Full Bill Text

Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to pass a bill that makes changes to the requirements, availability, funding, and use of the housing voucher program.

Highlights:

• Requires biennial inspections of each assisted housing unit to make sure that the unit is maintained according to the required standards (Sec. 2).

• Allows the public housing agency to establish a tenant rent structure that is based on the rental value of the unit and adjusted according to inflation, is tiered according to the income-level of the tenant, and calculates the rent based on a percentage of family income (Sec. 3).

• Provides funding for any public housing agency that participates in the Moving to Work program or housing innovation program (Sec. 6).

• Allows a public housing agency to provide a down-payment assistance grant not exceeding $10,000 instead of monthly assistance payments to aid in the purchase of a home (Sec. 8).

• Creates the Housing Innovation Program to increase the housing opportunities for low-income families and provide financial incentives to families to obtain employment (Sec. 16).

• Requires the Department of Housing and Urban Development to increase access for persons with limited English proficiency by developing a housing information resource center that provides translations of written materials and a toll-free customer service hotline (Sec. 18).

• Appropriates as much funding as is necessary to assist 20,000 dwelling units each year for the fiscal years 2008 through 2012 (Sec. 20).

Full Bill Text

Full Bill Text