To assist the victims of the Hurricane Katrina with finding new housing, and for other purposes.

1. Adds SECTION 522. HURRICANE KATRINA EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE VOUCHERS on page 190, line 14

   Adds a sectionPrinted page

   Inserted: SECTION 522. HURRICANE KATRINA EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE VOUCHERS.

   Inserted: (a) Short Title.--This section may be cited as the "Helping to House the Victims of Hurricane Katrina Act of 2005".

   Inserted: (b) Hurricane Katrina Emergency Assistance Vouchers.--Section 8(o) of the United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437f(o)) is amended by adding at the end the following:

   Inserted: "(20) Hurricane katrina emergency assistance vouchers.--

   Inserted: "(A) In general.--During the 6-month period beginning on the date of enactment of the Helping to House the Victims of Hurricane Katrina Act of 2005, the Secretary shall provide temporary rental assistance to any individual or family, if--

   Inserted: "(i) the individual or family resides, or resided on August 29, 2005, in any area that is subject to a declaration by the President of a major disaster or emergency under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5121 et seq.) in connection with Hurricane Katrina; and

   Inserted: "(ii) the residence of the individual or family became uninhabitable or inaccessible as result of that major disaster or emergency.

   Inserted: "(B) Regulations.--Not later than 30 days after the date of enactment of the Helping to House the Victims of Hurricane Katrina Act of 2005, the Secretary shall issue final rules to establish the procedures applicable to the issuance of assistance under subparagraph (A).

   Inserted: "(C) Notice.--The Secretary, in consultation with the Director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency and such other agencies as the Secretary determines appropriate, shall establish procedures for providing notice of the availability of assistance under this paragraph to individuals or families that may be eligible for such assistance.

   Inserted: "(D) Authority to contract with pha's and others.--The Secretary may contract with any State or local government agency or public housing agency, or in consultation with any State or local government agency, with any other entity, to ensure that assistance payments under this paragraph are provided in an efficient and expeditious manner.

   Inserted: "(E) Waiver of eligibility requirements.--In providing assistance under this paragraph, the Secretary shall waive the requirements under--

   Inserted: "(i) paragraph (2), relating to tenant contributions towards rent, except that any such waiver shall expire on an individual's return to work;

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   Inserted: "(ii) paragraph (4), relating to the eligibility of individuals to receive assistance;

   Inserted: "(iii) subsection (k) and paragraph (5) of this subsection, relating to verification of income;

   Inserted: "(iv) paragraph (7)(A), relating to the requirement that leases shall be for a term of 1 year;

   Inserted: "(v) paragraph (8), relating to initial inspection of housing units by a public housing agency; and

   Inserted: "(vi) subsection (r)(1)(B), relating to restrictions on portability.

   Inserted: "(F) Use of funds.--Notwithstanding any other provision of law, funds available for assistance under this paragraph--

   Inserted: "(i) shall be made available by the Secretary to individuals to cover the cost of--

   Inserted: "(I) rent;

   Inserted: "(II) security and utility deposits;

   Inserted: "(III) relocation expenses, including expenses incurred in relocating back to the major disaster area when such relocation is permitted; and

   Inserted: "(IV) such additional expenses as the Secretary determines necessary; and

   Inserted: "(ii) shall be used by the Secretary--

   Inserted: "(I) for payments to public housing agencies, State or local government agencies, or other voucher administrators for vouchers used to assist individuals or families affected by the major disaster or emergency described in this paragraph up to their authorized level of vouchers, if any such vouchers are not otherwise funded; and

   Inserted: "(II) to provide operating subsidies to public housing agencies for public housing units provided to individuals or families affected by the major disaster or emergency described in this paragraph, if such a subsidy was not previously provided for those units.

   Inserted: "(G) Payment standard.--For purposes of this paragraph, the payment standard for each size of dwelling unit in a market area may not exceed 150 percent, or higher if the Secretary approves of such increase, of the fair market rental established under subsection (c) for the same size dwelling unit in the same market area, and shall be not less than 90 percent of that fair market rental.

