I 
117TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 4377 
To expand eligibility for certain housing programs for qualified volunteer 
first responders. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 9, 2021 
Mrs. AXNE (for herself, Mr. BOST, Mr. LUCAS, and Ms. SLOTKIN) introduced 
the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Financial Services 
A BILL 
To expand eligibility for certain housing programs for 
qualified volunteer first responders. 
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 ‘‘Volunteer First Re-
sponder Housing Act’’. 
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) BONA
FIDE
VOLUNTEER; ELIGIBLE
EM-
PLOYER; QUALIFIED SERVICES.—The terms ‘‘bona 
fide volunteer’’, ‘‘eligible employer’’, and ‘‘qualified 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
22:45 Jul 23, 2021
Jkt 019200
PO 00000
Frm 00001
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H4377.IH
H4377
kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
services’’ have the meanings given those terms in 
section 457(e) of the Internal Revenue Code of 
1986. 
(2) INDIAN TRIBE.—The term ‘‘Indian Tribe’’ 
has the meaning given the term ‘‘Indian tribe’’ in 
section 501(b) of the Housing Act of 1949 (42 
U.S.C. 1471(b)). 
(3) 
QUALIFIED
VOLUNTEER
FIRST
RE-
SPONDER.—The term ‘‘qualified volunteer first re-
sponder’’ means any individual who— 
(A) is a bona fide volunteer performing 
qualified services for an eligible employer; 
(B) continuously served as a volunteer for 
the eligible employer during the 2-year period 
preceding the date on which the individual sub-
mits a verification letter under section 3(b) or 
4(b); 
(C) during each of the 2 years described in 
subparagraph (B)— 
(i) met the minimum requirements for 
active membership established by the eligi-
ble employer; or 
(ii) if the eligible employer did not es-
tablish minimum requirements, volunteered 
for not less than 200 hours; and 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
22:45 Jul 23, 2021
Jkt 019200
PO 00000
Frm 00002
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H4377.IH
H4377
kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
(D) is certified as a firefighter or other 
first responder in the State, political subdivision 
of a State, or jurisdiction of an Indian Tribe in 
which the individual is serving as volunteer. 
SEC. 3. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE SINGLE FAMILY 
HOUSING GUARANTEED LOAN PROGRAM. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—A qualified volunteer first re-
sponder who submits to the Secretary of Agriculture (re-
ferred to in this section as the ‘‘Secretary’’) a verification 
letter in accordance with subsection (b) shall be eligible 
for a deduction in annual income under section 
3555.152(c) of title 7, Code of Federal Regulations (or 
any successor regulation), in the amount of $18,000. 
(b) VERIFICATION LETTER.—To be eligible for a de-
duction under subsection (a), a qualified volunteer first 
responder shall submit to the Secretary a verification let-
ter from the head of the eligible employer for which the 
qualified volunteer first responder volunteers, which 
shall— 
(1) include the date on which the qualified vol-
unteer first responder joined the eligible employer as 
a volunteer; 
(2) attest to the Secretary that the qualified 
volunteer first responder meets the requirements 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
22:45 Jul 23, 2021
Jkt 019200
PO 00000
Frm 00003
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H4377.IH
H4377
kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
under subparagraphs (B) and (C) of section 2(3); 
and 
(3) include a copy of the certification described 
in section 2(3)(D). 
SEC. 4. GOOD NEIGHBOR NEXT DOOR SALES PROGRAM 
AND SIMILAR PROGRAMS. 
(a) ELIGIBILITY.—A qualified volunteer first re-
sponder who submits to the Secretary of Housing and 
Urban Development (referred to in this section as the 
‘‘Secretary’’) a verification letter in accordance with sub-
section (b) shall qualify as a firefighter or emergency med-
ical technician for purposes of any single family property 
disposition program carried out by the Secretary by regu-
lation under section 204(g) of the National Housing Act 
(12 U.S.C. 1710(g)) that offers discounted home prices 
to firefighters or emergency medical technicians. 
(b) VERIFICATION LETTER.—To qualify to purchase 
a home under a single family property disposition program 
referred to in subsection (a), a qualified first responder 
shall submit to the Secretary a verification letter from the 
head of the eligible employer for which the qualified volun-
teer first responder volunteers, which shall— 
(1) include the date on which the qualified vol-
unteer first responder joined the eligible employer as 
a volunteer; 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
22:45 Jul 23, 2021
Jkt 019200
PO 00000
Frm 00004
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H4377.IH
H4377
kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS