Department of Justice Reauthorization Act

Amendments to the United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437 et seq.)

SEC. 5A (42 U.S.C. 1437c-1) PUBLIC HOUSING AGENCY PLANS

(a) 5-YEAR PLAN.—

(1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to paragraph (3), not less than once every 5 fiscal years, each public housing agency shall submit to the Secretary a plan that includes, with respect to the 5 fiscal years immediately following the date on which the plan is submitted—

(A) a statement of the mission of the public housing agency for serving the needs of low-income and very low-income families in the jurisdiction of the public housing agency during such fiscal years; and

(B) a statement of the goals and objectives of the public housing agency that will enable the public housing agency to serve the needs identified pursuant to subparagraph (A) during those fiscal years.

(2) STATEMENT OF GOALS.—The 5-year plan shall include a statement by any public housing agency of the goals, objectives, policies, or programs that will enable the housing authority to serve the needs of child and adult victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking.

(3) INITIAL PLAN.—The initial 5-year plan submitted by a public housing agency under this subsection shall be submitted for the 5-year period beginning on October 1, 1999, or the first fiscal year thereafter for which the public housing agency initially receives assistance under this Act.

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(d) CONTENTS.—An annual public housing agency plan under subsection (b) for a public housing agency shall contain the following information relating to the upcoming fiscal year for which the assistance under this Act is to be made available:

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(13) DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, DATING VIOLENCE, SEXUAL ASSAULT, OR STALKING PROGRAMS.—A description of—

(A) any activities, services, or programs provided or offered by an agency, either directly or in partnership with other service providers, to child or adult victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking;

(B) any activities, services, or programs provided or offered by a public housing agency that helps child and adult victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking;

(C) any activities, services, or programs provided or offered by a public housing agency to prevent domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking, or to enhance victim safety in assisted families.

(14) SAFETY AND CRIME PREVENTION.—A plan established by the public housing agency, which shall be subject to the following requirements:

(A) SAFETY MEASURES.—The plan shall provide, on a project-by-project or jurisdiction-wide basis, for measures to ensure the safety of public housing residents.

(B) ESTABLISHMENT.—The plan shall be established in consultation with the police officer or officers in command for the appropriate precinct or police department.

(C) CONTENT.—The plan shall describe the need for measures to ensure the safety of public housing residents and for crime prevention measures, describe any such activities conducted or to be conducted by the agency, and provide for coordination between the agency and the appropriate police precincts for carrying out such measures and activities.

(D) SECRETARIAL ACTION.—If the Secretary determines, at any time, that the security needs of a project are not being adequately addressed by the plan, or that the local police precinct is not complying with the plan, the Secretary may mediate between the public housing agency and the local precinct to resolve any issues of conflict.

(15) PETS.—The requirements of the agency, pursuant to section 31, relating to pet ownership in public housing.

(16) CIVIL RIGHTS CERTIFICATION.—A certification by the public housing agency that the public housing agency will carry out the public housing agency plan in conformity with title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Fair Housing Act, section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, and will affirmatively further fair housing.

(17) ANNUAL AUDIT.—The results of the most recent fiscal year audit of the public housing agency under section 5(h)(2).

(18) ASSET MANAGEMENT.—A statement of how the agency will carry out its asset management functions with respect to the public housing inventory of the agency, including how the agency will plan for the long-term operating, capital investment, rehabilitation, modernization, disposition, and other needs for such inventory.

(19) OTHER.—Any other information required by law to be included in a public housing agency plan.

CONTRACT PROVISIONS AND REQUIREMENTS

SEC. 6. (42 U.S.C. 1437d)

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(c) Every contract for contributions shall provide that—

(1) the Secretary may require the public housing agency to review and revise its maximum income limits if the Secretary determines that changed conditions in the locality make such revision necessary in achieving the purposes of this Act;

(2) the public housing agency shall determine, and so certify to the Secretary, that each family in the project was admitted in accordance with duly adopted regulations and approved income limits; and the public housing agency shall review the incomes of families living in the project no less frequently than annually;

(3) the public housing agency shall not deny admission to the project to any applicant on the basis that the applicant is or has been a victim of domestic violence, dating violence, or stalking if the applicant otherwise qualifies for assistance or admission, and that nothing in this section shall be construed to supercede any provision of any Federal, State, or local law that provides greater protection than this section for victims of domestic violence, dating violence, or stalking.

