ASSISTANCE FOR CERTAIN LOCALITIES.

SEC. 599H. ASSISTANCE FOR CERTAIN LOCALITIES. (a) Use of HOME Funds For Public Housing Modernization.— Notwithstanding section 212(d)(5) of the Cranston-Gonzalez National Affordable Housing Act (42 U.S.C. 12742(d)(5)), amounts made available to the City of Bismarck, North Dakota or the State of North Dakota, under subtitle A of title II of the Cranston-Gonzalez National Affordable Housing Act (42 U.S.C. 12741 et seq.) for fiscal year 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, or 2002, may be used to carry out activities authorized under section 14 of the United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 14371) for the purpose of modernizing the Crescent Manor public housing project located at 107 East Bowen Avenue, in Bismarck, North Dakota, if— (1) the Burleigh County Housing Authority (or any successor public housing agency that owns or operates the Crescent Manor public housing project) has obligated all other Federal assistance made available to that public housing agency for that fiscal year; or 112 STAT. 2668 (2) the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development authorizes the use of those amounts for the purpose of modernizing that public housing project, which authorization maybe made with respect to 1 or more of those fiscal years. (b) Consultation With Affected Areas in Settlement of Litigation.— In negotiating any settlement of, or consent decree for, significant litigation regarding public housing or section 8 tenant-based assistance that involves the Secretary and any public housing agency or any unit of general local government, the Secretary shall seek the views of any units of general local government and public housing agencies having jurisdictions that are adjacent to the jurisdiction of the public housing agency involved, if the resolution of such litigation would involve the acquisition or development of public housing dwelling units or the use of vouchers under section 8 of the United States Housing Act of 1937 in jurisdictions that are adjacent to the jurisdiction of the public housing agency involved in the litigation. (c) Treatment of PHA Repayment Agreement.— (1) Limitation on secretary.— During the 2-year period beginning on the date of the enactment of this Act, if the Housing Authority of the City of Las Vegas, Nevada, is otherwise in compliance with the Repayment Lien Agreement and Repayment Plan approved by the Secretary on February 12, 1997, the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development shall not take any action that has the effect of reducing the inventory of senior citizen housing owned by such housing authority that does not receive assistance from the Department of Housing and Urban Development. (2) Alternative Repayment Options.— During the period referred to in paragraph (1), the Secretary shall assist the housing authority referred to in such paragraph to identify alternative repayment options to the plan referred to in such paragraph and to execute an amended repayment plan that will not adversely affect the housing referred to in such paragraph. (3) Rule of construction.— This subsection may not be construed to alter— (A) any lien held by the Secretary pursuant to the agreement referred to in paragraph (1); or (B) the obligation of the housing authority referred to in paragraph (1) to close all remaining items contained in the Inspector General audits numbered 89 SF 1004 (issued January 20, 1989), 93 SF 1801 (issued October 30, 1993), and 96 SF 1002 (issued February 23, 1996). (d) Ceiling Rents For Certain Section 8 Properties.— Notwithstanding any other provision of law, within 30 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall establish ceiling rents for the Marshall Field Garden Apartments Homes in Chicago, Illinois, at rent levels, in the determination of the Secretary made in consultation with the owner, that facilitate retaining or attracting working class families. (e) Application for Moving to Work Demonstration Program.— Upon the submission of an application for participation in the moving to work demonstration program under section 204 of the Departments of Veterans Affairs and Housing and Urban Development, and Independent Agencies Appropriations Act, 1996 112 STAT. 2669 (as contained in section 101(e) of the Omnibus Consolidated Rescissions and Appropriations Act of 1996; 42 U.S.C. 1437f note) by the Charlotte Housing Authority of Charlotte, North Carolina, or the Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development shall— (1) consider such application, notwithstanding— (A) the limitation under subsection (b) of such section on the number of public housing agencies that may participate in such program; or (B) any limitation regarding the date for the submission of applications for participation in such program; and (2) approve or disapprove the application based on the criteria for selection for participation in such program, notwithstanding the limitations referred to in paragraph (1) of this subsection. (f) Use of Project to Benefit Low-Income Persons.