Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2015

Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2015
Great Seal of the United States
Full title Making appropriations for the Departments of Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development, and related agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2015, and for other purposes.
Colloquial name(s) THUD
Introduced in 113th United States Congress
Introduced on May 27, 2014
Sponsored by Rep. Tom Latham (R-IA)
Legislative history

The Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2015 (H.R. 4745 or "THUD") is an appropriations bill that would provide funding for the United States Department of Transportation and the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for fiscal year 2015.[1]

The bill was introduced and passed in the United States House of Representatives during the 113th United States Congress. It was the fourth fiscal year 2015 appropriations bill to pass.[2]

Background

An appropriations bill is a bill that appropriates (gives to, sets aside for) money to specific federal government departments, agencies, and programs. The money provides funding for operations, personnel, equipment, and activities.[3] Regular appropriations bills are passed annually, with the funding they provide covering one fiscal year. The fiscal year is the accounting period of the federal government, which runs from October 1 to September 30 of the following year.[4] The Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2015 is an example of a regular appropriations bill.

Appropriations bills are one part of a larger United States budget and spending process. They are preceded in that process by the president's budget proposal, congressional budget resolutions, and the 302(b) allocation. The U.S. Constitution (Article I, section 9, clause 7) states that "No money shall be drawn from the Treasury, but in Consequence of Appropriations made by Law..." This is what gives Congress the power to make these appropriations. The President, however, still has the power to veto appropriations bills.[3]

The Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2015 falls under the jurisdiction of the United States House Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies. The bill covers appropriations for the Departments of Transportation and Housing and Urban Development (HUD), as well as for a variety of related agencies. The House and Senate currently consider appropriations bills simultaneously, although originally the House went first. The House Committee on Appropriations usually reports the appropriations bills in May and June and the Senate in June. Any differences between appropriations bills passed by the House and the Senate are resolved in the fall.[5]

In 2013, Congress was unable to pass all twelve appropriations bills (for fiscal year 2014) before October 1, 2013 when the new fiscal year. This led to the United States federal government shutdown of 2013.[6] The shutdown lasted for 16 days. Finally, late in the evening of October 16, 2013, Congress passed the Continuing Appropriations Act, 2014, and the President signed it shortly after midnight on October 17, ending the government shutdown and suspending the debt limit until February 7, 2014.[7] In reaction to this situation, House Committee on Appropriations Chairman Hal Rogers has stated that his goal is to pass all twelve regular appropriations bills for 2015 before Congress has a recess in August because he wants to avoid a similar situation.[8]

The fiscal year 2014 THUD bill never received a House floor vote.[1] The vote was cancelled at last minute because the Republican leadership had determined that they did not have enough votes to pass the bill due to the objections of some Republicans to spending cuts in the bill.[1][9]

Major provisions

The bill would appropriate $17 billion to the Department of Transportation and $40.3 billion to the Department of Housing and Urban Development.[1] It would spend $1.8 billion less than in fiscal year 2014.[1]

Congressional Research Service summary

This summary is based largely on the summary provided by the Congressional Research Service, a public domain source.[10]

Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2015 - Title I: Department of Transportation - Department of Transportation Appropriations Act, 2015 - Makes appropriations for FY2015 to the United States Department of Transportation (DOT), including: (1) the Office of the Secretary, (2) the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), (3) the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), (4) the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), (5) the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), (6) the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), (7) the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), (8) the Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation, (9) the Maritime Administration, (10) the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), (11) the Office of Inspector General, and (12) the Surface Transportation Board (STB).

(Sec. 102) Authorizes the Secretary of Transportation (Secretary in this title) or designee to lobby states and state legislators to consider proposals for the reduction of motorcycle fatalities.

(Sec. 103) Authorizes the DOT's Working Capital fund to provide advanced payments to vendors to carry out the federal transit pass transportation fringe benefit program for federal employees.

(Sec. 104) Directs the Secretary to: (1) post on the DOT website a schedule of all Credit Council meetings, including the agenda for each meeting; and (2) require the Council to record the decisions and actions of the meetings.

