Housing

Disaster Recovery Reform Act of 2012

United States · United States Congress · 1 January 2013

Disaster Recovery Reform Act of 2012 - Amends the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (Stafford Act) to direct the President, for purposes of hazard mitigation assistance, to ensure that: (1) environmental reviews and historic preservation reviews are completed on an expeditious basis, and (2) the shortest existing applicable process under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 and the National Historic Preservation Act is utilized. Authorizes the President to provide not more than 25% of the amount of the estimated cost of hazard mitigation measures to a state grantee before eligible costs are incurred. Requires the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to review, update, and revise factors relating to trauma to measure the severity, magnitude, and impact of a disaster. Authorizes the President, acting through the Administrator, to approve public assistance projects for major disasters or emergencies under alternative procedures with the goal of: (1) reducing the costs to the federal government of providing such assistance; (2) increasing flexibility in the administration of assistance; (3) expediting the provision of assistance to a state, tribal or local government, or owner or operator of a private nonprofit facility; and (4) providing financial incentives and disincentives for the timely and cost-effective completion of projects. Requires such alternative procedures, with respect to grants for facility repair, restoration, or replacement, to allow: (1) such grants to be made on the basis of fixed estimates if the state, tribal, or local government or the owner or operator of the private nonprofit facility agrees to be responsible for any actual costs that exceed the estimate; (2) a grantee to elect to receive an in-lieu contribution, without reduction, on the basis of estimates of the cost to repair, restore, reconstruct, or replace a facility and management expenses; (3) consolidating state, local, or tribal facilities as a single project; and (4) the Administrator to permit a grantee, when completed project costs are less than the estimated costs, to use excess funds for activities that reduce the risk of future damage, hardship, or suffering from a major disaster and for other activities to improve future public assistance operations or planning. Requires such alternative procedures, with respect to grants for debris removal, to allow: (1) such grants to be made on the basis of fixed estimates to provide financial incentives and disincentives for the timely or cost-effective completion if the grantee agrees to be responsible for any actual costs that exceed the estimate; (2) use of a sliding scale for determining the federal share for removal of debris and wreckage based on the time it takes to complete; (3) use of program income from recycled debris without offset to the grant amount; (4) reimbursement of wages for grantee employees and extra hires performing or administering debris and wreckage removal; (5) incentives to a state, local, or tribal government to have a debris management plan approved by the Administrator and to have pre-qualified contractors before the date of declaration of the major disaster; and (6) the Administrator to permit a grantee, when actual project costs are less than estimated costs, to use the excess funds for debris management planning, acquisition of debris management equipment for current or future use, and other activities to improve future debris removal operations. Authorizes Indian tribal governments to submit requests for major disaster or emergency declarations directly to the President. Authorizes the President to enter into lease agreements for, and make repairs or improvements to, multifamily rental property located in areas covered by a major disaster declaration when the President determines it would be a cost-effective alternative to other temporary housing options. Directs the President: (1) within one year, to complete an analysis to determine whether an increase in the threshold for eligibility for the provision of federal disaster or emergency assistance on the basis of the amount of the federal estimate of assistance necessary is appropriate; and (2) if so, to establish such threshold, adjust it annually for inflation, and review it every three years. Requires the President to establish a unified interagency review process to ensure compliance with environmental and historic requirements relating to disaster recovery projects in order to expedite the recovery process. Authorizes the President: (1) to provide child care assistance to an individual or household adversely affected by a major disaster; and (2) after declaring a major disaster or emergency for an area within the jurisdiction of a state, tribal, or local government, to reimburse such government for costs relating to basic pay and benefits and overtime and hazardous duty compensation for permanent employees of such government conducting emergency protective measures. Directs the Administrator to revise regulations related to the submission of State Hazard Mitigation Plans to extend the hazard mitigation planning cycle to every five years, consistent with local planning cycles. Authorizes a temporary housing unit purchased by the President for housing disaster victims to be made available directly to a state, other governmental entity, or voluntary organization for an incident caused by a hazard, for which the state governor has taken appropriate action under state law and directed execution of the state emergency plan, but that does not result in a presidential declaration of a major disaster or emergency. Integrated Public Alert and Warning System Modernization Act of 2012 - Directs the Administrator to: (1) take specified steps to modernize and implement the U.S. integrated public alert and warning system to ensure that the President, federal agencies, and state, tribal, and local governments can, under all conditions, alert and warn the civilian population in areas endangered by disasters or other hazards to public safety; and (2) establish a subcommittee to the National Advisory Council to be known as the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System Subcommittee, which shall develop recommendations for an integrated public alert and warning system. Directs the Chair of the Hurricane Sandy Rebuilding Task Force to report on: (1) the impacts of Hurricane Sandy on local government budgets in states where a major disaster has been declared, (2) the availability of private loans and federal resources to address such impacts, (3) the ability of the Community Disaster Loan program to address such impacts, and (4) potential consequences of federal action or inaction to address such impacts. Amends: (1) the Stafford Act to direct the Administrator to: (1) continue to administer the National Urban Search and Rescue Response System to provide for a national network of standardized search and rescue resources to assist states and local governments in responding to hazards, (2) designate task forces to participate in the System, and (3) establish an advisory committee to provide assistance in administering the System. Authorizes the President, upon determining it to be appropriate after a large and complex major disaster, to establish a commission to facilitate and support states and local governments in recovering from such disaster, including by implementing a strategic recovery support plan and coordinating federal agency activities. Amends the Homeland Security Act to establish within FEMA a disaster reserve workforce, to supplement the work of permanent full-time FEMA employees on response and recovery operations and programs. Amends the Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act of 2006 to direct the President to ensure that each federal agency with responsibilities under the National Response Plan or the National Disaster Recovery Framework has designated a lead senior official to: (1) ensure the agency is prepared to execute its response and recovery responsibilities under such plans, and (2) coordinate disaster response and recovery efforts. Directs the Administrator to establish procedures under which an applicant, through December 31, 2015, may request the use of alternative dispute resolution, including arbitration by an independent review panel to resolve disputes relating to eligible assistance.

A resolution expressing the deep disappointment of the Senate in the enactment by the Russia Government of a law ending inter-country adoptions of Russia children by United States citizens and urging the Russia Government to reconsider the law and prioritize the processing of inter-country adoptions involving parentless Russin children who were already matched with United States families before the enactment of the law.

United States · United States Congress · 31 December 2012

Affirms that all children deserve a permanent, protective family. Values the long tradition of the United States and Russia working together to find permanent homes for unparented children. Disapproves of the Russian law ending inter-country adoptions of Russian children by U.S. citizens because it primarily harms vulnerable and voiceless children. Urges Russia to reconsider the law on humanitarian grounds and prioritize the processing of inter-country adoptions of Russian children by U.S. citizens that were initiated before the law's enactment.

Telehealth Promotion Act of 2012

United States · United States Congress · 30 December 2012

Telehealth Promotion Act of 2012 - Amends title XI of the Social Security Act (SSA) and other specified federal law to declare that services provided via telecommunications systems under Medicare, Medicaid, and CHIP (SSA titles XVIII, XIX, and XXI) as well as under federal employees health, dental, and vision benefit programs, TRICARE, and the program of health care provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) shall be covered under such programs to the same extent as if furnished in the same location of the beneficiary. Amends SSA title XVIII to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), in order to provide a positive incentive for certain hospitals to lower their excess readmission ratios for inpatient services, to make an additional payment to a hospital in a proportion that provides for a sharing of the savings from better-than-expected performance between the hospital and the Medicare program. Authorizes the Secretary, in the case of a state that has amended its Medicaid plan to provide coordinated care through a health home for individuals with chronic conditions, to contract with the state medical assistance agency to serve eligible individuals with chronic conditions who select a designated provider, a team of health care professionals operating with such a provider, or a health team as the individual's health home. Authorizes the Secretary to contract with a national or multi-state regional center of excellence with a network of affiliated local providers to provide through one or more medical homes for targeted, accessible, continuous, and coordinated care to individuals under Medicare and Medicaid with a long-term illness or medical condition that requires regular medical treatment, advising, and monitoring. Authorizes an Accountable Care Organization to include coverage of telehealth and remote patient monitoring services as supplemental health care benefits to the same extent as a Medicare Advantage plan is permitted to provide such coverage. Recognizes telehealth services and remote patient monitoring in the national pilot program on payment bundling. Directs the Secretary to provide for an increase in the standard prospective payment amount applicable to home health services furnished using remote patient monitoring. Amends the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 to include telehealth and remote patient monitoring services as part of a care transition intervention proposal under the Medicare Community-Based Care Transitions Program. Amends SSA title XIX to give states an option to provide coordinated care for enrollees with high-risk pregnancies and births. Directs the Secretary to survey states electing this option on its nature, extent, and use as it pertains to, among other things, terms of pregnancies, use of prenatal fetal monitoring, and use of Caesarean section procedures.

To provide for the continued lease or eventual conveyance of certain Federal land within the boundaries of Fort Wainwright Military Reservation in Fairbanks, Alaska.

United States · United States Congress · 20 December 2012

Authorizes the Secretary of the Army (the Secretary) to offer to extend, for one or more periods of 15 years, the current lease involving a parcel of Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land in Fairbanks, Alaska, that was withdrawn for military use and is administered as a part of Fort Wainwright Military Reservation and that contains a 400-home rental housing community (the covered land). Requires the Secretary, if the Secretary intends to offer any extension of the lease, to provide a written notice of such offer to the current lessee and the Secretary of the Interior before the lease expires. Authorizes the Secretary, upon the expiration of the lease, to convey the covered land, if the lease is not extended. Requires the concurrence of the Secretary of the Interior for such conveyance. Allows the Secretary of Defense (DOD) to waive such conveyance requirement if it is determined that the retention and military use of the covered land are in the national security interests of the United States.

To amend the definition of mortgage originator under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act to include certain employees of a retailer of manufactured homes.

United States · United States Congress · 20 December 2012

Amends the Mortgage Reform and Anti-Predatory Lending Act, title XIV of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, to reverse the exclusion from treatment as a mortgage originator, and recognize as a mortgage originator, an employee of a retailer of manufactured homes who receives compensation or gain for taking a residential mortgage loan application, assisting a consumer in obtaining or applying to obtain a residential mortgage loan, or offering or negotiating the terms of such a loan, if the compensation or gain exceeds that received in a comparable cash transaction.

Hurricane Sandy Tax Relief Act of 2012

United States · United States Congress · 19 December 2012

Hurricane Sandy Tax Relief Act of 2012 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide tax benefits for individuals and businesses affected by Hurricane Sandy, including: an exemption from the gross income limitation for deducting casualty losses attributable to Hurricane Sandy; expensing allowances for Hurricane Sandy disaster expenses, disaster assistance property, and environmental remediation expenses; treatment of losses attributable to Hurricane Sandy as net operating losses; suspension of mortgage revenue bond requirements for residences located in the Hurricane Sandy disaster area; an increased charitable tax deduction for Hurricane Sandy disaster relief contributions; a special allocation of the new markets tax credit for investments in community development entities serving the disaster area; special adjustments to the earned income tax credit and the child tax credit for individuals living in the disaster area; a work opportunity tax credit for hiring employees residing in the disaster area; authorization for issuance of Hurricane Sandy bonds to finance disaster relief projects; and an additional allocation of low-income housing credits in states affected by Hurricane Sandy.

Common Sense Housing Investment Act of 2012

United States · United States Congress · 18 December 2012

Common Sense Housing Investment Act of 2012 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to the tax deduction for mortgage interest, to: (1) allow, in lieu of such deduction, a tax credit for 20% of mortgage interest paid in a taxable year for the taxpayer's principal residence and one other residence; (2) provide for a phaseout of the tax deduction for mortgage interest between 2013 and 2017; (3) allow a deduction for interest and taxes relating to land for dwelling purposes owned or leased by cooperative housing corporations; and (4) increase the state housing credit ceiling for the low-income housing tax credit. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to apply the savings from the enactment of this Act to the Housing Trust Fund, for assistance under the Section 8 low-income housing program, and for the Public Housing Capital Fund.

Senior Navigation and Planning Act of 2012

United States · United States Congress · 17 December 2012

Senior Navigation and Planning Act of 2012 - Amends titles XVIII (Medicare) and XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to provide for Medicare and Medicaid coverage of advanced illness care coordination services. Amends the Public Health Services Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), directly or through grants, to conduct a national public education campaign to: (1) raise public awareness of the importance of planning for care through the life cycle and as illness progress; (2) explain the need for readily available legal documents and medical orders that express an individual's wishes through advance directives and other planning tools; and (3) educate the public about the availability of advanced illness care, palliative care, and hospice care. Directs the Secretary to provide for multiple, innovative communications resources, including a toll-free information line, that the public and health care professionals may access to find out state-specific information regarding advance directives and end-of-life decisions. Includes advanced care planning materials in the "Medicare and You Handbook." Directs the Secretary to establish the Senior Navigation Advisory Board. Requires that a service provider, Medicare+Choice organization, or prepaid or eligible organization maintain written policies and procedures with respect to all adult individuals receiving medical care by or through them to provide each individual with the opportunity to discuss issues relating to the information provided to that individual on the individual's rights with an appropriately trained professional. Requires a service provider, Medicare Advantage organization, or prepaid or eligible organization to give effect to an advance directive or order validy executed outside the state in which such directive is presented (portability). Imposes similar requirements for facilities. Directs the Secretary to study the extent to which the assessment of individuals by hospitals, skilled nursing facililties, hospice programs, home health agencies, and applicable providers of advanced illlness care coordination services accurately reflects the actual diagnosis and care plan, including care coordination, of the individual at the time of discharge. Provides incentive payments to hospitals for accreditation and certification in hospice and palliative care. Directs the Secretary to conduct a pilot program under Medicare to test the use of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services discharge checklist. Directs the Secretary to establish and maintain a website that provides information, online training, and instructional materials for entities on advance care planning. Authorizes the Secretary to award grants to entities to develop and provide services for terminally ill individuals who are receiving hospice care in their own homes. Directs the Secretary to study state and regional activities with respect to storing advance directives and Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment, and the Comptroller General (GAO) to study the provisions of this Act and their asociated quality and costs (such as individual and family experience, individual understanding of treatment choices, and any decrease in avoidable hospital admissions).

