zli12321/Bills huggingface dataset:
Housing Assistance Council Authorization Act of 2007 - Authorizes the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to provide financial assistance to the Housing Assistance Council to develop the capacity of community-based housing development organizations to undertake community development and affordable housing projects and programs in rural areas. Authorizes the Council to use such assistance for rural community-based housing development organizations to acquire: (1) technical assistance, training, support, and advice to develop business and administrative capabilities; and (2) loans, grants, or other financial assistance to carry out community development and affordable housing activities for low- and moderate-income families. Authorizes appropriations for FY2008-FY2014.

Date: 2007-04-20
Topic: Housing (Low-Income Assistance)
Subject: Housing and community development
Inactive Reservists Foreclosure Prevention Act of 2007 - Instructs the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to implement a mortgage assistance program through grants and loans for direct mortgage payments for the primary residential property of designated eligible households. Requires such mortgage assistance to be paid monthly directly to the mortgage servicer during the period that a member of the eligible household is serving on active duty for a period of more than 30 days in the Armed Forces, including extensions in the period of such active duty. Sets forth requirements governing: (1) grant assistance, repayment, and repayment in cases of foreclosure; and (2) application procedures.

Date: 2007-06-06
Topic: Housing (Low-Income Assistance)
Subject: Finance and financial sector
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from gross income gain from the sale of certain residential leased-fee interests to a holder of the leasehold right if such holder is: (1) an association of apartment owners of a multi-family residential leasehold property; or (2) a cooperative housing corporation for a residential leasehold property. Terminates such exclusion after 2012.

Date: 2007-06-07
Topic: Housing (Low-Income Assistance)
Subject: Taxation
Family Self-Sufficiency Act of 2007 - Amends the United States Housing Act of 1937 to revise requirements for the administrative fee payable to public housing agencies (PHAs) to cover the costs of administering family self-sufficiency programs in connection with the housing choice voucher program of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Prescribes: (1) a base fee for a PHA serving 25 or more program participants equal to the costs of employing one full-time family self-sufficiency coordinator (prorated for an agency serving fewer than 25 such participants); and (2) an additional fee for an agency meeting minimum performance standards to cover the costs of employing a second coordinator if the agency has 75 or more participating families, and a third coordinator if it has 125 or more participating families. Requires the Secretary to publish a proposed rule specifying the performance standards applicable to funding such additional fees and agencies that have received HUD funding for more than three such coordinators between FY1998-FY2007. Requires PHAs receiving such funds to collect and report to the Secretary information on the performance of their family self-sufficiency programs. Directs the Secretary to: (1) conduct a formal and scientific evaluation of the effectiveness of well-run family self-sufficiency programs, using random assignment of participants to the extent practicable; and (2) submit interim and final reports to Congress. Authorizes appropriations for the evaluation. Permits the Secretary to reserve up to 10% of the amounts available for administrative fees to provide support to or reward family self-sufficiency programs that are particularly innovative or highly successful in achieving program goals.

Date: 2007-07-12
Topic: Housing (Low-Income Assistance)
Subject: Housing and community development
Small Public Housing Authority Act - Amends the United States Housing Act of 1937 to exempt a small public housing agency from the requirement to prepare an annual public agency plan if the agency: (1) administers not more than a total of 250 dwelling units and section 8 vouchers; and (2) is not a troubled agency. Requires an agency to: (1) continue to make an annual civil rights certification, and establish, and consult with, one or more resident advisory boards; and (2) conduct a public hearing to discuss agency goals and policies, and make the information available to the public at the agency's principal office. Declares that qualified small public housing agencies are not exempt from the requirements for amendments and modifications to five-year public housing agency plans. .

Date: 2007-07-17
Topic: Housing (Low-Income Assistance)
Subject: Housing and community development
Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to modify certain Treasury Regulations to provide that none of the following shall be considered a grant made with respect to a building or its operation for purposes of the required reduction of eligible basis by grants received under the low-income housing tax credit: (1) specified rental assistance under the Housing Act of 1949, Housing Act of 1959, and the Cranston-Gonzalez National Affordable Housing Act; (2) loan guarantees for multifamily rental housing in rural area under the Housing Act of 1949; (3) periodic interest reduction payments on behalf of owner of rental or cooperative housing project for low-income families under the National Housing Act; (4) modernization, operating, and rental assistance under the Native American Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Act of 1996; (5) certain assistance under the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act for grantees following a current housing affordability strategy or an approved comprehensive homeless assistance plan; (6) tenant-based rental assistance under the Cranston-Gonzalez National Affordable Housing Act; (7) assistance under the AIDS Housing Opportunity Act; (8) per diem payments for furnishing services to homeless veterans; (9) rent supplements under the Housing and Urban Development Act of 1965; (10) rural housing voucher program assistance under the Housing Act of 1949; and (11) any other ongoing payment similar to any of these payments and designed to reduce cash flow needs from rent to enable the property to be rented to low-income tenants.