(Sec. 110) Prohibits the use of funds to compensate more than 600 technical staff-years under the federally funded research and development center contract between the FAA and the Center for Advanced Aviation Systems Development during FY2015.

(Sec. 111) Prohibits the use of funds to pursue or adopt guidelines or regulations requiring airport sponsors to provide to the FAA without cost building construction, maintenance, utilities and expenses, or space in airport sponsor-owned buildings for services relating to air traffic control, air navigation, or weather reporting. Exempts from this prohibition any negotiations between the agency and airport sponsors to: (1) achieve agreement on "below-market" rates for these items, or (2) grant assurances that require airport sponsors to provide land without cost to the FAA for air traffic control facilities.

(Sec. 112) Authorizes the FAA Administrator to reimburse amounts made available from certain fees to carry out the Essential Air Service (EAS) program.

(Sec. 113) Requires that amounts collected for safety-related training and operational services to foreign aviation authorities be credited to the appropriation current at the time of collection, to be merged with and available for the same purposes of such appropriation.

(Sec. 114) Prohibits the availability of funds for paying premium pay (pay for Sunday and holiday work) to an FAA employee unless the employee actually performed worked during the time corresponding to such pay.

(Sec. 115) Prohibits the obligation of funds for an FAA employee to purchase a store gift card or gift certificate through use of a government-issued credit card.

(Sec. 116) Prohibits the obligation of funds for retention bonuses for an FAA employee without the prior written approval of the DOT Assistant Secretary for Administration.

(Sec. 117) Prohibits the use of funds to implement, or to continue to implement, any limitation on the ability of a private aircraft owner or operator, upon a request to the FAA Administrator, to block, with respect to its noncommercial flights, the display of the owner's or operator's registration number in the Aircraft Situational Display to Industry data provided by the FAA to the public, unless the data has been made available to a government agency.

(Sec. 118) Prohibits the availability of funds for salaries and expenses of more than nine FAA political and Presidential appointees.

(Sec. 119) Prohibits the use of funds to increase fees the FAA Administrator may assess for the costs of creating, printing and disseminating aeronautical products and services until the FAA provides Congress the aeronautical navigation products report referred to in the explanatory statement described in section 4 of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2014.

(Sec. 119A) Bars the use of funds to change weight restrictions or prior permission rules at Teterboro airport in Teterboro, New Jersey.

(Sec. 120) Prescribes requirements, including a formula, for certain FY2015 distributions from the obligation limitation for federal-aid highways.

(Sec. 121) Allows crediting to the federal-aid highways account of funds received by the Bureau of Transportation Statistics from the sale of data products to reimburse the Bureau for necessary expenses.

(Sec. 122) Requires the Secretary to make an informal public notice and comment opportunity on the intent of the waiver before waiving any Buy American requirement for federal-aid highway projects.

(Sec. 123) Prohibits the use of funds to approve or authorize the imposition of a toll on any segment of a federal highway in the state of Texas that is not already tolled, is constructed with federal assistance, and is in actual operation.

States that this prohibition does not apply to: (1) any federal-aid system highway segment that will have the same number of nontoll lanes as existed before a toll is imposed, or (2) any high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lane converted to a toll lane if an HOV may use the toll lane without paying a toll or the HOV lane was constructed as a temporary lane to be replaced by a toll lane.

(Sec. 124) Prohibits the use of funds to DOT to provide credit assistance (secured or direct loans, loan guarantees, or lines of credit) for eligible infrastructure projects unless the Secretary notifies Congress at least three days before approval of any loan or credit application.

(Sec. 125) Permits the continued operation of trucks on any segment of the U.S. Route 41 corridor in Wisconsin designated as a route on the Interstate System that could operate legally on such segment before that designation without regard to federal weight limitation requirements.

