private investment, business creation, and neighborhood
revitalization.
‘‘(b) ELIGIBLE ACTIVITIES.—Amounts made avail-
able under this section may be used for projects that in-
clude any of the following activities in the homeownership
zone:
‘‘(1) Acquisition, construction, and rehabilita-
tion of housing.
‘‘(2) Site acquisition and preparation, including
demolition, construction, reconstruction, or installa-
tion of public and other site improvements and utili-
ties directly related to the homeownership zone.
‘‘(3) Direct financial assistance to homebuyers.
‘‘(4) Homeownership counseling.
‘‘(5) Relocation assistance.
‘‘(6) Marketing costs, including affirmative
marketing activities.
‘‘(7) Other project-related costs.
‘‘(8) Reasonable administrative costs (up to 5
percent of the grant amount).
‘‘(9) Other housing-related activities proposed
by the applicant as essential to the success of the
homeownership zone and approved by the Secretary.
‘‘(c) APPLICATION.—To be eligible for a grant under
this section, a unit of general local government shall sub-
mit an application for a homeownership zone grant in such
form and in accordance with such procedures as the Sec-
retary shall establish.
‘‘(d) SELECTION CRITERIA.—The Secretary shall se-
lect applications for funding under this section through
a national competition, using selection criteria established
by the Secretary, which shall include—
‘‘(1) the degree to which the proposed activities
will result in the improvement of the economic, so-
cial, and physical aspects of the neighborhood and
the lives of its residents through the creation of new
homeownership opportunities;
‘‘(2) the levels of distress in the homeownership
zone as a whole, and in the immediate neighborhood
of the project for which assistance is requested;
‘‘(3) the financial soundness of the plan for fi-
nancing homeownership zone activities;
‘‘(4) the leveraging of other resources; and
‘‘(5) the capacity to successfully carry out the
plan.
‘‘(e) GRANT APPROVAL AMOUNTS.—The Secretary
may establish a maximum amount for any grant for any
funding round under this section. A grant may not be
made in an amount that exceeds the amount that the Sec-
retary determines is necessary to fund the project for
which the application is made.
‘‘(f) PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS.—A homeownership
zone proposal shall—
‘‘(1) provide for a significant number of new
homeownership opportunities that will make a visible
improvement in an immediate neighborhood;
‘‘(2) not be inconsistent with such planning and
design principles as may be prescribed by the Sec-
retary;
‘‘(3) be designed to stimulate additional invest-
ment in that area;
‘‘(4) provide for partnerships with persons or
entities in the private and nonprofit sectors;
‘‘(5) incorporate a comprehensive approach to
revitalization of the neighborhood;
‘‘(6) establish a detailed time-line for com-
mencement and completion of construction activities;
and
‘‘(7) provide for affirmatively furthering fair
housing.
‘‘(g) INCOME TARGETING.—At least 51 percent of
the homebuyers assisted with funds under this section
shall have household incomes at or below 80 percent of
median income for the area, as determined by the Sec-
retary.
‘‘(h) ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW.—For purposes of
environmental review, decisionmaking, and action pursu-
ant to the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 and
other provisions of law that further the purposes of such
Act, a grant under this section shall be treated as assist-
ance under the HOME Investment Partnerships Act and
shall be subject to the regulations issued by the Secretary
to implement section 288 of such Act.
‘‘(i) REVIEW, AUDIT, AND REPORTING.—The Sec-
retary shall make such reviews and audits and establish
such reporting requirements as may be necessary or ap-
propriate to determine whether the grantee has carried out
its activities in a timely manner and in accordance with
the requirements of this section. The Secretary may ad-
just, reduce, or withdraw amounts made available, or take
other action as appropriate, in accordance with the Sec-
retary’s performance reviews and audits under this sec-
tion.
‘‘(j) AUTHORIZATION.—There is authorized to be ap-
propriated to carry out this section $25,000,000 for fiscal
year 2000 and such sums as may be necessary for fiscal
year 2001, to remain available until expended.’’.
SEC. 603. LEASE-TO-OWN.
