121 
‘‘(G) the program under section 236 of the 
National Housing Act (12 U.S.C. 1715z–1); 
‘‘(H) the programs under sections 6 and 8 
of the United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 
U.S.C. 1437d and 1437f); 
‘‘(I) rural housing assistance provided 
under sections 514, 515, 516, 533, and 538 of the 
Housing Act of 1949 (42 U.S.C. 1484, 1485, 
1486, 1490m, and 1490p–2); and 
‘‘(J) the low-income housing tax credit pro-
gram under section 42 of the Internal Revenue 
Code of 1986. 
‘‘(b) PROHIBITED BASIS
FOR DENIAL
OR TERMI-
NATION OF ASSISTANCE OR EVICTION.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—An applicant for or tenant 
of housing assisted under a covered housing program 
may not be denied admission to, denied assistance 
under, terminated from participation in, or evicted 
from the housing program or housing on the basis 
that the applicant or tenant is or has been a victim 
of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, 
or stalking, if the applicant or tenant otherwise quali-
fies for admission, assistance, participation, or occu-
pancy. 
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122 
‘‘(2) CONSTRUCTION OF LEASE TERMS.—An in-
cident of actual or threatened domestic violence, dat-
ing violence, sexual assault, or stalking shall not be 
construed as— 
‘‘(A) a serious or repeated violation of a 
lease for housing assisted under a covered hous-
ing program by the victim or threatened victim 
of such incident; or 
‘‘(B) good cause for terminating the assist-
ance, tenancy, or occupancy rights to housing as-
sisted under a covered housing program of the 
victim or threatened victim of such incident. 
‘‘(3) TERMINATION ON THE BASIS OF CRIMINAL 
ACTIVITY.— 
‘‘(A) DENIAL
OF
ASSISTANCE, TENANCY, 
AND OCCUPANCY RIGHTS PROHIBITED.—No per-
son may deny assistance, tenancy, or occupancy 
rights to housing assisted under a covered hous-
ing program to a tenant solely on the basis of 
criminal activity directly relating to domestic 
violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalk-
ing that is engaged in by a member of the house-
hold of the tenant or any guest or other person 
under the control of the tenant, if the tenant or 
an affiliated individual of the tenant is the vic-
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123 
tim or threatened victim of such domestic vio-
lence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking. 
‘‘(B) BIFURCATION.— 
‘‘(i) IN
GENERAL.—Notwithstanding 
subparagraph (A), a public housing agency 
or owner or manager of housing assisted 
under a covered housing program may bi-
furcate a lease for the housing in order to 
evict, remove, or terminate assistance to 
any individual who is a tenant or lawful 
occupant of the housing and who engages in 
criminal activity directly relating to domes-
tic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, 
or stalking against an affiliated individual 
or other individual, without evicting, re-
moving, terminating assistance to, or other-
wise penalizing a victim of such criminal 
activity who is also a tenant or lawful occu-
pant of the housing. 
‘‘(ii) EFFECT OF EVICTION ON OTHER 
TENANTS.—If a public housing agency or 
owner or manager of housing assisted under 
a covered housing program evicts, removes, 
or terminates assistance to an individual 
under clause (i), and the individual is the 
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124 
sole tenant eligible to receive assistance 
under a covered housing program, the pub-
lic housing agency or owner or manager of 
housing assisted under the covered housing 
program shall provide any remaining ten-
ant an opportunity to establish eligibility 
for the covered housing program. If a tenant 
described in the preceding sentence cannot 
establish eligibility, the public housing 
agency or owner or manager of the housing 
shall provide the tenant a reasonable time, 
as determined by the appropriate agency, to 
find new housing or to establish eligibility 
for housing under another covered housing 
program. 
‘‘(C) RULES
OF
CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing 
in subparagraph (A) shall be construed— 
‘‘(i) to limit the authority of a public 
housing agency or owner or manager of 
housing assisted under a covered housing 
program, when notified of a court order, to 
comply with a court order with respect to— 
‘‘(I) the rights of access to or con-
trol of property, including civil protec-
tion orders issued to protect a victim of 
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125 
domestic violence, dating violence, sex-
ual assault, or stalking; or 
‘‘(II) the distribution or posses-
sion of property among members of a 
household in a case; 
‘‘(ii) to limit any otherwise available 
authority of a public housing agency or 
owner or manager of housing assisted under 
a covered housing program to evict or ter-
minate assistance to a tenant for any viola-
tion of a lease not premised on the act of vi-
olence in question against the tenant or an 
affiliated person of the tenant, if the public 
housing agency or owner or manager does 
not subject an individual who is or has been 
a victim of domestic violence, dating vio-
lence, sexual assault, or stalking to a more 
demanding standard than other tenants in 
determining whether to evict or terminate; 
‘‘(iii) to limit the authority to termi-
nate assistance to a tenant or evict a tenant 
from housing assisted under a covered hous-
ing program if a public housing agency or 
owner or manager of the housing can dem-
onstrate that an actual and imminent 
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126 
threat to other tenants or individuals em-
ployed at or providing service to the prop-
erty would be present if the assistance is not 
terminated or the tenant is not evicted; or 
‘‘(iv) to supersede any provision of any 
Federal, State, or local law that provides 
greater protection than this section for vic-
tims of domestic violence, dating violence, 
sexual assault, or stalking. 
