I 
115TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 4258 
To promote the development of local strategies to coordinate use of assistance 
under sections 8 and 9 of the United States Housing Act of 1937 
with public and private resources, to enable eligible families to achieve 
economic independence and self-sufficiency, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
NOVEMBER 6, 2017 
Mr. DUFFY (for himself and Mr. CLEAVER) introduced the following bill; 
which was referred to the Committee on Financial Services 
A BILL 
To promote the development of local strategies to coordinate 
use of assistance under sections 8 and 9 of the United 
States Housing Act of 1937 with public and private 
resources, to enable eligible families to achieve economic 
independence and self-sufficiency, 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 ‘‘Family Self-Sufficiency 
Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. FAMILY SELF-SUFFICIENCY PROGRAM. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 23 of the United States 
Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437u) is amended— 
(1) in subsection (a)— 
(A) by striking ‘‘public housing and’’; and 
(B) by striking ‘‘the certificate and vouch-
er programs under section 8’’ and inserting 
‘‘sections 8 and 9’’; 
(2) by amending subsection (b) to read as fol-
lows: 
‘‘(b) CONTINUATION
OF PRIOR REQUIRED PRO-
GRAMS.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Each public housing agen-
cy that was required to administer a local Family 
Self-Sufficiency program on the date of enactment of 
the Family Self-Sufficiency Act, shall operate such 
local program for, at a minimum, the number of 
families the agency was required to serve on the date 
of enactment of such Act, subject only to the avail-
ability under appropriations Acts of sufficient 
amounts for housing assistance and the require-
ments of paragraph (2). 
‘‘(2) REDUCTION.—The number of families for 
which a public housing agency is required to operate 
such local program under paragraph (1) shall be de-
creased by one for each family from any supported 
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rental housing program administered by such agency 
that, after October 21, 1998, fulfills its obligations 
under the contract of participation. 
‘‘(3) EXCEPTION.—The Secretary shall not re-
quire a public housing agency to carry out a manda-
tory program for a period of time upon the request 
of the public housing agency and upon a determina-
tion by the Secretary that implementation is not fea-
sible because of local circumstances, which may in-
clude— 
‘‘(A) lack of supportive services accessible 
to eligible families, which shall include insuffi-
cient availability of resources for programs 
under title I of the Workforce Investment Act 
of 1998 (29 U.S.C. 2801 et seq.); 
‘‘(B) lack of funding for reasonable admin-
istrative costs; 
‘‘(C) lack of cooperation by other units of 
State or local government; or 
‘‘(D) any other circumstances that the Sec-
retary may consider appropriate.’’; 
(3) by striking subsection (i); 
(4) by redesignating subsections (c), (d), (e), 
(f), (g), and (h) as subsections (d), (e), (f), (g), (h), 
and (i) respectively; 
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(5) by inserting after subsection (b), as amend-
ed, the following: 
‘‘(c) ELIGIBILITY.— 
‘‘(1) ELIGIBLE FAMILIES.—A family is eligible 
to participate in a local Family Self-Sufficiency pro-
gram under this section if— 
‘‘(A) at least 1 household member seeks to 
become and remain employed in suitable em-
ployment or to increase earnings; and 
‘‘(B) the household member receives direct 
assistance under section 8 or resides in a unit 
assisted under section 8 or 9. 
‘‘(2) ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.—The following enti-
ties are eligible to administer a local Family Self- 
Sufficiency program under this section: 
‘‘(A) A public housing agency admin-
istering housing assistance to or on behalf of an 
eligible family under section 8 or 9. 