(4) the public housing agency shall promptly notify (i) any applicant determined to be ineligible for admission to the project of the basis for such determination and provide the applicant upon request, within a reasonable time after the determination is made, with an opportunity for an informal hearing on such determination, and (ii) any applicant determined to be eligible for admission to the project of the approximate date of occupancy insofar as such date can be reasonably determined;

(5) the public housing agency shall comply with such procedures and requirements as the Secretary may prescribe to assure that sound management practices will be followed in the operation of the project, including requirements pertaining to—

(A) making dwelling units in public housing available for occupancy, which shall provide that the public housing agency may establish a system for making dwelling units available that provides preference for such occupancy to families having certain characteristics; each system of preferences established pursuant to this subparagraph shall be based upon local housing needs and priorities, as determined by the public housing agency using generally accepted data sources, including any information obtained pursuant to an opportunity for public comment as provided under section 5A(f ) and under the requirements applicable to the comprehensive housing affordability strategy for the relevant jurisdiction;

(B) the establishment of satisfactory procedures designed to assure the prompt payment and collection of rents and the prompt processing of evictions in the case of nonpayment of rent;

(C) the establishment of effective tenant-management relationships designated to assure the satisfactory standards of tenant security and project maintenance are formulated and that the public housing agency (together with tenant councils where they exist) enforces those standards fully and effectively;

(D) the development by local housing authority managements of viable homeownership opportunity programs for low-income families capable of assuming the responsibilities of homeownership;

(E) for each agency that receives assistance under this title, the establishment and maintenance of a system of accounting for rental collections and costs (including administrative, utility, maintenance, repair and other operating costs) for each project or operating cost center (as determined by the Secretary), which collections and costs shall be made available to the general public and submitted to the appropriate local public official (as determined by the Secretary); except that the Secretary may permit agencies owning or operating less than 500 units to comply with the requirements of this subparagraph by accounting on an agency-wide basis; and

(F) requiring the public housing agency to ensure and maintain compliance with subtitle C of title VI of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1992 and any regulations issued under such subtitle.

(l) Each public housing agency shall utilize leases which—

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(5) require that the public housing agency may not terminate the tenancy except for serious or repeated violation of the terms or conditions of the lease or for other good cause, and that an incident or incidents of actual or threatened domestic violence, dating violence, or stalking will not be construed as a serious or repeated violation of the lease by the victim or threatened victim of that violence and will not be good cause for terminating the tenancy or occupancy rights of the victim of such violence.

(6) provide that any criminal activity that threatens the health, safety, or right to peaceful enjoyment of the premises by other tenants or any drug-related criminal activity on or off such premises, engaged in by a public housing tenant, any member of the tenant’s household, or any guest or other person under the tenant’s control, shall be cause for termination of tenancy; except that (A) criminal activity directly relating to domestic violence, dating violence, or stalking, engaged in by a member of a tenant's household or any guest or other person under the tenant's control, shall not be cause for termination of the tenancy or occupancy rights, if the tenant or immediate member of the tenant's family is a victim of that domestic violence, dating violence, or stalking; (B) notwithstanding subparagraph (A) or any Federal, State, or local law to the contrary, a public housing agency may bifurcate a lease under this section, or remove a household member from a lease under this section, without regard to whether a household member is a signatory to a lease, in order to evict, remove, terminate occupancy rights, or terminate assistance to any individual who is a tenant or lawful occupant and who engages in criminal acts of physical violence against family members or others, without evicting, removing, terminating assistance to, or otherwise penalizing the victim of such violence who is also a tenant or lawful occupant and such eviction, removal, termination of occupancy rights, or termination of assistance shall be effected in accordance with the procedures prescribed by Federal, State, and local law for the termination of leases or assistance under the relevant program of HUD-assisted housing; (C) nothing in subparagraph (A) may be construed to limit the authority of a public housing agency, when notified, to honor court orders addressing rights of access to or control of the property, including civil protection orders issued to protect the victim and issued to address the distribution or possession of property among the household members in cases where a family breaks up; (D) nothing in subparagraph (A) limits any otherwise available authority of a public housing agency to evict a tenant for any violation of a lease not premised on the act or acts of violence in question against the tenant or a member of the tenant's household, provided that the public housing agency does not subject an individual who is or has been a victim of domestic violence, dating violence, or stalking to a more demanding standard than other tenants in determining whether to evict or terminate; (E) nothing in subparagraph (A) may be construed to limit the authority of a public housing agency to terminate the tenancy of any tenant if the public housing agency can demonstrate an actual and imminent threat to other tenants or those employed at or providing service to the property if that tenant's tenancy is not terminated; and (F) nothing in this section shall be construed to supersede any provision of any Federal, State, or local law that provides greater protection than this section for victims of domestic violence, dating violence, or stalking.

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(u) Certification and Confidentiality.--

(1) Certification.--

(A) In general.--A public housing agency responding to subsection (l)(5) and (6) may request that an individual certify via a HUD approved certification form that the individual is a victim of domestic violence, dating violence, or stalking, and that the incident or incidents in question are bona fide incidents of such actual or threatened abuse and meet the requirements set forth in the aforementioned paragraphs. Such certification shall include the name of the perpetrator. The individual shall provide such certification within 14 business days after the individual receives a request for such certification from the public housing agency.

(B) Failure to provide certification.--If the individual does not provide the certification within 14 business days after the individual has received a request in writing for such certification from the public housing agency, nothing in this subsection, or in paragraph (5) or (6) of subsection (l), may be construed to limit the authority of the public housing agency to evict any tenant or lawful occupant that commits violations of a lease. The public housing agency may extend the 14-day deadline at its discretion.

