Pub. L. 114-113, div. L, tit. II (as amended)

239.42 U.S.C. 1437f noteThe Secretary of Housing and Urban Development shall increase, pursuant to this section, the number of Moving to Work agencies authorized under section 204, 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) by adding to the program 100 public housing agencies that are designated as high performing agencies under the Public Housing Assessment System (PHAS) or the Section Eight Management Assessment Program (SEMAP). No public housing agency shall be granted this designation through this section that administers in excess of 27,000 aggregate housing vouchers and public housing units. Of the agencies selected under this section, no less than 50 shall administer 1,000 or fewer aggregate housing voucher and public housing units, no less than 47 shall administer 1,001-6,000 aggregate housing voucher and public housing units, and no more than 3 shall administer 6,001-27,000 aggregate housing voucher and public housing units. Of the 100 agencies selected under this section, five shall be agencies with portfolio awards under the Rental Assistance Demonstration that meet the other requirements of this section, including current designations as high performing agencies or such designations held immediately prior to such portfolio awards. Selection of agencies under this section shall be based on ensuring the geographic diversity of Moving to Work agencies. In addition to the preceding selection criteria, agencies shall be designated by the Secretary over a 7-year period. The Secretary shall establish a research advisory committee which shall advise the Secretary with respect to specific policy proposals and methods of research and evaluation for the demonstration. The advisory committee shall include program and research experts from the Department, a fair representation of agencies with a Moving to Work designation, and independent subject matter experts in housing policy research. For each cohort of agencies receiving a designation under this heading, the Secretary shall direct one specific policy change to be implemented by the agencies, and with the approval of the Secretary, such agencies may implement additional policy changes. All agencies designated under this section shall be evaluated through rigorous research as determined by the Secretary, and shall provide information requested by the Secretary to support such oversight and evaluation, including the targeted policy changes. Research and evaluation shall be coordinated under the direction of the Secretary, and in consultation with the advisory committee, and findings shall be shared broadly. The Secretary shall consult the advisory committee with respect to policy changes that have proven successful and can be applied more broadly to all public housing agencies, and propose any necessary statutory changes. The Secretary may, at the request of a Moving to Work agency and one or more adjacent public housing agencies in the same area, designate that Moving to Work agency as a regional agency. A regional Moving to Work agency may administer the assistance under sections 8 and 9 of the United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437f and g) for the participating agencies within its region pursuant to the terms of its Moving to Work agreement with the Secretary. The Secretary may agree to extend the term of the agreement and to make any necessary changes to accommodate regionalization. A Moving to Work agency may be selected as a regional agency if the Secretary determines that unified administration of assistance under sections 8 and 9 by that agency across multiple jurisdictions will lead to efficiencies and to greater housing choice for low-income persons in the region. For purposes of this expansion, in addition to the provisions of the Act retained in section 204, section 8(r)(1) of the Act shall continue to apply unless the Secretary determines that waiver of this section is necessary to implement comprehensive rent reform and occupancy policies subject to evaluation by the Secretary, and the waiver contains, at a minimum, exceptions for requests to port due to employment, education, health and safety. No public housing agency granted this designation through this section shall receive more funding under sections 8 or 9 of the United States Housing Act of 1937 than it otherwise would have received absent this designation. The Secretary shall extend the current Moving to Work agreements of previously designated participating agencies until the end of each such agency’s fiscal year 2038 under the same terms and conditions of such current agreements, except for any changes to such terms or conditions otherwise mutually agreed upon by the Secretary and any such agency and such extension agreements shall prohibit any statutory offset of any reserve balances equal to 4 months of operating expenses. Any such reserve balances that exceed such amount shall remain available to any such agency for all permissible purposes under such agreement unless subject to a statutory offset. In addition to other reporting requirements, all Moving to Work agencies shall report financial data to the Department of Housing and Urban Development as specified by the Secretary, so that the effect of Moving to Work policy changes can be measured.