Prohibits application of federal weight limitations to a longer combination vehicle operating on a segment of the Interstate System in Idaho if it: (1) has a gross vehicle weight of 129,000 pounds or less; (2) complies with certain single axle, tandem axle, and bridge formula weight limits; and (3) is authorized to operate on that segment under Idaho law.

Permits the continued operation of trucks on any segment of U.S. Route 78 in Mississippi from mile marker 0 to mile marker 113 that is designated as a route on the Interstate System. Prohibits federal weight limitation requirements from applying to those segments with respect to trucks that could operate legally on them before that designation.

(Sec. 130) Subjects funds appropriated or limited in this Act to certain safety examination and other requirements of the Department of Transportation and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2002 and the U.S. Troop Readiness, Veterans' Care, Katrina Recovery, and Iraq Accountability Appropriations Act, 2007 relating to Mexico-domiciled motor carriers involved in cross-border trucking between the United States and Mexico.

(Sec. 131) Requires the FMCSA to send a notice of commercial motor vehicle safety violations, subject to expedited action, by certified mail, registered mail, or another manner of delivery which records the receipt of the notice by the persons responsible for the violations.

(Sec. 140) Makes certain additional funds available to NHTSA, contingent upon reauthorization, to pay for: (1) travel and related expenses for state management reviews, and (2) core competency development training and related expenses for highway safety staff.

(Sec. 141) Declares that certain limitations on obligations for NHTSA programs shall not apply to any obligational authority made available in previous public laws, except to the extent that the obligational authority has not lapsed or been used.

(Sec. 142) Prohibits the use of funds to implement establishment in the DOT of a National Highway Safety Advisory Committee.

(Sec. 150) Authorizes the Secretary to receive cash or spare parts from non-federal sources to repair damages to or replace federally-owned automated track inspection cars and equipment as a result of third party liability for such damages.

(Sec. 151) Authorizes the Secretary to allow the issuer of any preferred stock heretofore sold to DOT to redeem or repurchase it upon the payment to DOT of an amount the Secretary determines.

(Sec. 152) Bars the use of funds for Amtrak to pay overtime costs in excess of $35,000 for any Amtrak employee.

Authorizes the president of Amtrak to waive such cap in cases where it poses a risk to the safety and operational efficiency of the Amtrak system.

(Sec. 160) Declares that the limitations on obligations for FTA programs shall not apply to any grant authority previously made available for obligation, or to any other authority previously made available for obligation.

(Sec. 161) Declares that funds appropriated by this Act for specified FTA fixed guideway capital investment projects which are not obligated by September 30, 2019, and other recoveries, shall be directed to projects eligible to use the funds for the purposes for which they were originally provided.

(Sec. 162) Authorizes certain transfers of any public transportation funds appropriated before October 1, 2014, that remain available for expenditure.

(Sec. 163) Authorizes the Secretary, when applying project justification and local commitment criteria to a New Starts project, to consider the costs and ridership of any connected project where private parties are making significant financial contributions to the construction of the connected project. Authorizes the Secretary also to consider the significant financial contributions of such parties to the connected project when calculating the non-federal share of net capital project costs for the New Starts project.

(Sec. 164) Bars the use of funds to enter into a full funding grant agreement for a major transit capital project with a New Starts program share greater than 50%.

(Sec. 165) Bars the use of funds to advance in any way a new light or heavy rail project towards a full funding agreement for the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County, Texas, if the proposed capital project is constructed on (or planned to be constructed on) Richmond Avenue west of South Shepherd Drive or on Post Oak Boulevard north of Richmond Avenue in Houston, Texas.

(Sec. 166) Makes unobligated FY2010-FY2012 funds for capital projects for buses and bus-related equipment and facilities available for fixed guideway capital investment projects, subject to specified terms and conditions.

(Sec. 170) Authorizes the Maritime Administration to furnish utilities and services and make necessary repairs in connection with any lease, contract, or occupancy of property under its control.