Date: 2007-07-31
Topic: Housing (Low-Income Assistance)
Subject: Housing and community development
Earning and Living Opportunities Act - Amends the Housing and Urban Development Act of 1968 to set forth as a condition of federal housing and community development assistance that: (1) a public or Indian housing agency or contractor shall require that at least 20% of employee hours be performed by low- or very low-income persons; and (2) a recipient of assistance for housing rehabilitation, construction, or other public construction projects and their contractors shall require that at least 20% of new employee hours be performed by low- or very low-income persons. Directs the Secretary to require a public or Indian housing agency and other recipients of federal housing and community development assistance to: (1) establish a section 3 committee of interested parties to oversee all aspects of compliance with section 3 of such Act; (2) advertise training and employment opportunities generated by development assistance; and (3) maintain a registry of eligible low- and very low-income persons who express interest in those opportunities. (Section 3 declares the policy of the Congress to ensure that the employment and other economic opportunities generated by federal financial assistance for housing and community development programs shall, to the greatest extent feasible, be directed toward low- and very low-income persons, particularly those who are recipients of government assistance for housing.) Prescribes requirements for: (1) contractor compliance and job training; and (2) agency recruitment and referral. Establishes fines for noncompliance.

Date: 2007-08-01
Topic: Housing (Low-Income Assistance)
Subject: Housing and community development
Public Housing Asset Management Improvement Act of 2007 - Prohibits the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development from imposing restrictions or limitations on the amount of management and related fees for a public housing project which the public housing agency (PHA) determines reasonable, unless such restriction or limitation: (1) is determined pursuant to a negotiated rulemaking convened by the Secretary no earlier than April 1, 2009, with representatives from interested parties; and (2) is effective only on or after January 1, 2011. Allows any PHA that owns or operates fewer than 500 public housing units under the United States Housing Act of 1937 to elect to be exempt from asset management requirements imposed by the Secretary. Prohibits the Secretary from imposing any requirement, regulation, or guideline relating to asset management that restricts or limits in any way the use by PHAs of amounts for Capital Fund assistance for costs of any PHA central office. Requires the Secretary to ensure that PHAs encourage the reasonable efforts of resident tenant organizations to represent their members and of tenants to organize. Requires guidance issued by the Secretary to encourage participation by residents in the implementation of asset management and the development of local policies for such purposes.

Date: 2007-09-10
Topic: Housing (Low-Income Assistance)
Subject: Housing and community development
Homeowners' Emergency Mortgage Assistance Act - Directs the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to establish a mortgage emergency assistance program for qualifying homeowners with National Housing Act-insured mortgages who are temporarily unable to meet their obligations due to financial hardship beyond their control. Requires: (1) homeowner repayment of such assistance and interest; and (2) certain conditions to be met before legal action may be taken against a qualifying homeowner, including providing the homeowner with program notice.

Date: 2007-09-19
Topic: Housing (Low-Income Assistance)
Subject: Finance and financial sector
Section 515 Rural Housing Property Transfer Improvement Act of 2007 - Amends the Housing Act of 1949 to direct the Secretary of Agriculture to: (1) implement administrative and procedural changes to expedite the application approval process for transferring ownership of Section 515 rural multifamily housing projects for which a loan is either made or insured for a project's preservation, continued use restriction, and rehabilitation; and (2) actively facilitate such transfers. (A Section 515 project is one involving housing and related facilities for elderly persons and families or other persons and families of low income.)Grants final regulatory authority over such property transfers to the Office of Rental Housing Preservation of the Rural Housing Service of the Department of Agriculture.Authorizes such Office, with respect to such transfers, to work with and seek recommendations from the State Rural Development offices of the Department of Agriculture.Sets forth deadlines for the processing of transfer applications by such Office as well as by state and local offices.Instructs the Secretary of Agriculture to report to certain congressional committees on: (1) actions taken to coordinate with other federal agencies, including the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), and, in particular, with the program for rental assistance under section 8 of the United States Housing Act of 1937, the multifamily mortgage insurance programs under title II of the National Housing Act, and the programs for low-income housing tax credits and for tax-exempt bonds under the Internal Revenue Code; (2) resulting improvements within the Rural Housing Service in expediting the transfer of ownership of projects with loans made or insured under section 515 of the Housing Act of 1949; and (3) recommended legislative changes.

Date: 2007-10-17
Topic: Housing (Low-Income Assistance)
Subject: Housing and community development
Rural Housing Preservation Act of 2007 - Amends the Housing Act of 1949 to require the Secretary of Agriculture to carry out a preservation program to provide financial incentives and other assistance to owners of Section 515 rural multifamily housing projects through long-term use agreements entered into between the project owners and the Secretary. (A Section 515 project is one involving housing and related facilities for elderly persons and families or other persons and families of low income.)Authorizes the Secretary to give priority to applications for eligible projects located on tribal trust lands or other Indian areas, in colonias, or in other small, poor, low-income communities.Requires the Secretary to prepare and approve a long-term viability plan for each eligible project for which the owner requests to participate. Allows the Secretary, subject to certain conditions, to offer a project owner a financial restructuring plan, based on the long-term viability plan, and specified project preservation incentives.Specifies compliance requirements for rents for any eligible households residing in a dwelling unit in any preserved Section 515 project, including: (1) a disregard for certain earned income for residents; and (2) phase-in of rent increases.Establishes conditions that makes certain project owners ineligible to participate in the preservation program.Requires the Secretary to make rural preservation and rural tenant protection vouchers available to certain eligible households.Requires the Secretary to give priority, in entering into contracts involving financing for new construction of a Section 515 project, for projects located in eligible rural areas needing affordable low-income rental housing because of prepayment of Section 515 loans.

Date: 2007-10-30
Topic: Housing (Low-Income Assistance)
Subject: Housing and community development
Consumer Protection Home Inspection Counseling Act of 2007 - Requires the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to establish a comprehensive program to train HUD staff, contractors, individuals, and entities that provide housing counseling under specified HUD-funded programs also to provide counseling to consumers on voluntary home inspection. Requires the Secretary to develop a new independent protocol, or amend existing protocols, to certify that such housing counselors have successfully completed training using the voluntary home inspection training module and counseling aids established and developed pursuant to this Act. Limits authorized counseling to certified counselors. Directs the Secretary to take necessary action to make such training module and counseling aids known to state and local governments, nonprofit organizations, consumer organizations, and the general public.

Date: 2007-12-18
Topic: Housing (Low-Income Assistance)
Subject: Housing and community development
Mobile Home Protection Act - Amends the United States Housing Act of 1937 (section 8 voucher program) to require a public housing agency (PHA) to contract to make section 8 rental assistance payments directly to a family (rather than to the owner of the real property on which the family's manufactured (mobile) home is located) only in the case of a low-income family that owns a manufactured home, rents the real property on which it is located, and to whom assistance under such Act has been made available. Sets as conditions for such a direct payment contract that: (1) the owner of the real property refuses to enter into a contract to receive assistance payments; (2) the family was residing in the manufactured home on the real property at the time such assistance was initially made available on the family's behalf; (3) the family provides assurances to the agency that amounts from the assistance payments are used for rental of the real property; and (4) such rental otherwise complies with the Act's requirements for assistance.

Date: 2008-01-23
Topic: Housing (Low-Income Assistance)
Subject: Housing and community development
Affordable Homeownership Preservation Fund Act of 2008 - Amends the Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation Act to establish in the Treasury an Affordable Homeownership Preservation Fund to allow the Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation, doing business as Neighborworks America, to provide financial assistance through grants to community development organizations for eligible activities to enhance and improve the availability of affordable housing. Requires such eligible activities to be: (1) carried out in accordance with the comprehensive strategic plan for the organization submitted under this Act; and (2) consistent with existing economic, community, and housing development plans adopted by or applicable to the area or targeted population served by the organization. Allows such activities to include: (1) assisting distressed homeowners with small low-interest or no-interest loans; (2) making mortgage loans to first-time homebuyers; and (3) purchasing, rehabilitating, and selling foreclosed properties for owner-occupancy.

Date: 2008-02-25
Topic: Housing (Low-Income Assistance)
Subject: Housing and community development
Section 8 Reform, Responsibility, and Accountability Act of 2007 - Amends the United States Housing Act of 1937 to prohibit section 8 rental assistance (including tenant- and project-based assistance) from being provided to any family that includes a convicted felon or illegal alien. Places a five-year limitation on section 8 rental assistance, disregarding any month during which such individual was a member of a disabled or elderly family so assisted. Prohibits such assistance on behalf of any family, unless each member of the family who is 18 years of age or older performs at least 20 hours of work activities per week. Requires the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to exempt from such prohibition any individual family member who meets certain requirements. Requires a public housing agency (PHA), in providing such housing assistance, to give preference to families that include a member who is a veteran that will reside in the dwelling unit. Expresses the sense of Congress that the HUD Moving to Work demonstration program under the Departments of Veterans Affairs and Housing and Urban Development, and Independent Agencies Appropriations Act, 1996 should be expanded to include significantly more PHAs. Authorizes the use of unspent section 8 housing assistance payments for section 8 compliance measures. Requires approved PHA plans, including modifications and amendments, to be made public at the PHA's office and in electronic form on the World Wide Web.

Date: 2008-02-26
Topic: Housing (Low-Income Assistance)
Subject: Housing and community development
First-Time Homebuyers' Tax Credit Act of 2008 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) allow an income-based, one-time refundable tax credit for first-time homebuyers of ten percent of a principal residence's purchase price ($3,000 maximum credit, $6,000 maximum credit for joint filers); (2) allow transfer of such credit (within 30 days of transfer application) as payment towards related downpayment and closing costs; and (3) apply the credit to purchases made on or after January 1, 2008, and before January 1, 2013, and to binding contracts made between such dates, and in which the residence is occupied before July 1, 2014.

Date: 2008-03-14
Topic: Housing (Low-Income Assistance)
Subject: Taxation
Public Housing Asset Management Improvement Act of 2008 - Prohibits the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development from imposing restrictions or limitations on the amount of management and related fees for a public housing project which the public housing agency (PHA) determines reasonable, unless such restriction or limitation: (1) is determined pursuant to a negotiated rulemaking convened by the Secretary no earlier than April 1, 2009, with representatives from interested parties; and (2) is effective only on or after January 1, 2011. Allows any PHA that owns or operates fewer than 500 public housing units under the United States Housing Act of 1937 to elect to be exempt from asset management requirements imposed by the Secretary. Prohibits the Secretary from imposing any requirement, regulation, or guideline relating to asset management that restricts or limits in any way the use by PHAs of amounts for Capital Fund assistance for costs of any PHA central office. Requires the Secretary to ensure that PHAs encourage the reasonable efforts of resident tenant organizations to represent their members and of tenants to organize. Makes illegal immigrants ineligible for financial assistance under this Act. Prohibits the Secretary from accepting as reasonable any management or related fees for enforcing a dwelling lease or other similar agreement that requires the registration of or prohibits the possession of firearms by an individual for personal protection or for sport, if the possession is not prohibited, or the registration is not required, by existing law. Amends the United States Housing Act of 1937 to convert current community service requirements (and related exemptions) for adult residents of public housing projects to make them optional at the discretion of a PHA. Amends the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988 to authorize appropriations for FY2009-FY2011. Expands the scope of eligible activities that may be conducted under public and assisted housing drug elimination programs.

Date: 2008-04-17
Topic: Housing (Low-Income Assistance)
Subject: Housing and community development
Foreclosure Counseling Assistance Act of 2008 - Directs the Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation (NRC) to make grants to qualified counseling intermediaries and qualified legal organizations to provide legal assistance to homeowners of owner-occupied homes with mortgages in default, in danger of default, or subject to or at risk of foreclosure. Requires the NRC to give priority to qualified counseling intermediaries and qualified legal organizations that: (1) provide legal assistance in the 100 metropolitan statistical areas with the highest home foreclosure rates; and (2) have the capacity to begin using the grant funds within 90 days after receipt of the funds.

Date: 2008-04-17
Topic: Housing (Low-Income Assistance)
Subject: Housing and community development
Authorizes the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), upon request of the owner of a multifamily housing project to which specified contracts are subject, to: (1) convert such contracts to a contract for project-based rental assistance under section 8 of the United States Housing Act of 1937; and (2) treat the contemplated resulting contract as eligible for initial renewal under the Multifamily Assisted Housing Reform and Affordability Act of 1997, if certain conditions are met.Deems the owner to be in compliance with income-targeting requirements of the United States Housing Act of 1937 by serving low-income families.Considers each family residing in an assisted dwelling unit on the date of such conversion to meet the applicable requirements for income eligibility and occupancy.

Date: 2008-05-01
Topic: Housing (Low-Income Assistance)
Subject: Housing and community development
Keep Our Homes Act of 2008 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow: (1) a tax deduction through 2012 for mortgage counseling costs; (2) a tax deduction through 2009 for amounts, up to $5,000, of mortgage indebtedness in excess of the assessed value of a principal residence; (3) a one-time tax credit for a percentage of the purchase price of a principal residence; (4) nonitemizing taxpayers a tax deduction in 2008 or 2009 for real property taxes; and (5) an exclusion from gross income for unemployment compensation received in 2008 or 2009.