— The project funded by the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development under the supportive housing program of title IV of the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act through grant number FL 29T90–1285 (commonly known as Royal Pointe) shall be considered to have been approved pursuant to section 423(b)(3) of such Act as of December 31, 1995 for use for the direct benefit of low-income persons. (g) Rural Housing Assistance.— The last sentence of section 520 of the Housing Act of 1949 (42 U.S.C. 1490) is amended by inserting before the period the following: “, and the city of Altus, Oklahoma, shall be considered a rural area for purposes of this title until the receipt of data from the decennial census in the year 2000”. (h) Funding for Purchase and Conversion of Existing Assisted Housing.— Notwithstanding any other provision of law, and only to the extent specifically provided in a subsequent appropriations Act, from any amounts previously appropriated for Annual Contributions for Assisted Housing or for the Public Housing Capital Fund and not obligated by the Secretary, the Secretary may make available to the Lockport Housing Authority in Lockport, New York, such sums as may be necessary for use in accordance with section 5 of the United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437c) for the purchase and rehabilitation of a project that is assisted under section 8 of such Act and located on a site contiguous to the site of a public housing project administered by the agency. (i) Rural and Tribal Assistance.— From the amounts that were made available to the Secretary under the Departments of Veterans Affairs and Housing and Urban Development, and Independent Agencies Appropriations Act, 1998, for grants for rural and tribal areas pursuant to the 5th undesignated paragraph of the heading “Community Planning and Development—community development block grant programs” (Public Law 105–65; 111 Stat. 1357), the Secretary shall provide from any amounts remaining unobligated— (1) $2,800,000 for seed money for a multi-State rural homeownership campaign administered by the Rural Opportunities Affordable Housing Finance Alliance; and (2) $500,000 to the Rural Housing Institute of the Muscatine Center for Strategic Action. 112 STAT. 2670 Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act, this subsection shall take affect only to the extent specifically provided in a subsequent appropriations Act. (j) Community Services Demonstration.— (1) Authority.— The Secretary of Housing and Urban Development shall, to the extent amounts are appropriated to carry out this subsection, provide financial assistance to the Bethune Cookman College in Volusia County, Florida (in this subsection referred to as the “College”), in accordance with the provisions of this subsection, for the College to establish and operate, as a national demonstration, the Bethune-Cookman Community Services Student Union Center. (2) Use.— Any financial assistance provided to the College pursuant to this subsection shall be used by the College for the construction, maintenance, and endowment of the Bethune-Cookman Community Services Student Union Center through— (A) the acquisition of necessary equipment, including utility vehicles; or (B) the acquisition of necessary real property; (3) Application.— The Secretary shall provide financial assistance under this subsection only pursuant to application by the College for such assistance at such time, in such manner, and providing such information as the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development may reasonably require. (4) Authorization of Appropriations.— There are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary for assistance under this subsection. Any amounts appropriated pursuant to this subsection shall remain available until expended. (k) Independence Square Foundation.— Notwithstanding any other provision of law, including 28 U.S.C. 516, the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development shall enforce the use agreement entered into between the Secretary and the Independence Square Foundation of Newport, Rhode Island: Provided further, That such enforcement shall include the option of instituting civil litigation to determine the current applicability of the aforementioned use agreement or petition for the issuance of an injunction to prevent the demolition of the property subject to the aforementioned use agreement. (l) Removal of HOPE VI Demolition Requirement.— The Secretary may approve otherwise qualified applications received in response to a notice published at 63 Federal Register 15489 (March 31, 1998) for grants from the $26,000,000 set-aside of amounts made available under the head ‘REVITALIZATION OF SEVERELY DISTRESSED PUBLIC HOUSING (HOPE VI)’ in the Departments of Veterans Affairs and Housing and Urban Development, and Independent Agencies Appropriations Act, 1998 (Public Law 105–65, 111 Stat. 1354) without regard to whether such applications propose or plan demolition of obsolete public housing projects. (m) Effective Date.— This section shall take effect on, and the amendments made by this section are made on, and shall apply beginning upon, the date of the enactment of this Act.