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House Committee Passes Housing Voucher Reform Bill

On July 23, the House Financial Services Committee approved, 41-24, H.R. 3045, the Section 8 Voucher Reform Act. The committee began consideration of the bill on July 8 (see The Source, 7/10/09). 

The bill would modify the formula used to calculate voucher eligibility, establish tenant protections in the event of landlord foreclosures, and add 150,000 vouchers to the available pool in FY2010. The measure would authorize funding for family self-sufficiency activities for low-income families in connection with rental or homeownership assistance provided under the Housing Innovation Program (HIP), formerly known as Moving to Work.

During debate on the measure, the committee adopted, by voice vote, a manager’s amendment, sponsored by Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) and Chair Barney Frank (D-MA), to modify HIP. The program provides incentives to move Section 8 recipients into jobs and eventually off voucher assistance. Among other provisions, the manager’s amendment would:

  • allow an additional 60 public housing agencies to participate in HIP;
  • impose time limits on housing assistance to no more than five years. Time limits on assistance would be suspended if unemployment in the agency area is greater than ten percent;
  • require that HIP policies regarding work be consistent with those in the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program; TANF requires participants to work at least 25 hours per week; and
  • require that the impact of an agency policy on families should be compared to families that are not subject to the policy.