FHA Emergency Fiscal Solvency Act of 2012

United States · United States Congress · 13 December 2012

FHA Emergency Fiscal Solvency Act of 2012 - Amends the National Housing Act (NHA) to direct the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) (who currently is authorized) to establish and collect additional annual premium payments for the first 11 years of the term of an insured mortgage in an amount between 0.55% and 2% of the remaining insured principal balance (with certain adjustments) for certain periods. Increases from 1.55% to 2.05% the 30-year annual premium for an insured mortgage whose original principal obligation exceeds 95% of the remaining principal balance. Revises conditions for the Secretary's exercise of authority to require indemnification for an insurance loss claim paid on a mortgage insured by a mortgagee to which the Secretary delegated insuring authority. Extends the Secretary's authority to require such an indemnification to a mortgage executed by a mortgagee approved under the direct endorsement program. Revises the conditions invoking indemnification authority to cover a circumstance where the mortgagee knew, or should have known, of a serious or material violation of the pertinent mortgage requirements, regardless of whether the violation caused the mortgage default. Makes similar revisions to the Secretary's indemnification authority in the circumstance where fraud or misrepresentation was involved in connection with the origination or underwriting and the mortgagee knew or should have known about it. Directs the Secretary to establish a process for mortgagees to appeal indemnification determinations. Directs the Secretary to establish a program to: (1) review the cause of each early period delinquency on a mortgage that is an obligation of the Mutual Mortgage Insurance Fund (Fund); (2) require indemnification of the Secretary for a loss associated with any such delinquency that results from a material violation of any guideline established or promulgated under NHA; and (3) report publicly a summary of the results of all early period reviewed delinquencies, any indemnifications required, and the financial impact on the Fund of any such indemnifications. Requires semiannual independent studies and reports during periods of capital depletion of the Fund. Directs the Secretary to analyze the cost and feasibility of an independent quarterly actuarial study of the Fund. Authorizes the Secretary to terminate the approval of the mortgagee to originate or underwrite single family mortgages for more than one area or on a nationwide basis, if the mortgagee has an excessive rate of early defaults and claims. Revises the criteria for the eligibility of a mortgage for Federal Housing Administration (FHA) insurance to authorize the participation of certain persons or entities approved by the Secretary in the origination of single family mortgages and/or home equity conversion mortgages for elderly homeowners. Directs the Secretary to require each mortgagee, as a condition for approval to originate or underwrite mortgages on HUD-insured single family or multifamily housing, to notify the Secretary of the action taken, and the reasons for it, if the mortgagee: (1) engages in the purchase of mortgages insured by the Secretary and originated by other mortgagees, or in the purchase of the servicing rights to such mortgages; and (2) at any time takes action to terminate or discontinue such purchases from another mortgagee based on any determination or evidence of fraud or material misrepresentation in connection with the origination of such mortgages. Includes among the information the Secretary of HUD is required to collect regarding early defaults on insured mortgages all data on the number of claims paid to each servicing mortgagee during each calendar quarter occurring during the applicable collection period. Establishes within FHA a Deputy Assistant Secretary for Risk Management and Regulatory Affairs, who shall be responsible for all matters relating to: (1) managing and mitigating risk to HUD mortgage insurance funds, and (2) ensuring the performances of HUD-insured mortgages. Amends the Department of Housing and Urban Development Act to establish within HUD a Chief Risk Officer for the Government National Mortgage Association (Ginnie Mae). Directs the Secretary to: (1) examine mortgage servicer compliance with the loan servicing, loss mitigation, and insurance claim submission guidelines of the FHA mortgage insurance programs; (2) estimate the annual costs to the Fund, since 2008, resulting from any failures by mortgage servicers to comply with such guidelines; and (3) develop an emergency capital plan for the restoration of the Fund's fiscal solvency. Directs the Comptroller General to provide for third party review of: (1) the financial safety and soundness of HUD mortgage insurance programs and funds, and (2) the extent of their loan loss reserves and capital adequacy. Directs the Secretary to review and revise all standards and requirements relating to disclosure of information on the mortgage insurance programs and funds. Directs the Secretary to examine all the mortgage insurance and any other FHA programs to: (1) identify the level of use and need for such programs; (2) any such programs that are unused or underused; and (3) methods for streamlining, consolidating, simplifying, increasing the efficiency of, and reducing the number of such programs.

Global Partnerships Act of 2012

United States · United States Congress · 11 December 2012

Global Partnerships Act of 2012 - Sets forth provisions regarding global poverty and related matters, including: (1) reduction of global poverty; (2) acceleration of economic growth; (3) micro enterprise and small and medium enterprise assistance; (4) food security; (5) child survival and maternal health; (6) combating disease; (7) family planning and reproductive health; (8) education; (9) the environment; (10) safe water, sanitation, and housing; (11) gender equality; (12) democratic governance; and (13) humanitarian and disaster assistance. Sets forth provisions regarding advancing peace and mitigating conflict, including: (1) peacekeeping and related missions, (2) strategies and assessments, and (3) organizations and personnel. Sets forth provisions regarding human rights and democracy, including: (1) violence against women and girls, (2) the rule of law, and (3) child protection. Sets forth provisions regarding strategic partnerships, including: (1) the Economic Support Fund, (2) security partnership assistance, (3) drawdown authority, (4) defense article loans and stockpiling, (5) foreign military financing, (6) international military education and training, (7) excess defense article transfers, (8) cooperative project agreements, (9) foreign military sales, (10) arms export controls, (11) defense article leases and retransfers, (12) enforcement and monitoring of arms sales, (13) congressional review of arms sales, and (14) land mines and cluster munitions. Sets forth provisions regarding transnational threats, including: (1) nuclear, missile, and chemical and biological nonproliferation; and (2) counter-narcotics and counter-terrorism authorities. Sets forth provisions regarding the global environment, including: (1) debt-for-nature exchanges, and (2) commercial debt-for-nature exchanges. Sets forth provisions regarding trade and investment, including: (1) the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC), (2) the United States Trade and Development Agency, and (3) enterprise funds. Sets forth provisions regarding strategic planning, monitoring and evaluation, reporting, and congressional notification. Sets forth provisions regarding policy restrictions and special authorities with respect to: (1) human rights; (2) non-proliferation; (3) narcotics; (4) terrorism, including in the Middle East; (5) trade and commerce; and (6) policy authorities. Sets forth provisions regarding organization, management, and human resources, including the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). Revises specified provisions of the United States Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria Act of 2003, the Millennium Challenge Act of 2003, the Migration and Refugee Assistance Act of 1962, and the Fulbright-Hays Act.

OVERSIGHT OF THE FEDERAL HOUSING ADMINISTRATION: EXAMINING HUD'S RESPONSE TO FISCAL CHALLENGES

United States · United States Senate · 6 December 2012

Naval Air Station Fallon Housing and Safety Development Act

United States · United States Congress · 16 November 2012

Naval Air Station Fallon Housing and Safety Development Act - Directs the Secretary of the Interior to transfer to the Secretary of the Navy, without consideration, approximately 400 acres of federal land that is adjacent to Naval Air Station Fallon in Churchill County, Nevada, and that was withdrawn under a specified public land order.

TRANSPORTATION AND HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS FOR FISCAL YEAR 2012

United States · United States Senate · 15 October 2012

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives regarding the recognition of homelessness in the United States.

United States · United States Congress · 2 October 2012

Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that: (1) public and private institutions should continue to work together to eliminate homelessness, and (2) the federal government should recognize the outstanding efforts of institutions and individuals who work tirelessly to assist those in their community who suffer from it.