(Sec. 171) Bars the use of funds by DOT or the Maritime Administration to negotiate or execute, enter into, facilitate or perform fee-for-service contracts for vessel disposal, scrapping, or recycling, unless there is no qualified domestic ship recycler that will pay to purchase and scrap or recycle a vessel owned or operated by the Maritime Administration or that is part of the National Defense Reserve Fleet.

(Sec. 182) Prohibits the availability of the funds in this Act for salaries and expenses of more than 110 political and presidential appointees in DOT. Prohibits assignment of any of such appointees on temporary detail outside DOT.

(Sec. 183) Bars recipients of funds made available in this Act from disseminating personal information obtained by a state department of motor vehicles in connection with a motor vehicle record, except as permitted under specified federal criminal law. Prohibits the Secretary, however, from withholding funds for any grantee if a state fails to comply with this prohibition.

(Sec. 185) Requires the Secretary to notify the congressional appropriations committees at least three full business days before announcing any project competitively selected to receive a discretionary grant award, letter of intent, loan commitment, loan guarantee commitment, line of credit commitment, or full funding grant agreement from certain grant programs, including the federal highway emergency relief program, the FAA AIP, any FRA program, any FTA program other than the formula grants and fixed guideway modernization programs, any Maritime Administration program, or any funding for national infrastructure investments.

(Sec. 187) Makes available for reimbursement of recovery costs any recovered funds that the Secretary has determined represent improper DOT payments to a third party contractor under a financial assistance award.

(Sec. 189) Prohibits the use of funds by the STB to charge or collect any filing fee for rate complaints filed with it in an amount in excess of that authorized for district court civil suit filing fees under the federal judicial code.

(Sec. 190) Authorizes the obligation of funds appropriated to the modal administrations for the Office of the Secretary for costs related to assessments or reimbursable agreements only when such amounts are for the costs of goods or services purchased to provide a direct benefit to such administrations.

(Sec. 191) Authorizes the Secretary to carry out a program to establish uniform standards for developing and supporting agency transit pass and transit benefits, including distribution of such benefits by various paper and electronic media.

(Sec. 192) Prohibits the STB from using funds under this Act to take any actions to construct a high-speed rail project in California unless it has jurisdiction over the entire project and the permit to construct the project in its entirety was issued by the STB.

(Sec. 193) Prohibits use of transportation infrastructure finance and innovation (TIFIA) program funds made available under this Act to subsidize a credit instrument that would cause the credit subsidy obligated in FY2015 for transportation infrastructure projects in a single state to exceed 33% of the total credit subsidy made available by this Act on October 1, 2014.

(Sec. 194) Bars use of funds made available by this Act to deny an application to renew a Hazardous Materials Safety Program permit for a motor carrier based on that carrier's Hazardous Materials Out-of-Service rate, unless the Secretary determines the carrier's corrective actions or corrective action plan is insufficient to address the safety concerns that resulted in that rate.

(Sec. 195) Makes any unobligated FRA safety and operations funds under the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2005 available for rail safety oversight activities for the transport of energy products.

Makes $10 million of unobligated FRA capital assistance to states for intercity passenger rail service for FY2008-FY2009 available for grade crossing safety improvements on rail routes that transport such products.

Title II: Department of Housing and Urban Development - Department of Housing and Urban Development Appropriations Act, 2015 - Makes appropriations for FY2015 to the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for: (1) administration, operations, and management; (2) the Office of Public and Indian Housing; (3) the Office of Community Planning and Development; (4) the Office of Housing and the Federal Housing Administration (FHA); (5) the Government National Mortgage Association (Ginnie Mae); (6) Office of Policy Development and Research; (7) Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity; (8) the Office of Lead Hazard Control and Healthy Homes; and (9) the Office of Inspector General.

Rescinds permanently any unobligated balances, including recaptures and carryover, remaining from funds appropriated to HUD for brownfields redevelopment and the Community Development Loan Guarantees Program account.

