To require the Secretary of Agriculture to prioritize maintenance and staff needs relating to assistance provided by the Rural Housing Service.

SA 1149. Ms. SMITH (for herself, Mrs. Shaheen, Mr. Tester, and Mr.
Rubio) submitted an amendment intended to be proposed to amendment SA
948 proposed by Mr. Shelby to the bill H.R. 3055, making appropriations
for the Departments of Commerce and Justice, Science, and Related
Agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2020, and for other
purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

At the appropriate place in title VII of division B, insert
the following:
Sec. 7__.  In providing assistance under title V of the
Housing Act of 1949 (42 U.S.C. 1471 et seq.) using amounts
made available under title III, the Secretary of Agriculture
shall prioritize the maintenance needs for rural housing
facilities and staff needs, which shall include
prioritizing--
(1) oversight of aging rental housing program properties
with capital repair needs;
(2) the needs of staff overseeing the Rural Housing Service
and field staff conducting housing inspections; and
(3) enforcement against property owners when those owners
fail to make necessary repairs.
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