Veterans Jobs Corps Act of 2012

United States · United States Congress · 25 September 2012

Veterans Jobs Corps Act of 2012 - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) (Secretary) to establish a veteran jobs corps to employ veterans: (1) in conservation, resource management, and historic preservation projects on public lands and maintenance and improvement projects for cemeteries under the jurisdiction of the National Cemetery Administration; and (2) as firefighters and law enforcement officers. Requires priority employment for veterans who served on active duty on or after September 11, 2001. Provides for such employment in coordination with the Attorney General, the Commanding General of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the Secretaries of Agriculture, Commerce, Homeland Security, and the Interior. Directs the Secretary to establish a steering committee for assistance in providing such employment. Directs the head of each federal agency to develop a plan for exercising, during the five-year period beginning on the enactment of this Act, current Department of Defense (DOD) and VA authority to hire qualified veterans for positions within the federal government. Includes as qualified veterans those who: (1) are disabled or recently separated; (2) served on active duty during a war or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized; or (3) while serving on active duty, participated in a military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded. Requires the Director of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to ensure that, under such plans, agencies shall appoint no less than 10,000 qualified veterans during the five-year period. Requires the Director to report to the congressional veterans and oversight committees on activities carried out under this section. Requires a state, as a condition for receipt of a grant or contract from the VA for support of disabled veterans' outreach specialists and local veterans' employment representatives, to establish a program which issues a license or credential to a veteran without requiring any training or apprenticeship if such veteran: (1) receives a satisfactory score on completion of an examination administered by that state, and (2) has at least 10 years of experience in a military occupational specialty that is similar to the civilian occupation for which such license or credential is required. Directs the Secretary of Labor to: (1) furnish each one-stop (job search) center with a list of all Internet websites and applications identified as beneficial for veterans in pursuit of employment; (2) coordinate with public and private entities to identify websites and applications not included on such list that match veterans seeking employment with available jobs based on skills acquired as members of the Armed Forces, and allow employers to post information about available jobs; and (3) report on such websites and applications to the veterans and education committees. Directs the Secretary, as a condition of a grant or contract to a state for certain veterans' employment and training programs, to require the state to demonstrate the consideration of any military training received by a veteran when approving or denying a license or certification as a nursing assistant, certified nursing assistant, commercial driver, emergency medical technician EMT-B or EMT-1, or emergency medical technician-paramedic. Directs the Secretaries of Labor and Education to jointly conduct and report to Congress on a study to determine the value and utility of a registry of recognized postsecondary credentials valued by employers, individuals, providers of education and training, economic development professionals, state and local officials, and other relevant stakeholders. Directs the Secretary of Labor to establish minimum funding levels for specified veterans' benefits contracts and grants to ensure that each state receives sufficient funding to support at least one disabled veterans' outreach program specialist and one local veterans' employment representative per 5,000 square miles of service delivery area within the state. Directs the Secretary of Labor, during the three-year period beginning on the date of enactment of this Act, to provide the Transition Assistance Program (TAP) to veterans and their spouses at locations other than military installations in at least three and up to five states selected by the Secretary based on the highest rates of veteran unemployment. Requires reports from such Secretary and the Comptroller General to Congress on such TAP training. Expands VA small business contracting goals to include small businesses fully, but conditionally, owned by one or more veterans. Treats the surviving spouse of a service-disabled veteran who acquires the ownership interest in a small business of the deceased veteran as such veteran, for purposes of eligibility for VA service-disabled small business contracting goals and preferences, for a period of: (1) 10 years after the veteran's death, if such veteran was either 100% disabled or died from a service-connected disability; or (2) 3 years after such death, if the veteran was less than 100% disabled and did not die from a service-connected disability. Treats a small business acquired by the surviving spouse or dependent from a member of the Armed Forces killed during active duty as a small business owned and controlled by a service-disabled veteran, for purposes of VA small business contracting goals and preferences. Continues such treatment for the period beginning on the date of the member's death and ending on the earlier of: (1) the date on which the surviving spouse remarries or relinquishes such ownership interest or ten years after the member's death, or (2) the date on which the surviving dependent relinquishes such ownership interest or ten years after the member's death. Provides that if the Secretary determines, for purposes of VA small business contracting goals, that an individual would have had a greater degree of ownership of a small business in a state other than a community property state, then the Secretary shall treat such small business as licensed in a non-community property state. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide for a 100% continuous levy upon the property and rights of Medicare (title XVIII of the Social Security Act) providers and suppliers neglecting or refusing to pay taxes. Permits the Secretary of State to deny, revoke, or limit a passport to any individual upon receiving certification from the Secretary of the Treasury that such individual has a delinquent tax debt in an amount in excess of $50,000. Extends through March 31, 2017, the current $90 limit on VA pension paid to veterans residing in nursing homes when their nursing costs are paid through title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act. Increases, for corporations with assets of at least $1 billion, the required estimated income tax payments otherwise due in the third quarter of: (1) 2013 by 0.25%, and (2) 2017 by 0.50%. Requires the next required installment to be appropriately reduced to reflect the amount of this increase.

HAVEN Act

United States · United States Congress · 21 September 2012

Housing Assistance for Veterans Act of 2012 or HAVEN Act - Directs the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to establish a pilot program to award grants to nonprofit organizations that primarily serve veterans or low-income individuals. Requires such grants to be used to rehabilitate and modify the primary residence of disabled or low-income veterans (at a specified limited or no cost to such veterans). Limits grant amounts to $1 million per organization. Requires the Secretary to direct the oversight of grant fund use. Requires a minimum of 50% matching funds by participating organizations.

FEMA Reform Act of 2012

United States · United States Congress · 21 September 2012

FEMA Reform Act of 2012 - Requires: (1) 50% of the amount estimated for a preliminary damage assessment by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for any state or local government to be released to such government not later than three days after such assessment is completed, and (2) hazard mitigation funding for a state under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to be disseminated within areas of the state in proportion to the damage of a major disaster in such areas. Permits the President, in addition to authorizing the repair, restoration, or replacement of federal facilities damaged by a major disaster, to make contributions to a state or local government to repair, restore, or replace vehicles and equipment, particularly those used for public safety, transportation, and service. Allows the actual cash value of such a vehicle or equipment that is more than 50% damaged to be used to replace it. Authorizes the President to provide financial assistance under the Stafford Act to repair permanent structures, including rental units, necessary for temporary or transitional housing in areas affected by a major disaster. Requires: (1) FEMA to establish a recruiting and training office in a major disaster area as soon as possible to facilitate the hiring of local individuals to assist with public assistance applications for any major disaster that will require FEMA employees to be available in such area for an extended period; and (2) FEMA, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), and the Department of Energy (DOE) to evaluate, complete, and publish a report outlining recommendations to public and private utilities, including electrical, water, sewer, and telecommunications, to reduce service interruptions during and after a hurricane.