(Sec. 201) Requires rescission of 50% of the amounts of budget authority (or, in the alternative, remittance to the Treasury of 50% of the associated cash amounts) that are recaptured from certain state-, local government-, or local housing agency-financed projects under the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Amendments Act of 1988. Requires such recaptured budget authority or funds, as well as any budget authority or cash recaptured and not rescinded or remitted to the Treasury, to be used by state housing finance agencies or local governments or local housing agencies with HUD-approved projects for which settlement occurred after January 1, 1992.

Authorizes the Secretary of HUD (Secretary in this title), all the same, to award up to 15% of the budget authority or cash recaptured and not rescinded or remitted to the Treasury to provide project owners with incentives to refinance their projects at a lower interest rate.

(Sec. 202) Prohibits the use of funds during FY2015 to investigate or prosecute under the Fair Housing Act any otherwise lawful activity engaged in by one or more persons, including the filing or maintaining of a non-frivolous legal action, that is engaged in solely to achieve or prevent action by a government official or entity, or a court of competent jurisdiction.

(Sec. 203) Directs the Secretary to make a grant under certain authority of the AIDS Housing Opportunity Act for any state that received an allocation in a prior fiscal year, but is not otherwise eligible for an FY2015 allocation because the areas in the state outside of qualifying metropolitan statistical areas in FY2015 (modified to reflect revised delineations established by the Office of Management and Budget [OMB] and Executive Order 10253) do not have the number of cases of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) otherwise required.

Prescribes a formula for the allocation of such grants to Jersey City and Paterson, New Jersey.

Requires the Secretary to: (1) adjust the funds allocated for FY2015 under the AIDS Housing Opportunity Act to Wilmington, Delaware, on behalf of the Wilmington, Delaware-Maryland-New Jersey Metropolitan Division; and (2) allocate a portion to the state of New Jersey according to a specified formula.

Directs the Secretary to allocate to Wake County, North Carolina, certain funds that otherwise would be allocated for FY2015 under such Act to Raleigh, North Carolina, on behalf of the Raleigh-Cary, North Carolina, Metropolitan Statistical Area (as modified).

Authorizes the Secretary to: (1) adjust FY2015 allocations under such Act upon the written request of a grant applicant for a formula allocation on behalf of a metropolitan statistical area (as modified), and (2) designate the state or states in which the metropolitan statistical area is located as the eligible grantee(s) of the allocation.

(Sec. 204) Requires any grant, cooperative agreement, or other assistance made pursuant to this title to be made on a competitive basis and in accordance with the Department of Housing and Urban Development Reform Act of 1989.

(Sec. 205) Makes certain funds available, without regard to limitations on administrative expenses, for: (1) legal services on a contract or fee basis; and (2) payment for services and facilities of the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae), Ginnie Mae, Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac), the Federal Financing Bank, Federal Reserve banks, Federal Home Loan banks, and any bank insured under the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Act.

(Sec. 207) Authorizes any HUD corporations and agencies subject to the Government Corporation Control Act to make expenditures, contracts, and commitments without regard to fiscal year limitations as necessary to carry out their FY2015 budgets.

(Sec. 208) Directs the Secretary to report quarterly to congressional appropriations committees regarding all uncommitted, unobligated, recaptured, and excess funds in each program and activity within HUD jurisdiction, along with additional, updated budget information upon request.

(Sec. 209) Requires the President's formal budget request for FY2016 and HUD's congressional budget justifications to use the identical account and subaccount structure provided under this Act.

(Sec. 210) Declares that a PHA (or other entity) that administers federal housing assistance for the Housing Authority of the county of Los Angeles, California, or the states of Alaska, Iowa, or Mississippi shall not be required to include a resident of public housing or a recipient of section 8 rental assistance (under the United States Housing Act of 1937) on the agency or entity governing board.

Requires each such PHA (or other entity) that chooses not to include such individuals on its governing board to establish an advisory board, which shall meet at least quarterly, consisting of at least six residents of public housing or section 8 rental assistance recipients.

(Sec. 211) Prohibits the use of funds provided under this title for an audit of Ginnie Mae that applies certain requirements of the Federal Credit Reform Act of 1990.

