thorization Act of 2017, the Secretary shall promulgate 
such regulations as the Secretary considers necessary to 
implement this title. The Secretary may provide that any 
such regulation takes effect on the date of promulgation, 
but the Secretary shall accept and consider public com-
ments for 60 days after such date.’’. 
SEC. 11. ANNUAL PROGRESS REPORTS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 412(b) is amended by 
striking ‘‘subsection (a) to’’ and all that follows and in-
serting ‘‘subsection (a) to the Secretary.’’. 
(b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendment made by 
subsection (a) shall apply to reports submitted on or after 
the date of the enactment of this Act. 
SEC. 12. SANCTIONS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 413 is amended— 
(1) by amending subsection (b)(5) to read as 
follows: 
‘‘(5) if, by the end of the 90-day period begin-
ning on the date of the termination, the Secretary 
has not found a qualified entity (or entities) de-
scribed in paragraph (3), shall— 
‘‘(A) make every effort to identify, without 
conducting a competition (unless the Secretary 
determines that conducting a competition would 
be feasible and appropriate), another qualified 
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entity (or entities), in the same or a different 
community, willing and able to conduct one or 
more demonstration projects under this title 
that may differ from the project being termi-
nated; 
‘‘(B) in identifying a qualified entity (or 
entities) under subparagraph (A), give priority 
to qualified entities that— 
‘‘(i) are participating in demonstra-
tion projects conducted under this title; 
‘‘(ii) have waiting lists for participants 
in such demonstration projects; and 
‘‘(iii) can demonstrate the availability 
of non-Federal funds described in section 
405(c)(4), in addition to any such funds 
committed to any demonstration projects 
being conducted by the qualified entity at 
the time the Secretary considers identi-
fying the entity under subparagraph (A), 
to be committed to the demonstration 
project (or projects) described in subpara-
graph (A) as matching contributions; and 
‘‘(C) if the Secretary identifies a qualified 
entity (or entities) under subparagraph (A)— 
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‘‘(i) transfer to the entity (or entities) 
control over the Reserve Fund established 
pursuant to section 407 with respect to the 
project being terminated; and 
‘‘(ii) authorize the entity (or entities) 
to use such Reserve Fund to conduct a 
demonstration project (or projects) in ac-
cordance with an application approved 
under subsection (e) or (h)(2) of section 
405 and the requirements of this title.’’; 
and 
(2) by adding at the end the following new sub-
section: 
‘‘(c) FOCUS
ON
COMMUNITY
OF
TERMINATED 
PROJECT.—In identifying another qualified entity (or en-
tities) under paragraph (3) or (5) of subsection (b), the 
Secretary shall, to the extent practicable, select a qualified 
entity (or entities) in the community served by the dem-
onstration project being terminated.’’. 
(b) EFFECTIVE DATE.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—The amendment made by 
subsection (a) shall apply to terminations occurring 
on or after the date of the enactment of this Act. 
(2) DISCRETIONARY APPLICATION TO PREVIOUS 
TERMINATIONS.—The Secretary of Health and 
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Human Services may apply such amendment to ter-
minations occurring within the 1-year period ending 
on the day before the date of the enactment of this 
Act. In the case of such an application, any ref-
erence in such amendment to the date of the termi-
nation is deemed a reference to such date of enact-
ment. 
SEC. 13. EVALUATIONS. 
Section 414 is amended— 
(1) by amending subsection (a) to read as fol-
lows: 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may enter into 
one or more contracts with one or more independent re-
search organizations to evaluate the demonstration 
projects conducted under this title, individually and as a 
group, including all qualified entities participating in and 
sources providing funds for the demonstration projects 
conducted under this title. Such contract or contracts may 
also provide for the evaluation of other asset-building pro-
grams and policies targeted to low-income individuals.’’; 
(2) in subsection (b)— 
(A) by striking paragraph (3); 
(B) in paragraph (4), by striking ‘‘, and 
how such effects vary among different popu-
lations or communities’’; 
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(C) by striking paragraphs (5) and (6); 
and 
(D) by redesignating paragraphs (4) and 
(7) as paragraphs (3) and (4), respectively; and 
(3) in subsections (b) and (c), by inserting ‘‘(or 
organizations)’’ after ‘‘research organization’’ each 
place it appears. 
