HR 3026 IHCommentsClose CommentsPermalink

To amend the United States Public Housing Act of 1937 to establish a predisaster mitigation program to benefit public and assisted housing residents, and for other purposes.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

June 24, 2009CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Financial ServicesCommentsClose CommentsPermalink

To amend the United States Public Housing Act of 1937 to establish a predisaster mitigation program to benefit public and assisted housing residents, and for other purposes.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the ‘Hazard Mitigation For All Act of 2009’.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

SEC. 2. IN GENERAL.

Title I of the United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following:CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

‘SEC. 37. HAZARD MITIGATION FOR ALL GRANT PROGRAM.

‘(a) Purposes- The purpose of this section is to provide grant assistance to public housing agencies for activities to--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(1) protect the lives of residents of public and assisted housing by mitigating in advance against natural disasters; andCommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(2) improve the resilience of resident-inhabited residential structures to withstand storms and other natural disasters, through restoration, reconstruction, replacement, or retrofit initiatives in advance of such storms and disasters.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(b) Grant Authority- To the extent amounts for grants under this section for a fiscal year are made available in advance in appropriations Acts, the Secretary shall make grants under this section to public housing agencies that have submitted applications for such grants which have been selected pursuant to subsection (h).CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(c) Eligible Public Housing Agencies- A grant under this section may be provided only to a public housing agency that--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(1) administers one or more public housing projects;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(2) provides project-based housing assistance under section 8 of the United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437f) for any rental housing project;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(3) administers a program for tenant-based rental housing assistance under section 8 of the United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437f); orCommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(4) administers a program for tenant-based rental housing assistance for the elderly, persons with disabilities, or the homeless.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(d) Eligible Activities- Grants under this section may be used only for predisaster activities for hazard mitigation that benefit residents of the assisted housing of the public housing agency that is the grantee, which shall include the following:CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(1) Improving the strength of roof deck attachments.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(2) Creating a secondary water barrier to prevent water intrusion.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(3) Installing coverings to reduce leakage in the event hurricane-force winds remove roof shingles.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(4) Improving the survivability of the roof covering.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(5) Bracing gable-ends in roof framing.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(6) Reinforcing roof-to-wall connections.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(7) Upgrading exterior wall openings with protections to resist hurricane-force winds.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(8) Replacing storm shutters, exterior doors, windows, and garage doors.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(9) Adding anchor bolts or steel plates between the property and the foundation.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(10) Bracing the inside of any short wood-stud wall between the top of the foundation wall and the first floor (known as a cripple wall) with sheathing for added protection against an earthquake.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(11) Any other activities as the Secretary may determine that improve the storm resilience of assisted housing through restoration, reconstruction, replacement, or retrofit.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(e) Matching Requirement-CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(1) IN GENERAL- Except as provided in paragraph (3), each public housing agency that receives a grant under this section shall provide, from sources other than a grant under this section, an amount equal to not less than 25 percent of the total funds necessary to complete an activity funded under this section.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(2) SUPPLEMENTAL FUNDS- For purposes of paragraph (1), funds from other Federal sources, funds from any State or local government source, any private contributions, and any in-kind contributions available to comply with this subsection shall be considered funds from sources other than a grant under this section.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(3) ADJUSTMENT- The Secretary may consider the severity and frequency of storms in the area for which the public housing agency has jurisdiction in determining the percentage of contribution required under paragraph (1).CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(f) Requirements- Amounts from a grant under this section--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(1) shall be used only to provide eligible activities for real property that is assisted housing;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(2) shall be used to provide eligible activities only for residents of assisted housing whose family incomes do not exceed 80 percent of the median income for the area;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(3) may be used for eligible activities that result in displacement of assisted residents only if accommodations are provided for such assisted residents during such period of displacement that are--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(A) similar to the existing assisted housing of the resident;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(B) located in a community comparable to the existing housing of the resident; andCommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(C) a reasonable distance from the existing housing of the resident.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(g) Requirements for Assistance to Private Owners of Assisted Housing- A public housing agency receiving a grant under this section may not provide grant amounts to an owner of assisted housing that is not public housing unless the owner of the assisted housing agrees to make the assisted housing units that are designated at the time of the grant award available for occupancy, during the 5-year period beginning upon the initial receipt of any funds from a grant under this section, through an occupancy preference, in accordance with reasonable admissions screening criteria developed by the public housing agency, to families who are eligible for rental assistance under section 8.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(h) Applications and Selection Criteria-CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(1) APPLICATIONS- The Secretary shall provide for public housing agencies to submit applications for a grant under this section through the Office of Multifamily Housing Programs and shall require, to be eligible for a grant for any fiscal year, that an application be submitted not later than June 30 of the fiscal year preceding the fiscal year of grant award. Such Office shall establish such applications in consultation with the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(2) SELECTION CRITERIA- The Office of Multifamily Housing Programs shall establish criteria for the selection of applications by public housing agencies for grants under this section, which shall consider the following factors:CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(A) The severity and frequency of natural disasters within the area in which eligible activities are to be carried out using grant amounts.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(B) The size and median age of the assisted resident population within the jurisdiction of the public housing agency applicant.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(C) The capability of the public housing agency applicant to administer the grant funds.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(D) The nature and effectiveness of the eligible activities to be carried out using the grant amounts.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(E) The long-term viability of the hazard mitigation improvements for which the grant amounts will be used.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(F) Whether energy efficient methods (such as energy efficient storm windows) will be used in the hazard mitigation improvements for which grant amounts will be used.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(G) The efforts the public housing agency has made to publicize the importance of hazard mitigation to local owners of assisted housing.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(H) The extent of commitment by the public housing agency to support ongoing non-Federal hazard mitigation measures.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(I) The ability of the public housing agency to maintain eligible activities funded with grant amounts.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(i) Allocation of Funds-CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(1) COMPETITIVE PROGRAM- Grants from amounts made available under this section shall be awarded on a competitive basis subject to the criteria specified in subsection (h)(2) and regulations issued by the Secretary.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(2) MAXIMUM AMOUNT- Of any amounts made available for any fiscal year for grants under this section, not more than 15 percent may be provided to any single public housing agency.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(j) Definitions- For purposes of this section, the following definitions shall apply:CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(1) ASSISTED HOUSING- The term ‘assisted housing’ means, with respect to a public housing agency--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(A) any public housing administered by the agency;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(B) any housing for which project-based rental assistance is provided by the agency; andCommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(C) any housing occupied by a family for whom the agency provides tenant-based rental assistance and for rental of which such family uses such rental assistance.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(2) ASSISTED RESIDENT- The term ‘assisted resident’ means--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(A) a resident of public housing;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(B) a resident of assisted housing described in paragraph (1)(B) who resides in a dwelling unit for which such project-based rental assistance is provided; orCommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(C) a family described in paragraph (1)(C).CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(3) ELIGIBLE ACTIVITIES- The term ‘eligible activities’ means activities that, pursuant to subsection (d), may be funded with amounts from a grant under this section.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(k) Funding- There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section, $50,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2010 through 2013, to remain available until expended.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(l) Regulations- The Secretary shall issue any regulations necessary to carry out this section.’.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink