Title II — Department of housing and urban development

Fifty percent of the amounts of budget authority, or in lieu thereof 50 percent of the cash amounts associated with such budget authority, that are recaptured from projects described in section 1012(a) of the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Amendments Act of 1988 (42 U.S.C. 1437f note) shall be rescinded or in the case of cash, shall be remitted to the Treasury, and such amounts of budget authority or cash recaptured and not rescinded or remitted to the Treasury shall be used by State housing finance agencies or local governments or local housing agencies with projects approved by the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development for which settlement occurred after January 1, 1992, in accordance with such section. Notwithstanding the previous sentence, the Secretary may award up to 15 percent of the budget authority or cash recaptured and not rescinded or remitted to the Treasury to provide project owners with incentives to refinance their project at a lower interest rate.

None of the funds made available by this Act may be used during fiscal year 2021 to investigate or prosecute under the Fair Housing Act any otherwise lawful activity engaged in by one or more persons, including the filing or maintaining of a nonfrivolous legal action, that is engaged in solely for the purpose of achieving or preventing action by a Government official or entity, or a court of competent jurisdiction.

Except as explicitly provided in law, any grant, cooperative agreement or other assistance made pursuant to title II of this Act shall be made on a competitive basis and in accordance with section 102 of the Department of Housing and Urban Development Reform Act of 1989 (42 U.S.C. 3545).

Funds of the Department of Housing and Urban Development subject to chapter 91 of title 31, United States Code, commonly known as the Government Corporation Control Act, shall be available, without regard to the limitations on administrative expenses, for legal services on a contract or fee basis, and for utilizing and making payment for services and facilities of the Federal National Mortgage Association, Government National Mortgage Association, Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation, Federal Financing Bank, Federal Reserve banks or any member thereof, Federal Home Loan banks, and any insured bank within the meaning of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act (12 U.S.C. 1811 et seq.).

Unless otherwise provided for in this Act or through a reprogramming of funds, no part of any appropriation for the Department of Housing and Urban Development shall be available for any program, project or activity in excess of amounts set forth in the budget estimates submitted to Congress.

Corporations and agencies of the Department of Housing and Urban Development that are subject to chapter 91 of title 31, United States Code, commonly known as the Government Corporation Control Act, are hereby authorized to make such expenditures, within the limits of funds and borrowing authority available to each such corporation or agency and in accordance with law, and to make such contracts and commitments without regard to fiscal year limitations as provided by section 9104 of title 31 as may be necessary in carrying out the programs set forth in the budget for 2021 for such corporation or agency except as hereinafter provided: Provided, That collections of these corporations and agencies may be used for new loan or mortgage purchase commitments only to the extent expressly provided for in this Act (unless such loans are in support of other forms of assistance provided for in this or prior appropriations Acts), except that this proviso shall not apply to the mortgage insurance or guaranty operations of such corporations, or to loans or mortgage purchases that are necessary to protect the financial interest of the United States Government.

The Secretary shall provide quarterly reports to the House and Senate Committees on Appropriations regarding all uncommitted, unobligated, recaptured and excess funds in each program and activity within the jurisdiction of the Department and shall submit additional, updated budget information to these Committees upon request.

None of the funds made available by this title may be used for an audit of the Government National Mortgage Association that makes applicable requirements under the Federal Credit Reform Act of 1990 (2 U.S.C. 661 et seq.).

The funds made available for Native Alaskans under paragraph (1) under the heading “Native American Programs” in title II of this Act shall be allocated to the same Native Alaskan housing block grant recipients that received funds in fiscal year 2005, and only such recipients shall be eligible to apply for funds made available under paragraph (3) of such heading.

Notwithstanding any other provision of law, in fiscal year 2021, in managing and disposing of any multifamily property that is owned or has a mortgage held by the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, and during the process of foreclosure on any property with a contract for rental assistance payments under section 8 of the United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437f) or any other Federal programs, the Secretary shall maintain any rental assistance payments under section 8 of the United States Housing Act of 1937 and other programs that are attached to any dwelling units in the property. To the extent the Secretary determines, in consultation with the tenants and the local government that such a multifamily property owned or having a mortgage held by the Secretary is not feasible for continued rental assistance payments under such section 8 or other programs, based on consideration of (1) the costs of rehabilitating and operating the property and all available Federal, State, and local resources, including rent adjustments under section 524 of the Multifamily Assisted Housing Reform and Affordability Act of 1997 (“MAHRAA”) (42 U.S.C. 1437f note), and (2) environmental conditions that cannot be remedied in a cost-effective fashion, the Secretary may, in consultation with the tenants of that property, contract for project-based rental assistance payments with an owner or owners of other existing housing properties, or provide other rental assistance. The Secretary shall also take appropriate steps to ensure that project-based contracts remain in effect prior to foreclosure, subject to the exercise of contractual abatement remedies to assist relocation of tenants for imminent major threats to health and safety after written notice to and informed consent of the affected tenants and use of other available remedies, such as partial abatements or receivership. After disposition of any multifamily property described in this section, the contract and allowable rent levels on such properties shall be subject to the requirements under section 524 of MAHRAA.