Digital Accountability and Transparency Act of 2012

United States · United States Congress · 20 September 2012

Digital Accountability and Transparency Act of 2012 - Amends the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006 to revise the contents of the existing single updated searchable public website. Requires the website to include for all federal funding for each federal agency, component of an agency, appropriations account, program activity, object class, and other accounts or data as appropriate the amount: budget authority available and the amount obligated, outlays, any federal funds reprogrammed or transferred, and expired and unexpired unobligated balances. Authorizes the website to use as data sources the Payment Automation Manager and Federal Information Repository, other Department of the Treasury data or databases, and other data from federal agencies collected and identified by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). Requires the website to: (1) be updated at least once each quarter with information relating to federal funds, (2) enable the separate search requirement for such funds, and (3) have the ability to aggregate data for the categories described in the Act without double-counting data. Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to: collect and make available to OMB financial and payment data from federal agencies to assist OMB in carrying out this Act; establish specified government-wide financial data standards for federal funds; issue guidance on the data standards to federal agencies within one year after enactment of this Act; and use such collected data and other available data (including from state and local governments) to detect, prevent, and recover improper payments through pre-award, post-award pre-payment, and post-payment analysis. Requires upon the Secretary's request: the Commissioner of Social Security to make available the Social Security earnings information of a living or deceased employee, the Director of the Bureau of Prisons to make available information relating to federal prisoners, and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to make available information in the HUD Credit Alert Verification System. Requires the Secretary to: (1) use such information only to assist in federal debt collection and in the prevention, identification, or recovery of improper payments; and (2) ensure that it is adequately protected and collected in a manner consistent with privacy protections. Requires the Director of OMB to review reporting requirements for federal award recipients in order to instruct federal agency heads on how to reduce and simplify them. Establishes an interagency Federal Accountability Spending and Transparency Board to supersede the Government Accountability and Transparency Board, which is hereby terminated. Declares that nothing in this Act shall require the disclosure to the public or to any person without an identifiable need to know: classified information; personally identifiable information; information that would compromise national security; information that would endanger the personal safety of all entities, employees, or clients; or information protected under the Privacy Act, or confidentiality and disclosure of returns and return information requirements under the Internal Revenue Code. Amends the Social Security Act to revise the purposes for information in the National Directory of New Hires to include assisting the Secretary in the prevention, identification, and recovery of improper payments to persons under review to determine their eligibility to receive them or to participate in a federal, state, or local government program. Requires the Director of OMB to make required financial management status reports and governmentwide five-year financial management plans available on the OMB single website.

Commercial Building Modernization Act

United States · United States Congress · 20 September 2012

Commercial Building Modernization Act- Amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to the tax deduction for energy-efficient commercial buildings, to: (1) extend such deduction through 2016; (2) include within the definition of "property" for purposes of such deduction a commercial building and a multifamily building (a structure of five or more dwelling units used as residential housing); (3) increase the maximum amount of such deduction; and (4) adopt the updated standard of the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air Conditioning Engineers and the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America applicable to property eligible for such deduction. Allows through 2016 a new tax deduction for the cost of retrofitting existing commercial and multifamily buildings.

Community Parks Revitalization Act

United States · United States Congress · 20 September 2012

Community Parks Revitalization Act - Requires the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to promulgate regulations establishing a community revitalization program to provide federal grants to eligible local governments for various park and recreation purposes, including grants for rehabilitation and construction, innovation and recreation programming, and recovery action programs. Authorizes the Secretary to designate local governments in standard metropolitan statistical areas not meeting program eligibility requirements to receive such grants, out of up to 15% of funds appropriated for them, under a partial eligibility waiver. Authorizes the Secretary, upon approval of an application by the chief executive of an eligible applicant, to provide 70% matching rehabilitation and construction, and innovation and recreation program grants directly to such applicant. Allows a recipient, at its discretion, to transfer a grant in whole or in part to private nonprofit agencies for recreational areas and facilities they own or operate which offer recreational opportunities to the general population. Requires an applicant, for project approval, to submit to the Secretary evidence of its commitment to ongoing planning, rehabilitation, service, operation, and maintenance programs for its park and recreation systems, expressed in a five-year local park and recreation recovery action program. Prescribes requirements for the five-year park and recreation recovery action program under an at-risk youth recreation grant. Authorizes the Secretary to increase all grants to a state under this Act by up to 15% (but not more than 85%) of total project or program cost. Prohibits the conversion, without HUD approval, of any property improved or developed with assistance under this Act for uses other than for public recreation. Limits to 10% the use of funds appropriated for rehabilitation and construction grants for acquisition of land or interests in land.

Rebuilding Equity Act of 2012

United States · United States Congress · 20 September 2012

Rebuilding Equity Act of 2012 - Requires the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae) and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac) (government sponsored enterprises or GSEs) each to establish a voluntary program for eligible borrowers who qualify for the Home Affordable Refinance Program carried out by the GSEs, under which the GSEs shall pay up to $1,000 of the closing costs associated with applying for and receiving refinancing when the borrower agrees to refinance a 30-year mortgage loan into a fully amortizing loan with a term of not longer than 20 years. Requires the subject property to have a loan-to-value ratio of not less than 105%.

HOUSING FOR HEROES: EXAMINING HOW FEDERAL PROGRAMS CAN BETTER SERVE VETERANS

United States · United States House of Representatives · 14 September 2012

Responsible Homeowner Refinancing Act of 2012

United States · United States Congress · 14 September 2012

Responsible Homeowner Refinancing Act of 2012 - Requires the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae) and Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac) (government sponsored enterprises or GSEs), in carrying out the Home Affordable Refinance Program, to adopt specified criteria pertaining to: (1) borrower eligibility, (2) representations and warranties, (3) prohibition on up-front fees, (4) alternative streamlined methods to determine the value of a property, (5) the purchase or guarantee of any new mortgage resulting from the refinancing of an eligible mortgage, and (6) guarantee fees. Requires the GSEs to notify all borrowers with a mortgage owned or guaranteed by a GSE about the Program and its eligibility criteria, and inform borrowers of the website required below. Directs the Director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) to establish a single website where borrowers may: (1) determine their potential eligibility for participation in the Program, (2) see a complete list of and links to qualified lenders, (3) use a mortgage refinance calculator to calculate potential payment savings based on different interest rates, and (4) obtain tips on refinancing their loan. Directs the Director of FHFA to issue guidance to require the GSEs to make their refinancing guidelines consistent to ease the compliance requirements of qualified lenders, and in particular with respect to loans with less than 80% loan-to-value ratio and closing cost policies of the GSEs, which regulations or guidance shall be put into effect not later than 90 days after the enactment of this Acts.

Rural Housing Preservation Act of 2012

United States · United States Congress · 14 September 2012

Rural Housing Preservation Act of 2012 - Amends the Housing Act of 1949 to extend the requirements for consideration as rural areas with respect to assistance for farm housing. Makes any area eligible for rural housing programs authorized under the Act on June 30, 2012, eligible for such programs through FY2013.

REVAMP Act of 2012

United States · United States Congress · 14 September 2012

Renovate and Enhance Veterans' Meeting Halls and Posts Act of 2012 or REVAMP Act of 2012 - Amends the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 to require the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to make grants, on a competitive basis, to eligible veterans service organizations for repairs and rehabilitation of their existing facilities. Defines "eligible veterans service organization" as: (1) a tax-exempt entity organized on a local or area basis; and (2) a local or area chapter, post, or other unit of a national, regional, statewide, or other larger entity of which local or area chapters, posts, or units are members (but not any such national, regional, statewide, or other larger entity itself). Prohibits an eligible veterans service organization from receiving such grant amounts, for any single fiscal year, in an amount exceeding the lesser of the cost of the proposed repair or rehabilitation or $200,000. Makes a grant recipient ineligible to receive another such grant until after five succeeding fiscal years. Prohibits the use of such grants for construction or acquisition of a new facility.

A bill to amend section 520 of the Housing Act of 1949 to revise the census data and population requirements for areas to be considered as rural areas for purposes of such Act.