(C) Contents.--An individual may satisfy the certification requirement of subparagraph (A) by--

(i) providing the requesting public housing agency with documentation signed by an employee, agent, or volunteer of a victim service provider, an attorney, or a medical professional, from whom the victim has sought assistance in addressing domestic violence, dating violence, or stalking, or the effects of the abuse, in which the professional attests under penalty of perjury (28 U.S.C. 1746) to the professional's belief that the incident or incidents in question are bona fide incidents of abuse, and the victim of domestic violence, dating violence, or stalking has signed or attested to the documentation; or

(ii) producing a Federal, State, tribal, territorial, or local police or court record.

(D) Limitation.--Nothing in this subsection shall be construed to require any public housing agency to demand that an individual produce official documentation or physical proof of the individual's status as a victim of domestic violence, dating violence, or stalking in order to receive any of the benefits provided in this section. At the public housing agency's discretion, a public housing agency may provide benefits to an individual based solely on the individual's statement or other corroborating evidence.

(E) Preemption.--Nothing in this section shall be construed to supersede any provision of any Federal, State, or local law that provides greater protection than this section for victims of domestic violence, dating violence, or stalking.

(F) Compliance not sufficient to constitute evidence of unreasonable act.--Compliance with this statute by a public housing agency, or assisted housing provider based on the certification specified in subparagraphs (A) and (B) of this subsection or based solely on the victim's statement or other corroborating evidence, as permitted by subparagraph (D) of this subsection, shall not alone be sufficient to constitute evidence of an unreasonable act or omission by a public housing agency or employee thereof. Nothing in this subparagraph shall be construed to limit liability for failure to comply with the requirements of subsection (l)(5) and (6).

(2) Confidentiality.--

(A) In general.--All information provided to any public housing agency pursuant to paragraph (1), including the fact that an individual is a victim of domestic violence, dating violence, or stalking, shall be retained in confidence by such public housing agency, and shall neither be entered into any shared database nor provided to any related entity, except to the extent that disclosure is--

(i) requested or consented to by the individual in writing;

(ii) required for use in an eviction proceeding under subsection (l)(5) or (6); or

(iii) otherwise required by applicable law.

(B) Notification.--Public housing agencies must provide notice to tenants assisted under section 6 of the United States Housing Act of 1937 of their rights under this subsection and subsection (l)(5) and (6), including their right to confidentiality and the limits thereof.

(3) Definitions.--For purposes of this subsection, subsection (c)(3), and subsection (l)(5) and (6)--

(A) the term `domestic violence' has the same meaning given the term in section 40002 of the Violence Against Women Act of 1994;

(B) the term `dating violence' has the same meaning given the term in section 40002 of the Violence Against Women Act of 1994;

(C) the term `stalking' means--

(i)(I) to follow, pursue, or repeatedly commit acts with the intent to kill, injure, harass, or intimidate; or

(II) to place under surveillance with the intent to kill, injure, harass, or intimidate another person; and

(ii) in the course of, or as a result of, such following, pursuit, surveillance, or repeatedly committed acts, to place a person in reasonable fear of the death of, or serious bodily injury to, or to cause substantial emotional harm to--

(I) that person;

(II) a member of the immediate family of that person; or

(III) the spouse or intimate partner of that person; and

(D) the term `immediate family member' means, with respect to a person--

(i) a spouse, parent, brother or sister, or child of that person, or an individual to whom that person stands in loco parentis; or

(ii) any other person living in the household of that person and related to that person by blood or marriage.

LOWER INCOME HOUSING ASSISTANCE

SEC. 8. (42 U.S.C. 1437f)

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(c)(9)(A) That an applicant or participant is or has been a victim of domestic violence, dating violence, or stalking is not an appropriate basis for denial of program assistance or for denial of admission, if the applicant otherwise qualifies for assistance or admission.

(B) An incident or incidents of actual or threatened domestic violence, dating violence, or stalking will not be construed as a serious or repeated violation of the lease by the victim or threatened victim of that violence and shall not be good cause for terminating the assistance, tenancy, or occupancy rights of the victim of such violence.

(C)(i) Criminal activity directly relating to domestic violence, dating violence, or stalking, engaged in by a member of a tenant’s household or any guest or other person under the tenant’s control shall not be cause for termination of assistance, tenancy, or occupancy rights if the tenant or an immediate member of the tenant’s family is the victim or threatened victim of that domestic violence, dating violence, or stalking.

(ii) Notwithstanding clause (i) or any Federal, State, or local law to the contrary, an owner or manager may bifurcate a lease under this section, or remove a household member from a lease under this section, without regard to whether a household member is a signatory to a lease, in order to evict, remove, terminate occupancy rights, or terminate assistance to any individual who is a tenant or lawful occupant and who engages in criminal acts of physical violence against family members or others, without evicting, removing, terminating assistance to, or otherwise penalizing the victim of such violence who is also a tenant or lawful occupant. Such eviction, removal, termination of occupancy rights, or termination of assistance shall be effected in accordance with the procedures prescribed by Federal, State, and local law for the termination of leases or assistance under the relevant program of HUD-assisted housing.

(iii) Nothing in clause (i) may be construed to limit the authority of a public housing agency, owner, or manager, when notified, to honor court orders addressing rights of access to or control of the property, including civil protection orders issued to protect the victim and issued to address the distribution or possession of property among the household members in cases where a family breaks up.