Public housing agencies that own and operate 400 or fewer public housing units may elect to be exempt from any asset management requirement imposed by the Secretary in connection with the operating fund rule: Provided, That an agency seeking a discontinuance of a reduction of subsidy under the operating fund formula shall not be exempt from asset management requirements.

With respect to the use of amounts provided in this Act and in future Acts for the operation, capital improvement, and management of public housing as authorized by sections 9(d) and 9(e) of the United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437g(d),(e)), the Secretary shall not impose any requirement or guideline relating to asset management that restricts or limits in any way the use of capital funds for central office costs pursuant to paragraph (1) or (2) of section 9(g) of the United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437g(g)(1), (2)): Provided, That a public housing agency may not use capital funds authorized under section 9(d) for activities that are eligible under section 9(e) for assistance with amounts from the operating fund in excess of the amounts permitted under paragraph (1) or (2) of section 9(g).

No official or employee of the Department of Housing and Urban Development shall be designated as an allotment holder unless the Office of the Chief Financial Officer has determined that such allotment holder has implemented an adequate system of funds control and has received training in funds control procedures and directives. The Chief Financial Officer shall ensure that there is a trained allotment holder for each HUD appropriation under the accounts “Executive Offices”, “Administrative Support Offices”, “Program Offices”, “Government National Mortgage Association—Guarantees of Mortgage-Backed Securities Loan Guarantee Program Account”, and “Office of Inspector General” within the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

The Secretary shall, for fiscal year 2021, notify the public through the Federal Register and other means, as determined appropriate, of the issuance of a notice of the availability of assistance or notice of funding availability (NOFA) for any program or discretionary fund administered by the Secretary that is to be competitively awarded. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, for fiscal year 2021, the Secretary may make the NOFA available only on the Internet at the appropriate Government web site or through other electronic media, as determined by the Secretary.

Payment of attorney fees in program-related litigation shall be paid from the individual program office and Office of General Counsel salaries and expenses appropriations. The annual budget submission for the program offices and the Office of General Counsel shall include any such projected litigation costs for attorney fees as a separate line item request.

None of the funds made available by this Act, or any other Act, for purposes authorized under section 8 (only with respect to the tenant-based rental assistance program) and section 9 of the United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437 et seq.), may be used by any public housing agency for any amount of salary, including bonuses, for the chief executive officer of which, or any other official or employee of which, that exceeds the annual rate of basic pay payable for a position at level IV of the Executive Schedule at any time during any public housing agency fiscal year 2021.

None of the funds made available by this Act and provided to the Department of Housing and Urban Development may be used to make a grant award unless the Secretary notifies the House and Senate Committees on Appropriations not less than 3 full business days before any project, State, locality, housing authority, tribe, nonprofit organization, or other entity selected to receive a grant award is announced by the Department or its offices.

None of the funds made available by this Act may be used to require or enforce the Physical Needs Assessment (PNA).

None of the funds made available by this Act shall be used by the Federal Housing Administration, the Government National Mortgage Administration, or the Department of Housing and Urban Development to insure, securitize, or establish a Federal guarantee of any mortgage or mortgage backed security that refinances or otherwise replaces a mortgage that has been subject to eminent domain condemnation or seizure, by a State, municipality, or any other political subdivision of a State.

None of the funds made available by this Act may be used to terminate the status of a unit of general local government as a metropolitan city (as defined in section 102 of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 (42 U.S.C. 5302)) with respect to grants under section 106 of such Act (42 U.S.C. 5306).

Amounts made available by this Act that are appropriated, allocated, advanced on a reimbursable basis, or transferred to the Office of Policy Development and Research of the Department of Housing and Urban Development and functions thereof, for research, evaluation, or statistical purposes, and that are unexpended at the time of completion of a contract, grant, or cooperative agreement, may be deobligated and shall immediately become available and may be reobligated in that fiscal year or the subsequent fiscal year for the research, evaluation, or statistical purposes for which the amounts are made available to that Office subject to reprogramming requirements in section 405 of this Act.

