HR 34
112th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 34
To provide for payment of an administrative fee to public housing
agencies 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.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
January 5, 2011
Mrs. BIGGERT introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee
on Financial Services
A BILL
To provide for payment of an administrative fee to public housing
agencies 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.
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 `Family Self-Sufficiency Act of 2011'.
SEC. 2. ADMINISTRATIVE FEES FOR FAMILY SELF-SUFFICIENCY PROGRAM COSTS.
Subsection (h) of section 23 of the United States Housing Act of 1937 (42
U.S.C. 1437u(h)) is amended by striking paragraph (1) and inserting the following
new paragraph:
`(A) IN GENERAL- The Secretary shall establish a fee under section 8(q)
for the costs incurred in administering the self-sufficiency program under
this section to assist families receiving voucher assistance through section
8(o).
`(B) ELIGIBILITY FOR FEE- The fee shall provide funding for family self-sufficiency
coordinators as follows:
`(i) BASE FEE- A public housing agency serving 25 or more participants
in the family self-sufficiency program under this section shall receive
a fee equal to the costs of employing one full-time family self-sufficiency
coordinator. An agency serving fewer than 25 such participants shall
receive a prorated fee.
`(ii) ADDITIONAL FEE- An agency that meets minimum performance standards
shall receive an additional fee sufficient to cover the costs of employing
a second family self-sufficiency coordinator if the agency has 75 or
more participating families, and a third such coordinator if it has
125 or more participating families.
`(iii) PREVIOUSLY FUNDED AGENCIES- An agency that received funding from
the Department of Housing and Urban Development for more than three
such coordinators in any of fiscal years 1999 through 2008 shall receive
funding for the highest number of coordinators funded in a single fiscal
year during that period, provided they meet applicable size and performance
standards.
`(iv) INITIAL YEAR- For the first year in which a public housing agency
exercises its right to develop an family self-sufficiency program for
its residents, it shall be entitled to funding to cover the costs of
up to one family self-sufficiency coordinator, based on the size specified
in its action plan for such program.
`(v) STATE AND REGIONAL AGENCIES- For purposes of calculating the family
self-sufficiency portion of the administrative fee under this subparagraph,
each administratively distinct part of a State or regional public housing
agency shall be treated as a separate agency.
`(vi) DETERMINATION OF NUMBER OF COORDINATORS- In determining whether
a public housing agency meets a specific threshold for funding pursuant
to this paragraph, the number of participants being served by the agency
in its family self-sufficiency program shall be considered to be the
average number of families enrolled in such agency's program during
the course of the most recent fiscal year for which the Department of
Housing and Urban Development has data.
`(C) PRORATION- If insufficient funds are available in any fiscal year
to fund all of the coordinators authorized under this section, the first
priority shall be given to funding one coordinator at each agency with
an existing family self-sufficiency program. The remaining funds shall
be prorated based on the number of remaining coordinators to which each
agency is entitled under this subparagraph.
`(D) RECAPTURE- Any fees allocated under this subparagraph by the Secretary
in a fiscal year that have not been spent by the end of the subsequent
fiscal year shall be recaptured by the Secretary and shall be available
for providing additional fees pursuant to subparagraph (B)(ii).
`(E) PERFORMANCE STANDARDS- Within six months after the date of the enactment
of this paragraph, the Secretary shall publish a proposed rule specifying
the performance standards applicable to funding under clauses (ii) and
(iii) of subparagraph (B). Such standards shall include requirements applicable
to the leveraging of in-kind services and other resources to support the
goals of the family self-sufficiency program.
`(F) DATA COLLECTION- Public housing agencies receiving funding under
this paragraph shall collect and report to the Secretary, in such manner
as the Secretary shall require, information on the performance of their
family self-sufficiency programs.
`(G) EVALUATION- The Secretary shall 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. Not later
than the expiration of the 4-year period beginning upon the enactment
of this paragraph, the Secretary shall submit an interim evaluation report
to the Congress. Not later than the expiration of the 8-year period beginning
upon such enactment, the Secretary shall submit a final evaluation report
to the Congress. There is authorized to be appropriated $10,000,000 to
carry out the evaluation under this subparagraph.
`(H) INCENTIVES FOR INNOVATION AND HIGH PERFORMANCE- The Secretary may
reserve up to 10 percent of the amounts made available for administrative
fees under this paragraph to provide support to or reward family self-sufficiency
programs that are particularly innovative or highly successful in achieving
the goals of the program.'.
END