(a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of the Con-
gress that residential tenancies under lease-to-own provi-
sions can facilitate homeownership by low- and moderate-
income families and provide opportunities for homeowner-
ship for such families who might not otherwise be able
to afford homeownership.
(b) REPORT.—Not later than the expiration of the
3-month period beginning on the date of the enactment
of this Act, the Secretary of Housing and Urban Develop-
ment shall submit a report to the Congress—
(1) analyzing whether lease-to-own provisions
can be effectively incorporated within the HOME in-
vestment partnerships program, the public housing
program, the tenant-based rental assistance program
under section 8 of the United States Housing Act of
1937, or any other programs of the Department to
facilitate homeownership by low- or moderate-income
families; and
(2) any legislative or administrative changes
necessary to alter or amend such programs to allow
the use of lease-to-own options to provide home-
ownership opportunities.
SEC. 604. LOCAL CAPACITY BUILDING.
Section 4 of the HUD Demonstration Act of 1993
(42 U.S.C. 9816 note) is amended—
(1) in subsection (a), by inserting ‘‘National
Association of Housing Partnerships,’’ after ‘‘Hu-
manity,’’; and
(2) in subsection (e), by striking ‘‘$25,000,000’’
and all that follows and inserting ‘‘, for each fiscal
year, such sums as may be necessary to carry out
this section.’’.
SEC. 605. CONSOLIDATED APPLICATION AND PLANNING
REQUIREMENT AND SUPER-NOFA.
(a) CONSOLIDATED APPLICATION.—Section 106 of
the Cranston-Gonzalez National Affordable Housing Act
(42 U.S.C. 12706) is amended to read as follows:
‘‘SEC. 106. CONSOLIDATED APPLICATION FOR COMMUNITY
PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS.
‘‘(a) REQUIREMENT.—The Secretary shall, by regula-
tion, provide for jurisdictions to comply with the planning
and application requirements under the covered programs
under subsection (b) by submitting to the Secretary, for
a program year, a single consolidated submission under
this section that complies with the requirements for plan-
ning and application submissions under the laws relating
to the covered programs and shall serve, for the jurisdic-
tion, as the planning document and an application for
funding under the covered programs.
‘‘(b) COVERED PROGRAMS.—The covered programs
under this subsection are the following programs:
‘‘(1) The HOME investment partnerships pro-
gram under title II of this Act (42 U.S.C. 12721 et
seq.).
‘‘(2) The community development block grant
program under title I of the Housing and Commu-
nity Development Act of 1974 (42 U.S.C. 5301 et
seq.).
‘‘(3) The economic development initiative pro-
gram under section 108(q) of the Housing and Com-
munity Development Act of 1974 (42 U.S.C.
5308(q)).
‘‘(4) The emergency shelter grants program
under subtitle B of title IV of the Stewart B.
McKinney Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C.
11371 et seq.).
‘‘(5) The housing opportunities for persons with
AIDS program under subtitle D of title VIII of the
Cranston-Gonzalez National Affordable Housing Act
(42 U.S.C. 12901 et seq.).
‘‘(c) PROGRAM YEAR.—In establishing requirements
for a consolidated submission under this section, the Sec-
retary shall provide for a consolidated program year,
which shall comply with the various application and review
deadlines under the covered programs.
‘‘(d) ADEQUACY OF EXISTING REGULATIONS.—The
regulations of the Secretary relating to consolidated sub-
missions for community planning and development pro-
grams, part 91 of title 24, Code of Federal Regulations,
as in effect on March 1, 1999, shall be considered to be
sufficient to comply with this section, except to the extent
that the program referred to in paragraph (3) of sub-
section (b) is not covered by such regulations.
‘‘(e) CONSISTENCY.—The Secretary shall, by regula-
tion or otherwise, as deemed by the Secretary to be appro-
priate, require any application for housing assistance
under title II of this Act, assistance under the Housing
and Community Development Act of 1974, or assistance
under the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act,
to contain or be accompanied by a certification by an ap-
propriate State or local public official that the proposed
housing activities are consistent with the housing strategy
of the jurisdiction to be served.’’.
