I 
116TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 6867 
To provide necessary flexibility under programs for federally assisted housing 
to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 14, 2020 
Mr. GONZALEZ of Texas introduced the following bill; which was referred to 
the Committee on Financial Services 
A BILL 
To provide necessary flexibility under programs for federally 
assisted housing to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, 
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 Waiver Flexi-
bility Act of 2020’’. 
SEC. 2. HOUSING TRUST FUND. 
(a) WAIVER AUTHORITY.—The Secretary of Housing 
and Urban Development may waive, or specify alternative 
requirements for, any provision of any statute or regula-
tion that the Secretary administers in connection with the 
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use of amounts made available from the Housing Trust 
Fund established pursuant to section 1338 of the Federal 
Housing Enterprises Financial Safety and Soundness Act 
of 1992 (12 U.S.C. 4568) (except for requirements related 
to fair housing, nondiscrimination, labor standards, and 
the environment), upon a finding by the Secretary that 
any such waivers or alternative requirements are nec-
essary for the safe and effective administration of such 
amounts to prevent, prepare for, and respond to 
coronavirus (COVID-19). 
(b) RETROACTIVE APPLICABILITY.—Any such waiv-
ers shall be deemed to be effective as of the date a State 
or eligible recipient of amounts from a State allocation of 
such amounts began preparing for coronavirus and shall 
apply to the amounts made available from the Housing 
Trust Fund before, on, and after the date of the enact-
ment of this Act. 
SEC. 3. ASSISTANCE FOR SELF-HELP HOUSING PROVIDERS. 
(a) WAIVER AUTHORITY.—The Secretary of Housing 
and Urban Development may waive, or specify alternative 
requirements for, any provision of any statute or regula-
tion that the Secretary administers in connection with the 
program for self-help housing assistance under section 11 
of the Housing Opportunity Program Extension Act of 
1996 (42 U.S.C. 12805 note) (except for requirements re-
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lated to fair housing, nondiscrimination, labor standards, 
and the environment), upon a finding by the Secretary 
that any such waivers or alternative requirements are nec-
essary for the safe and effective administration of such 
amounts to prevent, prepare for, and respond to 
coronavirus (COVID-19). 
(b) RETROACTIVE APPLICABILITY.—Any such waiv-
ers and alternative requirements shall be deemed to be ef-
fective as of the date an organization or consortia who 
is a recipient of amounts under the program referred to 
in subsection (a) began preparing for coronavirus and 
shall apply to the amounts made available under such pro-
gram before, on, and after the date of the enactment of 
this Act. 
SEC. 4. CHOICE NEIGHBORHOODS INITIATIVE. 
Any amounts made available in the Consolidated and 
Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2013 (Public 
Law 113–6) for the heading ‘‘Department of Housing and 
Urban Development—Public and Indian Housing—Choice 
Neighborhoods Initiative’’ shall remain available for the 
purpose of paying obligations incurred prior to the expira-
tion of such amounts through September 30, 2021. 
SEC. 5. CONTINUUM OF CARE PROGRAM. 
Due to the emergency relating to the Coronavirus 
Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the Notice of Fund-
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ing Availability (NOFA) for fiscal year 2020 for the Con-
tinuum of Care program under subtitle C of title IV of 
the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 
11381 et seq.) shall have no force or effect and the Sec-
retary of Housing and Urban Development shall distribute 
amounts made available for such fiscal year for such pro-
gram based on the results of the competition for amounts 
made available for such program for fiscal year 2019 
(FR–6300–25), except that grant amounts may be ad-
justed to account for changes in fair market rents. 
Æ 
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