Date: 2008-05-05
Topic: Housing (Low-Income Assistance)
Subject: Taxation
First Time Property Owners Tax Credit Act of 2008 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow an income-based, one-time refundable tax credit for first-time homebuyers of 5% of the purchase price of real property located in the United States, up to a maximum credit amount of $1,500 ($3,000 for joint returns). Makes such credit applicable to purchases of property on or after January 1, 2008, and before January 1, 2013, and to binding contracts made between such dates to purchase such property before July 1, 2014.

Date: 2008-05-07
Topic: Housing (Low-Income Assistance)
Subject: Taxation
Asset Management Improvement Act of 2008 - Prohibits the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development from imposing restrictions or limitations on the amount of management and related fees for a public housing project which the public housing agency (PHA) determines reasonable, unless such restriction or limitation: (1) is determined pursuant to a negotiated rulemaking convened by the Secretary no earlier than April 1, 2009, with representatives from interested parties; and (2) is effective only on or after January 1, 2011. Allows any PHA that owns or operates fewer than 500 public housing units under the United States Housing Act of 1937 to elect to be exempt from asset management requirements imposed by the Secretary. Prohibits the Secretary from imposing any requirement, regulation, or guideline relating to asset management that restricts or limits in any way the use by PHAs of amounts for Capital Fund assistance for costs of any PHA central office. Requires the Secretary to ensure that PHAs encourage the reasonable efforts of resident tenant organizations to represent their members and of tenants to organize. Makes illegal immigrants ineligible for financial assistance under this Act. Prohibits the Secretary from accepting as reasonable any management or related fees for enforcing a dwelling lease or other similar agreement that requires the registration of or prohibits the possession of firearms by an individual for personal protection or for sport, if the possession is not prohibited, or the registration is not required, by existing law. Amends the Quality Housing and Work Responsibility Act of 1998 to permit a PHA or owner of federally assisted housing to terminate the tenancy or assistance for any household with a member who is illegally using a firearm, or whose illegal use is determined by the PHA or owner to interfere with the health, safety, or right to peaceful enjoyment of the premises by other residents.

Date: 2008-06-09
Topic: Housing (Low-Income Assistance)
Subject: Housing and community development
HOPE VI Amendment Act of 2008 - Continues through September 30, 2009, the availability of amounts appropriated for FY2002 for grants to certain public housing agencies for public housing demolition, site revitalization, replacement housing, and tenant-based assistance (HOPE VI grants). Makes eligible for such continued grant availability any public housing agencies that since October 1, 2002, have suffered project delays, and cost increases due to shortages in labor and materials, as a result of natural catastrophes, fire, flood, explosion, or the 2007-2008 subprime mortgage crisis.

Date: 2008-06-23
Topic: Housing (Low-Income Assistance)
Subject: Housing and community development
Real Estate Assessment Center Inspection Improvement Act of 2008 - Requires the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to take necessary actions to improve the activities of the Real Estate Assessment Center of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for physical assessment and inspection of public housing and federally assisted multifamily housing, including developing a detailed process to improve planning and preparation for such inspections.Requires the Secretary to: (1) make the three-day Real Estate Assessment Center physical inspection training for non-inspectors, held in Washington, DC, available to personnel of all public housing agencies throughout the nation, by use of the Web or other electronic means; and (2) convene an advisory committee to review and make recommendations for revising, as necessary, the Center's scoring system.

Date: 2008-08-01
Topic: Housing (Low-Income Assistance)
Subject: Housing and community development
Homeowner Assistance and Taxpayer Protection Act - Amends the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 (EESA), with respect to mortgages acquired by the Secretary of the Treasury, to direct the Secretary to use authority to require (currently, encourage) the servicers of the underlying mortgages to take advantage of the HOPE for Homeowners Program under the National Housing Act or other available programs to minimize foreclosures. Requires federal property managers holding, owning, or controlling mortgages, mortgage backed securities, and other assets secured by residential real estate to do likewise. Directs a federal property manager to require (currently, encourage) loan servicers to implement specified loan modifications in any case in which the property manager does not own a residential mortgage loan, but holds an interest in obligations or pools of obligations secured by residential mortgage loans. Requires lenders to participate in HOPE for Homeowners Program when homeowners elect to participate. Amends Chapter 13 (Adjustment of Debts of an Individual with Regular Income) of the federal bankruptcy code to allow a debtor's plan to modify an allowed secured claim secured by the debtor's principal residence (mortgage), if, after deduction of permitted expenses, the debtor has insufficient remaining current monthly income to retain possession of the residence by curing a default and maintaining payments while the case is pending. Waives the credit counseling requirement for a debtor whose home is in foreclosure. Waives the liaibility of the debtor and the debtor's estate for certain fees arising in connection with a claim secured by the debtor's principal residence. Amends EESA to prohibit financial institutions from which troubled assets are purchased by the Secretary from paying increased dividends until such time as the troubled assets are no longer owned by the Secretary. Requires that dividends be reduced to pay for excessive executive compensation in the case of any such financial institution.