(iv) Nothing in clause (i) limits any otherwise available authority of an owner or manager to evict or the public housing agency to terminate assistance to a tenant for any violation of a lease not premised on the act or acts of violence in question against the tenant or a member of the tenant’s household, provided that the owner or manager does not subject an individual who is or has been a victim of domestic violence, dating violence, or stalking to a more demanding standard than other tenants in determining whether to evict or terminate.

(v) Nothing in clause (i) may be construed to limit the authority of an owner, manager, or public housing agency to evict or terminate from assistance any tenant or lawful occupant if the owner, manager or public housing agency can demonstrate an actual and imminent threat to other tenants or those employed at or providing service to the property if that tenant is not evicted or terminated from assistance.

(vi) Nothing in this section shall be construed to supersede any provision of any Federal, State, or local law that provides greater protection than this section for victims of domestic violence, dating violence, or stalking.

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(d)(1) Contracts to make assistance payments entered into by a public housing agency with an owner of existing housing units shall provide (with respect to any unit) that—

(A) the selection of tenants shall be the function of the owner, subject to the annual contributions contract between the Secretary and the agency, except that with respect to the certificate and moderate rehabilitation programs only, for the purpose of selecting families to be assisted, the public housing agency may establish local preferences, consistent with the public housing agency plan submitted under section 5A (42 U.S.C. 1437c-1) by the public housing agency and that an applicant or participant is or has been a victim of domestic violence, dating violence, or stalking is not an appropriate basis for denial of program assistance or for denial of admission if the applicant otherwise qualifies for assistance or admission;

(B)(i) the lease between the tenant and the owner shall be for at least one year or the term of such contract, whichever is shorter, and shall contain other terms and conditions specified by the Secretary;

(ii) during the term of the lease, the owner shall not terminate the tenancy except for serious or repeated violation of the terms and conditions of the lease, for violation of applicable Federal, State, or local law, or for other good cause, and that an incident or incidents of actual or threatened domestic violence, dating violence, or stalking will not be good cause for terminating the tenancy or occupancy rights of the victim of such violence;

(iii) during the term of the lease, any criminal activity that threatens the health, safety, or right to peaceful enjoyment of the premises by other tenants, any criminal activity that threatens the health, safety, or right to peaceful enjoyment of their residences by persons residing in the immediate vicinity of the premises, or any drug-related criminal activity on or near such premises, engaged in by a tenant of any unit, any member of the tenant’s household, or any guest or other person under the tenant’s control, shall be cause for termination of tenancy, except that: (I) criminal activity directly relating to domestic violence, dating violence, or stalking, engaged in by a member of a tenant’s household or any guest or other person under the tenant’s control, shall not be cause for termination of the tenancy or occupancy rights or program assistance, if the tenant or immediate member of the tenant’s family is a victim of that domestic violence, dating violence, or stalking; (II) notwithstanding subclause (I) or any Federal, State, or local law to the contrary, a public housing agency may terminate assistance to, or an owner or manager may bifurcate a lease under this section, or remove a household member from a lease under this section, without regard to whether a household member is a signatory to a lease, in order to evict, remove, terminate occupancy rights, or terminate assistance to any individual who is a tenant or lawful occupant and who engages in criminal acts of physical violence against family members or others, without evicting, removing, terminating assistance to, or otherwise penalizing the victim of such violence who is also a tenant or lawful occupant. Such eviction, removal, termination of occupancy rights, or termination of assistance shall be effected in accordance with the procedures prescribed by Federal, State, and local law for the termination of leases or assistance under the relavant program of HUD-assisted housing; (III) nothing in subclause (I) may be construed to limit the authority of a public housing agency, owner, or manager, when notified, to honor court orders addressing rights of access to or control of the property, including civil protection orders issued to protect the victim and issued to address the distribution or possession of property among the household members in cases where a family breaks up; (IV) nothing in subclause (I) limits any otherwise available authority of an owner or manager to evict or the public housing agency to terminate assistance to a tenant for any violation of a lease not premised on the act or acts of violence in question against the tenant or a member of the tenant’s household, provided that the owner, manager, or public housing agency does not subject an individual who is or has been a victim of domestic violence, dating violence, or stalking to a more demanding standard than other tenants in determining whether to evict or terminate; (V) nothing in subclause (I) may be construed to limit the authority of an owner or manager to evict, or the public housing agency to terminate assistance, to any tenant if the owner, manager, or public housing agency can demonstrate an actual and imminent threat to other tenants or those employed at or providing service to the property if that tenant is not evicted or terminated from assistance; and (VI) nothing in this section shall be construed to supersede any provision of any Federal, State, or local law that provides greater protection than this section for victims of domestic violence, dating violence, or stalking;

(iv) any termination of tenancy shall be preceded by the owner’s provision of written notice to the tenant specifying the grounds for such action; and

(v) it shall be cause for termination of the tenancy of a tenant if such tenant—

(I) is fleeing to avoid prosecution, or custody or confinement after conviction, under the laws of the place from which the individual flees, for a crime, or attempt to commit a crime, which is a felony under the laws of the place from which the individual flees, or which, in the case of the State of New Jersey, is a high misdemeanor under the laws of such State; or

(II) is violating a condition of probation or parole imposed under Federal or State law;

(C) maintenance and replacement (including redecoration) shall be in accordance with the standard practice for the building concerned as established by the owner and agreed to by the agency; and

(D) the agency and the owner shall carry out such other appropriate terms and conditions as may be mutually agreed to by them.

