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United States · Law · HR

H.R. 3700 (114th)

Housing Opportunity Through Modernization Act of 2016

enactedUnited States· United States Congress· EN

Introduced

7 October 2015

Last action

—

Status

Became Public Law No: 114-201.

Sponsors

—

Subjects

Discovery layer

Source updated

20 January 2026

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Summary

Housing Opportunity Through Modernization Act of 2015 This bill amends the United States Housing Act of 1937 to: authorize a public housing agency (PHA) to make section 8 low-income rental assistance (voucher) payments to a dwelling unit after an inspection reveals non-life-threatening conditions, but suspend the payments after 30 days if the conditions are not corrected; and prescribe further requirements for enforcement of housing quality standards. The bill also revises requirements to vary the frequency of otherwise annual reviews of family income for public housing and section 8 programs, depending on certain decreases or increases in annual adjusted income. A PHA may establish a payment standard under the section 8 program of up to 120% of the fair market rent as a reasonable accommodation for a person with a disability, without approval of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). A PHA must charge monthly rent according to a specified formula to a family whose income has exceeded 120% of the area's median income for two years, or terminate the family's tenancy. The bill also prescribes limitations, prohibitions, and related requirements with respect to: a family's eligibility for assistance based on assets, units owned by PHAs, PHA project-based assistance, the establishment of fair market rent, denial of utility reimbursements, public housing Capital and Operating Funds, and expansion of the family unification program. The Housing Act of 1949 is amended to authorize HUD to delegate to certain preferred lenders its authority to approve and execute binding Rural Housing Service loan guarantees. HUD may establish a Multifamily Housing Revitalization Program to preserve and revitalize multifamily housing projects funded with certain loans to ensure that they have sufficient resources to provide safe and affordable housing for low-income residents and farm laborers. The National Housing Act is amended to require HUD to: streamline the project certification requirements applicable to mortgage insurance on condominium projects to make recertifications substantially less burdensome than certifications, and allow either the direct endorsement lender review and approval process or the HUD review and approval process when excepting a condominium property from the mortgage insurance requirement regarding the percentage of its floor space that may be used for nonresidential or commercial purposes. Amends the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act to allow (in addition to a state, local government, or public housing agency) a private nonprofit organization to administer permanent housing rental assistance provided through the Continuum of Care Program. Requires HUD, at least once (currently, twice) during each fiscal year, to reallocate any housing assistance provided from the Emergency Solutions Grants Program that is unused or returned or that becomes available after minimum allocation requirements are met. Amends the Department of Housing and Urban Development Act to transfer from the HUD Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Special Needs to the Office of the HUD Secretary a Special Assistant for Veterans Affairs to coordinate all HUD programs and activities relating to veterans. Directs HUD and the VA to report annually to Congress about veterans homelessness and housing assistance. Fraud and abuse prevention requirements and measures of the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Amendments Act of 1988 shall apply to the HUD Disaster Housing Assistance Program. The Low-Income Housing Preservation and Resident Homeownership Act of 1990 (LIHPRHA) is amended to prescribe requirements for a property owner's annual distribution of surplus cash generated by the property which is subject to a plan of action or use agreement HUD may approve for extension of the low-income affordability restrictions on any eligible low-income housing. Neither LIHPRHA, nor any plan of action or use agreement implementing it, shall restrict an owner from obtaining a new loan or refinancing an existing loan secured by a low-income housing project, or from distributing the proceeds of such a loan. Such an owner, however, must comply with specified requirements. HUD shall establish a demonstration program for executing budget-neutral, performance-based agreements with appropriate entities in FY2016-FY2019 (for up to 12 years each) that result in cost reductions in projects for energy or water conservation improvements at up to 20,000 residential units in multifamily buildings participating in Section 8 project-based rental assistance programs, supportive housing for the elderly programs, or supportive housing for persons with disabilities programs. The Housing Opportunity Program Extension Act of 1996 is amended, with respect to grants to national and regional organizations and consortia with experience in providing or facilitating self-help housing homeownership opportunities, to prohibit HUD from requiring any dwelling developed using such grant amounts to meet any energy efficiency standards other than those specified by the Cranston-Gonzalez National Affordable Housing Act. The United States Housing Act of 1937 is amended to direct HUD to designate data exchange standards to govern: necessary categories of information that state agencies operating related programs must exchange electronically with another state agency, and federal reporting and data exchange required under applicable law.

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17 official files

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