‘‘(B) The owner or sponsor of a multi-
family property receiving project-based rental 
assistance under section 8, in accordance with 
the requirements under subsection (l).’’; 
(6) in subsection (d), as so redesignated— 
(A) in paragraph (1)— 
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(I) by striking ‘‘public housing 
agency’’ and inserting ‘‘eligible enti-
ty’’; and 
(II) by striking ‘‘of the agency’’; 
(D) by amending paragraph (4) to read as 
follows: 
‘‘(4) EMPLOYMENT.—The contract of participa-
tion shall require 1 household member of the partici-
pating family to seek and maintain suitable employ-
ment.’’; and 
(E) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(5) 
NONPARTICIPATION.—Assistance 
under 
section 8 or 9 for a family that elects not to partici-
pate in a Family Self-Sufficiency program shall not 
be delayed by reason of such election.’’; 
(7) in subsection (e), as so redesignated— 
(A) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘whose 
monthly adjusted income does not exceed 50 
percent’’ and all that follows through the period 
at the end of the third sentence and inserting 
‘‘shall be calculated under the rental provisions 
of section 3 or section 8(o), as applicable.’’; 
(B) in paragraph (2)— 
(i) by striking the first sentence and 
inserting the following: ‘‘For each partici-
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pating family, an amount equal to any in-
crease in the amount of rent paid by the 
family in accordance with the provisions of 
section 3 or 8(o), as applicable, that is at-
tributable to increases in earned income by 
the participating family, shall be placed in 
an interest-bearing escrow account estab-
lished by the eligible entity on behalf of the 
participating family. Notwithstanding any 
other provision of law, an eligible entity 
may use funds it controls under section 8 
or 9 for purposes of making the escrow de-
posit for participating families assisted 
under, or residing in units assisted under, 
section 8 or 9, respectively, provided such 
funds are offset by the increase in the 
amount of rent paid by the participating 
family.’’; 
(ii) by striking the second sentence 
and inserting the following: ‘‘All Family 
Self-Sufficiency 
programs 
administered 
under this section shall include an escrow 
account.’’; 
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(iii) in the fourth sentence, by striking 
‘‘subsection (c)’’ and inserting ‘‘subsection 
(d)’’; and 
(iv) in the last sentence— 
(I) by striking ‘‘A public housing 
agency’’ and inserting ‘‘An eligible en-
tity’’; and 
(II) by striking ‘‘the public hous-
ing agency’’ and inserting ‘‘such eligi-
ble entity’’; and 
(C) by amending paragraph (3) to read as 
follows: 
‘‘(3) FORFEITED ESCROW.—Any amount placed 
in an escrow account established by an eligible entity 
for a participating family as required under para-
graph (2), that exists after the end of a contract of 
participation by a household member of a partici-
pating family that does not qualify to receive the es-
crow, shall be used by the eligible entity for the ben-
efit of participating families in good standing.’’; 
(8) in subsection (f), as so redesignated, by 
striking ‘‘, unless the income of the family equals or 
exceeds 80 percent of the median income of the area 
(as determined by the Secretary with adjustments 
for smaller and larger families)’’; 
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(9) in subsection (g), as so redesignated— 
(A) in paragraph (1)— 
(i) by striking ‘‘public housing agen-
cy’’ and inserting ‘‘eligible entity’’; 
(ii) by striking ‘‘the public housing 
agency’’ and inserting ‘‘such eligible enti-
ty’’; and 
(iii) by striking ‘‘subsection (g)’’ and 
inserting ‘‘subsection (h)’’; and 
(B) in paragraph (2)— 
(i) by striking ‘‘public housing agen-
cy’’ and inserting ‘‘eligible entity’’ each 
place that term appears; 
(ii) by striking ‘‘or the Job Opportu-
nities and Basic Skills Training Program 
under part F of title IV of the Social Secu-
rity Act’’; 
(iii) by inserting ‘‘primary, secondary, 
and post-secondary’’ after ‘‘public and pri-
vate’’; and 
(iv) in the second sentence, by insert-
ing ‘‘and tenants served by the program’’ 
after ‘‘the unit of general local govern-
ment’’; 
(10) in subsection (h), as so redesignated— 
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(A) in paragraph (1)— 
(i) by striking ‘‘public housing agen-
cy’’ and inserting ‘‘eligible entity’’; 
(ii) by striking ‘‘participating in the’’ 
and inserting ‘‘carrying out a’’; and 
(iii) by striking ‘‘to the Secretary’’; 
(B) in paragraph (2)— 
(i) by striking ‘‘public housing agen-
cy’’ and inserting ‘‘eligible entity’’; 
(ii) by striking ‘‘subsection (f)’’ and 
inserting ‘‘subsection (g)’’; 
(iii) by striking ‘‘residents of the pub-
lic housing’’ and inserting ‘‘the current 
and prospective participants of the pro-
gram’’; and 
(iv) by striking ‘‘or the Job Opportu-
nities and Basic Skills Training Program 
under part F of title IV of the Social Secu-
rity Act’’; and 
(C) in paragraph (3)— 
(i) in subparagraph (C)— 
(I) 
by 
striking 
‘‘subsection 
(c)(2)’’ 
and 
inserting 
‘‘subsection 
(d)(2)’’; 
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(II) by striking ‘‘provided to’’ 
and inserting ‘‘coordinated on behalf 
of participating’’; 
(III) by inserting ‘‘direct’’ before 
‘‘assistance’’; and 
(IV) by striking ‘‘the section 8 
and public housing programs’’ and in-
serting ‘‘sections 8 and 9’’; 
(ii) in subparagraph (D)— 
(I) by striking ‘‘subsection (d)’’ 
and inserting ‘‘subsection (e)’’; and 
(II) by striking ‘‘public housing 
agency’’ and inserting ‘‘eligible enti-
ty’’; 
(iii) in subparagraph (E), by striking 
‘‘deliver’’ and inserting ‘‘coordinate’’; 
(iv) in subparagraph (H), by striking 
‘‘the Job Opportunities and Basic Skills 
Training Program under part F of title IV 
of the Social Security Act and’’; and 
(v) in subparagraph (I), by striking 
‘‘public housing or section 8 assistance’’ 
and inserting ‘‘assistance under section 8 
or 9’’; 
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(11) by amending subsection (i), as so redesig-
nated, to read as follows: 
‘‘(i) FAMILY SELF-SUFFICIENCY AWARDS.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to appropriations, 
the Secretary shall establish a formula by which an-
nual funds will be awarded or as otherwise deter-
mined by the Secretary for the costs incurred by an 
eligible entity in administering the self-sufficiency 
program under this section. 