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(f) As used in this section—

(1) the term “owner” means any private person or entity, including a cooperative, an agency of the Federal Government, or a public housing agency, having the legal right to lease or sublease dwelling units;

(2) the terms “rent” or “rental” mean, with respect to members of a cooperative, the charges under the occupancy agreements between such members and the cooperative;

(3) the term “debt service” means the required payments for principal and interest made with respect to a mortgage secured by housing assisted under this Act;

(4) the term “participating jurisdiction” means a State or unit of general local government designated by the Secretary to be a participating jurisdiction under title II of the Cranston-Gonzalez National Affordable Housing Act;

(5) the term “drug-related criminal activity” means the illegal manufacture, sale, distribution, use, or possession with intent to manufacture, sell, distribute, or use, of a controlled substance (as defined in section 102 of the Controlled Substances Act (21 U.S.C. 802));

(6) the term “project-based assistance” means rental assistance under subsection (b) that is attached to the structure pursuant to subsection (d)(2) or (o)(13);

(7) the term “tenant-based assistance” means rental assistance under subsection (o) that is not project-based assistance and that provides for the eligible family to select suitable housing and to move to other suitable housing;

(8) the term ‘domestic violence’ has the same meaning given the term in section 40002 of the Violence Against Women Act of 1994;

(9) the term ‘dating violence’ has the same meaning given the term in section 40002 of the Violence Against Women Act of 1994;

(10) the term ‘stalking’ means—

(A)(i) to follow, pursue, or repeatedly commit acts with the intent to kill, injure, harass, or intimidate another person; or

(ii) to place under surveillance with the intent to kill, injure, harass, or intimidate another person; and

(B) in the course of, or as a result of, such following, pursuit, surveillance, or repeatedly committed acts, to place a person in reasonable fear of the death of, or serious bodily injury to, or to cause substantial emotional harm to—

(i) that person;

(ii) a member of the immediate family of that person; or

(iii) the spouse or intimate partner of that person; and

(11) the term ‘immediate family member’ means, with respect to a person—

(A) a spouse, parent, brother or sister, or child of that person, or an individual to whom that person stands in loco parentis; or

(B) any other person living in the household of that person and related to that person by blood or marriage.

(o) Voucher Program.—

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(6) Selection of Families and Disapproval of Owners.—

(A) PREFERENCES.—

(i) AUTHORITY TO ESTABLISH.—Each public housing agency may establish a system for making tenant-based assistance under this subsection available on behalf of eligible families that provides preference for such assistance to eligible families having certain characteristics, which may include a preference for families residing in public housing who are victims of a crime of violence (as such term is defined in section 16 of title 18, United States Code) that has been reported to an appropriate law enforcement agency.

(ii) CONTENT.—Each system of preferences established pursuant to this subparagraph shall be based upon local housing needs and priorities, as determined by the public housing agency using generally accepted data sources, including any information obtained pursuant to an opportunity for public comment as provided under section 5A(f ) and under the requirements applicable to the comprehensive housing affordability strategy for the relevant jurisdiction.

(B) SELECTION OF TENANTS.—Each housing assistance payment contract entered into by the public housing agency and the owner of a dwelling unit) shall provide that the screening and selection of families for those units shall be the function of the owner. In addition, the public housing agency may elect to screen applicants for the program in accordance with such requirements as the Secretary may establish. That an applicant or participant is or has been a victim of domestic violence, dating violence, or stalking is not an appropriate basis for denial of program assistance or for denial of admission if the applicant otherwise qualifies for assistance or admission. Nothing in this section shall be construed to supersede any provision of any Federal, State, or local law that provides greater protection that this section for victims of domestic violence, dating violence, or stalking.

(C) PHA DISAPPROVAL OF OWNERS.—In addition to other grounds authorized by the Secretary, a public housing agency may elect not to enter into a housing assistance payments contract under this subsection with an owner who refuses, or has a history of refusing, to take action to terminate tenancy for activity engaged in by the tenant, any member of the tenant’s household, any guest, or any other person under the control of any member of the household that—

(i) threatens the health or safety of, or right to peaceful enjoyment of the premises by, other tenants or employees of the public housing agency, owner, or other manager of the housing;

(ii) threatens the health or safety of, or right to peaceful enjoyment of the residences by, persons residing in the immediate vicinity of the premises; or

(iii) is drug-related or violent criminal activity.

(7) LEASES AND TENANCY.—Each housing assistance payment contract entered into by the public housing agency and the owner of a dwelling unit—

(A) shall provide that the lease between the tenant and the owner shall be for a term of not less than 1 year, except that the public housing agency may approve a shorter term for an initial lease between the tenant and the dwelling unit owner if the public housing agency determines that such shorter term would improve housing opportunities for the tenant and if such shorter term is considered to be a prevailing local market practice;

(B) shall provide that the dwelling unit owner shall offer leases to tenants assisted under this subsection that—

(i) are in a standard form used in the locality by the dwelling unit owner; and

(ii) contain terms and conditions that—

(I) are consistent with State and local law; and

(II) apply generally to tenants in the property who are not assisted under this section;

(C) shall provide that during the term of the lease, the owner shall not terminate the tenancy except for serious or repeated violation of the terms and conditions of the lease, for violation of applicable Federal, State, or local law, or for other good cause, and that an incident or incidents of actual or threatened domestic violence, dating violence, or stalking shall not be construed as a serious or repeated violation of the lease by the victim or threatened victim of that violence and shall not be good cause for terminating the tenancy or occupancy rights of the victim of such violence;

(D) shall provide that during the term of the lease, any criminal activity that threatens the health, safety, or right to peaceful enjoyment of the premises by other tenants, any criminal activity that threatens the health, safety, or right to peaceful enjoyment of their residences by persons residing in the immediate vicinity of the premises, or any violent or drug-related criminal activity on or near such premises, engaged in by a tenant of any unit, any member of the tenant’s household, or any guest or other person under the tenant’s control, shall be cause for termination of tenancy; except that (i) criminal activity directly relating to domestic violence, dating violence, or stalking, engaged in by a member of a tenant’s household or any guest or other person under the tenant’s control shall not be cause for termination of the tenancy or occupancy rights, if the tenant or immediate member of the tenant’s family is a victim of that domestic violence, dating violence, or stalking; (ii) LIMITATION.—Notwithstanding clause (i) or any Federal, State, or local law to the contrary, a public housing agency may terminate assistance to, or an owner or manager may bifurcate a lease under this section, or remove a household member from a lease under this section, without regard to whether a household member is a signatory to a lease, in order to evict, remove, terminate occupancy rights, or terminate assistance to any individual who is a tenant or lawful occupant and who engages in criminal acts of physical violence against family members or others, without evicting, removing, terminating assistance to, or otherwise penalizing the victim of such violence who is also a tenant or lawful occupant. Such eviction, removal, termination of occupancy rights, or termination of assistance shall be effected in accordance with the procedures prescribed by Federal, State, and local law for the termination of leases or assistance under the relevant program of HUD-assisted housing; (iii) nothing in clause (i) may be construed to limit the authority of a public housing agency, owner, or manager, when notified, to honor court orders addressing rights of access or control of the property, including civil protection orders issued to protect the victim and issued to address the distribution or possession of property among the household members in cases where a family breaks up; (iv) nothing in clause (i) limits any otherwise available authority of an owner or manager to evict or the public housing agency to terminate assistance to a tenant for any violation of a lease not premised on the act or acts of violence in question against the tenant or a member of the tenant’s household, provided that the owner, manager, or public housing agency does not subject an individual who is or has been a victim of domestic violence, dating violence, or stalking to a more demanding standard than other tenants in determining whether to evict or terminate; (v) nothing in clause (i) may be construed to limit the authority of an owner or manager to evict, or the public housing agency to terminate assistance to any tenant if the owner, manager, or public housing agency can demonstrate an actual and imminent threat to other tenants or those employed at or providing service to the property if that tenant is not evicted or terminated from assistance; and (vi) nothing in this section shall be construed to supersede any provision of any Federal, State, or local law that provides greater protection than this section for victims of domestic violence, dating violence, or stalking.

(E) shall provide that any termination of tenancy under this subsection shall be preceded by the provision of written notice by the owner to the tenant specifying the grounds for that action, and any relief shall be consistent with applicable State and local law; and

(F) may include any addenda required by the Secretary to set forth the provisions of this subsection.

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(20) PROHIBITED BASIS FOR TERMINATION OF ASSISTANCE.—

(A) IN GENERAL.—A public housing agency may not terminate assistance to a participant in the voucher program on the basis of an incident or incidents of actual or threatened domestic violence, dating violence, or stalking against that participant.

(B) CONSTRUAL OF LEASE PROVISIONS.—Criminal activity directly relating to domestic violence, dating violence, or stalking shall not be considered a serious or repeated violation of the lease by the victim or threatened victim of that criminal activity justifying termination of assistance to the victim or threatened victim.

(C) TERMINATION ON THE BASIS OF CRIMINAL ACTIVITY.— Criminal activity directly relating to domestic violence, dating violence, or stalking shall not be considered cause for termination of assistance for any participant or immediate member of a participant’s family who is a victim of the domestic violence, dating violence, or stalking.

(D) EXCEPTIONS.—

(i) PUBLIC HOUSING AUTHORITY RIGHT TO TERMINATE FOR CRIMINAL ACTS.—Nothing in subparagraph (A), (B), or (C) may be construed to limit the authority of the public housing agency to terminate voucher assistance to individuals who engage in criminal acts of physical violence against family members or others.