Date: 2008-11-20
Topic: Housing (Low-Income Assistance)
Subject: Housing and community development
Economic Recovery Through Responsible Homeownership Act of 2008 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow an individual taxpayer a refundable tax credit for the purchase in 2009 or 2010 of a residence located in the United States if the construction of such residence began before 2010 and the taxpayer makes a downpayment of at least 10% of the purchase price. Limits the amount of such credit to $5,000 ($10,000 if the downpayment is at least 15% of the purchase price).

Date: 2008-12-10
Topic: Housing (Low-Income Assistance)
Subject: Taxation
Instructs the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, the Secretary of Transportation, and the Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard is operating to: (1) require an applicant for approval under the Natural Gas Act or the Deepwater Port Act of 1974 (DPA) of the siting, construction, expansion, or operation of a liquefied natural gas facility (including an off-shore facility under DPA), to identify each employee or agent engaged in activities to persuade communities of the benefits of such approval; and (2) maintain a publicly available database listing all such employees and agents.

Date: 2007-01-17
Topic: Housing (Low-Income Assistance)
Subject: Energy
Affordable Housing Expansion and Public Safety Act - Instructs the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (Secretary) to provide an additional 100,000 incremental vouchers for tenant-based rental housing assistance under the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program in FY2008. Amends the Cranston-Gonzalez National Affordable Housing Act to direct: (1) each participating jurisdiction to use Home Investments Partnership (HOME) grant funds to provide affordable housing to individuals or families whose income is 30% or lower than the area median income (extremely low-income); and (2) direct the Secretary to allocate HOME funds to such jurisdictions on a specified pro-rata basis. Amends the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988 to: (1) extend to FY2012 the authorization of appropriations for the Public and Assisted Housing Crime and Drug Elimination Program (PHDEP); (2) set aside specified amounts for the Office of Policy Development and Research; (3) identify activities eligible for grant funds; and (4) require the Office to review research to assess strategies likely to be effective in preventing and reducing violent and drug-related crimes in public and federally assisted low-income housing. Expresses the sense of the Senate that Congress shall create a national affordable housing trust fund to supply 1.5 million additional affordable housing units over the next 10 years, especially for extremely low-income and very low-income families. Repeals multiyear procurement authority for the F-22A Raptor Fighter Aircraft. Prohibits the Secretary of Energy from implementing the advanced research program for fossil fuels.

Date: 2007-01-30
Topic: Housing (Low-Income Assistance)
Subject: Housing and community development
Moving to Work Charter Program Act of 2007 - Directs the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to enter into charter contracts, beginning in FY2008, with up to 250 public housing agencies administering the public housing program or the section 8 housing assistance program under the United States Housing Act of 1937. States that such charter contracts shall: (1) supersede and have a term commensurate with any annual contributions contract between a public housing agency and the Secretary; and (2) provide that a participating public housing agency shall receive capital and operating assistance allocated to it under specified laws. Exempts charter contracts from the requirements of the United States Housing Act of 1937, except those for payment of wages prevailing in the community and the demolition and disposition of public housing. Requires a charter contract to provide that a public housing agency: (1) may combine section 8 low-income assistance and Public Housing Capital and Operating Fund assistance and use it for housing assistance and related services for activities under this Act; (2) shall ensure that at least 75% of the families assisted are very low-income families; (3) shall establish a reasonable rent policy designed to encourage employment, self-sufficiency, and home ownership by participating families; and (4) meet specified additional requirements. Directs the Secretary to appoint a federal advisory committee to assess and develop a demonstration program to test standards, criteria, and practices for a national public housing agency accreditation system or other evaluation system.

Date: 2007-03-07
Topic: Housing (Low-Income Assistance)
Subject: Housing and community development
Small Public Housing Authorities Paperwork Reduction Act - Amends the United States Housing Act of 1937 to exempt a qualified public housing agency from the requirement to prepare an annual public agency plan if the agency: (1) administers 500 or fewer public housing dwelling units, or section 8 vouchers; and (2) is not designated as a troubled agency. Requires an agency to: (1) continue to make an annual civil rights certification and establish, and consult with, one or more resident advisory boards; and (2) conduct a public hearing to discuss changes to agency goals and policies and make the information available to the public at the agency's principal office.

