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2 Councilmember Robert C. White, Jr.
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6 A BILL
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9 IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
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12 To amend, on an emergency basis, the District of Columbia Housing Authority Act of 1999 to
13 allow applicants for local rent supplement vouchers to self-certify eligibility factors; and
14 to prohibit the Housing Authority from inquiring into an applicant’s immigration status or
15 prior criminal arrests, convictions, or pending criminal matters.
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17 BE IT ENACTED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, That this
18 Act may be cited as the “Local Rent Supplement Program Eligibility Emergency Amendment
19 Act of 2023”.
20 Sec. 2. The District of Columbia Housing Authority Act of 1999, effective May 9, 2000
21 (D.C. Law 13-105; D.C. Official Code § 6-201 et seq.), is amended as follows:
22 (a) Section 26a(c) (D.C. Official Code § 6-226(c)) is amended to read as follows:
23 “(c)(1) Except as provided in this subsection the Authority shall apply its existing
24 Partnership Program and Housing Choice Voucher Program rules to govern eligibility,
25 admission, and continuing occupancy by tenants in units receiving tenant-based, sponsor-based,
26 or project-based voucher assistance under this section and sections 26b, 26c, and 26d.
27 “(2) Notwithstanding any other law, the Authority shall not inquire about nor
28 consider any information about citizenship, immigration status, prior criminal arrests,
29 convictions, or pending criminal matters for the purposes of eligibility, admission, or continued
30 occupancy for the programs established under this section and sections 26b, 26c, and 26d and
31 shall not maintain rules inconsistent with this subsection.
32 “(3)(A) The Authority shall allow applicants or participants to self-certify any
33 required eligibility, admission, or continued occupancy factors when an applicant cannot easily
34 obtain verification documentation.
35 “(B) Self-certification by the applicant at the time of initial eligibility shall
36 be final and remain sufficient for purposes of continued occupancy recertifications.
37 “(4) The Authority shall promulgate such additional rules as are necessary to
38 ensure that eligibility for tenancy in the units supported by grants under this section and section
39 26b are limited to households with gross income at or below 30% of the area median income.”
40 “(5) Rules affecting the Rent Supplement Program shall be submitted to the
41 Council for a 45-day period of review, excluding days of Council recess. If the Council does not
42 approve or disapprove the proposed rules by resolution within the 45-day review period, the
43 proposed rules shall be deemed approved.”.
44 (b) Section 26b(c) (D.C. Official Code § 6-227(c)) is amended to read as follows:
45 “(c) Rules regarding the implementation of this section shall be promulgated according to
46 section 26a(c) of this act.”.
47 (c) Section 26c(a) (D.C. Official Code § 6-228(a)) is amended to read as follows:
48 “(a) The funds allocated for tenant-based assistance shall be administered through the
49 Authority’s Housing Choice Voucher Program.”.
50 Sec. 3. Fiscal impact statement.
51 The Council adopts the fiscal impact statement of the Budget Director as the fiscal impact
52 statement required by section 4a of the General Legislative Procedures Act of 1975, approved
53 October 16, 2006 (120 Stat. 2038; D.C. Official Code § 1-301.47a).
54 Sec. 4. Effective date.
55 This act shall take effect following approval by the Mayor (or in the event of veto by the
56 Mayor, action by the Council to override the veto), and shall remain in effect for no longer than
57 90 days, as provided for emergency acts of the Council of the District of Columbia in section
58 412(a) of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act, approved December 24, 1973 (87 Stat. 788;
59 D.C. Official Code § 1-204.12(a)).