I
105TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 973
To amend the United States Housing Act of 1937 to require the Secretary
of Housing and Urban Development to administer a program of construc-
tion and revitalization of public housing, and for other purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
MARCH 6, 1997
Mr. CONYERS (for himself, Mr. DELLUMS, Mr. EVANS, Mrs. MEEK of Florida,
and Ms. WATERS) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Banking and Financial Services
A BILL
To amend the United States Housing Act of 1937 to require
the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to
administer a program of construction and revitalization
of public housing, 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 ‘‘Jesse Gray Housing
Act’’.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES.
(a) FINDINGS.—The Congress finds that—
and Urban Development to propose that Federal
housing assistance be limited to lower income fami-
lies; and
(3) to encourage the establishment of a public
housing system that consists of—
(A) projects located throughout metropoli-
tan and rural areas;
(B) low-density projects, to the extent
practicable; and
(C) dwelling units that are visually indis-
tinguishable from comparable privately owned
dwelling units.
SEC. 3. CONSTRUCTION OF PUBLIC HOUSING.
Section 5 of the United States Housing Act of 1937
(42 U.S.C. 1437c) is amended by adding at the end the
following new subsection:
‘‘(m)(1) The Secretary shall carry out a program for
the construction of 500,000 new dwelling units in public
housing during each of the fiscal years 1998 through
2007.
‘‘(2) There are authorized to be appropriated to carry
out this subsection such sums as may be necessary for
each of the fiscal years 1998 through 2007. Any amount
appropriated under this paragraph shall remain available
until expended.’’.
SEC. 4. REVITALIZATION OF PUBLIC HOUSING.
Section 14(b) of the United States Housing Act of
1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437l(b)) is amended by adding at the
end the following new paragraph:
‘‘(3)(A) To the extent approved in appropriation Acts
and subject to subparagraph (B), the Secretary shall make
available and contract to make available financial assist-
ance under this subsection, in addition to financial assist-
ance made available under paragraphs (1) and (2). In
making assistance available under this paragraph, the Sec-
retary shall give particular preference to public housing
agencies requesting such assistance for public housing
projects that the Secretary determines would likely have
been subject to demolition or disposition under section 18,
as such section was in effect before the date of the enact-
ment of the Jesse Gray Housing Act.
‘‘(B) For purposes of this paragraph, the aggregate
amount of budget authority that may be obligated for con-
tracts for annual contributions is increased on October 1
of each of the years 1997 through 2006 by the amount
necessary to provide for the revitalization of 100,000
dwelling units in public housing during each of the fiscal
years 1998 through 2007, respectively.’’.
SEC. 5. PROHIBITION OF DEMOLITION AND DISPOSITION
OF PUBLIC HOUSING.
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 18(a) of the United
States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437p(a)) is
amended by striking ‘‘The Secretary’’ and all that follows
and inserting the following: ‘‘The Secretary may not au-
thorize any public housing agency to demolish or dispose
of any public housing project or any portion of a public
housing project.’’.
(b) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.—Section 18 of the
United States Housing Act of 1937 is amended—
(1) by striking subsections (b), (c), (e), and (f);
(2) in subsection (d), by striking ‘‘without ob-
taining the approval of the Secretary and satisfying
the conditions specified in subsections (a) and (b)’’;
and
(3) by redesignating subsections (d) and (g) as
subsections (b) and (c), respectively.
SEC. 6. TENANT RENT CONTRIBUTIONS.
(a) LOWER INCOME HOUSING UNDER THE UNITED
STATES HOUSING ACT
OF 1937.—The United States
Housing Act of 1937 is amended—
(1) 
in 
section 
3(a)(1)(A) 
(42 
U.S.C.
1437a(a)(1)(A)), by striking ‘‘30’’ and inserting
‘‘25’’;
(2) in section 8(o) (42 U.S.C. 1437f(o)), by
striking ‘‘30’’ each place it appears and inserting
‘‘25’’;
(3) in section 8(u)(2) (42 U.S.C. 1437f(u)(2)),
by striking ‘‘30’’ and inserting ‘‘25’’;
(4) 
in 
section 
8(y)(2)(A) 
(42 
U.S.C.
1437f(y)(2)(A)), by striking ‘‘30’’ and inserting
‘‘25’’;
(5) 
in 
section 
16(d)(1) 
(42 
U.S.C.