Date: 2007-03-08
Topic: Housing (Low-Income Assistance)
Subject: Housing and community development
Homes for Heroes Act of 2007 - Amends the Department of Housing and Urban Development Act to establish in the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) a Special Assistant for Veterans Affairs to: (1) ensure veteran access to HUD housing and homeless assistance programs; (2) coordinate all HUD programs and activities relating to veterans; and (3) serve as a HUD liaison with the Department of Veterans Affairs. Directs the HUD Secretary to provide assistance to private nonprofit organizations and consumer cooperatives to expand the supply of supportive housing for very low-income veteran families (that is, families with incomes not exceeding 50% of the area median income). Amends the United States Housing Act of 1937 to: (1) make housing rental vouchers available to homeless veterans; and (2) include veterans in public housing planning. Excludes veterans' benefits from income for purposes of HUD assisted housing rental determinations. Requires the Secretary to: (1) make grants to nonprofit entities for technical assistance in sponsoring HUD housing projects for veterans; and (2) report annually to specified congressional committees and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs on HUD activities relating to veterans.

Date: 2007-04-10
Topic: Housing (Low-Income Assistance)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Workforce Housing Construction for the GO Zone Act of 2007 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) extend through 2010 the placed-in-service date requirement for buildings in the Gulf Opportunity Zone (GO Zone) for purposes of the low-income housing tax credit; (2) allow a low-income housing tax credit for buildings in the GO Zone, the Rita GO Zone, or the Wilma GO Zone (GO Zones) during a specified 10-year period; (3) provide a basis adjustment for low-income housing projects in the GO Zones; (4) exclude Community Development Block Grant funds from consideration in determining whether GO Zone buildings are federally subsidized; and (5) modify certain rules relating to tax-exempt financing of GO Zone buildings.

Date: 2007-04-20
Topic: Housing (Low-Income Assistance)
Subject: Taxation
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow certain full-time students who are single parents and their children to live in housing units eligible for the low-income housing tax credit provided that their children are not dependents of another individual (other than a parent of such children).

Date: 2007-04-26
Topic: Housing (Low-Income Assistance)
Subject: Taxation
Affordable Housing Preservation Act of 2007 - Amends the Internal Revenue to exclude from gross income gain from the sale or exchange of certain multifamily housing property to a housing agency or related organization (preservation entity) that agrees to maintain certain affordability and use restrictions for such property. Limits the excludable amount of such gain to the depreciation adjustments for such property.

Date: 2007-05-07
Topic: Housing (Low-Income Assistance)
Subject: Taxation
Homeownership Protection and Enhancement Act of 2007 - Amends the Housing and Urban Development Act of 1968 to reauthorize and revise requirements for assistance with respect to housing for low- and moderate-income families. Specifies additional circumstances making a homeowner eligible for homeownership counseling from an organization that has received a grant from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to provide it. Requires a proposed mortgagee to notify any eligible mortgage applicant of the availability of pre-purchase homeownership counseling, homeownership counseling, and homeownership protection center services. Requires a proposed mortgagee, also, to notify a homeowner at closing of the availability of counseling upon delinquency and of the services of State Homeownership Protection Centers. Requires specified mortgagee notices to homeowners in the event of mortgage payment delinquencies. Directs the Secretary of HUD to award competitive grants to enable state housing finance agencies to establish State Homeownership Protection Centers. Requires any State Homeownership Protection Center to provide a centralized location for information on, and referral to, public services for assisting a homeowner in default on a home loan. Requires the Secretary also to award competitive grants to enable state housing finance agencies in states with such Centers to provide one-time emergency grants or subsidized home preservation loans to assist eligible homeowners in satisfying any amounts past due on their home loans. Requires mortgagees to engage in reasonable loss mitigation activities to provide an alternative to foreclosure. Prohibits a mortgagee from initiating or continuing a foreclosure upon written confirmation that the homeowner has applied for a home preservation loan. Directs the Secretary to develop a plan to monitor the mortgage industry in order to predict likely future trends in foreclosures. Requires the Secretary to develop recommendations for a national database on mortgage defaults and foreclosures. Directs the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council to create such a database.