(ii) COMPLIANCE WITH COURT ORDERS.—Nothing in subparagraph (A), (B), or (C) may be construed to limit the authority of a public housing agency, when notified, to honor court orders addressing rights of access to or control of the property, including civil protection orders issued to protect the victim and issued to address the distribution or possession of property among the household members in cases where a family breaks up.

(iii) PUBLIC HOUSING AUTHORITY RIGHT TO TERMINATE VOUCHER ASSISTANCE FOR LEASE VIOLATIONS.—Nothing in subparagraph (A), (B), or (C) limit any otherwise available authority of the public housing agency to terminate voucher assistance to a tenant for any violation of a lease not premised on the act or acts of violence in question against the tenant or a member of the tenant’s household, provided that the public housing agency does not subject an individual who is or has been a victim of domestic violence, dating violence, or stalking to a more demanding standard than other tenants in determining whether to terminate.

(iv) PUBLIC HOUSING AUTHORITY RIGHT TO TERMINATE VOUCHER ASSISTANCE FOR IMMINENT THREAT.—Nothing in subparagraph (A), (B), or (C) may be construed to limit the authority of the public housing agency to terminate voucher assistance to a tenant if the public housing agency can demonstrate an actual and imminent threat to other tenants or those employed at or providing service to the property or public housing agency if that tenant is not evicted or terminated from assistance.

(v) PREEMPTION.—Nothing in this section shall be construed to supersede any provision of any Federal, State, or local law that provides greater protection than this section for victims of domestic violence, dating violence, or stalking.

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(r) PORTABILITY.—(1) IN GENERAL.—(A) Any family receiving tenant-based assistance under subsection (o) may receive such assistance to rent an eligible dwelling unit if the dwelling unit to which the family moves is within any area in which a program is being administered under this section.

(B)(i) Notwithstanding subparagraph (A) and subject to any exceptions established under clause (ii) of this subparagraph, a public housing agency may require that any family not living within the jurisdiction of the public housing agency at the time the family applies for assistance from the agency shall, during the 12-month period beginning on the date of initial receipt of housing assistance made available on behalf of the family from such agency, lease and occupy an eligible dwelling unit located within the jurisdiction served by the agency.

(ii) The Secretary may establish such exceptions to the authority of public housing agencies established under clause (i).

(2) The public housing agency having authority with respect to the dwelling unit to which a family moves under this subsection shall have the responsibility of carrying out the provisions of this subsection with respect to the family.

(3) In providing assistance under subsection (o) for any fiscal year, the Secretary shall give consideration to any reduction in the number of resident families incurred by a public housing agency in the preceding fiscal year as a result of the provisions of this subsection. The Secretary shall establish procedures for the compensation of public housing agencies that issue vouchers to families that move into or out of the jurisdiction of the public housing agency under portability procedures. The Secretary may reserve amounts available for assistance under subsection (o) to compensate those public housing agencies.

(4) The provisions of this subsection may not be construed to restrict any authority of the Secretary under any other provision of law to provide for the portability of assistance under this section.

(5) LEASE VIOLATIONS.—A family may not receive a voucher from a public housing agency and move to another jurisdiction under the tenant-based assistance program if the family has moved out of the assisted dwelling unit of the family in violation of a lease, except that a family may receive a voucher from a public housing agency and move to another jurisdiction under the tenant-based assistance program if the family has complied with all other obligations of the section 8 program and has moved out of the assisted dwelling unit in order to protect the health or safety of an individual who is or has been the victim of domestic violence, dating violence, or stalking and who reasonably believed he or she was imminently threatened by harm from further violence if he or she remained in the assisted dwelling unit.

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(ee) Certification and Confidentiality.—

(1) Certification.—

(A) In general.--An owner, manager, or public housing agency responding to subsections (c)(9), (d)(1)(B)(ii), (d)(1)(B)(iii), (o)(7)(C), (o)(7)(D), (o)(20), and (r)(5) may request that an individual certify via a HUD approved certification form that the individual is a victim of domestic violence, dating violence, or stalking, and that the incident or incidents in question are bona fide incidents of such actual or threatened abuse and meet the requirements set forth in the aforementioned paragraphs. Such certification shall include the name of the perpetrator. The individual shall provide such certification within 14 business days afterthe individual receives a request for such certification from the owner, manager, or public housing agency.

(B) Failure to provide certification.--If the individual does not provide the certification within 14 business days after the individual has received a request in writing for such certification for the owner, manager, or public housing agency, nothing in this subsection or in subsection (c)(9), (d)(1)(B)(ii), (d)(1)(B)(iii), (o)(7)(C), (o)(7)(D), (o)(20), or (r)(5) may be construed to limit the authority of an owner or manager to evict, or the public housing agency to terminate voucher assistance for, any tenant or lawful occupant that commits violations of a lease. The owner, manager or public housing agency may extend the 14-day deadline at their discretion.

(C) Contents.--An individual may satisfy the certification requirement of subparagraph (A) by--

(i) providing the requesting owner, manager, or public housing agency with documentation signed by an employee, agent, or volunteer of a victim service provider, an attorney, or a medical professional, from whom the victim has sought assistance in addressing domestic violence, dating violence, or stalking, or the effects of the abuse, in which the professional attests under penalty of perjury (28 U.S.C. 1746) to the professional's belief that the incident or incidents in question are bona fide incidents of abuse, and the victim of domestic violence, dating violence, or stalking has signed or attested to the documentation; or

(ii) producing a Federal, State, tribal, territorial, or local police or court record.

