FAMILY SELF-SUFFICIENCY PROGRAM.

SEC. 106. FAMILY SELF-SUFFICIENCY PROGRAM. (a) Reservation of Operating Subsidies.—The last sentence of section 23(h)(2) of the United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437u(h)(2)) is amended to read as follows: “Of any amounts appropriated under section 9(c) for fiscal year 1993, $25,000,000 is authorized to be used for costs under this paragraph, and of any amounts appropriated under such section for fiscal year 1994, $25,900,000 is authorized to be used for costs under this paragraph.”. 106 STAT. 3685 (b) Exception to Required Establishment of Program.—Section 23(b)(2) of the United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437u(b)(2)) is amended by striking subparagraphs (A) through (D) and inserting the following: “(A) lack of supportive services accessible to eligible families, which shall include insufficient availability of resources for programs under the Job Training Partner-ships Act or the Job Opportunities and Basic Skills Training Program under part F of title IV of the Social Security Act; “(B) lack of funding for reasonable administrative costs; “(C) lack of cooperation by other units of State or local government; or “(D) any other circumstances that the Secretary may consider appropriate. In allocating assistance available for reservation under this Act, the Secretary may not refuse to provide assistance or decrease the amount of assistance that would otherwise be Erovided to any public housing agency because the agency as provided a certification under this paragraph or because, pursuant to a certification, the agency has failed to carry out a self-sufficiency program.”. (c) Nonparticipation.—Section 23(b) of the United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437u(b)) is amended by adding at the end the following new paragraph: “(4) Nonparticipation.—Assistance under the certificate or voucher programs under section 8 for a family that elects not to participate in a local program shall not be delayed by reason of such election.” (d) Contract of Participation.—Section 23(c)(l) of the United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437u(c)(l)) is amended— (1) in the second sentence, by inserting after “program” the following: “, shall establish specific interim and final goals by which compliance with and performance of the contract may be measured, ” and (2) by striking the last sentence and inserting the following new sentences: “The contract shall provide that the public housing agency may terminate or withhold assistance under section 8 and services under paragraph (2) of this subsection if the public housing agency determines, through an administrative grievance procedure in accordance with the requirements of section 6(k), that the family has failed to comply with the requirements of the contract without good cause (which may include a loss or reduction in access to supportive services, or a change in circumstances that makes the family or individual unsuitable for participation).”. (e) Supportive Services.—The first sentence of section 23(c)(2) of the United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437u(c)(2)) is amended by striking “to each participating family” the second place it appears. (f) Escrow Savings Accounts.—Section 23(d)(2) of the United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437u(d)(2)) is amended in the last sentence by striking “only after” and all that follows through the end of the sentence and inserting the following: “after the family ceases to receive income assistance under Federal or State welfare programs, upon successful performance of the obligations of the family under the contract of participation entered 106 STAT. 3686into by the family under subsection (c), as determined according to the specific goals and terms included in the contract, and under other circumstances in which the Secretary determines an exception for good cause is warranted. A public housing agency establishing such escrow accounts may make certain amounts in the accounts available to the participating families before full performance of the contract obligations based on compliance with, and completion of, specific interim goals included in the contract; except that any such amounts shall be used by the participating families for purposes consistent with the contracts of participation, as determined by the public housing agency”. (g) Incentives for Participation.—Section 23(d) of the United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437u(d)) is amended— (1) by striking the subsection designation and heading and inserting the following: “(d) Incentives for Participation.—”; and (2) by adding at the end the following new paragraph: “(3) Plan.— Each public housing agency carrying out a local program under this section shall establish a plan to offer incentives to families to encourage families to participate in the program. The plan shall require the establishment of escrow savings accounts under paragraph (2) and may include any other incentives designed by the public housing agency.”. (h) Action Plan.—Section 23(g)(3) of the United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437u(g)(3)) is amended— (1) in subparagraph (F), by striking “and” at the end; (2) in subparagraph (G), by striking the period at the end and inserting “; and”; (3) by redesignating subparagraphs (D) through (G) (as so amended) as subparagraphs (E) through (H), respectively; (4) by inserting after subparagraph (C) the following new subparagraph: “(D) a description of the incentives pursuant to sub-section (d) offered by the public housing agency to families to encourage participation in the program;”; and (5) by adding at the end the following new paragraph: “(I) assurances satisfactory to the Secretary that nonparticipating families will retain their rights to public housing or section 8 assistance notwithstanding the provisions of this section.” (i) Definitions.— Section 23(n) of the United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437u(n)) is amended— (1) by redesignating paragraphs (3) and (4) as paragraphs (4) and (5), respectively; (2) by inserting after paragraph (2) the following new paragraph: “(3) The term ‘eligible family’ means a family whose head of household is not elderly, disabled, pregnant, a primary caregiver for children under the age of 3, or for whom the family self-sufficiency program would otherwise be unsuitable. Notwithstanding the preceding sentence, a public housing agency may enroll such families if they choose to participate in the program.”; and (3) by adding at the end the following new paragraph: “(6) The term ‘vacant unit’ means a dwelling unit that has been vacant for not less than 9 consecutive months.”. 106 STAT. 3687 (j) Indian Housing.—Section 23(o)(2) of the United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437u(o)(2)) is amended to read as follows: “(2) Applicability to Indian public housing authorities.— Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the provisions of this section shall be optional for Indian housing authorities.”.