Topic: Public Lands — Indigenous Affairs
Subject: Native Americans
Date: 2013-07-24 00:00:00

Native American Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Reauthorization Act of 2013 - Title I: Block Grants and Grant Requirements - (Sec. 101) Amends the Native American Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Act of 1996 (Act) to allow Indian housing block grant recipients to use income that is realized from program income without restriction.

Applies tribal prevailing wage laws to the administration of all federal funding for projects funded in part under that Act.

(Sec. 102) Deems compliance with the environmental review requirements of the Indian housing block grant projects to satisfy any other federal environmental review requirements imposed on agencies involved in the projects.

(Sec. 103) Reauthorizes appropriations for the block grants through FY2018.

Title II: Affordable Housing Activities - (Sec. 201) Makes an exception to the requirement that housing assisted under the Act remain affordable for the useful life of the property if: (1) a family or household member subsequently takes over ownership of a unit, or (2) an improvement is made to a privately owned unit and the aggregate value of that improvement for the five-year period following its completion is less than $10,000.

Allows rental housing made available to a current tenant for conversion to a homebuyer or lease-purchase unit to be purchased by the tenant if that tenant was a low-income family at the time of initial occupancy.

(Sec. 202) Applies lease termination notification requirements to any project or program funded in part under the Act.

(Sec. 203) Repeals a program allowing Indian tribes to use a portion of the block grants for housing activities wholly self-determined by the Indian tribe.

(Sec. 204) Prohibits affordable housing that is developed, acquired, or assisted under the block grant program from exceeding by more than 20% the total development cost maximum cost for all housing assisted under an affordable housing activity, without the approval of the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

Title III: Compliance, Audits, and Reports - (Sec. 301) Requires the Secretary's annual report to Congress on the activities carried out under the Act to be submitted to the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs, and House Committee on Financial Services.

Requires that report to be made available to the public.

Title IV: Other Housing Assistance for Native Americans - (Sec. 401) Amends the United States Housing Act of 1937 to authorize the Secretary to implement a rental assistance and supportive housing demonstration program, in conjunction with the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA), for the benefit of Indian veterans who are homeless or at-risk of homelessness and who are residing on or near Indian areas. ("Indian areas" are defined as those areas within which an Indian tribe or a tribally designated housing entity provides affordable housing assistance under this Act.)

Authorizes the Secretary, in carrying out the demonstration program, to waive or establish alternative requirements regarding the use of rental assistance if doing so is necessary for the effective delivery and administration of rental assistance to Indian veterans.

(Sec. 402) Amends the Act to clarify that the 50-year limit on the lease of trust or Indian restricted lands for housing purposes does not affect any authority to lease those lands that is conferred pursuant to any other law in effect before, on, or after the enactment of that limit.

(Sec. 403) Reauthorizes appropriations, through FY2018, for the provision of training and technical assistance to Indian housing authorities and tribally designated housing entities. 

Title V: Miscellaneous - (Sec. 501) Amends the Act to treat a tribally designated housing entity as a community-based development organization for purposes of the Indian Community Development Block Grant program.

(Sec. 502) Repeals the provision of the Native American Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Reauthorization Act of 2008 that prohibits the use of funds under that Act for the benefit of the Cherokee Nation unless the Temporary Order and Temporary Injunction issued on May 14, 2007, by the District Court of the Cherokee Nation remains in effect or there is a settlement agreement which ends litigation among the adverse parties.

(Sec. 503) Reauthorizes the Native Hawaiian Homeownership Act through FY2018.

(Sec. 504) Allows all funds provided under a grant made pursuant to this Act to be used to meet matching or cost participation requirements under any other federal or nonfederal program.