To reform the program of block grants to States for temporary assistance for needy families to help States address the importance of adequate, affordable housing in promoting family progress toward self-sufficiency, and for other purposes.

April 11, 2002

Mr. KERRY introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance

To reform the program of block grants to States for temporary assistance for needy families to help States address the importance of adequate, affordable housing in promoting family progress toward self-sufficiency, and for other purposes.

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 `Welfare Reform and Housing Act'.

SEC. 2. SIMPLIFICATION OF THE USE OF FUNDS FOR HOUSING ASSISTANCE AND OTHER PURPOSES.

(a) SUPPLEMENTAL HOUSING BENEFITS- Section 404 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 604) is amended by adding at the end the following:

`(l) USE OF FUNDS FOR SUPPLEMENTAL HOUSING BENEFITS-

`(1) IN GENERAL- A State to which a grant is made under section 403 may use the grant to provide supplemental housing benefits (as defined in paragraph (4)) to, or on behalf of, an individual eligible for assistance under the State program funded under this part, in order to carry out the purposes specified in section 401(a).

`(2) NOT CONSIDERED ASSISTANCE- Supplemental housing benefits (as so defined) shall not for any purpose, be considered assistance under the State program funded under this part.

`(3) LIMITATION ON USE OF FUNDS- A State may not use any part of the funds made available under a grant made under section 403 to supplant existing State expenditures on housing-related programs. Notwithstanding the preceding sentence, a State may use such funds to supplement such State expenditures.

`(4) DEFINITION OF SUPPLEMENTAL HOUSING BENEFITS- In this subsection, the term `supplemental housing benefits' means payments made to, or on behalf of, an individual to reduce or reimburse the costs incurred by the individual for housing accommodations.

`(m) STATE AUTHORITY TO DEFINE MINOR HOUSING REHABILITATION COSTS- A State to which a grant is made under section 403 may use the grant to provide grants, loans, or to otherwise pay the costs of minor rehabilitation of housing owned or rented by individuals eligible for assistance under the State program funded under this part, consistent with a definition of minor housing rehabilitation adopted by the State and incorporated into the State plan required under section 402(a).'.

(b) AUTHORITY TO RESERVE GRANT FOR FUTURE USE- Section 404(e) (42 U.S.C. 604(e)) is amended to read as follows:

`(e) AUTHORITY TO RESERVE CERTAIN AMOUNTS FOR FUTURE USE- A State or Indian tribe may reserve amounts paid to the State or Indian tribe under this part for a fiscal year for any allowable expenditures under this part without fiscal year limitation.'.

SEC. 3. CONSIDERATION OF HOUSING-RELATED BARRIERS TO WORK AND SELF-SUFFICIENCY.

(a) STATE PLAN REQUIREMENT ON DESCRIPTION OF HOUSING NEEDS AND SOLUTIONS- Section 402(a)(1)(B) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 602(a)(1)(B)) is amended by adding at the end the following:

`(v) The document shall describe--

`(I) the primary problems that families receiving assistance and families who have recently ceased to receive assistance under the State program funded under this part experience in securing and retaining adequate, affordable housing and the estimated extent of each such problem, including the price of such housing in various areas of the State that include a large proportion of recipients of assistance under the State program, and the steps that have been and will be taken by the State and other public or private entities, including community action partnership agencies, that administer housing or homelessness programs to address these needs; and

`(II) the methods the State has adopted to identify barriers to work posed by the living arrangement, housing cost, and housing location of individuals eligible for the State program funded under this part and the services and benefits that have been or will be provided by the State and other public or private entities to help families overcome such barriers.'.

(b) ASSESSMENT OF HOUSING BARRIERS TO WORK- Section 408(b)(2)(A)(iv) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 608(b)(2)(A)(iv)) is amended by inserting `, including the housing-related benefits or services that the State or other public or private entities, including community action partnership agencies, will provide to overcome barriers to work posed by the individual's living arrangement, housing cost, or housing location' before the semicolon.

(c) IMPROVEMENT OF HOUSING-RELATED DATA COLLECTION-

(1) INCLUSION IN QUARTERLY REPORTS- Section 411(a)(1)(A) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 611(a)(1)(A)) is amended--

(A) in clause (i), by inserting `and city or other political jurisdiction' after `county';

(B) in clause (ix), by inserting `and the type of subsidized housing received' after `subsidized housing'; and

(C) by adding at the end the following:

`(xviii) From a sample of closed cases in which the family left due to employment, the city or other political jurisdiction of the employment and the employed individual's estimated travel time from the family's residence to the place of employment.'.

