Title: Emergency Housing Voucher Act of 2020
Policy area: Housing and Community Development

Summary:
Emergency Housing Voucher Act of 2020
This bill authorizes the Department of Housing and Urban Development to provide emergency rental assistance vouchers for public housing agencies (PHAs) to administer to eligible low-income families. In administering the vouchers, PHAs must give preference to families that are (1) homeless; (2) at risk of homelessness; or (3) fleeing, or attempting to flee, domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7084 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 7084

    To authorize emergency rental voucher assistance, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              June 1, 2020

  Ms. Waters introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                    Committee on Financial Services

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
    To authorize emergency rental voucher assistance, 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 Housing Voucher Act of 
2020''.

SEC. 2. EMERGENCY RENTAL ASSISTANCE VOUCHER PROGRAM.

    (a) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated to the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (in this 
section referred to as the ``Secretary''), $10,000,000,000 for fiscal 
year 2020, to remain available until expended, for--
            (1) 200,000 incremental emergency vouchers under subsection 
        (b);
            (2) renewals of the vouchers under subsection (b); and
            (3) fees for the costs of administering vouchers under 
        subsection (b).
    (b) Emergency Vouchers.--
            (1) In general.--The Secretary shall provide emergency 
        rental assistance vouchers under this subsection, which shall 
        be tenant-based rental assistance under section 8(o) of the 
        United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437f(o)).
            (2) Selection of families.--
                    (A) Mandatory preferences.--Each public housing 
                agency administering assistance under this section 
                shall provide preference for such assistance to 
                eligible families that are--
                            (i) homeless (as such term is defined in 
                        section 103(a) of the McKinney-Vento Homeless 
                        Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 11302(a));
                            (ii) at risk of homelessness (as such term 
                        is defined in section 401 of the McKinney-Vento 
                        Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 11360)); or
                            (iii) fleeing, or attempting to flee, 
                        domestic violence, dating violence, sexual 
                        assault, or stalking.
                    (B) Allocation.--In allocating amounts made 
                available under this section, the Secretary shall--
                            (i) not later than 60 days after the date 
                        of the enactment of this Act, allocate at least 
                        50 percent of such amounts to public housing 
                        agencies in accordance with a formula that 
                        considers--
                                    (I) the capability of public 
                                housing agencies to promptly use 
                                emergency vouchers provided under this 
                                section; and
                                    (II) the need for emergency 
                                vouchers provided under this section in 
                                the geographical area, based on factors 
                                determined by the Secretary, including 
                                risk of transmission of coronavirus, 
                                high numbers or rates of sheltered and 
                                unsheltered homelessness, and economic 
                                and housing market conditions;
                            (ii) allocate remaining amounts in 
                        accordance with a formula that considers--
                                    (I) the criteria under clause (i) 
                                and the success of a public housing 
                                agency in promptly utilizing vouchers 
                                awarded under clause (i); and
                                    (II) the capability of the public 
                                housing agency to create and manage 
                                structured partnerships with service 
                                providers for the delivery of 
                                appropriate community-based services; 
                                and
                            (iii) designate the number of vouchers 
                        under this section that each public housing 
                        agency that is awarded funds under this section 
                        is authorized to administer.
                    (C) Election not to administer.--If a public 
                housing agency elects not to administer amounts under 
                this section, the Secretary shall award such amounts to 
                other public housing agencies according to the criteria 
                in subparagraph (B).
                    (D) Failure to use vouchers promptly.--If a public 
                housing agency fails to issue all of its authorized 
                vouchers under this section on behalf of eligible 
                families within a reasonable period of time as 
                determined by the Secretary, the Secretary shall 
                reallocate any unissued vouchers and associated funds 
                to others public housing agencies according to the 
                criteria under subparagraph (B)(ii).
            (3) Waivers and alternative requirements.--Any waiver or 
        alternative requirement that the Secretary makes available to 
        all public housing agencies in connection with assistance made 
        available under the heading ``Tenant-Based Rental Assistance'' 
        in title XII of division B of the CARES Act (Public Law 116-
        136; 134 Stat. 601) shall apply to assistance under this 
        section until the expiration of such waiver or alternative 
        requirement.
            (4) Termination of vouchers upon turnover.--
                    (A) In general.--A public housing agency may not 
                reissue any vouchers made available under this section 
                when assistance for the family initially assisted is 
                terminated.
                    (B) Reallocation.--Upon termination of assistance 
                for one or more families assisted by a public housing 
                agency under this section, the Secretary shall 
                reallocate amounts that are no longer needed by such 
                public housing agency for assistance under this section 
                to another public housing agency for the renewal of 
                vouchers previously authorized under this section.
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