United States · United States Congress · 13 September 2012

Amends the Housing Act of 1949 to extend certain requirements for consideration as a rural area with respect to assistance for farm housing. Declares that any area classified as "rural" or a "rural area" before October 1, 1990, and determined not to be one as a result of data received from or after the 2010 decennial census, and any area deemed to be a "rural area" for purposes of the Act under any other provision of law at any time between January 1, 2000, and December 31, 2010, shall continue to be so classified until the receipt of data from the decennial census in the year 2020, if that area has a population of between 10,000 and 35,000 (currently, between 10,000 and 25,000), is rural in character, and has a serious lack of mortgage credit for lower and moderate-income families.

Small Public Housing Agency Opportunity Act of 2012

United States · United States Congress · 13 September 2012

Small Public Housing Agency Opportunity Act of 2012 - Amends the United States Housing Act of 1937 to subject a small public housing agency (PHA) to the same requirements as a PHA. Defines a small PHA as a PHA for which the sum of the number of public housing dwelling units and the number of vouchers under Section 8 (tenant-based assistance) it administers is 550 or fewer. Requires the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to: provide for physical inspections of a small PHA public housing project at least once every three years, unless it is a troubled small PHA; determine the financial condition of a small PHA's public housing program solely on the basis of the ratio of current assets to current liabilities; and determine management condition of a small PHA's public housing program solely on the basis of the ratio of vacant unit months to eligible unit months. Requires a small PHA administering Section 8 tenant-based assistance under the housing voucher program to make physical inspections of assisted units at least once every three years. Requires HUD to evaluate the management of a small PHA's voucher program solely on the basis of its lease-up rate or the budget utilization rate. Directs HUD to designate a small PHA as a high-performing agency if it exceeds acceptability criteria. Specifies conditions under which HUD may designate a small PHA as a troubled small PHA with respect to its public housing program or housing voucher program. Requires HUD to establish an appeals process for a small PHA to dispute a determination of deficiency. Requires HUD and the small PHA to enter into a one-year corrective action agreement (renewable at HUD option) under which the small PHA shall undertake actions to correct deficiencies. Prescribes and/or revises requirements to reduce the administrative burden on small PHAs with respect to: certain reports; community service; economic opportunities for low- and very low-income persons; exemption of a small PHA administering not more than 400 public housing dwelling units, upon request, from any asset management requirement; exemption from environmental review for a development or modernization project with a total cost of not more than $100,000; and streamlined HUD procedures for such reviews. Authorizes a small PHA to convert all or a portion of its public housing units to project-based voucher assistance or to project-based assistance. Requires HUD to carry out a demonstration project to examine how various methods of determining rent in public housing affect the administrative burden on small PHAs and public housing residents. Establishes rent-setting mechanisms for demonstration project participants based on: (1) a tiered system for initial rents for extremely low-income families, very low-income families, and low-income families; (2) a certain range of gross income percentages; or (3) one or more of these methods in combination with methods established for assisted housing rental payments. Authorizes a small PHA to elect to be paid for its utility and waste management costs under the formula for a period, at its discretion, of up to 20 years based on its average annual consumption during the three-year period preceding the year in which the election is made. Requires HUD to develop and deploy all electronic information systems necessary to accommodate full consolidated reporting by PHAs electing to operate in consortia.

Defending American Taxpayers From Abusive Government Takings Act of 2012

United States · United States Congress · 13 September 2012

Defending American Taxpayers From Abusive Government Takings Act of 2012 - Amends the Federal National Mortgage Association Charter Act to prohibit the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae) from purchasing any mortgage secured by a structure or dwelling unit located within a county that contains any structure or dwelling unit that secures or secured a residential mortgage loan that the state or any territory, including any agency or political subdivision, obtained during the preceding 120 months by eminent domain. Amends the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation Act to prohibit the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac) from doing the same. Amends the National Housing Act to prohibit the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) from newly insuring any mortgage secured by a structure or dwelling unit located in such a county. Prohibits the Secretary from guaranteeing, making, or insuring a housing or small business loan for a residence located in such a county.

Foreclosure Accountability and Transparency Act

United States · United States Congress · 13 September 2012

Foreclosure Accountability and Transparency Act - Prohibits commencement of a foreclosure action with respect to a federally related residential mortgage loan secured by a first or subordinate lien unless the person commencing the foreclosure complies with specified requirements pertaining to borrower: (1) notification, (2) assistance obtained from a Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)-approved housing counseling agency, and (3) application for loan modification or commencement of an alternative to foreclosure. Makes a violation of this Act a bar to a foreclosure action. Requires the person who commenced a foreclosure action, at the completion of such action, to certify that all federal, state, and local laws and regulations were followed and submit all applicable documentation in connection with such action to: (1) the borrower who was a party to the foreclosure action, (2) the recorder's office in the muncipality where the property securing the loan in connection with the covered residential mortgage is located, and (3) the Secretary of HUD.

Affordable Housing Regulation Simplification Act of 2012

United States · United States Congress · 13 September 2012

Affordable Housing Regulation Simplification Act of 2012 - Amends the Federal National Mortgage Association Charter Act to authorize the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae), and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation Act to authorize the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac), to purchase, service, sell, lend on the security of, and otherwise deal in affordable workforce housing mortgages for one-family residences: (1) that shall be used as the mortgagor's residence at least 8 of any 12 months and 240 days of any 365 days; (2) located within, or are part of, a multifamily housing development meeting certain requirements; and (3) located in a high tourism area. Prescribes mortgagor income and employment criteria. Exempts such mortgages from any requirements and guidelines of such government sponsored entities (also known as GSEs) that are inconsistent with such authority. Limits the application of this Act to such mortgages in a high tourism area. Amends the National Housing Act to authorize the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to insure any affordable workforce housing mortgage meeting certain requirements. Requires the Secretary of HUD to provide a spot approval process for insurance of condominium unit mortgages that does not require prior approval of the entire project or of the homeowners association for the entire project. Directs the Secretary of Commerce to determine high tourism areas.

HAVEN Act

United States · United States Congress · 12 September 2012

Housing Assistance for Veterans Act of 2012 or HAVEN Act - Directs the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to establish a pilot program to award grants to nonprofit organizations that primarily serve veterans or low-income individuals. Requires such grants to be used to rehabilitate and modify the primary residence of disabled or low-income veterans (at a specified limited or no cost to such veterans). Limits grant amounts to $1 million per organization. Requires the Secretary to direct the oversight of grant fund use. Requires a minimum of 50% matching funds by participating organizations.

VA Major Construction Authorization and Expiring Authorities Extension Act of 2012

United States · United States Congress · 11 September 2012

VA Major Construction Authorization and Expiring Authorities Extension Act of 2012 - Authorizes the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) to carry out major medical facility projects (projects) in FY2013 at VA medical centers in: (1) Seattle, Washington; (2) Dallas, Texas; and (3) Miami, Florida. Authorizes the Secretary to carry out specified major medical facility leases (leases) in FY2013 in Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Mexico, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, and Texas. Designates the outpatient healthcare access center in Honolulu, Hawaii, as the "Daniel Kahikina Akaka Department of Veterans Affairs Healthcare Access Center." Reduces lease amounts authorized in previous fiscal years for VA outpatient clinics in: (1) San Diego, California; (2) Johnson County, Kansas; and (3) Tyler, Texas. Authorizes appropriations for such projects and leases. Provides project and lease funding limitations. Extends through FY2013 VA default procedures with respect to guaranteed loans to veterans. Extends through 2013 VA authority: (1) to operate a regional office in the Republic of the Philippines; (2) to provide treatment, rehabilitation, and related services for seriously mentally ill and homeless veterans; (3) to provide expanded services and housing assistance to homeless veterans; (4) for the Advisory Committee on Homeless Veterans; and (5) to use contract physicians to perform VA medical disability examinations.