(b) SUPER-NOFA.—The Department of Housing
and Urban Development Act is amended by inserting after
section 12 (42 U.S.C. 3537a) the following new section:
‘‘SEC. 13. NOTICE OF FUNDING AVAILABILITY.
‘‘(a) REQUIREMENT.—In making amounts for a fiscal
year under the covered programs under subsection (b)
available to applicants, the Secretary shall issue a consoli-
dated notice of funding availability that—
‘‘(1) applies to as many of the covered pro-
grams as the Secretary determines is practicable;
‘‘(2) simplifies the application process for fund-
ing under such programs by providing for applica-
tion under various covered programs through a sin-
gle, unified application;
‘‘(3) promotes comprehensive approaches to
housing and community development by providing
for applicants to identify coordination of efforts
under various covered programs; and
‘‘(4) clearly informs prospective applicants of
the general and specific requirements under law for
applying for funding under such programs.
‘‘(b) COVERED PROGRAMS.—The covered programs
under this subsection are the programs that are adminis-
tered by the Secretary and identified by the Secretary for
purposes of this section, in the following areas:
‘‘(1) Housing and community development pro-
grams.
‘‘(2) Economic development and empowerment
programs.
‘‘(3) Targeted housing assistance and homeless
assistance programs.’’.
TITLE VII—MANUFACTURED
HOUSING IMPROVEMENT
SEC. 701. SHORT TITLE AND REFERENCES.
(a) SHORT TITLE.—This title may be cited as the
‘‘Manufactured Housing Improvement Act’’.
(b) REFERENCES.—Whenever in this title an amend-
ment is expressed in terms of an amendment to, or repeal
of, a section or other provision, the reference shall be con-
sidered to be made to that section or other provision of
the National Manufactured Housing Construction and
Safety Standards Act of 1974 (42 U.S.C. 5401 et seq.).
SEC. 702. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES.
Section 602 (42 U.S.C. 5401) is amended to read as
follows:
‘‘FINDINGS AND PURPOSES
‘‘SEC. 602. (a) FINDINGS.—The Congress finds
that—
‘‘(1) manufactured housing plays a vital role in
meeting the housing needs of the Nation; and
‘‘(2) manufactured homes provide a significant
resource for affordable homeownership and rental
housing accessible to all Americans.
‘‘(b) PURPOSES.—The purposes of this title are—
‘‘(1) to facilitate the acceptance of the quality,
durability, safety, and affordability of manufactured
housing within the Department of Housing and
Urban Development;
‘‘(2) to facilitate the availability of affordable
manufactured homes and to increase homeownership
for all Americans;
‘‘(3) to provide for the establishment of prac-
tical, uniform, and, to the extent possible, perform-
ance-based Federal construction standards;
‘‘(4) to encourage innovative and cost-effective
construction techniques;
‘‘(5) to protect owners of manufactured homes
from unreasonable risk of personal injury and prop-
erty damage;
‘‘(6) to establish a balanced consensus process
for the development, revision, and interpretation of
Federal construction and safety standards for manu-
factured homes and related regulations for the en-
forcement of such standards;
‘‘(7) to ensure uniform and effective enforce-
ment of Federal construction and safety standards
for manufactured homes; and
‘‘(8) to ensure that the public interest in, and
need for, affordable manufactured housing is duly
considered in all determinations relating to the Fed-
eral standards and their enforcement.’’.
SEC. 703. DEFINITIONS.
