ADVISORY COUNCIL FOR HOUSING AUTHORITY OF NEW ORLEANS.

SEC. 567. ADVISORY COUNCIL FOR HOUSING AUTHORITY OF NEW ORLEANS. (a) Establishment.— The Secretary and the Housing Authority of New Orleans (in this section referred to as the “Housing Authority”) shall, pursuant to the cooperative endeavor agreement in effect between the Secretary and the Housing Authority, establish an advisory council for the Housing Authority of New Orleans (in this section referred to as the “advisory council”) that complies with the requirements of this section. (b) Membership.— (1) In general.— The advisory council shall be appointed by the Secretary, not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, and shall be composed of the following members: (A) The Inspector General of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (or the Inspector General’s designee). (B) Not more than 7 other members, who shall be selected for appointment based on their experience in successfully reforming troubled public housing agencies or in providing affordable housing in coordination with State 112 STAT. 2633 and local governments, the private sector, affordable housing residents, or local nonprofit organizations. (2) Prohibition on additional pay.— Members of the advisory council shall serve without compensation, but shall be reimbursed for travel, subsistence, and other necessary expenses incurred in the performance of their duties as members of the Board using amounts made available for technical assistance under section 9(h) of the United States Housing Act of 1937 (as amended by this Act). (c) Functions.— The advisory council shall— (1) establish standards and guidelines for assessing the performance of the Housing Authority in carrying out operational, asset management, and financial functions for purposes of the reports and finding under subsections (d) and (e), respectively; (2) provide advice, expertise, and recommendations to the Housing Authority regarding the management, operation, repair, redevelopment, revitalization, demolition, and disposition of public housing projects of the Housing Authority; (3) report to the Congress under subsection (d) regarding any progress of the Housing Authority in improving the performance of its functions; and (4) make a final finding to the Congress under subsection (e) regarding the future of the Housing Authority. (d) Quarterly Reports.— The advisory council shall report to the Congress and the Secretary not less than every 3 months regarding the performance of the Housing Authority and any progress of the authority in improving its performance and carrying out its functions. (e) Final Finding.— Upon the expiration of the 18-month period that begins upon the appointment under subsection (b)(1) of all members of the advisory council, the advisory council shall make and submit to the Congress and the Secretary a finding of whether the Housing Authority has substantially improved its performance, the performance of its functions, and the overall condition of the Authority such that the Authority should be allowed to continue to operate as the manager of the public housing of the Authority. In making the finding under this subsection, the advisory council shall consider whether the Housing Authority has made sufficient progress in the demolition and revitalization of the Desire Homes project, the revitalization of the St. Thomas Homes project, the appropriate allocation of operating subsidy amounts, and the appropriate expending of modernization amounts. (f) Receivership.— If the advisory council finds under sub-section (e) that the Housing Authority has not substantially improved its performance in a manner sufficient that the Authority should be allowed to continue to operate as the manager of the public housing of the Authority, the Secretary shall (notwithstanding the conditions required under section 6(j)(3)(A) of the United States Housing Act of 1937 for action under such section) petition under clause (ii) of section 6(j)(3)(A) for the appointment of a receiver for the Housing Authority, which receivership shall be subject to the provisions of such section. (g) Regular Remedies.— Nothing in this section, or in the cooperative endeavor agreement in effect between the Secretary and the Housing Authority, may be construed to prevent the Secretary from taking any action with respect to the Housing Authority, 112 STAT. 2634in accordance with such section 6(j)(3) of the United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437d(j)(3)), as amended by this Act, that is authorized under section. (f) Effective Date.— This section shall take effect on the date of the enactment of this Act.