Responsible Homeowner Refinancing Act of 2012

United States · United States Congress · 10 September 2012

Responsible Homeowner Refinancing Act of 2012 - Requires the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae) and Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac) (government sponsored enterprises or GSEs), in carrying out the Home Affordable Refinance Program, to adopt specified criteria pertaining to: (1) borrower eligibility, (2) representations and warranties, (3) prohibition on up-front fees, (4) alternative streamlined methods to determine the value of a property, (5) the purchase or guarantee of any new mortgage resulting from the refinancing of an eligible mortgage, and (6) guarantee fees. Requires the GSEs to notify all borrowers with a mortgage owned or guaranteed by a GSE about the Program and its eligibility criteria, and inform borrowers of the website required below. Directs the Director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) to establish a single website where borrowers may: (1) determine their potential eligibility for participation in the Program, (2) see a complete list of and links to qualified lenders, (3) use a mortgage refinance calculator to calculate potential payment savings based on different interest rates, and (4) obtain tips on refinancing their loan. Directs the Director of FHFA to issue guidance to require the GSEs to make their refinancing guidelines consistent to ease the compliance requirements of qualified lenders, and in particular with respect to loans with less than 80% loan-to-value ratio and closing cost policies of the GSEs, which regulations or guidance shall be put into effect not later than 90 days after the enactment of this Acts.

Flexible Refinancing for American Families Act of 2012

United States · United States Congress · 10 September 2012

Flexible Refinancing for American Families Act of 2012 - Directs the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae) and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac) (government-sponsored enterprises or GSEs) each to carry out a one-year program providing for the refinancing of qualified single-family housing mortgages it owns through a refinancing mortgage having a 50-year term (and for the purchase of and securitization of such refinancing mortgages) in accordance with this Act and the policies and procedures that the Director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency shall establish. Permits the mortgagee, however, upon written 90-day advance notice to the mortgagor, to require payment in full of a 50-year mortgage only 30 years after the beginning of its amortization. Defines a qualified mortgage as one, regardless of whether the mortgagor is current on payments due or in default, that: (1) is an existing first mortgage for purchase of, or refinancing another first mortgage on, a one- to four-family dwelling, including a condominium or a share in a cooperative ownership housing association, that is occupied by the mortgagor as principal residence; (2) is owned or guaranteed by the particular GSE; and (3) was originated on or before enactment of this Act. Specifies the terms and conditions of a refinancing mortgage, including a 50-year term to maturity and a prohibition on borrower fees. Requires waiver or forgiveness of all fees and penalties related to any default or delinquency on the original mortgage. Requires a GSE to pay a fee of up to $1,000 to the servicer of a qualified mortgage refinance. Prohibits any requirement of a property appraisal.

Vulnerable Veterans Housing Reform Act of 2012

United States · United States Congress · 10 September 2012

Vulnerable Veterans Housing Reform Act of 2012 - Amends the United States Housing Act of 1937 to exclude as family income for Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) housing assistance purposes any Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) payments made to veterans in need of regular aid and attendance for expenses related to such aid and attendance. Prohibits, in determining the monthly rental assistance payment for low-income families, the amount for tenant-paid utilities from exceeding the appropriate utility allowance for that family unit size as determined by the public housing agency (agency), regardless of the size of the unit leased by the family. Requires the agency, upon request by a family that includes a person with disabilities, to include a higher utility allowance if needed as a reasonable accommodation to make the unit accessible to and usable by the disabled person. Directs the HUD Secretary to regularly publish data regarding local utility consumption and costs in order to establish appropriate allowances for tenant-paid utilities for assisted families.

Continuing Appropriations Resolution, 2013

United States · United States Congress · 10 September 2012

Continuing Appropriations Resolution, 2013 - Makes continuing appropriations for FY2013. Appropriates amounts for continuing operations, projects, or activities which were conducted in FY2012 and for which appropriations, funds, or other authority were made available in: the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2012 (division A of P.L. 112-55), except for appropriations designated by Congress for disaster relief in such Act the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2012 (division B of P.L. 112-55), except for appropriations designated by Congress for disaster relief under the heading "Department of Commerce--Economic Development Administration--Economic Development Assistance Programs" in such Act; the Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2012 (division A of P.L. 112-74); the Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2012 (division B of P.L. 112-74); the Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Act, 2012 (division C of P.L. 112-74); the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2012 (division D of P.L. 112-74); the Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2012 (division E of P.L. 112-74); the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2012 (division F of P.L. 112-74); the Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 2012 (division G of P.L. 112-74); the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2012 (division H of P.L. 112-74); the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2012 (division I of P.L. 112-74); the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2012 (except for appropriations designated by Congress for disaster relief under the heading "Department of Transportation--Federal Highway Administration--Emergency Relief" in such Act; and the Disaster Relief Appropriations Act, 2012 (P.L. 112-77), except for appropriations under the heading "Corps of Engineers-Civil." Increases such rate of operations by 0.612%. Continues any project or activity in the Overseas Contingency Operations/Global War on Terrorism (OCO/GWOT) at a rate for operations that would be permitted by the amount in the President's FY2013 budget request. Provides funding under this joint resolution until whichever of the following first occurs: (1) enactment of an appropriation for any project or activity provided for in it; (2) enactment of the applicable appropriations Act for FY2013 without any provision for such project or activity; or (3) March 27, 2013. Authorizes continuation of other specified activities (including those for entitlements and other mandatory payments) through such date. Amends the Continuing Appropriations and Surface Transportation Extensions Act, 2011 to extend through March 27, 2013, the mandatory freeze on the pay of certain federal civilian employees. Declares that any statutory pay adjustment otherwise scheduled to take effect during FY2013 but before March 27, 2013, may take effect on the first day of the first applicable pay period beginning after that date. Sets forth reporting requirements of specified federal departments and agencies to congressional appropriations committees through March 27, 2013, on: (1) certain spending, expenditure, or operating plans; and (2) updates to such plans to reflect any adjustments to funding as a result of a sequestration ordered by the President under the Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act and any extension to such date. Requires the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) by November 1, 2012, and each ensuing month through April 27, 2013 to report to such committees on all obligations incurred by each department and agency through March 27, 2013. Allows amounts made available for the Department of Commerce--National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)--Procurement, Acquisition and Construction to be apportioned up to the rate for operations necessary to maintain the planned launch schedules for the Joint Polar Satellite System and the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite system. Requires the Director of OMB to report to congressional appropriations committees a plan to maintain the launch schedules and life cycle cost estimates established in FY2012 for such satellite systems and options for reducing costs, including management costs. Requires the Secretary of Education to report to specified congressional committees regarding the extent to which students in the following categories are taught by teachers deemed highly qualified: (1) students with disabilities, (2) English learners, (3) students in rural areas, and (4) students from low-income families. Makes appropriations for payment to the heirs at law of Donald M. Payne, a former Representative from New Jersey.

Rebuilding Equity Act of 2012

United States · United States Congress · 2 August 2012

Rebuilding Equity Act of 2012 - Requires the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae) and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac) (government sponsored enterprises or GSEs) each to establish a voluntary program for eligible borrowers who qualify for the Home Affordable Refinance Program carried out by the GSEs, under which the GSEs shall pay up to $1,000 of the closing costs associated with applying for and receiving refinancing when the borrower agrees to refinance a 30-year mortgage loan into a fully amortizing loan with a term of not longer than 20 years. Requires the subject property to have a loan-to-value ratio of not less than 105%.