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 603 (42 U.S.C. 5402) is
amended—
(1) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘dealer’’ and
inserting ‘‘retailer’’;
(2) in paragraph (12), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the
end;
(3) in paragraph (13), by striking the period at
the end and inserting a semicolon; and
(4) by adding at the end the following new
paragraphs:
‘‘(14) ‘administering organization’ means the
recognized, voluntary, private sector, consensus
standards body with specific experience in developing
model residential building codes and standards in-
volving all disciplines regarding construction and
safety that administers the consensus standards de-
velopment process;
‘‘(15) ‘consensus committee’ means the com-
mittee established under section 604(a)(3);
‘‘(16) ‘consensus standards development proc-
ess’ means the process by which additions, revisions,
and interpretations to the Federal manufactured
home construction and safety standards and enforce-
ment regulations shall be developed and rec-
ommended to the Secretary by the consensus com-
mittee;
‘‘(17) ‘primary inspection agency’ means a
State agency or private organization that has been
approved by the Secretary to act as a design ap-
proval primary inspection agency or a production in-
spection primary inspection agency, or both;
‘‘(18) ‘design approval primary inspection agen-
cy’ means a State agency or private organization
that has been approved by the Secretary to evaluate
and either approve or disapprove manufactured
home designs and quality control procedures;
‘‘(19) ‘production inspection primary inspection
agency’ means a State agency or private organiza-
tion that has been approved by the Secretary to
evaluate the ability of manufactured home manufac-
turing plants to comply with approved quality con-
trol procedures and with the Federal manufactured
home construction and safety standards promulgated
hereunder; and
‘‘(20) ‘monitoring’—
‘‘(A) means the process of periodic review
of the primary inspection agencies, by the Sec-
(B) in subsection (b)(3), by striking ‘‘deal-
er or dealers’’ and inserting ‘‘retailer or retail-
ers’’; and
(C) in subsections (d) and (f), by striking
‘‘dealers’’ each place it appears and inserting
‘‘retailers’’;
(4) in section 616 (42 U.S.C. 5415), by striking
‘‘dealer’’ and inserting ‘‘retailer’’; and
(5) in section 623(c)(9), by striking ‘‘dealers’’
and inserting ‘‘retailers’’.
SEC. 704. FEDERAL MANUFACTURED HOME CONSTRUC-
TION AND SAFETY STANDARDS.
Section 604 (42 U.S.C. 5403) is amended—
(1) by striking subsections (a) and (b) and in-
serting the following new subsections:
‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—
‘‘(1) AUTHORITY.—The Secretary shall estab-
lish, by order, appropriate Federal manufactured
home construction and safety standards, each of
which—
‘‘(A) shall—
‘‘(i) be reasonable and practical;
‘‘(ii) meet high standards of protec-
tion consistent with the enumerated pur-
poses of this title; and
‘‘(iii) where appropriate, be perform-
ance-based and objectively stated; and
‘‘(B) except as provided in subsection (b),
shall be established in accordance with the con-
sensus standards development process.
‘‘(2) CONSENSUS
STANDARDS
AND
REGU-
LATORY DEVELOPMENT PROCESS.—
‘‘(A) INITIAL
AGREEMENT.—Not later
than 180 days after the date of enactment of
the Manufactured Housing Improvement Act,
the Secretary shall enter into a contract with
an administering organization. The contractual
agreement shall—
‘‘(i) terminate on the date on which a
contract is entered into under subpara-
graph (B); and
‘‘(ii) require the administering organi-
zation to—
‘‘(I) appoint the initial members
of the consensus committee under
paragraph (3);
‘‘(II) administer the consensus
standards development process until
the termination of that agreement;
and
‘‘(III) administer the consensus
development and interpretation proc-
ess for procedural and enforcement
regulations and regulations specifying
the permissible scope and conduct of
monitoring until the termination of
that agreement.
‘‘(B) COMPETITIVELY
PROCURED
CON-
TRACT.—Upon the expiration of the 4-year pe-
riod beginning on the date on which all mem-
bers of the consensus committee are appointed
under paragraph (3), the Secretary shall, using
competitive procedures (as such term is defined
in section 4 of the Office of Federal Procure-
ment Policy Act), enter into a competitively
awarded contract with an administering organi-
zation. The administering organization shall ad-
minister the consensus process for the develop-
ment and interpretation of the Federal stand-
ards, the procedural and enforcement regula-
tions and regulations specifying the permissible
scope and conduct of monitoring in accordance
with this title.