(Sec. 212) Authorizes the Secretary for FY2015-FY2016, subject to specified conditions, to authorize the transfer of some or all project-based assistance, debt, and statutorily required low-income and very low-income use restrictions, associated with one or more multifamily housing project, to another multifamily housing project or projects.

(Sec. 213) Prohibits any section 8 rental assistance to any individual who: (1) is enrolled as a student at an institution of higher education; (2) is under age 24; (3) is not a veteran; (4) is unmarried; (5) does not have a dependent child; (6) is not a person with disabilities, and was not receiving section 8 assistance as of November 30, 2005; and (7) is not otherwise individually eligible, or has parents who, individually or jointly, are not eligible, to receive such assistance.

Declares that, for section 8 rental assistance eligibility purposes, any financial assistance (in excess of amounts received for tuition) that an individual receives under the Higher Education Act of 1965, from private sources, or an institution of higher education shall be considered income to that individual, except for a person over age 23 with dependent children.

(Sec. 214) Requires that the funds made available for Native American Housing Block Grants in title II of this Act be allocated to the same recipients that received funds in FY2005.

(Sec. 215) Authorizes the Secretary through FY2015 to insure, and enter into commitments to insure, home equity conversion mortgages (HECMs, or reverse mortgages) for elderly homeowners.

(Sec. 216) Requires the Secretary during FY2015, in managing and disposing of any multifamily property that is owned or has a mortgage held by HUD, and during the process of foreclosure on any property with a contract for section 8 rental assistance payments or other federal programs, to maintain any rental assistance payments attached to any dwelling units in the property. Authorizes the Secretary, however, to the extent that such a multifamily property is not feasible for continued payments, based on specified cost, operation, or environmental considerations, to: (1) contract, in consultation with the property's tenants, for project-based rental assistance payments with an owner or owners of other existing housing properties; or (2) provide other rental assistance.

(Sec. 217) Authorizes the use of Community Development Loan Guarantee funds in FY2015 to guarantee, or make commitments to guarantee, notes or other obligations issued by any state on behalf of its non-entitlement communities.

(Sec. 218) Authorizes PHAs that own and operate 400 or fewer public housing units to elect to be exempt from any asset management requirements imposed by the Secretary in connection with the operating fund rule.

Prohibits exemption from such requirements, however, for an agency seeking a discontinuance of a reduction of subsidy under the operating fund formula.

(Sec. 219) Prohibits the Secretary, with respect to the use of funds for the operation, capital improvement, and management of public housing authorized by the United States Housing Act of 1937, from imposing any asset management requirement or guideline that restricts or limits in any way the use of capital funds for central office costs.

Prohibits a PHA, however, from using capital funds authorized for eligible operation and management activities with operating funds in excess of specified permitted amounts.

(Sec. 220) Prohibits designation of a HUD official or employee as an allotment holder unless he or she has: (1) implemented an adequate system of funds control, and (2) received training in funds control procedures and directives.

(Sec. 221) Requires the Secretary to report annually to congressional appropriations committees on the status of all section 8 project-based housing, including the number of all project-based units by region, as well as an analysis of all federally subsidized housing being refinanced under the Mark-to-Market program.

(Sec. 222) Requires the Secretary for FY2015 to notify the public through the Federal Register and other appropriate means of the issuance of a notice of the availability of assistance or notice of funding availability (NOFA) for any program or discretionary fund that is to be awarded competitively.

Authorizes the Secretary for such period to make the NOFA available only on the Internet at the appropriate government website or through other electronic media.

(Sec. 223) Requires payment of attorney fees in program-related litigation from individual program office personnel benefits and compensation funding.

(Sec. 225) Considers the HUD-administered Disaster Housing Assistance Programs as a HUD program under the McKinney Act for income verification and matching purposes.

(Sec. 226) Requires the Secretary to take specified actions when a multifamily housing project with a section 8 contract or contract for similar project-based assistance: (1) receives a Real Estate Assessment Center (REAC) score of 30 or less; or (2) receives a REAC score between 31 and 59 and fails to certify in writing to HUD, within 60 days, that all deficiencies have been corrected, or receives consecutive scores of less than 60 on REAC inspections.