Family Self-Sufficiency Act

United States · United States Congress · 2 August 2012

Family Self-Sufficiency Act - Amends the United States Housing Act of 1937 to revise the purpose of the Family-Self-Sufficiency (FSS) program to include the use of both low-income housing assistance under Section 8 of such Act (as in current law) and public housing capital and operating funds under Section 9 in order to enable eligible families to achieve economic independence and self-sufficiency. Eliminates the budget allocation reserved for public housing agency (PHA) incentive awards. Prescribes and/or revises eligibility requirements for families to participate in local FSS programs and for the eligible entities to administer them. Makes the owner or sponsor of a multifamily property receiving rental assistance under Section 8, as well as a PHA, an eligible entity for administering a local FSS program. Revises the scope of supportive services provided through a local FSS program under a contract of participation between an eligible entity and a leaseholder receiving assistance under Sections 8 or 9 to include: (1) education for attainment of a GED, (2) education in pursuit of a post-secondary degree or certification, (3) health and mental health services as needed, (4) homeownership education and assistance, and (5) financial literacy. Removes training in homemaking and parenting skills from the list of authorized supportive services. Revises requirements for and limitations on rent increases. Requires an eligible entity to place in an interest-bearing escrow account, for each participating family, an amount equal to any increase in rent the family pays. Requires payment of the escrow account funds to the family after the end of the contract of participation, unless the family fails to qualify to receive it. Modifies requirements for the establishment of fees for costs incurred by eligible entities administering FSS programs. Authorizes owners of privately-owned properties, under specified conditions, voluntarily to make local FSS programs available to their tenants by entering into cooperative agreements with local PHAs administering FSS programs.

A bill to amend the Interstate Land Sales Full Disclosure Act to clarify how the Act applies to condominiums.

United States · United States Congress · 2 August 2012

Amends the Interstate Land Sales Full Disclosure Act to exempt from certain registration and disclosure requirements the sale or lease of a condominium unit not already exempt from coverage under such Act.

A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to qualify formerly homeless individuals who are full-time students for purposes of low income housing tax credit.

United States · United States Congress · 2 August 2012

Amends the Internal Revenue Code to qualify low-income building units that provide housing for full-time students who were homeless during a five-year period prior to occupying a low-income housing unit for the low-income housing tax credit.

Preserving Access to Manufactured Housing Act

United States · United States Congress · 2 August 2012

Preserving Access to Manufactured Housing Act - Amends the S.A.F.E. Mortgage Licensing Act of 2008 to exclude a seller of manufactured homes from the definition of loan originator subject to such Act, unless such individual or entity is engaged in the business of a loan originator or receives compensation or gain for engaging in certain residential mortgage loan activities in excess of any compensation or gain received in a comparable cash transaction. Amends the Truth in Lending Act to revise the definition of "high cost mortgage."

To amend the Interstate Land Sales Full Disclosure Act to clarify how the Act applies to condominiums.

United States · United States Congress · 2 August 2012

Amends the Interstate Land Sales Full Disclosure Act to exempt from certain registration and disclosure requirements the sale or lease of a condominium unit not already exempt from coverage under such Act.

Stop Tenant Organizing Promotion Act

United States · United States Congress · 2 August 2012

Stop Tenant Organizing Promotion Act - Prohibits the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) from carrying out, supporting, or otherwise providing any assistance to the Tenant Resource Network Program authorized under the Department of Veterans Affairs and Housing and Urban Development, and Independent Agencies Appropriations Act, 1998. Amends the Act to repeal the Secretary's authority to provide funding for the Program. Prohibits the obligation or expenditure of any funds currently allocated under the Program. Requires the funds to be covered into the General Fund of the Treasury and used only for reducing the federal budget deficit.

To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to encourage the building of housing for moderate income seniors.

United States · United States Congress · 2 August 2012

Amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to the low-income housing tax credit, to qualify for such credit low-income housing units that are available to individuals who have attained the age of 62 and whose incomes are 140% or less of the income limitation required for occupants of such housing units.

STREAMLINING AND STRENGTHENING HUD'S RENTAL HOUSING ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS

United States · United States Senate · 1 August 2012

Improving Access to Child Care for Homeless Families Act of 2012

United States · United States Congress · 1 August 2012

Improving Access to Child Care for Homeless Families Act of 2012 - Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) Congress has enacted successful policies to increase homeless children's access to and stability in public elementary and secondary schools and Head Start Programs; (2) in order to increase homeless families' access to and continuity in care, similar policies should be applied to federal child care programs; and (3) such policies will assist homeless parents in maintaining employment and regaining housing, and will provide critical interventions to support that vulnerable population of children. Amends the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990 to require the lead agency to coordinate the provision of services under such Act with social services programs that include: (1) Head Start and Early Head Start programs under the Head Start Act; (2) programs and services of partners that serve vulnerable populations; and (3) programs and services of entities receiving grants to provide homeless veterans with housing, employment-related services, or supportive services. Revises state plan requirements to require consideration of homeless children in the use of funds for child care services and activities. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to carry out a pilot program of grants to states to identify and implement best practices for increasing access to and continuity of child care for homeless children.

A concurrent resolution directing the Clerk of the House of Representatives to make a correction in the enrollment of H.R. 1627.

United States · United States Congress · 1 August 2012

Directs the Clerk of the House of Representatives to make a correction in the enrollment of H.R. 1627 (furnishing hospital care and medical services to veterans who were stationed at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, while the water was contaminated there and to improve the provision of housing assistance to veterans and their families) by changing the spelling of a last name in the short title of title II.

Protect Our Schools from Tax Delinquents Act of 2012

United States · United States Congress · 25 July 2012

Protect Our Schools from Tax Delinquents Act of 2012 - Amends the United States Housing Act of 1937 to require that each housing assistance payments contract entered into under the Section 8 rental assistance voucher program by a public housing agency (PHA) and the owner of a dwelling unit provide that such owner pay, on a timely basis, all covered taxes validly assessed against the property in which the unit is located. Defines "covered taxes" as any tax under state or local law assessed upon real property or the revenue of which is dedicated for use only for schools or for costs of education. Allows a contract to provide that, upon notification and identification of a tax delinquency by a taxing authority, the PHA shall abate all of the rental assistance amounts for the property, transferring them monthly to the taxing authority, until the delinquency is eliminated. Declares that nothing in this Act may be construed to authorize, or establish any cause or grounds for, the termination of the tenancy of any tenant from any dwelling unit assisted under the rental assistance voucher program. Requires the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to maintain a database of information regarding owners of dwelling units: (1) assisted under the program whose housing assistance payments contracts have been terminated for noncompliance with the requirements of this Act, and (2) with respect to whom assistance amounts have been abated and transferred to a taxing authority.

HOUSING PARTNERSHIPS IN INDIAN COUNTRY

United States · United States Senate · 24 July 2012

Protecting Independence in the Education of Loan Originators Act of 2012

United States · United States Congress · 19 July 2012

Protecting Independence in the Education of Loan Originators Act of 2012 - Amends the S.A.F.E. Mortgage Licensing Act of 2008 to prohibit the courses offered by lenders for their own employees from satisfying the pre-licensing education or continuing education requirement.