I 
113TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 4205 
To amend the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 to authorize 
the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to carry out a loan 
repayment program for certain architects, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MARCH 11, 2014 
Mr. PERLMUTTER (for himself, Mr. ROSS, Mr. MEEKS, and Ms. MOORE) in-
troduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Fi-
nancial Services 
A BILL 
To amend the Housing and Community Development Act 
of 1974 to authorize the Secretary of Housing and 
Urban Development to carry out a loan repayment pro-
gram for certain architects, 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 ‘‘National Design Serv-
ices Act of 2014’’. 
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SEC. 2. ARCHITECT LOAN REPAYMENT PROGRAM. 
Title I of the Housing and Community Development 
Act of 1974 (42 U.S.C. 5301 et seq.) is amended by add-
ing at the end the following new section: 
‘‘SEC. 5322. ARCHITECT LOAN REPAYMENT PROGRAM. 
‘‘(a) AUTHORIZATION.—The Secretary may establish 
and carry out a loan repayment program for eligible archi-
tects (in this section referred to as the ‘loan repayment 
program’) who provide eligible design services on behalf 
of a Community Design Center. 
‘‘(b) CONTRACT.—To be eligible to participate in the 
loan repayment program, an eligible architect shall enter 
into a written contract with the Secretary that contains— 
‘‘(1) an agreement under which— 
‘‘(A) the eligible architect agrees to provide 
eligible design services on behalf of a Commu-
nity Design Center for a period of not shorter 
than 1 year; and 
‘‘(B) the Secretary agrees to make pay-
ments on the principal and interest of quali-
fying educational loans of the eligible architect 
in an amount to be determined by the Secretary 
for the period of time the eligible architect pro-
vides such eligible design services; 
‘‘(2) a provision that any financial obligation of 
the United States arising out of a contract entered 
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into under this subsection and any obligation of the 
eligible architect which is conditioned thereon, is 
contingent upon funds being appropriated for the 
loan repayment program under this section; and 
‘‘(3) a statement of the damages to which the 
United States is entitled under subsection (f) if the 
eligible architect breaches the contract. 
‘‘(c) ELIGIBLE DESIGN SERVICES.—The term ‘eligi-
ble design services’ means research or design services as 
follows: 
‘‘(1) The design, including the preparation of 
construction 
documents, 
of 
housing 
facilities, 
schools, health clinics, libraries, community centers, 
and other public facilities (except for buildings used 
for the general conduct of government). 
‘‘(2) The development of comprehensive long- 
range community development plans. 
‘‘(3) The development of plans for neighbor-
hoods that are appropriate for rehabilitation or con-
servation activities, including neighborhoods that are 
blighted, deteriorated, or deteriorating. 
‘‘(4) The preservation or rehabilitation of his-
toric sites. 
‘‘(5) The design, including the preparation of 
construction documents, of building retrofits for en-
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ergy and water efficiency and conservation improve-
ments. 
‘‘(6) Assessment of the safety of structures that 
are in disrepair or have been damaged as the result 
of natural or manmade disasters. 
‘‘(7) The design of improvements that remove 
architectural barriers which restrict the mobility of 
elderly individuals and individuals with disabilities. 
‘‘(8) Plans for the redevelopment of traditional 
main streets and business districts. 
‘‘(9) Other activities as the Secretary may de-
termine. 
‘‘(d) APPLICATION.—The Secretary shall provide for 
an eligible architect to submit an application to participate 
in the loan repayment program to the Secretary at such 
time, in such manner, and containing such information as 
the Secretary may require which shall include— 
‘‘(1) proof of employment by a Community De-
sign Center for a period of not less than 1 year; 
‘‘(2) a statement of the amount of compensa-
tion the eligible architect will receive from the Com-
munity Design Center; and 
‘‘(3) a contract entered into pursuant to sub-
section (b). 
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‘‘(e) SELECTION.—The Secretary shall select, from 
applications submitted under subsection (d), eligible archi-
tects to participate in the loan repayment program. 
‘‘(f) ADMINISTRATION.— 
‘‘(1) CONTRACTING
AUTHORITY.—The Sec-
retary may enter into a contract with another Fed-
eral agency to assist in the administration of this 
program. 
‘‘(2) BREACH.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—A contract described 
in subsection (b) shall provide remedies for any 
breach of such contract by an eligible architect, 
including repayment or partial repayment of fi-
nancial assistance received with interest. 
‘‘(B) AMOUNTS
RECOVERED.—Funds re-
covered under this paragraph shall be credited 
to the account available to carry out this sec-
tion and shall remain available until expended. 
‘‘(C) WAIVER.—The Secretary may grant 
a waiver of any repayment obligation for breach 
of contract in the event of extreme hardship or 
extreme need, as determined by the Secretary. 
‘‘(3) AMOUNT.—The Secretary shall develop 
regulations to determine the amount of loan repay-
ment for 1 year of service by an eligible architect. 
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In making the determination, the Secretary shall 
maximize the number of contracts that can be pro-
vided under the program from the amounts appro-
priated for such contracts. 
‘‘(4) QUALIFYING EDUCATIONAL LOANS.—Loan 
repayments provided under this section may consist 
of payments on behalf of eligible architects of the 
principal and interest on government and commer-
cial loans received by the eligible architect for at-
tendance at an accredited masters program in archi-
tecture, which loans were made for— 
‘‘(A) tuition expenses; 
‘‘(B) all other reasonable educational ex-
penses, including fees, books, technology, and 
studio expenses incurred by the eligible archi-
tect; or 
‘‘(C) reasonable living expenses as deter-
mined by the Secretary. 
‘‘(5) REPAYMENT
SCHEDULE.—The Secretary 
may contract with an eligible architect’s loan pro-
vider for the payment to the loan provider, on behalf 
of the eligible architect, of the amount of a loan re-
payment described in paragraph (3). 
‘‘(g) CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this section shall 
be construed to allow a Community Design Center to pre-
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pare building plans or construction documents that do not 
comply with applicable State and local laws and regula-
tions related to building codes and permits. 
‘‘(h) DEFINITIONS.—In this section the following 
definitions shall apply: 
‘‘(1) COMMUNITY DESIGN CENTER.—The term 
‘Community Design Center’ means a non-profit or-
ganization operated and managed by a licensed ar-
chitect that conducts research and provides eligible 
design services for community development projects. 
‘‘(2) ELIGIBLE ARCHITECT.—The term ‘eligible 
architect’ means an individual who— 
‘‘(A) has completed an accredited masters 
program in architecture; or 
‘‘(B) is an intern architect who has com-
pleted an accredited masters program in archi-
tecture and is enrolled in the Intern Develop-
ment Program of the National Council of Archi-
tectural Registration Boards. 
‘‘(3) STATE.—The term ‘State’ means each of 
the several States, the District of Columbia, and any 
territory or possession of the United States. 
‘‘(i) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 
are authorized to be appropriated for carrying out this sec-
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tion such sums as may be necessary, to remain available 
until expended.’’. 
Æ 
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