1437n(d)(1)), by striking ‘‘30’’ and inserting ‘‘25’’;
(6) in section 23(d) (42 U.S.C. 1437u(d)), by
striking ‘‘30’’ each place it appears and inserting
‘‘25’’; and
(7) in section 304(b) (42 U.S.C. 1437aaa–
3(b)), by striking ‘‘30’’ and inserting ‘‘25’’.
(b) PUBLIC HOUSING MIXED INCOME NEW COMMU-
NITIES STRATEGY DEMONSTRATION.—Section 521(e)(4)
of the Cranston-Gonzalez National Affordable Housing
Act (42 U.S.C. 1437f note) is amended by striking ‘‘30’’
and inserting ‘‘25’’.
(c) SUPPORTIVE HOUSING FOR THE ELDERLY.—Sec-
tion 202(c)(3) of the Housing Act of 1959 (12 U.S.C.
1701q(c)(3)) is amended by striking ‘‘30’’ and inserting
‘‘25’’.
(d) SUPPORTIVE HOUSING FOR PERSONS WITH DIS-
ABILITIES.—Section 811(d)(3) of the Cranston-Gonzalez
National Affordable Housing Act (42 U.S.C. 8013(d)(3))
is amended by striking ‘‘30’’ and inserting ‘‘25’’.
(e) HOME PROGRAM.—Section 215(a) of the Cran-
ston-Gonzalez National Affordable Housing Act (42
U.S.C. 12745(a)) is amended by striking ‘‘30’’ each place
it appears and inserting ‘‘25’’.
(f) RENT SUPPLEMENTS.—Section 101(d) of the
Housing and Urban Development Act of 1965 (12 U.S.C.
1701s(d)) is amended by striking ‘‘30’’ and inserting
‘‘25’’.
(g) RENTAL
AND
COOPERATIVE
HOUSING
FOR
LOWER INCOME FAMILIES.—Section 236(f) of the Na-
tional Housing Act (12 U.S.C. 1715z–1(f)) is amended—
(1) in paragraphs (1), (2), and (5)(A)(i), by
striking ‘‘30’’ each place it appears and inserting
‘‘25’’; and
(2) in paragraph (1)(ii), by striking ‘‘25’’ and
inserting ‘‘20’’.
(h) MULTIFAMILY PROPERTY DISPOSITION.—Section
203 of the Housing and Community Development Amend-
ments of 1978 (12 U.S.C. 1701z–11) is amended by strik-
ing ‘‘30’’ each place it appears in subsections (b)(5) and
(g) and inserting ‘‘25’’.
(i) TRANSITIONAL PROVISIONS.—Section 206(d)(6)
of the Housing and Urban-Rural Recovery Act of 1983
(42 U.S.C. 1437a note) is amended by striking ‘‘30’’ and
inserting ‘‘25’’.
(j) LOW-INCOME
HOUSING
PRESERVATION
AND
RESIDENT HOMEOWNERSHIP ACT OF 1990.—The Low-
Income Housing Preservation and Resident Homeowner-
ship Act of 1990 is amended—
(1) 
in 
section 
218(a)(1)(A) 
(12 
U.S.C.
4108(a)(1)(A)), by striking ‘‘30’’ and inserting
‘‘25’’; and
(2) in subparagraphs (D) and (E)(iii) of section
222(a)(2) (12 U.S.C. 4112(a)(2)), by striking ‘‘30’’
each place it appears and inserting ‘‘25’’.
(k) STATE PRESERVATION PROJECT ASSISTANCE.—
Section 613(b)(2) of the Cranston-Gonzalez National Af-
fordable Housing Act (12 U.S.C. 4125(b)(2)) is amended
by striking ‘‘30’’ and inserting ‘‘25’’.
(l) PRESERVING EXISTING HOUSING INVESTMENT.—
The item relating to ‘‘HOUSING PROGRAMS—PRESERVING
EXISTING HOUSING INVESTMENT’’ in title II of the De-
partments of Veterans Affairs and Housing and Urban
Development, and Independent Agencies Appropriations
Act, 1997 (12 U.S.C. 4101 note) is amended by striking
‘‘30’’ and inserting ‘‘25’’.