‘‘(C) 
PERFORMANCE
REVIEW.—The
Secretary—
‘‘(i) shall periodically review the per-
formance of the administering organiza-
tion; and
‘‘(ii) may replace the administering
organization with another qualified tech-
nical or building code organization, pursu-
ant to competitive procedures, if the Sec-
retary determines in writing that the ad-
ministering organization is not fulfilling
the terms of the agreement or contract to
which the administering organization is
subject or upon the expiration of the
agreement or contract.
‘‘(3) CONSENSUS COMMITTEE.—
‘‘(A) PURPOSE.—There is established a
committee to be known as the ‘consensus com-
mittee’, which shall, in accordance with this
title—
‘‘(i) provide periodic recommendations
to the Secretary to adopt, revise, and inter-
pret the Federal manufactured housing
construction and safety standards in ac-
cordance with this subsection;
‘‘(ii) provide periodic recommenda-
tions to the Secretary to adopt, revise, and
interpret the procedural and enforcement
regulations, including regulations speci-
fying the permissible scope and conduct of
monitoring in accordance with this sub-
section; and
‘‘(iii) be organized and carry out its
business in a manner that guarantees a
fair opportunity for the expression and
consideration of various positions and for
public participation.
‘‘(B) MEMBERSHIP.—The consensus com-
mittee shall be composed of—
‘‘(i) 25 voting members appointed,
subject to approval by the Secretary, by
the administering organization from among
individuals who are qualified by back-
ground and experience to participate in the
work of the consensus committee; and
‘‘(ii) 1 member appointed by the Sec-
retary to represent the Secretary on the
consensus committee, who shall be a non-
voting member.
‘‘(C) DISAPPROVAL.—The Secretary may
disapprove, in writing with the reasons set
forth, the appointment of an individual under
subparagraph (B)(i).
‘‘(D) SELECTION
PROCEDURES
AND
RE-
QUIREMENTS.—Each member shall be ap-
pointed in accordance with the selection proce-
dures, which shall be established by the Sec-
retary and which shall be based on the proce-
dures for consensus committees promulgated by
the American National Standards Institute (or
successor organization), except that the Amer-
ican National Standards Institute interest cat-
egories shall be modified for purposes of this
paragraph to ensure equal representation on
the consensus committee of the following inter-
est categories:
‘‘(i) HOME
PRODUCERS.—Five per-
sons representing manufacturers of manu-
factured homes.
‘‘(ii) OTHER BUSINESS INTERESTS.—
Five persons representing other business
interests involved in the manufactured
housing industry such as retailers, install-
ers, lenders, insurers, suppliers of prod-
ucts, and community owners. The business
interests represented in this category shall
not be owned or controlled by manufactur-
ers represented under clause (i).
‘‘(iii) CONSUMERS.—Five persons rep-
resenting homeowners and consumer inter-
ests, such as consumer organizations, com-
munity organizations, recognized consumer
leaders, and owners and occupants of man-
ufactured homes.
‘‘(iv) PUBLIC
OFFICIALS.—Five per-
sons who are State or local officials such
as building code enforcement or inspection
officials, fire marshals, and including rep-
resentatives of State administrative agen-
cies.
‘‘(v) GENERAL INTEREST.—Five per-
sons representing the public such as archi-
tects, engineers, homebuilders, academi-
cians, and developers.
‘‘(E) ADDITIONAL
QUALIFICATIONS.—An
individual appointed under clause (iii), (iv), or
(v) of subparagraph (D) shall not have—
‘‘(i) a significant financial interest in
any segment of the manufactured housing
industry; or
‘‘(ii) a significant relationship to any
person engaged in the manufactured hous-
ing industry.
‘‘(F) MEETINGS.—
‘‘(i) NOTICE; OPEN TO PUBLIC.—The
consensus committee shall provide advance
notice of each meeting of the consensus
committee to the Secretary and publish ad-
vance notice of each such meeting in the
Federal Register. All meetings of the con-
sensus committee shall be open to the pub-
lic.