SEC. 14. COSTS OF TRAINING QUALIFIED ENTITIES. 
The Assets for Independence Act (42 U.S.C. 604 
note) is amended— 
(1) by redesignating section 416 as section 417; 
and 
(2) by inserting after section 415 the following 
new section: 
‘‘SEC. 416. COSTS OF TRAINING QUALIFIED ENTITIES. 
‘‘If the Secretary determines that a qualified entity 
conducting a demonstration project under this title should 
receive training in order to conduct the project in accord-
ance with an application approved under subsection (e) or 
(h)(2) of section 405 or the requirements of this title, or 
to otherwise successfully conduct the project, the Sec-
retary may use funds appropriated under section 418 to 
cover the necessary costs of such training, including the 
costs of travel, accommodations, and meals.’’. 
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SEC. 15. WAIVER AUTHORITY. 
The Assets for Independence Act (42 U.S.C. 604 
note) is amended— 
(1) by redesignating section 417, as redesig-
nated by section 14(1) of this Act, as section 418; 
and 
(2) by inserting after section 416 the following 
new section: 
‘‘SEC. 417. WAIVER AUTHORITY. 
‘‘In order to carry out the purposes of this title, the 
Secretary may waive any requirement of this title— 
‘‘(1) relating to— 
‘‘(A) the definition of a qualified entity; 
‘‘(B) the approval of a qualified entity to 
conduct a demonstration project under this title 
or to receive a grant under this title; 
‘‘(C) eligibility criteria for individuals to 
participate in a demonstration project under 
this title; 
‘‘(D) amounts or limitations with respect 
to— 
‘‘(i) the matching by a qualified entity 
of amounts deposited by an eligible indi-
vidual in the individual development ac-
count of the individual; 
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‘‘(ii) the amount of funds that may be 
granted to a qualified entity by the Sec-
retary; or 
‘‘(iii) uses by a qualified entity of the 
funds granted to the qualified entity by the 
Secretary; or 
‘‘(E) the withdrawal of funds from an indi-
vidual development account only for qualified 
expenses or as an emergency withdrawal; or 
‘‘(2) the waiver of which is necessary to— 
‘‘(A) permit the Secretary to enter into an 
agreement with the Commissioner of Social Se-
curity; 
‘‘(B) allow individuals to be placed on a 
waiting list to participate in a demonstration 
project under this title; or 
‘‘(C) allow demonstration projects under 
this title to be targeted to populations described 
in section 405(h)(3)(A) and to successfully re-
cruit individuals from such populations for par-
ticipation.’’. 
SEC. 16. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 
Section 418, as redesignated by section 15(1) of this 
Act, is amended by inserting after ‘‘2003’’ the following: 
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‘‘and $75,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2018, 2019, 
2020, 2021, and 2022’’. 
SEC. 17. CONFORMING AMENDMENTS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 414(e) is amended by 
striking ‘‘section 416’’ and inserting ‘‘section 418’’. 
(b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents in 
section 2 of the Community Opportunities, Accountability, 
and Training and Educational Services Act of 1998 (Pub-
lic Law 105–285) is amended as follows: 
(1) By striking the item relating to section 411 
and inserting the following new item: 
‘‘Sec. 411. Local control over demonstration projects; regulations.’’. 
(2) By striking the items relating to sections 
415 and 416 and inserting the following new items: 
‘‘Sec. 415. No reduction in benefits. 
‘‘Sec. 416. Costs of training qualified entities. 
‘‘Sec. 417. Waiver authority. 
‘‘Sec. 418. Authorization of appropriations.’’. 
SEC. 18. GENERAL EFFECTIVE DATE. 
The amendments made by sections 4 through 9 of 
this Act shall apply to project years beginning on or after 
the date of the enactment of this Act. 
Æ 
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