Date: 2007-05-14
Topic: Housing (Low-Income Assistance)
Subject: Housing and community development
Housing Assistance Authorization Act of 2007 - (Sec. 2) Prohibits the use of funds authorized by this Act to lobby or retain a lobbyist to influence a federal, state, or local governmental entity or officer. (Sec. 3) Authorizes the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to provide financial assistance to the Housing Assistance Council to develop the ability and capacity of community-based housing development organizations to undertake community development and affordable housing projects and programs in rural areas. Authorizes the Housing Assistance Council to use such assistance for: (1) technical assistance, training, support, and advice to develop the business and administrative capabilities of rural community-based housing development organizations; and (2) loans, grants, or other financial assistance to such organizations to carry out community development and affordable housing activities for low- and moderate-income families. Authorizes appropriations for FY2008-FY2010. (Sec. 4) Authorizes the Secretary also to make a grant to the Raza Development Fund to provide technical and financial assistance to local nonprofit organizations to undertake similar projects and programs serving low- and moderate-income households, particularly through organizations in neighborhoods with substantial populations of income-disadvantaged households of Hispanic origin. Authorizes the Fund to use such assistance to: (1) provide technical and financial assistance for site acquisition and development, construction financing, and short- and long-term financing for housing, community facilities, and economic development; (2) leverage capital from private entities; and (3) provide technical assistance, training, support, and advice to develop the management, financial, and administrative capabilities of housing development organizations serving such low-income households. Authorizes appropriations for FY2008-FY2010. (Sec. 5) Authorizes the Secretary to make a grant to the Housing Partnership Network to create, sustain, and improve access to affordable housing and community facilities benefiting very low-, low- and moderate-income households and communities. Authorizes the Network to use such assistance to: (1) make investments, loans, and grants to its member nonprofits that demonstrate expertise in using such funds to leverage additional private capital to build, operate, finance, and sustain affordable housing and related community development facilities; (2) make investments in entities sponsored by the Network with the intent to leverage additional private capital to further the production capacity, sustainability, or efficiency of its members; and (3) pay for the expenses of the Network to administer and oversee such investments. Authorizes appropriations for FY2008-FY2010. Directs the Comptroller General to audit entities or organizations receiving such funds. (Sec. 7) Prohibits the use of such funds to provide direct housing assistance to any person not lawfully present in the United States.

Date: 2007-08-01
Topic: Housing (Low-Income Assistance)
Subject: Housing and community development
First-Time Homebuyers' Tax Credit Act of 2007 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) allow an income-based, one-time refundable tax credit for first-time homebuyers of ten percent of a principal residence's purchase price ($3,000 maximum credit, $6,000 maximum credit for joint filers); (2) allow transfer of such credit (within 30 days of transfer application) as payment towards related downpayment and closing costs; and (3) apply the credit to purchases made on or after January 1, 2008, and before January 1, 2013, and to binding contracts made between such dates, and in which the residence is occupied before July 1, 2014.

Date: 2007-08-03
Topic: Housing (Low-Income Assistance)
Subject: Taxation
Expanding American Homeownership Act of 2007 - Amends the National Housing Act to: (1) modify guidelines governing the maximum principal loan obligation; (2) extend the mortgage term; and (3) revise requirements for cash payment by the mortgagor in the eligibility criteria for mortgage insurance. Directs the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to reinstate the current downpayment requirement in the event of increased defaults. Authorizes the Secretary to establish a mortgage insurance premium structure involving a single premium payment collected prior to the insurance of the mortgage that may vary during the mortgage term as long as the basis for determining the variable rate is established before the execution of the mortgage. Sets forth maximum upfront premium amounts. Permits the Secretary to insure any mortgage covering a one-family unit in a condominium project if the project has a certain HUD-insured blanket mortgage. Revises requirements for the Mutual Mortgage Insurance (MMI) Fund. Limits the authority of the Secretary to enter into commitments for loan guarantees. Makes insurance of a Native Hawaiian or Indian reservation mortgage the obligation of the MMI Fund (instead of the General Insurance Fund). Eliminates the limitation placed upon the aggregate number of home equity conversion mortgages insured under the Act. Authorizes the Secretary to insure a home equity conversion mortgage when its primary purpose is to enable an elderly mortgagor to purchase a one- to four-family dwelling in which the mortgagor will occupy one of the units. Authorizes the Secretary to enter into agreements to insure temporarily certain mortgages for a single family residence located within a presidentially declared major disaster area. Redefines mortgagee to allow participation in the federal mortgage insurance program by state-licensed mortgage brokers and correspondent lenders who make, underwrite, or service mortgage loans.

Date: 2007-11-08
Topic: Housing (Low-Income Assistance)
Subject: Housing and community development