‘‘(2) ELIGIBILITY
FOR
AWARDS.—The award 
established under paragraph (1) shall provide fund-
ing for family self-sufficiency coordinators as follows: 
‘‘(A) BASE
AWARD.—An eligible entity 
serving 25 or more participants in the Family 
Self-Sufficiency program under this section is 
eligible to receive an award equal to the costs, 
as determined by the Secretary, of 1 full-time 
family self-sufficiency coordinator position. The 
Secretary may, by regulation or notice, deter-
mine the policy concerning the award for an eli-
gible entity serving fewer than 25 such partici-
pants, including providing prorated awards or 
allowing such entities to combine their pro-
grams under this section for purposes of em-
ploying a coordinator. 
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‘‘(B) ADDITIONAL AWARD.—An eligible en-
tity that meets performance standards set by 
the Secretary is eligible to receive an additional 
award sufficient to cover the costs of filling an 
additional family self-sufficiency coordinator po-
sition if such entity has 75 or more partici-
pating families, and an additional coordinator 
for each additional 50 participating families, or 
such other ratio as may be established by the 
Secretary based on the award allocation evalua-
tion under subparagraph (E). 
‘‘(C) STATE AND REGIONAL AGENCIES.— 
For purposes of calculating the award under 
this paragraph, each administratively distinct 
part of a State or regional eligible entity may 
be treated as a separate agency. 
‘‘(D) DETERMINATION OF NUMBER OF CO-
ORDINATORS.—In determining whether an eligi-
ble entity meets a specific threshold for funding 
pursuant to this paragraph, the Secretary shall 
consider the number of participants enrolled by 
the eligible entity in its Family Self-Sufficiency 
program as well as other criteria determined by 
the Secretary. 
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‘‘(E) AWARD ALLOCATION EVALUATION.— 
The Secretary shall submit to Congress a report 
evaluating the award allocation under this sub-
section, and make recommendations based on 
this evaluation and other related findings to 
modify such allocation, within 4 years after the 
date of enactment of the Family Self-Suffi-
ciency Act, and not less frequently than every 
4 years thereafter. The report requirement 
under this subparagraph shall terminate after 
the Secretary has submitted two such reports to 
Congress. 
‘‘(3) RENEWALS AND ALLOCATION.— 
‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—Funds allocated by 
the Secretary under this subsection shall be al-
located in the following order of priority: 
‘‘(i) FIRST PRIORITY.—Renewal of the 
full cost of all coordinators in the previous 
year at each eligible entity with an existing 
Family 
Self-Sufficiency 
program 
that 
meets applicable performance standards 
set by the Secretary. 
‘‘(ii) SECOND PRIORITY.—New or in-
cremental coordinator funding authorized 
under this section. 
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‘‘(B) GUIDANCE.—If the first priority, as 
described in subparagraph (A)(i), cannot be 
fully satisfied, the Secretary may prorate the 
funding for each eligible entity, as long as— 
‘‘(i) each eligible entity that has re-
ceived funding for at least 1 part-time co-
ordinator in the prior fiscal year is pro-
vided sufficient funding for at least 1 part- 
time coordinator as part of any such pro-
ration; and 
‘‘(ii) each eligible entity that has re-
ceived funding for at least 1 full-time coor-
dinator in the prior fiscal year is provided 
sufficient funding for at least 1 full-time 
coordinator as part of any such proration. 
‘‘(4) RECAPTURE OR OFFSET.—Any awards al-
located under this subsection by the Secretary in a 
fiscal year that have not been spent by the end of 
the subsequent fiscal year or such other time period 
as determined by the Secretary may be recaptured 
by the Secretary and shall be available for providing 
additional awards pursuant to paragraph (2)(B), or 
may be offset as determined by the Secretary. Funds 
appropriated pursuant to this section shall remain 
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available for 3 years in order to facilitate the re-use 
of any recaptured funds for this purpose. 
‘‘(5) PERFORMANCE
REPORTING.—Programs 
under this section shall be required to report the 
number of families enrolled and graduated, the num-
ber of established escrow accounts and positive es-
crow balances, and any other information that the 
Secretary may require. Program performance shall 
be reviewed periodically as determined by the Sec-
retary. 
‘‘(6) INCENTIVES FOR INNOVATION AND HIGH 
PERFORMANCE.—The Secretary may reserve up to 5 
percent of the amounts made available under this 
subsection to provide support to or reward Family 
Self-Sufficiency programs based on the rate of suc-
cessful completion, increased earned income, or 
other factors as may be established by the Sec-
retary.’’; 
(12) in subsection (j)— 
(A) by striking ‘‘public housing agency’’ 
and inserting ‘‘eligible entity’’; 
(B) by striking ‘‘public housing’’ before 
‘‘units’’; 
(C) by striking ‘‘in public housing projects 
administered by the agency’’; 
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