I 
114TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2953 
To expand the Moving to Work and Rental Assistance demonstration pro-
grams of the Department of Housing and Urban Development, and 
for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 7, 2015 
Mr. CARNEY introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Financial Services 
A BILL 
To expand the Moving to Work and Rental Assistance dem-
onstration programs of the Department of Housing and 
Urban Development, 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 ‘‘Housing Assistance 
Reform Act of 2015’’. 
SEC. 2. EXPANSION OF MOVING TO WORK DEMONSTRATION 
PROGRAM. 
(a) AUTHORITY.—The Secretary of Housing and 
Urban Development (in this section referred to as the 
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‘‘Secretary’’) may increase, pursuant to this section, the 
number of public housing agencies authorized to partici-
pate in the Moving to Work demonstration program au-
thorized under section 204 of the Departments of Vet-
erans Affairs and Housing and Urban Development and 
Independent Agencies Appropriations Act, 1996 (Public 
Law 104–134; 110 Stat. 1321) by adding to the program 
not more than 60 public housing agencies, for a total of 
not more than 300,000 housing vouchers and public hous-
ing units, over 5 years, to test and rigorously evaluate in-
novative models for improving economic self-sufficiency, 
mobility, academic performance, and other outcomes for 
tenants assisted by the Department of Housing and Urban 
Development. 
(b) ELIGIBLE PUBLIC HOUSING AGENCIES.—Public 
housing agencies selected for participation in the Moving 
to Work demonstration program pursuant to the expan-
sion authorized under subsection (a)— 
(1) shall be high-capacity public housing agen-
cies, the definition of which shall include— 
(A) a designation as a high performer 
under the public housing assessment system 
and the section 8 management assessment pro-
gram, as applicable; and 
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(B) a voucher utilization rate of at least 90 
percent of voucher funds, as defined by the Sec-
retary, for the duration of participation in the 
program; 
(2) may include a consortia of public housing 
agencies of an appropriate size, as determined by the 
Secretary; 
(3) shall represent, to the extent feasible based 
on eligible applications, a diverse range of public 
housing agencies, with respect to geographical juris-
diction and size, to allow innovative policies to be 
tested in different contexts; and 
(4) shall not receive more funding under section 
8 or 9 of the United States Housing Act of 1937 
(42 U.S.C. 1437f, 1437g) than such agencies other-
wise would have received absent such designation. 
(c) RENEWAL.—With respect to public housing agen-
cies participating in the Moving to Work demonstration 
program before the enactment of this Act, upon the expi-
ration of the Moving to Work agreement for any such 
agency that the Secretary of Housing and Urban Develop-
ment determines has complied with the terms of such 
agreement, the Secretary shall extend the Moving to Work 
agreement of the agency under such terms as are in effect 
upon the date of expiration of the agreement and shall 
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not alter the formula allocation for funding for such agen-
cy. 
(d) NOTICE.—The Secretary shall establish criteria 
and program requirements to carry out this section by no-
tice published in the Federal Register, after an oppor-
tunity for public comment. 
SEC. 3. EXPANSION OF RENTAL ASSISTANCE DEMONSTRA-
TION PROGRAM. 
The fourth proviso in the heading ‘‘Rental Assistance 
Demonstration’’ in title II of the Transportation, Housing 
and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appro-
priations Act, 2012 (division C of Public Law 112–55; 125 
Stat. 673), as amended by section 234 of division K of 
Public Law 113–235 (128 Stat. 2757), is amended by 
striking ‘‘not more than 185,000 units currently receiving 
assistance under section 9 or section 8(e)(2) of the Act 
shall be converted’’ and inserting ‘‘there shall not be any 
numerical limitation on the number of units currently re-
ceiving assistance under section 9 or section 8(e)(2) of the 
Act that may be converted’’. 
Æ 
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