Official Summary

4/28/2009--Introduced.Interagency Council on Homelessness Reform Act of 2009 - Amends the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act to declare that the mission of the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness is to: (1) coordinate the federal response to homelessness; and (2) create a national

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Official Summary

4/28/2009--Introduced.Interagency Council on Homelessness Reform Act of 2009 - Amends the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act to declare that the mission of the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness is to:
(1) coordinate the federal response to homelessness; and
(2) create a national partnership at every level of government and with the private sector to reduce and end homelessness in the nation while maximizing the effectiveness of federal contributions to end homelessness. Adds to the membership of such Council the Commissioner of Social Security, the U.S. Attorney General, and the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), or their respective designees. Requires:
(1) the Council to meet quarterly (currently, annually); and
(2) rotation of the position of Chairperson and Vice Chairperson at the first meeting of each year. Requires the President (currently, the Council) to appoint an Executive Director of the Council, with the advice and consent of the Senate, to serve at the pleasure of the President Directs the Council to develop, make available for public comment, and submit to the President and Congress a biennial national plan to end homelessness for all Americans. Requires the Council to:
(1) develop constructive alternatives to criminalizing homelessness and eliminate laws and policies that prohibit sleeping, feeding, sitting, resting, or lying in public spaces when there are no suitable alternatives;
(2) evaluate the federal role in interacting and coordinating with state and local entities that address homelessness; and
(3) conduct research and develop methods to improve pre-existing coordination between it and federal agencies.

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