UNIFIED ENHANCED VOUCHER AUTHORITY.

SEC. 538. UNIFIED ENHANCED VOUCHER AUTHORITY. (a) In General.—Section 8 of the United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437f) is amended by inserting after subsection (s) the following new subsection: “(t) Enhanced Vouchers.— “(1) In general.—Enhanced voucher assistance under this subsection for a family shall be voucher assistance under subsection (o), except that under such enhanced voucher assistance— “(A) subject only to subparagraph (D), the assisted family shall pay as rent no less than the amount the family was paying on the date of the eligibility event for the project in which the family was residing on such date; “(B) during any period that the assisted family continues residing in the same project in which the family was residing on the date of the eligibility event for the project, if the rent for the dwelling unit of the family in such project exceeds the applicable payment standard established pursuant to subsection (o) for the unit, the amount of rental assistance provided on behalf of the family shall be determined using a payment standard that is equal to the rent for the dwelling unit (as such rent may be increased from time-to-time), subject to paragraph (10)(A) of subsection (o); “(C) subparagraph (B) of this paragraph shall not apply and the payment standard for the dwelling unit occupied by the family shall be determined in accordance with subsection (o) if— “(i) the assisted family moves, at any time, from such project; or “(ii) the voucher is made available for use by any family other than the original family on behalf of whom the voucher was provided; and “(D) if the income of the assisted family declines to a significant extent, the percentage of income paid by the family for rent shall not exceed the greater of 30 percent or the percentage of income paid at the time of the eligibility event for the project. “(2) Eligibility event.—For purposes of this subsection, the term ‘eligibility event’ means, with respect to a multifamily housing project, the prepayment of the mortgage on such housing project, the voluntary termination of the insurance contract for the mortgage for such housing project, the termination or expiration of the contract for rental assistance under section 8 of the United States Housing Act of 1937 for such housing project, or the transaction under which the project is preserved as affordable housing, that, under paragraphs 113 STAT. 1123(3) and (4) of section 515(c), section 524(d) of the Multifamily Assisted Housing Reform and Affordability Act of 1997 (42 U.S.C. 1437f note), section 223(f) of the Low-Income Housing Preservation and Resident Homeownership Act of 1990 (12 U.S.C. 4113(f)), or section 201(p) of the Housing and Community Development Amendments of 1978 (12 U.S.C. 1715z–1a(p)), results in tenants in such housing project being eligible for enhanced voucher assistance under this subsection. “(3) Treatment of enhanced vouchers provided under other authority.— “(A) In general.—Notwithstanding any other provision of law, any enhanced voucher assistance provided under any authority specified in subparagraph (B) shall (regardless of the date that the amounts for providing such assistance were made available) be treated, and subject to the same requirements, as enhanced voucher assistance under this subsection. “(B) Identification of other authority.—The authority specified in this subparagraph is the authority under— “(i) the 10th, 11th, and 12th provisos under the ‘Preserving Existing Housing Investment’ account in title II of the Departments of Veterans Affairs and Housing and Urban Development, and Independent Agencies Appropriations Act, 1997 (Public Law 104–204; 110 Stat. 2884), pursuant to such provisos, the first proviso under the ‘Housing Certificate Fund’ account in title II of the Departments of Veterans Affairs and Housing and Urban Development, and Independent Agencies Appropriations Act, 1998 (Public Law 105–65; 111 Stat. 1351), or the first proviso under the ‘Housing Certificate Fund’ account in title II of the Departments of Veterans Affairs and Housing and Urban Development, and Independent Agencies Appropriations Act, 1999 (Public Law 105–276; 112 Stat. 2469); and “(ii) paragraphs (3) and (4) of section 515(c) of the Multifamily Assisted Housing Reform and Affordability Act of 1997 (42 U.S.C. 1437f note), as in effect before the enactment of this Act. “(4) Authorization of appropriations.—There are authorized to be appropriated for each of fiscal years 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, and 2004 such sums as may be necessary for enhanced voucher assistance under this subsection.”. (b) Enhanced Vouchers Under MAHRAA.—Section 515(c) of the Multifamily Assisted Housing Reform and Affordability Act of 1997 (42 U.S.C. 1437f note) is amended by striking paragraph (4) and inserting the following new paragraph: “(4) Assistance Through Enhanced Vouchers.—In the case of any family described in paragraph (3) that resides in a project described in section 512(2)(B), the tenant-based assistance provided shall be enhanced voucher assistance under section 8(t) of the United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437f(t)).”. (c) Enhanced Vouchers for Certain Tenants in Prepayment and Voluntary Termination Properties.—Section 223 of 113 STAT. 1124the Low-Income Housing Preservation and Resident Homeownership Act of 1990 (12 U.S.C. 4113) is amended by adding at the end the following new subsection: “(f) Enhanced Voucher Assistance for Certain Tenants.— “(1) Authority.—In lieu of benefits under subsections (b), (c), and (d), and subject to the availability of appropriated amounts, each family described in paragraph (2) shall be offered enhanced voucher assistance under section 8(t) of the United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437f(t)). “(2) Eligible families.—A family described in this paragraph is a family that is— “(A)(i) a low-income family; or “(ii) a moderate-income family that is: (I) an elderly family; (II) a disabled family; or (III) residing in a low-vacancy area; and “(B) residing in eligible low-income housing on the date of the prepayment of the mortgage or voluntary termination of the insurance contract.”. This Act may be cited as the “Departments of Veterans Affairs and Housing and Urban Development, and Independent Agencies Appropriations Act, 2000”.