I
103D CONGRESS
2D SESSION
H. R. 4141
To amend section 8 of the United States Housing Act of 1937 to provide
rental assistance to obtain new residences for families residing in dwelling
units assisted under such section or in public housing, who provide
information regarding criminal activity to law enforcement agencies and
are subject to violence because of providing such information.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
MARCH 24, 1994
Mr. LAZIO (for himself, Mr. SCHUMER, Mr. PENNY, Mr. BAKER of Louisiana,
Mr. FLAKE, Mr. KNOLLENBERG, Mr. BEREUTER, Mr. BLUTE, Mr.
EWING, Mr. MCCANDLESS, Mr. RANGEL, Mr. ACKERMAN, Mr. FISH, Mr.
GUNDERSON, Mr. CALVERT, Ms. PRYCE of Ohio, Mr. FROST, and Mrs.
ROUKEMA) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com-
mittee on Banking, Finance and Urban Affairs
A BILL
To amend section 8 of the United States Housing Act of
1937 to provide rental assistance to obtain new resi-
dences for families residing in dwelling units assisted
under such section or in public housing, who provide
information regarding criminal activity to law enforce-
ment agencies and are subject to violence because of
providing such information.
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 ‘‘Neighborhood Crime
Fighters Housing Assistance Act’’.
SEC. 2. SECTION 8 ASSISTANCE FOR PROTECTION OF
NEIGHBORHOOD CRIME FIGHTERS.
Section 8 of the United States Housing Act of 1937
(42 U.S.C. 1437f) is amended by adding at the end the
following new subsection:
‘‘(z) NEIGHBORHOOD
CRIME
FIGHTERS
ASSIST-
ANCE.—
‘‘(1) ASSISTANCE.—To the extent amounts for
assistance under this section are reserved under sec-
tion 213(d)(4)(A) of the Housing and Community
Development Act of 1974 for use under this sub-
section, the Secretary may provide such amounts to
any public housing agency approved under para-
graph (3) to make assistance payments under this
subsection on behalf of any family described under
paragraph (2) for the rental of a dwelling unit for
the family that, in the determination of the public
housing agency (after consultation with law enforce-
ment agency concerned) provides for the protection
of the family.
‘‘(2) ELIGIBLE FAMILIES.—A family referred to
in paragraph (1) shall be any family that—
‘‘(A) contains a member that has provided
information to any Federal, State, or local law
enforcement agency that such law enforcement
agency determines substantially contributes to
the arrest, criminal prosecution, or conviction of
any person for any criminal activity in or near
the area or neighborhood in which the person
providing the information resides;
‘‘(B) is likely, in the determination of such
law enforcement agency, to be subject to a
crime of violence directed at the family on ac-
count of providing the information referred to
in subparagraph (A);
‘‘(C) is legally residing, at the time such
information is provided to the law enforcement
agency, in a dwelling unit in a public housing
project administered by a public housing agency
meeting the requirements of paragraph (3) or
in a dwelling unit assisted under this section by
such a public housing agency; and
‘‘(D) is not protected or assisted, or to be
protected or assisted, under chapter 224 of title
18, United States Code.
‘‘(3) ELIGIBLE PHA’S.—The Secretary may pro-
vide amounts reserved for use under this subsection
only to public housing agencies approved by the Sec-
retary under this paragraph. The Secretary may ap-
prove only agencies that the Secretary determines
have—
‘‘(A) established sufficient cooperation with
local law enforcement agencies to make deter-
minations to provide assistance under this sub-
section; and
‘‘(B) coordinated with local law enforce-
ment agencies to promptly inform the public
housing agency and the Secretary of any deter-
mination that assistance under this subsection
is appropriate for a family, except that such co-
ordination shall be subject to the procedures es-
tablished under paragraph (6)(C) to ensure
confidentiality.
‘‘(4) GUIDELINES.—
‘‘(A) DETERMINATION OF NEED AND CO-
ORDINATION.—The Secretary shall establish
guidelines jointly with the Attorney General
that—
‘‘(i) describe the types of situations
under subparagraphs (A) and (B) of para-
graph (2) in which assistance may be pro-
vided under this subsection, which shall in-
clude situations in which the information
referred to in paragraph (2)(A) is informa-
tion regarding any crime that is detrimen-
tal to the health, safety, peace, or security
of the area or neighborhood in which the
family providing the information resides;
and
‘‘(ii) describe elements of sufficient
cooperation between public housing agen-
cies and law enforcement agencies for pur-
poses of paragraph (3)(A).
‘‘(B) PROCEDURES.—The Secretary shall
establish procedures for public housing agencies
approved under paragraph (3)—
‘‘(i) to apply for, obtain, and admin-
ister amounts reserved for providing assist-
ance under this subsection on behalf of
families eligible under paragraph (2); and
‘‘(ii) to provide for the termination of
the tenancy of any family assisted under
this subsection from the dwelling unit in
which the family is residing so that such
assistance may be utilized.
‘‘(5) PHA ACTIONS.—Each public housing agen-
cy approved by the Secretary under paragraph (3)
shall—
‘‘(A) periodically notify Federal, State, and
local law enforcement agencies in the area of
jurisdiction of the public housing agency of the
availability of assistance under this subsection;
‘‘(B) take such actions as may be appro-
priate to inform residents of public housing
projects administered by the agency and dwell-
ing units assisted under this section by the
agency of the availability of such assistance;
and
‘‘(C) coordinate with such law enforcement
agencies to promptly inform the public housing
agency and the Secretary of any determination
that assistance under this subsection is appro-
priate for a family, except that such coordina-
tion shall be subject to the procedures estab-
lished under paragraph (6)(C) to ensure con-
fidentiality.
‘‘(6) NOTICE
AND
CONFIDENTIALITY.—The
Secretary shall—