‘‘(c) DOCUMENTATION.— 
‘‘(1) REQUEST FOR DOCUMENTATION.—If an ap-
plicant for, or tenant of, housing assisted under a cov-
ered housing program represents to a public housing 
agency or owner or manager of the housing that the 
individual is entitled to protection under subsection 
(b), the public housing agency or owner or manager 
may request, in writing, that the applicant or tenant 
submit to the public housing agency or owner or 
manager a form of documentation described in para-
graph (3). 
‘‘(2) FAILURE TO PROVIDE CERTIFICATION.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—If an applicant or ten-
ant does not provide the documentation requested 
under paragraph (1) within 14 business days 
after the tenant receives a request in writing for 
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127 
such certification from a public housing agency 
or owner or manager of housing assisted under 
a covered housing program, nothing in this 
chapter may be construed to limit the authority 
of the public housing agency or owner or man-
ager to— 
‘‘(i) deny admission by the applicant 
or tenant to the covered program; 
‘‘(ii) deny assistance under the covered 
program to the applicant or tenant; 
‘‘(iii) terminate the participation of 
the applicant or tenant in the covered pro-
gram; or 
‘‘(iv) evict the applicant, the tenant, or 
a lawful occupant that commits violations 
of a lease. 
‘‘(B) EXTENSION.—A public housing agency 
or owner or manager of housing may extend the 
14-day deadline under subparagraph (A) at its 
discretion. 
‘‘(3) FORM OF DOCUMENTATION.—A form of doc-
umentation described in this paragraph is— 
‘‘(A) a certification form approved by the 
appropriate agency that— 
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129 
believes that the incident of domestic vio-
lence, dating violence, sexual assault, or 
stalking that is the ground for protection 
under subsection (b) meets the requirements 
under subsection (b); 
‘‘(C) a record of a Federal, State, tribal, 
territorial, or local law enforcement agency, 
court, or administrative agency; or 
‘‘(D) at the discretion of a public housing 
agency or owner or manager of housing assisted 
under a covered housing program, a statement or 
other evidence provided by an applicant or ten-
ant. 
‘‘(4) CONFIDENTIALITY.—Any information sub-
mitted to a public housing agency or owner or man-
ager under this subsection, including the fact that an 
individual is a victim of domestic violence, dating vi-
olence, sexual assault, or stalking shall be maintained 
in confidence by the public housing agency or owner 
or manager and may not be entered into any shared 
database or disclosed to any other entity or indi-
vidual, except to the extent that the disclosure is— 
‘‘(A) requested or consented to by the indi-
vidual in writing; 
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130 
‘‘(B) required for use in an eviction pro-
ceeding under subsection (b); or 
‘‘(C) otherwise required by applicable law. 
‘‘(5) DOCUMENTATION NOT REQUIRED.—Nothing 
in this subsection shall be construed to require a pub-
lic housing agency or owner or manager of housing 
assisted under a covered housing program to request 
that an individual submit documentation of the sta-
tus of the individual as a victim of domestic violence, 
dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking. 
‘‘(6) COMPLIANCE
NOT
SUFFICIENT
TO
CON-
STITUTE EVIDENCE OF UNREASONABLE ACT.—Com-
pliance with subsection (b) by a public housing agen-
cy or owner or manager of housing assisted under a 
covered housing program based on documentation re-
ceived under this subsection, shall not be sufficient to 
constitute evidence of an unreasonable act or omission 
by the public housing agency or owner or manager or 
an employee or agent of the public housing agency or 
owner or manager. Nothing in this paragraph shall 
be construed to limit the liability of a public housing 
agency or owner or manager of housing assisted 
under a covered housing program for failure to com-
ply with subsection (b). 
