I 
108TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1614
To reauthorize the HOPE VI program for revitalization of severely distressed 
public housing and to provide financial assistance under such program 
for main street revitalization or redevelopment projects in smaller com-
munities to support the development of affordable housing for low-income 
families in connection with such projects, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
APRIL 3, 2003
Mr. LEACH (for himself, Mr. WATT, Mr. DAVIS of Alabama, and Ms. HARRIS) 
introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Fi-
nancial Services 
A BILL 
To reauthorize the HOPE VI program for revitalization of 
severely distressed public housing and to provide finan-
cial assistance under such program for main street revi-
talization or redevelopment projects in smaller commu-
nities to support the development of affordable housing 
for low-income families in connection with such projects, 
and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
HR 1614 IH 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘HOPE VI Program 
Reauthorization and Small Community Mainstreet Reju-
venation and Housing Act of 2003.’’
SEC. 2. HOPE VI PROGRAM REAUTHORIZATION. 
(a) SELECTION CRITERIA.—Section 24(e)(2) of the 
United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 
1437v(e)(2)) is amended—
(1) by striking the matter preceding subpara-
graph (A) and inserting the following: 
‘‘(2) SELECTION
CRITERIA.—The Secretary 
shall establish criteria for the award of grants under 
this section and shall include among the factors—’’; 
(2) in subparagraph (B), by striking ‘‘large-
scale’’; 
(3) in subparagraph (D), by inserting ‘‘and on-
going implementation’’ after ‘‘development’’; 
(4) in subparagraph (H), by striking ‘‘and’’ at 
the end; 
(5) by redesignating subparagraph (I) as sub-
paragraph (M); and 
(6) by inserting after subparagraph (H) the fol-
lowing new subparagraphs: 
‘‘(I) the extent to which the applicant can 
commence and complete the revitalization plan 
expeditiously;
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‘‘(J) the extent to which the plan mini-
mizes temporary or permanent displacement of 
current residents of the public housing site who 
wish to remain in or return to the revitalized 
community; 
‘‘(K) the extent to which the plan sustains 
or creates more project-based housing units 
available to persons eligible for public housing 
in markets where there is demand for the main-
tenance or creation of such units; 
‘‘(L) the extent to which the plan gives to 
existing residents priority for occupancy in 
dwelling units in the revitalized community; 
and.’’. 
(b) AUTHORIZATION
OF APPROPRIATIONS.—Para-
graph (1) of section 24(m) of the United States Housing 
Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437v(m)(1)) is amended by in-
serting before the period at the end the following: ‘‘and 
such sums as may be necessary for each of fiscal years 
2004 and 2005’’. 
(c) EXTENSION OF PROGRAM.—Section 24(n) of the 
United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437v(n)) 
is amended by striking ‘‘September 30, 2004’’ and insert-
ing ‘‘September 30, 2005’’.
HR 1614 IH 
SEC. 3. HOPE VI GRANTS FOR ASSISTING AFFORDABLE 
HOUSING 
THROUGH 
MAIN 
STREET 
PROJECTS. 
(a) PURPOSES.—Section 24(a) of the United States 
Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437v(a)) is amended 
by adding after and below paragraph (4) the following: 
‘‘It is also the purpose of this section to provide assistance 
to smaller communities for the purpose of facilitating the 
development of affordable housing for low-income families 
that is undertaken in connection with a main street revi-
talization or redevelopment project in such communities.’’. 
(b) GRANTS FOR ASSISTING AFFORDABLE HOUSING 
DEVELOPED THROUGH MAIN STREET PROJECTS
IN 
SMALLER
COMMUNITIES.—Section 24 of the United 
States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437v) is amend-
ed—
(1) by redesignating subsection (n) as sub-
section (o); and 
(2) by inserting after subsection (m) the fol-
lowing new subsection: 
‘‘(n) GRANTS FOR ASSISTING AFFORDABLE HOUSING 
DEVELOPED THROUGH MAIN STREET PROJECTS
IN 
SMALLER COMMUNITIES.—
‘‘(1) 
AUTHORITY
AND
USE
OF
GRANT 
AMOUNTS.—The Secretary may make grants under 
this subsection to smaller communities. Such grant
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amounts shall be used by smaller communities only 
to provide assistance to carry out eligible affordable 
housing activities under paragraph (3) in connection 
with an eligible project under paragraph (2). 
‘‘(2) ELIGIBLE PROJECT.—For purposes of this 
subsection, the term ‘eligible project’ means a 
project that—
‘‘(A) the Secretary determines, under the 
criteria established pursuant to paragraph (3), 
is a main street project; 
‘‘(B) is carried out within the jurisdiction 
of smaller community receiving the grant; and 
‘‘(C) involves the development of affordable 
housing that is located in the commercial area 
that is the subject of the project. 
