An Act to Improve the Housing Voucher System
Maine Legislature, Session 131, LD 2158
Committee Amendment CA_A_H850 (House)

COMMITTEE AMENDMENT " ^ " to H.P. 1382, L.D. 2158, "An Act to Improve
the Housing Voucher System"
Amend the bill by striking out the title and substitutmg the following;
'Resolve, to Improve the Housing Voucher System and Reduce the Number of
Voucher Expirations'
Amend the bill by striking out everything after the title and inserting the following:
'See. 1. Maine State Housing Authority to establish stakeholder group.
Resolved: That the Maine State Housing Authority shall establish a stakeholder group to
improve the system that governs the distribution and use of housing vouchers. For the
purposes of this resolve, "housing voucher" means a tenant-based housing choice voucher
issued under Section 8 of the United States Housing Act of 1937, Public Law 75-412, 50
Stat. 888, as amended.
Sec. 2. Membership. Resolved: That the membership of the stakeholder group
established pursuant to section 1 is as follows;
1. Four members who represent local housing authorities who distribute housing
vouchers, includmg at least 2 members who dist-ibute housing vouchers to be used in rural
areas of the State;
2, Four members who provide housing navigation services to tenants who use income-
based rental assistance programs, including one member who provides services through a
housing authority operated by a federally recognized Indian tribe and one member who
provides assistance at homeless shelters;
3, One member who has experience providing legal advice or assistance related to the
use of housing vouchers;
4. One member who has experience administering municipal general assistance;
5. The executive director of the Maine Human Rights Commission or the executive
director's designee; and
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT
Q". COMMITTEE AMENDMENT "^ " to H.P. 1382, L.D. 2158
6. Staff from the Maine State Housing Authority with experience in housing voucher
distribution and the process for requesting a waiver from the United States Department of
Housing and Urban Development asking for an adjustment to the fair market rent rate
amount used when determining housing voucher amounts.
Sec. 3. Duties. Resolved: That the stakeholder group under section 1 shall;
1. Outline the process for requesting a waiver from the United States Department of
Housing and Urban Development seeking an increase of the fair market rent for any
particular area of the State and, if a waiver is granted, how it allows local housing
authorities to enter into contracts with landlords at the highest rent allowed pursuant to that
waiver;
2. Determine how many local housing authorities have requested fair market rent
waivers from the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, how and
when each such request was made and the outcome of the requests;
3. Determine how many local housing authorities have not requested fair market rent
waivers from the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development and the
reason for each such decision, including the identification of barriers cited by the local
housing authorities;
4. Develop a list of all of the programs administered by local housing authorities that
create additional housing units, including housing units for which housing vouchers will
be used to pay for rent;
5. Consider strategies to support local housing authorities with the submission of
United States Department of Housing and Urban Development waiver requests, including
using the assistance of the Maine State Housing Authority to assist in administration of that
waiver request process;
6, Develop a chart that outlines the mles governing the use of housing vouchers
distributed by the Maine State Housing Authority as well as local housing authorities,
including but not limited to the time frames associated with securing housing using a
housing voucher and housing voucher expiration;
7. Identify any flexibility that exists regarding the distribution and use of housing
0 vouchers, including but not limited to the time frame within which a housing voucher must
be used prior to its expiration and the ability to use a housing voucher in an area of the
State outside of the area for which it was issued;
8. Consider strategies to improve outreach and education to landlords with the goal of
increasing the number of landlords who accept tenants who use housing vouchers or other
income-based rental assistance; and
9. Make recommendations, excluding the development of more housing stock, to
maximize the acceptance of housing vouchers by landlords and mcrease flexibility in the
use of housing vouchers, including but not limited to housing voucher expiration,
9 submitting United States Department of Housing and Urban Development waiver requests
and amendments to rules of the Maine State Housing Authority.
Sec. 4. Report. Resolved: That, no later than January 15, 2025, the Maine State
Housing Authority shall submit a report on the fmdings and recommendations of the
stakeholder group under section 1 to the joint select or joint standing committee of the
Page2-131LR2938(02)
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT " p( " to H.P. 1382, L,D. 2158
Legislature having jurisdiction over housing matters. The committee receiving the report
is authorized to submit legislation based on the report to the 132nd Legislature in 2025,'
Amend the bill by relettering or renumbering any nonconsecutive Part letter or section
number to read consecutively.
SUMMARY
This amendment replaces the bill with a resolve directing the Maine State Housing
Authority to convene a stakeholder group to gather information about the use of housing
vouchers and income-based rental assistance and consider ways to maximize the use of
housing vouchers by outlining the process for local housing authorities to request fair
market rent waivers from the United States Department of Housing and Urban
Development, making changes to the rules governing the expiration of housing vouchers
and the area of the State in which a housing voucher can be used and educating landlords
to increase the number of landlords who accept tenants who use housing vouchers or other
income-based rental assistance. The authority is directed to submit a report to the joint
select or jomt standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over housing
matters by January 15, 2025,
FISCAL NOTE REQIHRED
(See attached)
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT
Approved: 03/12/24 f^S^-
LD 2158 LR 2938(02)
An Act to Improve the Housing Voucher System
Fiscal Note for Bill as Amended by Committee Amendment "^t (^ -Y^^-
Committee: Housing
Fiscal Note Required: Yes
Fiscal Note
Minor cost increase - General Fund
Minor cost increase - Maine State Housing Authority
Fiscal Detail and Notes
Additional costs to the Maine State Housing Authority to establish and the Maine Human Rights Commission to
participate in a stakeholder group are expected to be minor and can be absorbed within each agency's existing
budgeted resources,
LR2938(02) - Fiscal Note - Page 1 of 1