(m) EMERGENCY LOW INCOME HOUSING PRESERVA-
TION ACT OF 1987.—In carrying out the provisions of the
Emergency Low Income Housing Preservation Act of
1987 (12 U.S.C. 1715l note) pursuant to section 604 of
the Cranston-Gonzalez National Affordable Housing Act,
each reference in such provisions to 30 percent of adjusted
income shall be considered to refer to 25 percent of ad-
justed income.
(n) HOPE HOMEOWNERSHIP PROGRAMS.—Sections
424(b) and 444(b) of the Cranston-Gonzalez National Af-
fordable Housing Act (42 U.S.C. 12874(b), 12894(b)) are
each amended by striking ‘‘30’’ and inserting ‘‘25’’.
(o) NATIVE AMERICAN HOUSING ASSISTANCE.—Sec-
tion 203(a)(2) of the Native American Housing Assistance
and Self-Determination Act of 1996 (25 U.S.C.
4133(a)(2)) is amended by striking ‘‘30’’ and inserting
‘‘25’’.
(p) FHA-INSURED
ASSISTED
HOUSING.—Section
221 of the National Housing Act (12 U.S.C. 1715l) is
amended by striking ‘‘30’’ and inserting ‘‘25’’ in each of
the following provisions:
(1) Subparagraph (A) of the last undesignated
paragraph of subsection (f).
(2) Subsection (l)(1).
(q) AFFORDABLE HOUSING GOALS FOR FEDERAL
HOUSING
ENTERPRISES.—Sections 
1332(c)(2) 
and
1333(c)(2) of the Housing and Community Development
Act of 1992 (12 U.S.C. 4562(c)(2), 4563(c)(2)) are each
amended by striking ‘‘30’’ and inserting ‘‘15’’.
(r) RURAL HOUSING FOR LOWER INCOME FAMI-
LIES.—The Housing Act of 1949 (42 U.S.C. 1471 et seq.)
is amended by striking ‘‘30’’ and inserting ‘‘25’’ each
place it appears in each of the following sections:
(1) Section 521(a).
(2) Section 530.
(3) Section 542(a).
(s) FEDERAL HOME LOAN BANK ACT.—The Federal
Home Loan Bank Act is amended by striking ‘‘30’’ and
inserting ‘‘25’’ in each of the following sections:
(1) 
Section 
10(j)(13)(D) 
(12 
U.S.C.
140(j)(13)(D)).
(2) Section 21A(c) (12 U.S.C. 1441a(c))—
(A) in paragraph (4)(A); and
(B) in paragraph (14)(G).
(t) FEDERAL DEPOSIT INSURANCE ACT.—Section 40
of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act (12 U.S.C. 1831q)
is amended by striking ‘‘30’’ and inserting ‘‘25’’ in each
of the following subsections:
(1) Subsection (e)(1).
(2) Subsection (n)(7).
(u) COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANTS.—
Section 104(d)(2)(A)(iii)(I) of the Housing and Commu-
nity 
Development 
Act 
of 
1974 
(42 
U.S.C.
5304(d)(2)(A)(iii)(I)) is amended by striking ‘‘30’’ and in-
serting ‘‘25’’.
(v) NEW TOWNS EMERGENCY RELIEF DEMONSTRA-
TION.—Sections 1103(c)(4) and 1106(d)(1)(A)(iii)(I) of
the Housing and Community Development Act of 1992
(42 U.S.C. 5318 note) are each amended by striking ‘‘30’’
and inserting ‘‘25’’.
(w) EXCLUSION
OF CERTAIN INCOME.—Notwith-
standing any other provision of law, for purposes of deter-
mining the monthly contribution to be made by a family
under the provisions amended by this section, the adjusted
income of a family shall exclude any income attributable
to any cost-of-living adjustment made after the effective
date of this section in—
(1) any welfare assistance received by such fam-
ily from a public agency; or
(2) any benefits received by such family under
the Social Security Act.
(x) EFFECTIVE
DATE.—The provisions of, and
amendments made by, this section shall take effect on Oc-
tober 1, 1997.
SEC. 7. REPORT REGARDING FEDERAL HOUSING ASSIST-
ANCE.
The Secretary of Housing and Urban Development,
following consultation with public housing agencies, shall
prepare and submit to the Congress a comprehensive re-
port setting forth a proposal to limit Federal housing as-
sistance to assistance for public housing in order to ensure
that all funds for housing assistance provided by the Fed-
eral Government benefit lower income families.
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