(D) Limitation.--Nothing in this subsection shall be construed to require an owner, manager, or public housing agency to demand that an individual produce official documentation or physical proof of the individual's status as a victim of domestic violence, dating violence, or stalking in order to receive any of the benefits provided in this section. At their discretion, the owner, manager, or public housing agency may provide benefits to an individual based solely on the individual's statement or other corroborating evidence.

(E) Compliance not sufficient to constitute evidence of unreasonable act.--Compliance with this statute by an owner, manager or public housing agency based on the certification specified in paragraphs (1)(A) and (B) of this subsection or based solely on the victim's statement or other corroborating evidence, as permitted by paragraph (1)(C) of this subsection, shall not alone be sufficient to constitute evidence of an unreasonable act or omission by an owner, manager or public housing agency or employee thereof. Nothing in this subparagraph shall be construed to limit liability for failure to comply with the requirements of subsection (c)(9), (d)(1)(B)(ii), (d)(1)(B)(iii), (o)(7)(C), (o)(7)(D), (o)(20), or (r)(5).

(F) Preemption.--Nothing in this section shall be construed to supersede any provision of any Federal, State, or local law that provides greater protection than this section for victims of domestic violence, dating violence, or stalking.

(2) Confidentiality.--

(A) In general.--All information provided to an owner, manager, or public housing agency pursuant to paragraph (1), including the fact that an individual is a victim of domestic violence, dating violence, or stalking, shall be retained in confidence by an owner, manager, or public housing agency, and shall neither be entered into any shared database nor provided to any related entity, except to the extent that disclosure is--

(i) requested or consented to by the individual in writing;

(ii) required for use in an eviction proceeding under subsection (c)(9), (d)(1)(B(ii), (d)(1)(B)(iii), (o)(7)(C), (o)(7)(D), or (o)(20),;or

(iii) otherwise required by applicable law.

(B) Notification.--Public housing agencies must provide notice to tenants assisted under Section 8 of the United States Housing Act of 1937 of their rights under this subsection and subsections (c)(9), (d)(1)(B(ii), (d)(1)(B)(iii), (o)(7)(C), (o)(7)(D), (o)(20), and (r)(5), including their right to confidentiality and the limits thereof, and to owners and managers of their rights and obligations under this subsection and subsections (c)(9), (d)(1)(B(ii), (d)(1)(B)(iii), (o)(7)(C), (o)(7)(D), (o)(20), and (r)(5).

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Amendments to the Cranston-Gonzalez National Affordable Housing Act (42 U.S.C. 12704 et seq.)

SEC. 105. (42 U.S.C. 12705) STATE AND LOCAL HOUSING STRATEGIES.

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(b) CONTENTS.—A housing strategy submitted under this section shall be in a form that the Secretary determines to be appropriate for the assistance the jurisdiction may be provided and shall—

(1) describe the jurisdiction’s estimated housing needs projected for the ensuing 5-year period, and the jurisdiction’s need for assistance for very low-income, low-income, and moderate-income families, specifying such needs for different types of tenure and for different categories of residents, such as very low-income, low-income, and moderate-income families, the elderly, persons with disabilities, single persons, large families, residents of nonmetropolitan areas, families who are participating in an organized program to achieve economic independence and self-sufficiency, persons with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking and other categories of persons residing in or expected to reside in the jurisdiction that the Secretary determines to be appropriate;

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Amendments to the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 11301 et seq.)

SEC. 423. (42 U.S.C. 11383) ELIGIBLE ACTIVITIES.

(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may provide any project with one or more of the following types of assistance under this subtitle:

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(8) CONFIDENTIALITY.—

(A) Victim service providers.--In the course of awarding grants or implementing programs under this section, the Secretary shall instruct any victim service provider that is a recipient or subgrantee not to disclose for purposes of a Homeless Management Information System personally identifying information about any client. The Secretary may, after public notice and comment, require or ask such recipients and subgrantees to disclose for purposes of a Homeless Management Information System non-personally identifying data that has been de-identified, encrypted, or otherwise encoded. Nothing in this section shall be construed to supersede any provision of any Federal, State, or local law that provides greater protection than this paragraph for victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking.

(B) Definitions.--

(i) Personally identifying information or personal information.--The term `personally identifying information' or `personal information' means individually identifying information for or about an individual including information likely to disclose the location of a victim of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking, including--

(I) a first and last name;

(II) a home or other physical address;

(III) contact information (including a postal, e-mail or Internet protocol address, or telephone or facsimile number);

(IV) a social security number; and

(V) any other information, including date of birth, racial or ethnic background, or religious affiliation, that, in combination with any other non-personally identifying information would serve to identify any individual.

(ii) Victim service provider.--The term `victim service provider' means a nonprofit, nongovernmental organization including rape crisis centers, battered women's shelters, domestic violence transitional housing programs, and other programs whose primary mission is to provide services to victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking.