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

Summary:
Fair Housing Enforcement Emergency Act of 2020
This bill provides support for fair housing enforcement during the COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) public-health emergency. Specifically, the bill

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6382 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 6382

     To provide assistance for fair housing enforcement activities 
     associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 24, 2020

Mr. Green of Texas (for himself, Mr. Meeks, and Mr. Cleaver) introduced 
 the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Financial 
  Services, and in addition to the Committee on the Judiciary, for a 
 period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for 
consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the 
                          committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
     To provide assistance for fair housing enforcement activities 
     associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, 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 ``Fair Housing Enforcement Emergency 
Act of 2020''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITION OF COVID-19 EMERGENCY PERIOD.

     For purposes of this Act, the term ``COVID-19 emergency period'' 
means the period that begins upon the date of the enactment of this Act 
and ends upon the date of the termination by the Federal Emergency 
Management Agency of the emergency declared on March 13, 2020, by the 
President under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency 
Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 4121 et seq.) relating to the Coronavirus 
Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

SEC. 3. FAIR HOUSING ACTIVITIES.

    (a) FHIP; FHAP.--
            (1) Authorization of appropriations.--To ensure that fair 
        housing organizations and State and local civil rights agencies 
        have sufficient resources to deal with expected increases in 
        fair housing complaints, to investigate housing discrimination, 
        including financial scams that target protected classes, 
        associated with or resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, and 
        during such pandemic, there is authorized to be appropriated 
        for contracts, grants, and other assistance--
                    (A) $55,000,000 for the Fair Housing Initiatives 
                Program under section 561 of the Housing and Community 
                Development Act of 1987 (42 U.S.C. 3616a); and
                    (B) $35,000,000 for the Fair Housing Assistance 
                Program under the Fair Housing Act (42 U.S.C. 3601 et 
                seq.).
        Amounts made available pursuant to this paragraph may be used 
        by such organizations and agencies to establish the capacity to 
        and to carry out activities and services by telephone and 
        online means, including for individuals with limited English 
        proficiency and individuals with a disability in accordance 
        with requirements under the Americans With Disabilities Act of 
        1990.
            (2) Private enforcement initiative.--In entering into 
        contracts for private enforcement initiatives under 561(b) of 
        the Housing and Community Development Act of 1987 (42 U.S.C. 
        3616a(b)) using amounts made available pursuant to paragraph 
        (1)(A) of this subsection, the Secretary of Housing and Urban 
        Development shall give priority to applications from qualified 
        fair housing enforcement organizations that have at least 2 
        years of fair housing testing experience.
            (3) 3-year availability.--Any amounts made available 
        pursuant paragraph (1) that are allocated for a grantee and 
        remain unexpended upon the expiration of the 3-year period 
        beginning upon such allocation shall be recaptured by the 
        Secretary.
    (b) Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity.--There is 
authorized to be appropriated $200,000,000 for the Office of Fair 
Housing and Equal Opportunity of the Department of Housing and Urban 
Development for costs of fully staffing such Office to ensure robust 
enforcement of the Fair Housing Act during the COVID-19 pandemic, 
including ensuring that--
            (1) assistance provided under this Act is provided and 
        administered in a manner that affirmatively furthers fair 
        housing in accordance with the Fair Housing Act;
            (2) such Office has sufficient capacity for intake of 
        housing discrimination complaints by telephone and online 
        mechanisms, including for individuals with limited English 
        proficiency and individuals with a disability in accordance 
        with requirements under the Americans With Disabilities Act of 
        1990 and section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 
        U.S.C. 794); and
            (3) such Office has the capacity to respond to all housing 
        discrimination complaints made during the COVID-19 pandemic 
        within time limitations required under law.
In the hiring of staff using amounts made available pursuant to this 
subsection, the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development shall 
consider and hire, at all levels of employment and to the greatest 
extent possible, a diverse staff, including by race, ethnicity, gender, 
and disability status. The Secretary shall submit a report to the 
Congress describing compliance with the preceding sentence on a 
quarterly basis, for each of the first 4 calendar quarters ending after 
the date of the enactment of this Act.

SEC. 4. FAIR HOUSING GUIDANCE AND EDUCATION.

    (a) Prohibition of Showings.--Not later than the expiration of the 
30-day period beginning on the date of the enactment of this Act, the 
Secretary of Housing and Urban Development shall issue guidance for 
owners of dwelling units assisted under housing assistance programs of 
the Department prohibiting, during the COVID-19 emergency period, of 
any showings of occupied assisted dwelling units to prospective 
tenants.
    (b) Education.--There is authorized to be appropriated $10,000,000 
for the Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity of the Department 
of Housing and Urban Development to carry out a national media campaign 
to educate the public of increased housing rights during COVID-19 
emergency period, that provides that information and materials used in 
such campaign are available--
            (1) in the languages used by communities with limited 
        English proficiency; and
            (2) to persons with disabilities.
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