Applies such requirements to insured and noninsured projects with section 8 rental assistance attached to the units; but not to units receiving PHA project-based assistance under the voucher program, or to public housing units assisted with capital or operating funds.

(Sec. 227) Prohibits during any PHA FY2015 the use of funds, made available for specified purposes of the United States Housing Act of 1937 (including the Section 8 tenant-based rental assistance program), by any PHA for any amount of salary for its chief executive officer, or any other official or employee that exceeds the annual rate of basic pay for a position at level IV of the Executive Schedule.

(Sec. 228) Bars the use of funds made available by this Act for the HUD doctoral dissertation research grant program.

(Sec. 229) Bars the use of funds in this Act provided to HUD to make a grant award unless the Secretary notifies congressional appropriations committees at least three full business days before any project, state, locality, housing authority, tribe, nonprofit organization, or other entity selected to receive a grant award is announced by HUD or its offices.

(Sec. 230) Amends the Multifamily Assisted Housing Reform and Affordability Act of 1997 to extend through October 1, 2016, the FHA-Insured Multifamily Housing Mortgage and Housing Assistance Program and the Office of Multifamily Housing Assistance Restructuring.

(Sec. 231) Bars the use of funds in this Act to require or enforce the Physical Needs Assessment (PNA).

(Sec. 232) Prohibits the use of funds made available by this Act or any receipts or amounts collected under any FHA program to implement the Homeowners Armed with Knowledge (HAWK) program.

(Sec. 233) Bars the use of funds made available in this Act by FHA, Ginnie Mae, or HUD to insure, securitize, or establish a federal guarantee of any mortgage or mortgage-backed security that refinances or otherwise replaces a mortgage that has been subject to eminent domain condemnation or seizure, by a state, municipality, or any other local government.

Title III: Related Agencies - Makes appropriations for FY2014 to: (1) the Access Board, (2) the Federal Maritime Commission, (3) the Offices of Inspector General for the Federal Housing Finance Agency and for the National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak), (4) the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), (5) the Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation, and (6) the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness.

Title IV: General Provisions (This Act) - Specifies certain uses and limits on or prohibitions against the use of funds appropriated by this Act.

(Sec. 401) Prohibits the use of funds for the planning or execution of any program to pay the expenses of, or otherwise compensate, nonfederal parties intervening in regulatory or adjudicatory proceedings funded in this Act.

(Sec. 404) Prohibits the obligation or expenditure of funds made available in this Act for any employee training that meets specified negative criteria. Declares that nothing in this prohibition shall prohibit, restrict, or otherwise preclude an agency from conducting training bearing directly upon the performance of official duties.

(Sec. 407) Prohibits the use of funds to support any federal, state, or local projects that seek to use the power of eminent domain, unless eminent domain is employed only for a public use.

(Sec. 408) Requires all federal agencies and departments funded by this Act to report by July 30, 2015, to the congressional appropriations committees on all sole source contracts.

(Sec. 409) Prohibits the transfer of duns made available in this Act to any federal department, agency, or instrumentality of the United States Government, except pursuant to a transfer made by, or transfer authority provided in, this Act or any other appropriations Act.

(Sec. 410) Prohibits payment of the salary from any appropriation under this Act for any person filling a position (other than temporary) formerly held by an employee who has: (1) left to enter the U.S. Armed Forces; (2) satisfactorily completed his or her period of active military or naval service; (3) within 90 days after release from such service, or from hospitalization continuing after discharge for up to one year, applied for restoration to his former position; and (4) been certified by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) as still qualified to perform the duties of his or her former position, but not been restored to it.

(Sec. 411) Prohibits the expenditure of funds appropriated under this Act by an entity unless the entity agrees to comply with the Buy American Act.

