SEC. 2. CONGRESSIONAL FINDINGS. 
The Congress finds that— 
(1) eviction prevention programs provide impor-
tant and effective social and economic benefits; 
(2) such programs help protect low-income and 
at-risk households from the trauma and disruption 
of homelessness and save property owners from the 
high costs of forced eviction and re-occupancy; and 
(3) investing more resources in eviction preven-
tion helps communities save on the high cost of 
homelessness by stopping homelessness before it 
starts—for example, according to 2015 data, the 
Massachusetts Housing and Shelter Alliance esti-
mates that a homeless individual residing in Massa-
chusetts creates an additional cost burden for State- 
supported services (such as shelters, emergency 
room visits, and incarceration) that is $9,372 great-
er per year than for a housed individual. 
SEC. 3. PILOT PROGRAM FOR LEGAL ASSISTANCE FOR 
HOUSING ISSUES FOR LOW-INCOME FAMI-
LIES. 
(a) AUTHORITY.—The Secretary of Housing and 
Urban Development (in this section referred to as the 
‘‘Secretary’’) shall carry out a program under this section, 
through the Office of Community Planning and Develop-
ment, to make grants to the extent amounts for such 
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grants are made available pursuant to subsection (f) to 
eligible organizations under subsection (d) to provide legal 
services and other related supportive services under sub-
section (e) on behalf of eligible low-income families under 
subsection (c). 
(b) SELECTION OF GRANTEES.—The Secretary shall 
select eligible organizations under subsection (d) to receive 
grants under this section taking into consideration factors, 
including— 
(1) factors necessary to ensure an equitable dis-
tribution of grants to grantees serving urban areas 
(as such term is defined by the Secretary) and to 
grantees serving rural areas (as such term is defined 
by the Secretary), except that the Secretary shall en-
sure that, of any amounts made available for any 
fiscal year for grants under this section, not less 
than 20 percent shall be used for grantees serving 
rural areas; 
(2) the number of rental units in the area 
served by the grantee that are affordable to low-in-
come households having incomes at or below 80 per-
cent of the area median income and paying more 
than 30 percent of their incomes for rent; 
(3) the extent to which the population of the 
area served by the grantee uses eviction or other 
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housing-related legal services or has a need for such 
services; 
(4) the extent to which tenants in the area 
served by the grantee are evicted; 
(5) the number of rental units in the area 
served by the grantee that are affordable to house-
holds having incomes at or below 80 percent of the 
area median income; 
(6) the extent of poverty in the area served by 
the grantee; 
(7) the number of renter households in the area 
served by the grantee that— 
(A) have incomes at or below 80 percent of 
the area median income; 
(B) are not provided rental assistance, 
such as rental assistance under section 8 of the 
United States Housing Act of 1937 or occu-
pancy in a dwelling unit in public housing; or 
(C) live in severely inadequate housing, as 
measured using the American Housing Survey 
definition of housing having severe physical 
problems; and 
(8) any other factors that the Secretary con-
siders appropriate for purposes of this section, ex-
cept that the Secretary may not consider data from 
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a point-in-time count of the homeless (as defined in 
section 103(a) of the McKinney-Vento Homeless As-
sistance Act (42 U.S.C. 11302(a))). 
(c) ELIGIBLE LOW-INCOME FAMILIES.—Amounts 
from a grant under this section may be used only to pro-
vide eligible services under subsection (e) with respect to 
families (including individuals and including victims of do-
mestic violence) who— 
(1) reside in a rental dwelling unit; and 
(2) have an income (as such term is defined in 
section 3(b) of the United States Housing Act of 
1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437a(b))) that does not exceed 80 
percent of the median income for the area in which 
the family resides. 
(d) ELIGIBLE ORGANIZATIONS.—Grants under this 
section may be made only to— 
(1) a nonprofit organization that provides legal 
services on behalf of persons or families whose eligi-
bility for such services includes a limitation on in-
come, including any organizations that receive fund-
ing from the Legal Services Corporation (established 
under the Legal Services Corporation Act (42 
U.S.C. 2996 et seq.)) to provide such services on be-
half of such persons or families; 
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(2) legal clinics sponsored by law schools or 
other organizations; and 
(3) such other institutions, organizations, and 
entities as the Secretary considers appropriate. 
(e) ELIGIBLE SERVICES.—Amounts from a grant 
under this section may be used only to provide, on behalf 
of eligible low-income families under subsection (c), legal 
services and other related supportive services in connec-
tion with— 
(1) an eviction of such a family; 
(2) the prevention of an eviction of such a fam-
ily; 
(3) a dispute between the landlord and a tenant 
who is a member of such a family; or 
(4) enforcing the legal rights of such a family 
under Federal, State, or local laws regarding ten-
ancy or fair housing. 
(f) USE OF MORTGAGE INTEREST DEDUCTION SAV-
INGS FOR GRANTS.— 
(1) DETERMINATION OF SAVINGS.—For each of 
fiscal years 2018 through 2022, the Secretary of the 
Treasury shall determine the amount of revenues ac-
cruing to the general fund of the Treasury by reason 
of the enactment of the amendment made by section 
4 of this Act. 
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(2) AUTHORIZATION
OF
APPROPRIATIONS.— 
There is authorized to be appropriated for grants 
under this section for each of fiscal years 2018 
through 2022 the amount determined under para-
graph (1) for such fiscal year. 
SEC. 4. REDUCTION IN LIMITATION ON MORTGAGE INTER-
EST DEDUCTION RELATING TO ACQUISITION 
INDEBTEDNESS FOR CERTAIN TAXPAYERS. 
(a) ACQUISITION INDEBTEDNESS.—Clause (ii) of sec-
tion 163(h)(3)(B) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 
is amended to read as follows: 
‘‘(ii) 
LIMITATION.—The 
aggregate 
amount treated as acquisition indebtedness 
for any period shall not exceed— 
‘‘(I) $1,000,000 in the case of a 
joint return ($500,000 in the case of 
a married individual filing a separate 
return), and 
‘‘(II) the applicable amount in 
any other case. 
‘‘(iii) 
APPLICABLE
AMOUNT.—For 
purposes of clause (ii)(II), the applicable 
amount is as follows: 
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‘‘For taxable years— 
The applicable 
amount is— 
Beginning in calendar year 2018 ...............................................
$900,000
Beginning in calendar year 2019 ...............................................
$800,000
Beginning in calendar year 2020 ...............................................
$700,000
Beginning in calendar year 2021 ...............................................
$600,000
Beginning in or after calendar year 2022 ..................................
$500,000.’’. 
(b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendment made by 
subsection (a) shall apply to amounts paid or incurred 
after December 31, 2017. 
Æ 
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