‘‘(ii) REIMBURSEMENT.—Members of
the consensus committee in attendance at
the meetings shall be reimbursed for their
actual expenses as authorized by section
5703 of title 5, United States Code, for
persons employed intermittently in Govern-
ment service.
‘‘(G) INAPPLICABILITY OF OTHER LAWS.—
‘‘(i) ADVISORY COMMITTEE ACT.—The
consensus committee shall not be consid-
ered to be an advisory committee for pur-
poses of the Federal Advisory Committee
Act.
‘‘(ii) TITLE 18.—The members of the
consensus committee shall not be subject
to section 203, 205, 207, or 208 of title
18, United States Code, to the extent of
their proper participation as members of
the consensus committee.
‘‘(iii) ETHICS
IN
GOVERNMENT
ACT
OF 1978.—The Ethics in Government Act
of 1978 shall not apply to members of the
consensus committee to the extent of their
proper participation as members of the
consensus committee.
‘‘(H) ADMINISTRATION.—The consensus
committee and the administering organization
shall—
‘‘(i) operate in conformance with the
procedures established by the American
National Standards Institute for the devel-
opment and coordination of American Na-
tional Standards; and
‘‘(ii) apply to the American National
Standards Institute and take such other
actions as may be necessary to obtain ac-
creditation from the American National
Standards Institute.
‘‘(I) STAFF.—The administering organiza-
tion shall, upon the request of the consensus
committee, provide reasonable staff resources to
the consensus committee. Upon a showing of
need, the Secretary shall furnish technical sup-
port to any of the various interest categories on
the consensus committee.
‘‘(J) DATE OF INITIAL APPOINTMENTS.—
The initial appointments of all of the members
of the consensus committee shall be completed
not later than 90 days after the date on which
an administration agreement under paragraph
(2)(A) is completed with the administering or-
ganization.
‘‘(4) REVISIONS OF STANDARDS.—
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Beginning on the date
on which all members of the consensus com-
mittee are appointed under paragraph (3), the
consensus committee shall, not less than once
during each 2-year period—
‘‘(i) consider revisions to the Federal
manufactured home construction and safe-
ty standards; and
‘‘(ii) submit proposed revised stand-
ards and regulations to the Secretary in
the form of a proposed rule, including an
economic analysis.
‘‘(B) PUBLICATION OF PROPOSED REVISED
STANDARDS.—
‘‘(i) PUBLICATION BY SECRETARY.—
The consensus committee shall provide a
proposed revised standard under subpara-
graph (A)(ii) to the Secretary who shall,
not later than 30 days after receipt, pub-
lish such proposed revised standard in the
Federal Register for notice and comment.
Unless clause (ii) applies, the Secretary
shall provide an opportunity for public
comment on such proposed revised stand-
ard and any such comments shall be sub-
mitted directly to the consensus committee
without delay.
‘‘(ii) PUBLICATION
OF
REJECTED
PROPOSED
REVISED
STANDARD.—If the
Secretary rejects the proposed revised
standard, the Secretary shall publish the
rejected proposed revised standard in the
Federal Register with the reasons for re-
jection and any recommended modifica-
tions set forth.
‘‘(C) PRESENTATION
OF
PUBLIC
COM-
MENTS; PUBLICATION OF RECOMMENDED REVI-
SIONS.—
‘‘(i) 
PRESENTATION.—Any 
public
comments, views, and objections to a pro-
posed revised standard published under
subparagraph (B) shall be presented by
the Secretary to the consensus committee
upon their receipt and in the manner re-
ceived, in accordance with procedures es-
tablished by the American National Stand-
ards Institute.
‘‘(ii) PUBLICATION
BY
THE
SEC-
RETARY.—The consensus committee shall
provide to the Secretary any revisions pro-
posed by the consensus committee, which
the Secretary shall, not later than 7 cal-
endar days after receipt, cause to be pub-
lished in the Federal Register as a notice
of the recommended revisions of the con-
sensus committee to the standard, a notice
of the submission of the recommended re-
visions to the Secretary, and a description
of the circumstances under which the pro-