES. 
Amounts provided by the Secretary of Housing and 
Urban Development to a public housing agency under an 
annual contributions contract for rental assistance under 
section 8 of the United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 
U.S.C. 1437f) that remain unused for housing assistance 
payments contracts may be used by such agency for ac-
tions— 
(1) to monitor compliance of owners of housing 
assisted under such section and tenants of such 
housing with all laws and regulations relating to 
such assistance; and 
(2) to enforce violations of such laws and regu-
lations. 
VerDate Aug 31 2005 
03:52 Feb 27, 2008
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00010
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H5490.IH
H5490
smartinez on PRODPC61 with BILLS
SEC. 8. PUBLIC AVAILABILITY OF PHA PLANS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 5A of the United States 
Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437c–1) is amended by 
adding at the end the following new subsection: 
‘‘(m) PUBLIC AVAILABILITY OF PLAN.—Each public 
housing agency that has a public housing agency plan ap-
proved under this section shall make the approved plan 
(and any approved modifications and amendments to such 
plan) publicly available for inspection during regular busi-
ness hours at the offices of the agency and in electronic 
form by means of the World Wide Web.’’. 
(b) APPLICABILITY.—Subsection (m) of section 5A of 
the United States Housing Act of 1937, as added by the 
amendment made by subsection (a), shall apply beginning 
upon the date of the enactment of this Act. 
Æ 
VerDate Aug 31 2005 
03:52 Feb 27, 2008
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00011
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6301
E:\BILLS\H5490.IH
H5490
smartinez on PRODPC61 with BILLS