(2) DEVELOPMENT OF DATA COLLECTION PROTOCOL- The Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development jointly shall develop a procedure for interagency data matching or other uniform data collection protocol to determine the type of subsidized housing received by families receiving assistance under the State programs funded under part A of title IV of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 601 et seq.) and federally funded (including through the use of tax credits pursuant to section 42 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986) or State-funded housing benefits.

SEC. 4. COOPERATION AGREEMENTS WITH PUBLIC HOUSING AGENCIES FOR ECONOMIC SELF-SUFFICIENCY ACTIVITIES.

Section 408(a) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 608(a)) is amended by adding at the end the following:

`(12) COOPERATION AGREEMENTS WITH PUBLIC HOUSING AGENCIES-

`(A) IN GENERAL- A State to which a grant is made under section 403 shall, directly or through appropriate agencies, enter into cooperation agreements with public housing agencies for economic self-sufficiency activities as required by section 12(d)(7) of the United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437j(d)(7)). Such cooperation agreements may include provisions on how--

`(i) agencies administering funds provided under a grant made under section 403 will cooperate with public housing agencies to implement work incentive rent policies and Federal housing policies and programs to promote savings;

`(ii) public housing agencies will cooperate with agencies administering such funds to make residents of public housing and recipients of housing vouchers under section 8(o) of the United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437f(o)) that have ceased to receive assistance under the State program funded under this part aware of transitional services and benefits for which the residents or recipients may be eligible; and

`(iii) agencies will cooperate to assist recipients of housing vouchers under section 8(o) of such Act in locating housing that will help the recipients succeed at obtaining or retaining employment.

`(B) PRIVATE PARTICIPATION- A State may invite private owners of federally assisted housing to participate in cooperation agreements under this paragraph.'.

SEC. 5. INTERAGENCY DEMONSTRATION ON HOUSING WITH SERVICES FOR FAMILIES WITH MULTIPLE BARRIERS TO WORK.

Section 403(a) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 603(a)) is amended by adding at the end the following:

`(6) GRANTS FOR INTERAGENCY DEMONSTRATION ON HOUSING WITH SERVICES-

`(A) IN GENERAL- The Secretary and the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (in this paragraph referred to as the `Secretaries') jointly shall award grants for the conduct and evaluation of demonstrations of different models to provide housing with services to promote the employment of parents and caretaker relatives who are eligible for a benefit or service under the State program funded under this part and who have multiple barriers to work, including lack of adequate housing.

`(B) REQUIREMENTS-

`(i) ELIGIBLE RECIPIENTS- Grants shall be awarded under this paragraph on a competitive basis to States and organizations which have exempt status under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, including community and faith-based organizations.

`(ii) LOCATION- In awarding such grants, the Secretaries shall ensure that demonstrations are conducted in metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas.

`(iii) USE OF FUNDS-

`(I) IN GENERAL- Funds provided under a grant awarded under this paragraph shall be used for the cost of implementation and evaluation of the demonstrations conducted with such funds.

`(II) LIMITATION ON BENEFITS OR SERVICES TO NON-CUSTODIAL PARENTS- Not more than 10 percent of the total amount of grant funds awarded to a State or organization under this paragraph may be used to provide benefits or services to noncustodial parents.

`(iv) NOT CONSIDERED ASSISTANCE- A benefit or service provided with funds made available under a grant awarded under this paragraph shall not for any purpose, be considered assistance under the State program funded under this part.

`(v) DURATION; AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS- Funds provided under a grant awarded under this paragraph shall remain available for a period of 3 years after the date on which the grant is made.

`(C) EVALUATION- Not later than December 31, 2006, the Secretaries shall publish an evaluation of the demonstrations conducted under grants made under this paragraph.

`(D) APPROPRIATION- Out of any money in the Treasury of the United States not otherwise appropriated, there are appropriated $50,000,000 for fiscal year 2003 for grants under this paragraph.'.

SEC. 6. CONFORMING IMMIGRANT ELIGIBILITY FOR HOUSING ASSISTANCE WITH RULES APPLICABLE TO OTHER FEDERAL NEEDS-BASED ASSISTANCE.

Section 214(a) of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1980 (42 U.S.C. 1436a(a)) is amended--

(1) in paragraph (6), by striking `or' at the end;

(2) in paragraph (7), by striking the period at the end and inserting `; or'; and

(3) by adding at the end the following--

`(8) an alien who is a qualified alien, as defined in subsection (b) of section 431 of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (8 U.S.C. 1641), including a battered alien or alien child who is described in subsection (c) of such section.'.

END