   Inserted: "(H) Nondiscrimination.--In selecting individuals or families for tenancy, a landlord or owner may not exclude or penalize an individual or family solely because any portion of the rental payment of that individual or family is provided under this paragraph.

   Inserted: "(I) Termination of assistance.--Assistance provided under this paragraph shall--

   Inserted: "(i) terminate 6 months after the date on which such assistance was received; and

   Inserted: "(ii) extend for an additional 6 months unless at that time the Secretary makes a determination that assistance under this paragraph is no longer needed.

   Inserted: "(21) Assistance for current voucher recipients affected by hurricane katrina.--

   Inserted: "(A) In general.--The Secretary shall waive any of the requirements described in clauses (i) through (vi) of paragraph (20)(E) for any individual or family receiving assistance under this section on August 29, 2005, if--

   Inserted: "(i) the individual or family resides, or resided on August 29, 2005, in any area that is subject to a declaration by the President of a major disaster or emergency under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5121 et seq.) in connection with Hurricane Katrina; and

   Inserted: "(ii) the residence of the individual or family became uninhabitable or inaccessible as result of that major disaster or emergency.

   Inserted: "(B) Additional uses of funds.--Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Secretary shall provide, as the Secretary determines appropriate, supplemental assistance to an individual or family receiving assistance under this section on August 29, 2005, and meeting the requirements described in subparagraph (A), to assist the individual or family with the additional costs of relocating to new housing, including to cover--

   Inserted: "(i) the additional cost of rent and utilities;

   Inserted: "(ii) security and utility deposits;

   Inserted: "(iii) relocation expenses, including expenses incurred in relocating back to the major disaster area when such relocation is permitted; and

   Inserted: "(iv) such additional expenses as the Secretary determines necessary.

   Inserted: "(C) Payment standard.--For purposes of this paragraph, the payment standard for each size of dwelling unit in a market area may not exceed 150 percent, or higher if the Secretary approves of such increase, of the fair market rental established under subsection (c) for the same size dwelling unit in the same market area, and shall be not less than 90 percent of that fair market rental.

   Inserted: "(D) Nondiscrimination.--A landlord or owner may not exclude or penalize an individual or family solely because that individual or family is eligible for any waivers or benefits provided under this paragraph.

   Inserted: "(E) Termination of authority.--The authority of the Secretary to provide assistance under this paragraph shall--

   Inserted: "(i) apply during the 6-month period beginning on the date of enactment of the Helping to House the Victims of Hurricane Katrina Act of 2005; and

   Inserted: "(ii) extend for an additional 6 months after that period, unless if at that time the Secretary makes a determination that assistance under this paragraph is no longer needed.

   Inserted: "(22) Authority of the secretary to directly administer vouchers when pha's are unable to do so.--If the Secretary determines that a public housing agency is unable to implement the provisions of this subsection due to the effects of Hurricane Katrina, the Secretary may--

   Inserted: "(A) directly administer any voucher program described in paragraphs (1) through (20); and

   Inserted: "(B) perform the functions assigned to a public housing agency by this subsection.".

   Inserted: (c) Report on Inventory of Availability of Temporary Housing.--Not later than 10 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense, the Administrator of the General Services Administration, the Secretary of Agriculture, and such other agency heads as the Secretary determines appropriate, shall compile and report to the Secretary an inventory of Federal civilian and defense facilities that can be used--

   Inserted: (1) to provide emergency housing; or

   Inserted: (2) as locations for the construction or deployment of temporary housing units.

   Inserted: (d) Appropriation of Funding.--

   Inserted: (1) In general.--There are authorized to be appropriated and are appropriated $3,500,000,000 to provide assistance under this Act.

   Inserted: (2) Emergency designation.--The amount appropriated under paragraph (1) is designated as an emergency requirement pursuant to section 402 of H. Con. Res. 95 (109th Congress).

   Original wording

   On page 190, after line 14, insert the following:

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As printed