ERAP Improvement Act of 2021
Bill: H.R.5269 | Sponsor: Rep. Bush, Cori (D-MO)
Policy area: Housing and Community Development

Summary:
Emergency Rental Assistance Program Improvement Act of 2021 or the ERAP Improvement Act of 2021
This bill modifies the Department of Treasury's Emergency Rental Assistance program to increase the portion of funding that state and local government grant recipients may use for administrative costs. The bill also encourages grant recipients to utilize these administrative funds to provide application assistance in coordination with public entities such as libraries, elementary schools, courts, and public housing.
The program continues to provide grants to state and local governments to assist eligible households in paying rent, utility costs, and other housing costs incurred due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

To expand public access to tenant financial assistance programs, and 
                          for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Emergency Rental Assistance Program 
Improvement Act of 2021'' or the ``ERAP Improvement Act of 2021''.

SEC. 2. COLLABORATION WITH PUBLIC ENTITIES.

    (a) In General.--Section 501 of subtitle A of title V of Division M 
of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (15 U.S.C. 9058a) is 
amended--
            (1) in subsection (c)(5)(A)--
                    (A) by striking ``10 percent'' and inserting ``15 
                percent''; and
                    (B) by striking ``related to such funds.'' and 
                inserting ``related to such funds and for collaboration 
                with public entities as described in subsection (n).''; 
                and
            (2) by adding at the end the following:
    ``(n) Collaboration With Public Entities.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Secretary of the Treasury shall, not 
        later than 30 days after the enactment of this subsection, 
        issue guidance designed to instruct eligible grantees with 
        respect to how best to collaborate with public entities to 
        provide application assistance services.
            ``(2) Use of amounts paid to eligible grantee.--
        Notwithstanding subsection (c)(5), an eligible grantee that 
        collaborates with public entities pursuant to the guidance 
        issued by the Secretary of the Treasury pursuant to paragraph 
        (1) may use amounts available for administrative costs under 
        section (c)(5) to, in coordination with one or more public 
        entities, develop any administrative infrastructure necessary 
        to provide application assistance services, including--
                    ``(A) training the employees of a public entity or 
                other designated institutional representative of a 
                public entity about how to complete the emergency 
                rental application process;
                    ``(B) maintaining physical and electronic copies of 
                all documents needed to apply for assistance;
                    ``(C) establishing methods of communication between 
                eligible grantees, public entities, community 
                organizations, and individual households;
                    ``(D) providing language translation services;
                    ``(E) developing community outreach materials, 
                programs, and initiatives; and
                    ``(F) collecting and storing relevant documentation 
                on-site at the public entity, or with a third party in 
                a manner that complies with Federal, State, and local 
                law.
            ``(3) Definitions.--In this subsection:
                    ``(A) Application assistance services.--The term 
                `application assistance services' means--
                            ``(i) distributing applications for 
                        assistance to individuals that may qualify for 
                        assistance; and
                            ``(ii) assisting individuals applying or 
                        assistance.
                    ``(B) Public entity.--The term public entity 
                includes--
                            ``(i) public elementary schools and public 
                        secondary schools (as such terms are defined 
                        under section 8101 of the Elementary and 
                        Secondary Education Act of 1965);
                            ``(ii) public libraries;
                            ``(iii) HUD-approved housing counseling 
                        agencies and other entities receiving funds 
                        under section 3204 of the American Rescue Plan 
                        Act of 2021;
                            ``(iv) courts that handle eviction related 
                        matters;
                            ``(v) public housing agencies;
                            ``(vi) public transit systems;
                            ``(vii) State departments of motor 
                        vehicles;
                            ``(viii) the United States Postal Service; 
                        and
                            ``(ix) Federal, State, and local social 
                        service providers.''.
    (b) Collaboration With Public Entities.--Section 3201 of the 
American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 is amended by adding at the end the 
following:
    ``(i) Collaboration With Public Entities.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Secretary of the Treasury shall, not 
        later than 30 days after the enactment of this subsection, 
        issue guidance designed to instruct eligible grantees with 
        respect to how best to collaborate with public entities to 
        provide application assistance services.
            ``(2) Use of amounts paid to eligible grantee.--An eligible 
        grantee that collaborates with public entities pursuant to the 
        guidance issued by the Secretary of the Treasury pursuant to 
        paragraph (1) may use not more than 15 percent of the amount 
        paid to such eligible grantee under this section to, in 
        coordination with one or more public entities, develop any 
        administrative infrastructure necessary to provide application 
        assistance services, including--
                    ``(A) training the employees of a public entity or 
                other designated institutional representative of a 
                public entity about how to complete the emergency 
                rental application process;
                    ``(B) maintaining physical and electronic copies of 
                all documents needed to apply for assistance;
                    ``(C) establishing methods of communication between 
                eligible grantees, public entities, community 
                organizations, and individual households;
                    ``(D) providing language translation services;
                    ``(E) developing community outreach materials, 
                programs, and initiatives; and
                    ``(F) collecting and storing relevant documentation 
                on-site at the public entity, or with a third party in 
                a manner that complies with Federal, State, and local 
                law.
            ``(3) Definitions.--In this subsection:
                    ``(A) Application assistance services.--The term 
                `application assistance services' means--
                            ``(i) distributing applications for 
                        assistance to individuals that may qualify for 
                        assistance; and
                            ``(ii) assisting individuals applying or 
                        assistance.
                    ``(B) Public entity.--The term public entity 
                includes--
                            ``(i) public elementary schools and public 
                        secondary schools (as such terms are defined 
                        under section 8101 of the Elementary and 
                        Secondary Education Act of 1965);
                            ``(ii) public libraries;
                            ``(iii) public housing agencies;
                            ``(iv) public transit systems;
                            ``(v) State departments of motor vehicles;
                            ``(vi) the United States Postal Service; 
                        and
                            ``(vii) Federal, State, and local social 
                        service providers.''.
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