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131 
‘‘(7) 
RESPONSE
TO
CONFLICTING
CERTIFI-
CATION.—If a public housing agency or owner or 
manager of housing assisted under a covered housing 
program receives documentation under this subsection 
that contains conflicting information, the public hous-
ing agency or owner or manager may require an ap-
plicant or tenant to submit third-party documenta-
tion, as described in subparagraph (B), (C), or (D) 
of paragraph (3). 
‘‘(8) PREEMPTION.—Nothing in this subsection 
shall be construed to supersede any provision of any 
Federal, State, or local law that provides greater pro-
tection than this subsection for victims of domestic vi-
olence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking. 
‘‘(d) NOTIFICATION.— 
‘‘(1) DEVELOPMENT.—The Secretary of Housing 
and Urban Development shall develop a notice of the 
rights of individuals under this section, including the 
right to confidentiality and the limits thereof, and in-
clude such notice in documents required by law to be 
provided to tenants assisted under a covered housing 
program. 
‘‘(2) PROVISION.—The applicable public housing 
agency or owner or manager of housing assisted 
under a covered housing program shall provide the 
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132 
notice developed under paragraph (1) to an applicant 
for or tenant of housing assisted under a covered 
housing program— 
‘‘(A) at the time the applicant is denied 
residency in a dwelling unit assisted under the 
covered housing program; 
‘‘(B) at the time the individual is admitted 
to a dwelling unit assisted under the covered 
housing program; and 
‘‘(C) in multiple languages, consistent with 
guidance issued by the Secretary of Housing and 
Urban Development in accordance with Execu-
tive Order 13166 (42 U.S.C. 2000d–1 note; relat-
ing to access to services for persons with limited 
English proficiency). 
‘‘(e) EMERGENCY RELOCATION
AND TRANSFERS.— 
Each appropriate agency shall develop a model emergency 
relocation and transfer plan for voluntary use by public 
housing agencies and owners or managers of housing as-
sisted under a covered housing program that— 
‘‘(1) allows tenants who are victims of domestic 
violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking to 
relocate or transfer to another available and safe 
dwelling unit assisted under a covered housing pro-
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133 
gram and retain their status as tenants under the 
covered housing program if— 
‘‘(A) the tenant expressly requests to move; 
‘‘(B)(i) the tenant reasonably believes that 
the tenant is threatened with imminent harm 
from further violence if the tenant remains with-
in the same dwelling unit assisted under a cov-
ered housing program; or 
‘‘(ii) the sexual assault, domestic violence, 
dating violence, or stalking occurred on the 
premises during the 90-day period preceding the 
request to move; and 
‘‘(C) the tenant has provided documentation 
as described in subparagraph (A), (B), (C) or 
(D) of subsection (c)(3) if requested by a public 
housing agency or owner or manager; 
‘‘(2) 
incorporates 
reasonable 
confidentiality 
measures to ensure that the public housing agency or 
owner or manager does not disclose the location of the 
dwelling unit of a tenant to a person that commits 
an act of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual as-
sault, or stalking against the tenant; 
‘‘(3) describes how the appropriate agency will 
coordinate relocations or transfers between dwelling 
units assisted under a covered housing program; 
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134 
‘‘(4) takes into consideration the existing rules 
and regulations of the covered housing program; 
‘‘(5) is tailored to the specific type of the covered 
housing program based on the volume and avail-
ability of dwelling units under the control or manage-
ment of the public housing agency, owner, or man-
ager; and 
‘‘(6) provides guidance for use in situations in 
which it is not feasible for an individual public hous-
ing agency, owner, or manager to effectuate a trans-
fer. 
‘‘(f) POLICIES
AND PROCEDURES
FOR EMERGENCY 
TRANSFER.—The Secretary of Housing and Urban Devel-
opment shall establish policies and procedures under which 
a victim requesting an emergency transfer under subsection 
(e) may receive, subject to the availability of tenant protec-
tion vouchers for assistance under section 8(o)(16) of the 
United 
States 
Housing 
Act 
of 
1937 
(42 
U.S.C. 
1437f(o)(16)), assistance under such section. 
‘‘(g) IMPLEMENTATION.—The appropriate agency with 
respect to each covered housing program shall implement 
this section, as this section applies to the covered housing 
program.’’. 
(b) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.— 
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135 
(1) SECTION 6.—Section 6 of the United States 
Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437d) is amended— 
(A) in subsection (c)— 
(i) by striking paragraph (3); and 
(ii) by redesignating paragraphs (4) 
and (5) as paragraphs (3) and (4), respec-
tively; 
(B) in subsection (l)— 
(i) in paragraph (5), by striking ‘‘, 
and that an incident’’ and all that follows 
through ‘‘victim of such violence’’; and 
(ii) in paragraph (6), by striking ‘‘; 
except that’’ and all that follows through 
‘‘stalking.’’; and 
(C) by striking subsection (u). 
