Expanding Service Coordinators Act

Bill: 117-hr-8866
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. Smith, Adam [D-WA-9]
Introduced: 2022-09-15
Policy area: Housing and Community Development
Latest action: action_date: 2022-09-15
text: Referred to the Committee on Financial Services, and in addition to the Committee on Education and Labor, 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.

Summaries:
action_date: 2022-09-15
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p><b>Expanding Service Coordinators Act</b></p> <p>This bill reauthorizes through FY2027 funding for service coordinator programs, which embed staff in certain federally assisted housing to arrange for transportation, case management, and other supportive services for eligible residents.</p> <p>The bill also makes service coordinators eligible to have qualifying student loans discharged through the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program.</p> <p>Additionally, the Government Accountability Office must study best practices and other matters concerning service coordinator programs in federally assisted housing in rural areas.</p>

tv_txt: I 117th CONGRESS 2d Session H. R. 8866 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES September 15, 2022 Mr. Smith of Washington introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Financial Services , and in addition to the Committee on Education and Labor , 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 amend the Housing and Community Development Act of 1992 to expand certain service coordinator programs, and for other purposes.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Expanding Service Coordinators Act . 2. Expansion of covered service coordinator programs (a) Additional requirements for service coordinators Subtitle E of title VI of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1992 ( 42 U.S.C. 13631 et seq. ) is amended by adding at the end the following: 678. Additional requirements (a) Funding for service coordinator training An owner of a federally assisted housing project shall, each year, reserve not less than $2,500 of amounts received to carry out a covered service coordinator program for use by a service coordinator to access training in areas described in section 802(d)(4) of the Cranston-Gonzalez National Affordable Housing Act ( 42 U.S.C. 8011(d)(4) ). (b) Service coordinator training reporting requirement A service coordinator operating pursuant to a covered service coordinator program shall, on an annual basis, submit to the Secretary information, as determined appropriate by the Secretary, with respect to training completed by the service coordinator in the preceding year. (c) Grant applications The Secretary may not require an applicant for a grant under a covered service coordinator program to use all of the amounts available to the applicant prior to submitting an application for such grant. (d) Authorization of appropriations There is authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary for the operation of covered service coordinator programs and the continuation of existing congregate service grants for residents of federally assisted housing projects $225,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2023 through 2027. (e) Covered service coordinator program defined The term covered service coordinator program means the service coordinator programs established pursuant to— (1) this subtitle; (2) section 802 of the Cranston-Gonzalez National Affordable Housing Act ( 42 U.S.C. 8011 ); (3) section 202 of the Housing Act of 1959 ( 12 U.S.C. 1701q ); and (4) section 8 of the United States Housing Act of 1937 ( 42 U.S.C. 1437f ). . (b) Provision of services Section 202(g)(3) of the Housing Act of 1959 ( 12 U.S.C. 1701q(g)(3) ) is amended by inserting , including with respect to the calculation of initial rents after eligible cost under subsection (c)(2) . 3. Public Service Loan Forgiveness eligibility Section 455(m)(3)(B)(i) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 ( 20 U.S.C. 1087e(m)(3)(B)(i) ) is amended by inserting public service as a service coordinator, after school-based services, . 4. Expansion of funding for services for public and Indian housing residents Section 34 of the United States Housing Act of 1937 ( 42 U.S.C. 1437z–6 ) is amended by adding at the end the following: (f) Authorization of appropriations There is authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary to carry out this section $45,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2023 through 2027. . 5. Study on rural service coordination (a) In general Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this section, the Comptroller General of the United States shall conduct a study regarding the coordination of the provision of supportive services (in this section referred to as service coordination ) by one or more individuals (in this section referred to as a service coordinator ) in rural covered federally assisted housing projects, which shall include the following: (1) An identification of the number of service coordinators that work in rural covered federally assisted housing projects. (2) An identification of the number of rural covered federally assisted housing projects that do not employ a service coordinator. (3) A description of the effect of service coordinators on the well-being of residents of rural covered federally assisted housing projects. (4) A comparison of the met and unmet needs of residents of rural covered federally assisted housing projects— (A) that employ a service coordinator; and (B) that do not employ a service coordinator. (5) A description of models of service coordination that are used in programs other than rural covered federally assisted housing projects. (6) A description of barriers, if any, to the operation of service coordinators in rural covered federally assisted housing projects. (7) A description of promising service coordination practices that should be explored for use by service coordinators in rural covered federally assisted housing projects, including the following: (A) Multi-site service coordination. (B) Part-time service coordination. (C) Remote service coordination. (b) Report Upon completion of the study required under subsection (a), the Comptroller General of the United States shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report regarding the results of such study. (c) Covered federally assisted housing defined In this section, the term covered federally assisted housing means— (1) federally assisted housing, as such term is defined in section 683(2) of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1992 ( 42 U.S.C. 13641(2) ); and (2) housing that is assisted under section 514, 515, 516, or 538 of the Housing Act of 1949 ( 42 U.S.C. 1484 , 1485, 1486, or 1490p–2).