Funds made available by this title under the heading “Homeless Assistance Grants” may be used by the Secretary to participate in Performance Partnership Pilots authorized under section 526 of division H of Public Law 113–76 (42 U.S.C. 12301 note), section 524 of division G of Public Law 113–235, section 525 of division H of Public Law 114–113, section 525 of division H of Public Law 115–31, section 525 of division H of Public Law 115–141, section 524 of division B of Public Law 115–245, and such authorities as are enacted for Performance Partnership Pilots in an appropriations Act for fiscal year 2021: Provided, That such participation shall be limited to not more than 10 continuums of care and housing activities to improve outcomes for disconnected youth.

In this fiscal year and in each fiscal year thereafter, with respect to grant amounts awarded for the Continuum of Care (CoC) program authorized under subtitle C of title IV of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 11381 et seq.) with amounts made available under the heading “Homeless Assistance Grants”, costs paid by program income of grant recipients may be counted toward meeting the recipient’s matching requirements, provided the costs are eligible CoC costs that supplement the recipient’s CoC program.

None of the funds made available by this Act may be used by the Department of Housing and Urban Development to direct a grantee to undertake specific changes to existing zoning laws as part of carrying out the final rule entitled “Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing” (80 Fed. Reg. 42272 (July 16, 2015)) or the notice entitled “Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Assessment Tool” (79 Fed. Reg. 57949 (September 26, 2014)).

The Promise Zone designations and Promise Zone Designation Agreements entered into pursuant to such designations, made by the Secretary in prior fiscal years, shall remain in effect in accordance with the terms and conditions of such agreements.

None of the funds made available by this Act may be used to establish and apply review criteria, including rating factors or preference points, for participation in or coordination with EnVision Centers, in the evaluation, selection, and award of any funds made available and requiring competitive selection under this Act, except with respect to any such funds otherwise authorized for EnVision Center purposes under this Act.

None of the funds made available by this or any prior Act may be used to require or enforce any changes to the terms and conditions of the public housing annual contributions contract between the Secretary and any public housing agency, as such contract was in effect as of December 31, 2017, unless such changes are mutually agreed upon by the Secretary and such agency: Provided, That such agreement by an agency may be indicated only by a written amendment to the terms and conditions containing the duly authorized signature of its chief executive: Provided further, That the Secretary may not withhold funds to compel such agreement by an agency which certifies to its compliance with its contract.

Any public housing agency designated as a Moving to Work agency pursuant to section 239 of division L of Public Law 114–113 (42 U.S.C. 1437f note; 129 Stat. 2897) may, upon such designation, use funds (except for special purpose funding, including special purpose vouchers) previously allocated to any such public housing agency under section 8 or 9 of the United States Housing Act of 1937, including any reserve funds held by the public housing agency or funds held by the Department of Housing and Urban Development, pursuant to the authority for use of section 8 or 9 funding provided under such section and section 204 of title II of the Departments of Veterans Affairs and Housing and Urban Development and Independent Agencies Appropriations Act, 1996 (Public Law 104–134; 110 Stat. 1321-28), notwithstanding the purposes for which such funds were appropriated.

None of the amounts made available by this Act, by Public Law 116–94, or by Public Law 116–6 may be used to prohibit any public housing agency under receivership or the direction of a Federal monitor from applying for, receiving, or using funds made available under the heading “Public Housing Capital Fund” for competitive grants to evaluate and reduce lead-based paint hazards in this Act or that remain available and not awarded from prior Acts, or be used to prohibit a public housing agency from using such funds to carry out any required work pursuant to a settlement agreement, consent decree, voluntary agreement, or similar document for a violation of the Lead Safe Housing or Lead Disclosure Rules.

None of the funds made available to the Department of Housing and Urban Development by this or any other Act may be used to implement, administer, enforce, or in any way make effective the proposed rule entitled “Making Admission or Placement Determinations Based on Sex in Facilities Under Community Planning and Development Housing Programs”, transmitted to Congress for review by the Department of Housing and Urban Development on June 12, 2020 (Docket No. FR-6152-P-01), or any final rule based substantially on such proposed rule.

Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the notice issued by the Department of Housing and Urban Development on February 20, 2015, and entitled “Appropriate Placement for Transgender Persons in Single-Sex Emergency Shelters and Other Facilities” (Notice CPD-15-02) shall have the force and effect of law.

None of the funds made available to the Department of Housing and Urban Development by this or any other Act may be used to implement, administer, enforce, or in any way make effective the proposed rule entitled “Housing and Community Development Act of 1980: Verification of Eligible Status”, issued by the Department of Housing and Urban Development on May 10, 2019 (Docket No. FR-6124-P-01), or any final rule based substantially on such proposed rule.

There are hereby rescinded, from funds appropriated under the heading “Department of Housing and Urban Development—Housing Programs—Rental Housing Assistance”—