(2) SECTION 8.—Section 8 of the United States 
Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437f) is amended— 
(A) in subsection (c), by striking paragraph 
(9); 
(B) in subsection (d)(1)— 
(i) in subparagraph (A), by striking 
‘‘and that an applicant’’ and all that fol-
lows through ‘‘assistance or admission’’; 
and 
(ii) in subparagraph (B)— 
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136 
(I) in clause (ii), by striking ‘‘, 
and that an incident’’ and all that fol-
lows through ‘‘victim of such violence’’; 
and 
(II) in clause (iii), by striking ‘‘, 
except that:’’ and all that follows 
through ‘‘stalking.’’; 
(C) in subsection (f)— 
(i) in paragraph (6), by adding ‘‘and’’ 
at the end; 
(ii) in paragraph (7), by striking the 
semicolon at the end and inserting a period; 
and 
(iii) by striking paragraphs (8), (9), 
(10), and (11); 
(D) in subsection (o)— 
(i) in paragraph (6)(B), by striking 
the last sentence; 
(ii) in paragraph (7)— 
(I) in subparagraph (C), by strik-
ing ‘‘and that an incident’’ and all 
that follows through ‘‘victim of such vi-
olence’’; and 
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137 
(II) in subparagraph (D), by 
striking ‘‘; except that’’ and all that 
follows through ‘‘stalking.’’; and 
(iii) by striking paragraph (20); and 
(E) by striking subsection (ee). 
(3) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this 
Act, or the amendments made by this Act, shall be 
construed— 
(A) to limit the rights or remedies available 
to any person under section 6 or 8 of the United 
States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437d 
and 1437f), as in effect on the day before the 
date of enactment of this Act; 
(B) to limit any right, remedy, or procedure 
otherwise available under any provision of part 
5, 91, 880, 882, 883, 884, 886, 891, 903, 960, 
966, 982, or 983 of title 24, Code of Federal Reg-
ulations, that— 
(i) was issued under the Violence 
Against Women and Department of Justice 
Reauthorization Act of 2005 (Public Law 
109–162; 119 Stat. 2960) or an amendment 
made by that Act; and 
(ii) provides greater protection for vic-
tims of domestic violence, dating violence, 
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138 
sexual assault, and stalking than this Act or 
the amendments made by this Act; or 
(C) to disqualify an owner, manager, or 
other individual from participating in or receiv-
ing the benefits of the low-income housing tax 
credit program under section 42 of the Internal 
Revenue Code of 1986 because of noncompliance 
with the provisions of this Act or the amend-
ments made by this Act. 
SEC. 602. TRANSITIONAL HOUSING ASSISTANCE GRANTS 
FOR VICTIMS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, DAT-
ING 
VIOLENCE, 
SEXUAL 
ASSAULT, 
AND 
STALKING. 
Chapter 11 of subtitle B of the Violence Against 
Women Act of 1994 (42 U.S.C. 13975; as added by section 
611 of Public Law 108–21 (117 Stat. 693)) is amended— 
(1) 
in 
the 
chapter 
heading, 
by 
striking 
‘‘CHILD VICTIMS OF DOMESTIC VIO-
LENCE, STALKING, OR SEXUAL AS-
SAULT’’ and inserting ‘‘VICTIMS OF DO-
MESTIC VIOLENCE, DATING VIOLENCE, 
SEXUAL ASSAULT, OR STALKING’’; and 
(2) in section 40299 (42 U.S.C. 13975)— 
(A) in the header, by striking ‘‘CHILD VIC-
TIMS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, STALKING, 
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139 
OR SEXUAL ASSAULT’’ and inserting ‘‘VIC-
TIMS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, DATING VI-
OLENCE, SEXUAL ASSAULT, OR STALKING’’; 
(B) in subsection (a)(1), by striking ‘‘flee-
ing’’; 
(C) by striking subsection (f); and 
(D) in subsection (g)— 
(i) in paragraph (1), by striking 
‘‘$40,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 
2007 
through 
2011’’ 
and 
inserting 
‘‘$35,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2013 
through 2017’’; and 
(ii) in paragraph (3)— 
(I) in subparagraph (A), by strik-
ing ‘‘eligible’’ and inserting ‘‘quali-
fied’’; and 
(II) by adding at the end the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(D) QUALIFIED APPLICATION DEFINED.— 
In this paragraph, the term ‘qualified applica-
tion’ means an application that— 
‘‘(i) has been submitted by an eligible 
applicant; 
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