‘‘(3) MAIN STREET PROJECTS.—The Secretary 
shall establish requirements for a project to be con-
sidered a main street project for purposes of this 
section, which shall require that the project—
‘‘(A) has as its purpose the revitalization 
or redevelopment of a historic or traditional 
commercial area; 
‘‘(B) involves investment, or other partici-
pation, by the government for, and private enti-
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ties in, the community in which the project is 
carried out; and 
‘‘(C) complies with such historic preserva-
tion guidelines or principles as the Secretary 
shall identify to preserve significant historic or 
traditional architectural and design features in 
the structures or area involved in the project. 
‘‘(4) ELIGIBLE AFFORDABLE HOUSING ACTIVI-
TIES.—For purposes of this subsection, the activities 
described in subsection (d)(1) shall be considered eli-
gible affordable housing activities, except that—
‘‘(A) such activities shall be conducted 
with respect to affordable housing rather than 
with respect to severely distressed public hous-
ing projects; and 
‘‘(B) eligible affordable housing activities 
under this subsection shall not include the ac-
tivities described in subparagraphs (B) through 
(F) or (J) through (L) of subsection (d)(1). 
‘‘(5) MAXIMUM
GRANT
AMOUNT.—A grant 
under this subsection for a fiscal year for a single 
smaller community may not exceed $1,000,000. 
‘‘(6) CONTRIBUTION REQUIREMENT.—A smaller 
community applying for a grant under this sub-
section shall be considered an applicant for purposes
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of subsection (c) (relating to contributions by appli-
cants), except that—
‘‘(A) such supplemental amounts shall be 
used only for carrying out eligible affordable 
housing activities; and 
‘‘(B) paragraphs (1)(B) and (3) shall not 
apply to grants under this subsection. 
‘‘(7) APPLICATIONS AND SELECTION.—
‘‘(A) APPLICATION.—Pursuant to sub-
section (e)(1), the Secretary shall provide for 
smaller communities to apply for grants under 
this subsection, except that the Secretary may 
establish such separate or additional criteria for 
applications for such grants as may be appro-
priate to carry out this subsection. 
‘‘(B) SELECTION
CRITERIA.—The Sec-
retary shall establish selection criteria for the 
award of grants under this subsection, which 
shall be based on the selection criteria estab-
lished pursuant to subsection (e)(2), with such 
changes as may be appropriate to carry out the 
purposes of this subsection. 
‘‘(8) COST LIMITS.—The cost limits established 
pursuant to subsection (f) shall apply to eligible af-
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fordable housing activities assisted with grant 
amounts under this subsection. 
‘‘(9) 
INAPPLICABILITY
OF
OTHER
PROVI-
SIONS.—The provisions of subsections (g) (relating 
to disposition and replacement of severely distressed 
public housing), (h) (relating to administration of 
grants by other entities), and (i) (relating to with-
drawal of funding) shall not apply to grants under 
this subsection. 
‘‘(10) REPORTING.—The Secretary shall require 
each smaller community receiving a grant under this 
subsection to submit a report regarding the use of 
all amounts provided under the grant. 
‘‘(11) DEFINITIONS.—For purposes of this sub-
section, the following definitions shall apply: 
‘‘(A) AFFORDABLE
HOUSING.—The term 
‘affordable housing’ means rental or home-
ownership dwelling units that—
‘‘(i) are made available for initial oc-
cupancy subject to the same rules regard-
ing level of income and income mix as 
dwelling units in public housing projects 
assisted with a grant under this section; 
and
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‘‘(ii) are subject to the same rules re-
garding occupant contribution toward rent 
or purchase and terms of rental or pur-
chase as dwelling units in public housing 
projects assisted with a grant under this 
section. 
‘‘(B) SMALLER
COMMUNITY.—The term 
‘smaller community’ means a unit of general 
local government (as such term is defined in 
section 102 of the Housing and Community De-
velopment Act of 1974 (42 U.S.C. 5302)) 
that—
‘‘(i) has a population of 30,000 or 
fewer; and 
‘‘(ii)(I) may not be not served by a 
public housing agency; or 
‘‘(II) is served by a single public hous-
ing agency, which agency administers 100 
or fewer public housing dwelling units.’’. 
(c) ANNUAL REPORT.—Section 24(l) of the United 
States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437v(l)) is 
amended—
(1) in paragraph (3), by striking ‘‘; and’’ and 
inserting ‘‘, including a specification of the amount
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and type of assistance provided under subsection 
(n);’’; 
(2) by redesignating paragraph (4) as para-
graph (5); and 
(3) by inserting after paragraph (3) the fol-
lowing new paragraph: 
‘‘(4) the types of projects funded, and number 
of affordable housing dwelling units developed with, 
grants under subsection (n); and’’. 
(d) FUNDING.—Section 24(m) of the United States 
Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437v(m)) is amended 
by adding at the end the following new paragraph: 
‘‘(3) SET-ASIDE
FOR
MAIN
STREET
HOUSING 
GRANTS.—Of the amount appropriated pursuant to 
paragraph (1) for any fiscal year, the Secretary shall 
provide up to 5 percent for use only for grants 
under subsection (n).’’.
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