(Sec. 412) Prohibits the availability of funds to any person or entity that has been convicted of violating the Buy American Act.

(Sec. 413) Prohibits the use of funds under this Act for first-class airline accommodations in contravention of specified federal regulations.

(Sec. 414) Prohibits the use of funds made available by this Act to enter into a contract, memorandum of understanding, or cooperative agreement with, make a grant to, or provide a loan or loan guarantee to any corporation that was convicted of a felony criminal violation under any federal law within the preceding 24 months, where the awarding agency is aware of the conviction, unless the agency has: (1) considered suspension or debarment of the corporation, and (2) made a determination that this further action is not necessary to protect government interests.

(Sec. 415) Makes the same prohibition as in Sec. 414 with respect to any corporation with any unpaid federal tax liability that is not being paid in a timely manner, where the awarding agency is aware of the unpaid tax liability, unless the agency has considered suspension or debarment of the corporation and determined that this further action is not necessary to protect the interests of the government.

(Sec. 416) Declares that the amount by which the applicable allocation of new budget authority made by the United States House Committee on Appropriations exceeds the amount of proposed new budget authority is $0.

Procedural history

The Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2015 was introduced into the United States House of Representatives on May 27, 2014 by Rep. Tom Latham (R-IA).[11] It was referred to the United States House Committee on Appropriations. It was reported with House Report 113-464.[11] The bill was sent to the House floor under an open rule, which meant that members were allowed to offer as many amendments as they wanted, leading to almost 70 different amendments received consideration.[1] On June 10, 2014, the House voted in Roll Call Vote 297 to pass the bill 229-192.[11]

On June 9, 2014, President Barack Obama, who would eventually be required to sign the bill in order for it to become law, released a statement of strong opposition to the bill, but did not threaten to veto it.[12]

Debate and discussion

President Barack Obama and his administration strongly opposed the bill.[2][12] The White House released a statement saying that the bill "fails to make needed investments in our Nation's infrastructure, provides insufficient support for critical housing programs for low-income Americans and the homeless, and includes objectionable language provisions."[2]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Marcos, Cristina (10 June 2014). "House passes fourth '15 appropriations bill". The Hill. Retrieved 11 June 2014.
  2. 1 2 3 House, Billy (9 June 2014). "White House Slams Cuts Proposed in House Transportation-HUD Spending Bill". National Journal. Retrieved 11 June 2014.
  3. 1 2 Tollestrup, Jessica (23 February 2012). "The Congressional Appropriations Process: An Introduction" (PDF). Congressional Research Service. Retrieved 23 January 2014.
  4. ↑ Heniff Jr., Bill (26 November 2012). "Basic Federal Budgeting Terminology" (PDF). Congressional Research Service. Retrieved 9 January 2014.
  5. ↑ Tollestrup, Jessica (23 February 2012). "The Congressional Appropriations Process: An Introduction" (PDF). Congressional Research Service. pp. 3–4. Retrieved 24 January 2014.
  6. ↑ Weisman, Jonathan; Peters, Jeremy W. (September 30, 2013). "Government Near Broad Shutdown in Budget Impasse". The New York Times. Retrieved September 30, 2013.
  7. ↑ Cohen, Tom (October 17, 2013). "House approves bill to end shutdown". CNN International. Retrieved October 17, 2013.
  8. ↑ Marcos, Cristina (25 April 2014). "Next week:Appropriations season begins". The Hill. Retrieved 1 May 2014.
  9. ↑ Berman, Russell; Wasson, Erik (1 August 2013). "Republican fiscal splits erupt; Rogers rips party leadership on spending cuts". The Hill. Retrieved 11 June 2014.
  10. ↑ "H.R. 4745 - Summary". United States Congress. Retrieved 9 June 2014.
  11. 1 2 3 "H.R. 4745 - All Actions". United States Congress. Retrieved 9 June 2014.
  12. 1 2 "Statement of Administration Policy on H.R. 4745" (PDF). Executive Office of the President. 9 June 2014. Retrieved 11 June 2014.
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