Passage of H.R. 325
H.R. 325, the “No Budget, No Pay Act” passed the Senate on Thursday with a recorded vote of 64 to 34. This bill suspends the current public debt limit through May 18, 2013. If lawmakers do not pass a budget by April 15, 2013, their salaries will be withheld in an escrow till either a budget is passed or the end of the 113th Congress.
Several of the more worrisome amendments to H.R. 325 were rejected in the Senate:
- Portman (R-OH) Amendment No. 6, to require that any debt limit increase is balanced by equal spending cuts over the next decade.
- Toomey (R-PA) Amendment No. 8, to protect Social Security benefits and military pay and require that the United States Government prioritize all obligations on the debt held by the public in the event that the debt limit is reached.
The White House has voiced support for H.R. 325 and President Obama is expected to sign it into law.
To view the text of this legislation, please visit:
H.R. 325
H.R. 152: The Disaster Relief Appropriations Act, 2013
Victims of Hurricane Sandy will finally receive the assistance desperately needed to begin recovery. On Monday, the Senate approved H.R. 152, the Disaster Relief Appropriations Act of 2013 with a recorded vote of 62-36. H.R. 152 will appropriate $50.7 billion to infrastructure improvements and rebuilding projects in New York, New Jersey and other states affected by Sandy. Under this legislation, the Secretary of HUD is authorized to make temporary adjustments to the Section 8 housing choice voucher annual renewal, funding allocations and administrative fee eligibility for housing agencies in areas declared a disaster.
Assistance provided by HUD:
- An additional $3,850,000,000 billion in the Community Development Fund will be available through September 30, 2017 for necessary expenses related to disaster relief, long-term recovery, restoration of infrastructure and housing;
- The funds will be allocated directly to states and local governments at the discretion of the HUD Secretary. As a condition of eligibility for receipt of such funds, a grantee shall submit a plan to the Secretary detailing the proposed use of all funds;
- A grantee may use up to 5 percent of its overall allocation for administrative costs.
As a condition of making any grant, the Secretary shall certify in advance that such grantee has in place proficient financial controls in order to avoid waste or fraud.
For text of the legislation that has passed in the Senate, please follow:
H.R. 152
Stop Tenant Organizing Promotion Act
On January 14, 2013, Representative Diane Black (R-TN) introduced H.R. 224, the “Stop Tenant Organizing Promotion Act”. This bill has been referred to the Committee on Financial Services. Under this legislation, the Secretary of HUD will no longer be permitted to support or provide any assistance to the Tenant Resource Network Program (TRN). Any funds allocated for use in the Tenant Resource Network Program will not be available and will instead be converted into the Treasury for reducing the Federal Government budget deficit. Furthermore, the Independent Agencies Appropriations Act of 1998 will be repealed under H.R. 224.
The purpose of TRN is to fund organizations that assist, inform, educate and engage tenants living in Section 8-assisted properties about their rights, responsibilities and options when landlords do not renew Section 8 contracts or fail to meet HUD’s housing quality standards.
- TRN is the 2012 successor to the Outreach and Training Assistance Grants that HUD discontinued in 2002;
- A similar bill failed to gain support in the 112th Congress.
To read the text of H.R. 224, please visit:
H.R. 224
VAWA Reauthorization
The Senate has agreed to proceed with considerations on the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act on Monday, February 4.
For the text of the legislation, please visit:
S. 47
