What This Bill Does
The Liberty City Rising Act reforms safety and security rules for families living in public housing and other federally assisted housing in high-crime areas. It requires the federal government to establish new safety standards for these housing projects and prioritize funding for safety improvements in dangerous neighborhoods.
Who It Affects
Public housing agencies that manage housing projects. Property owners who receive federal housing assistance. Tenants living in public housing or federally assisted housing located in high-crime areas.
Key Provisions
• The Secretary of Housing and Urban Development must establish standards to ensure safety and security of public housing dwellings in high-crime areas, which may include requirements for security cameras, locks, lighting or other security measures. (Sec. 2(a)(ii) and 2(a)(iii))
• Public housing agencies operating projects in high-crime areas must establish an anonymous hotline where tenants can report suspicious activity and crimes in their communities. (Sec. 2(a)(iv))
• Property owners receiving federal housing assistance must maintain their structures in compliance with the new safety and security standards if located in a high-crime area. (Sec. 2(b)(ii))
• Public housing agencies must check whether dwelling units in high-crime areas meet the new safety standards when inspecting them for housing quality. (Sec. 2(b)(v))
• When awarding grants for safety and security measures, the federal government must prioritize applications from public housing agencies seeking to improve projects in high-crime areas. (Sec. 3)
What Changes
The federal government will define what qualifies as a high-crime area based on violent crime data. New mandatory safety and security standards will apply to public housing and federally assisted housing in these areas. Public housing agencies must establish anonymous hotlines for crime reporting. Federal grants for safety improvements will favor high-crime area projects.
Important Definitions
High-crime area means a neighborhood or small geographic area where the Secretary determines there is a high incidence of violent crime, based on the most recent violent crime data available from a state, local government, or other appropriate source that lists the types of crimes and number of offenses committed there. (Sec. 2(a)(i) and 2(b)(i))
Effective Date
Not specified in bill text
I
118TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION H. R. 1334
To reform the requirements regarding the safety and security of families
living in public and federally assisted housing in high-crime areas.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
MARCH 1, 2023
Ms. WILSON of Florida introduced the following bill; which was referred to
the Committee on Financial Services
A BILL
To reform the requirements regarding the safety and security
of families living in public and federally assisted housing
in high-crime areas.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
1
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
2
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
3
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Liberty City Rising
4
Act’’.
5
SEC. 2. SAFETY STANDARDS FOR FEDERALLY ASSISTED
6
HOUSING IN HIGH-CRIME AREAS.
7
(a) PUBLIC HOUSING.—Section 6(f)(2) of the United
8
States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437d(f)(2)) is
9
amended—
10
VerDate Sep 11 2014
03:20 Mar 17, 2023
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00001
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H1334.IH
H1334
kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
2
•HR 1334 IH
(1) by striking ‘‘The Secretary shall’’ and in-
1
serting the following:
2
‘‘(A) SAFE
AND
HABITABLE.—The Sec-
3
retary shall’’; and
4
(2) by adding at the end the following:
5
‘‘(B) HIGH-CRIME AREAS.—
6
‘‘(i) DEFINITION.—In this subpara-
7
graph, the term ‘high-crime area’ means a
8
neighborhood or other small geographic
9
area that the Secretary determines has a
10
high incidence of violent crime, based on
11
the most recent violent crime data avail-
12
able from a State, unit of local govern-
13
ment, or other source determined appro-
14
priate by the Secretary, that lists the types
15
of crimes and number of offenses com-
16
mitted in the area.
17
‘‘(ii) ADDITIONAL SAFETY AND SECU-
18
RITY
STANDARDS.—In addition to the
19
standards under subparagraph (A), the
20
Secretary shall establish standards to en-
21
sure the safety and security of dwellings
22
located in a high-crime area.
23
‘‘(iii) CONTENTS.—The standards es-
24
tablished under clause (ii)—
25
VerDate Sep 11 2014
03:20 Mar 17, 2023
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00002
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H1334.IH
H1334
kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
3
•HR 1334 IH
‘‘(I) shall require a public hous-
1
ing agency to consider security meas-
2
ures that meet the specific needs of a
3
property or building; and
4
‘‘(II) may include requirements
5
related to security cameras, locks,
6
lighting, or other security measures.
7
‘‘(iv) ANONYMOUS HOTLINE.—A pub-
8
lic housing agency that operates a public
9
housing project in a high-crime area shall
10
establish an anonymous hotline for tenants
11
to report suspicious activity and crimes
12
that occur in the community in which the
13
public housing project is located.’’.
14
(b) PROJECT-BASED ASSISTED HOUSING.—
15
(1) IN
GENERAL.—Section 8(o)(13) of the
16
United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C.
17
1437f(o)(13)) is amended by adding at the end the
18
following:
19
‘‘(P) SAFETY AND SECURITY STANDARDS
20
FOR HIGH-CRIME AREAS.—
21
‘‘(i) DEFINITION.—In this subpara-
22
graph, the term ‘high-crime area’ means a
23
neighborhood or other small geographic
24
area that the Secretary determines has a
25
VerDate Sep 11 2014
03:20 Mar 17, 2023
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00003
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H1334.IH
H1334
kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
4
•HR 1334 IH
high incidence of violent crime, based on
1
the most recent violent crime data avail-
2
able from a State, unit of local govern-
3
ment, or other source determined appro-
4
priate by the Secretary, that lists the types
5
of crimes and number of offenses com-
6
mitted in the area.
7
‘‘(ii) CONTRACT
REQUIREMENT.—An
8
assistance contract for project-based assist-
9
ance entered into under this paragraph
10
with respect to a structure shall require
11
that the owner maintain the structure, if
12
determined to be in a high-crime area, in
13
a condition that complies with standards
14
that meet or exceed the safety and security
15
standards established under clause (iii).
16
‘‘(iii) SAFETY AND SECURITY STAND-
17
ARDS.—The
Secretary
shall
establish
18
standards to ensure the safety and security
19
of structures located in a high-crime area.
20
‘‘(iv) CONTENTS.—The standards es-
21
tablished under clause (iii)—
22
‘‘(I) shall require the owner of a
23
structure that receives project-based
24
assistance under this paragraph to
25
VerDate Sep 11 2014
03:20 Mar 17, 2023
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00004
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H1334.IH
H1334
kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
5
•HR 1334 IH
consider security measures that meet
1
the specific needs of the structure;
2
and
3
‘‘(II) may include requirements
4
related to security cameras, locks,
5
lighting, or other security measures.
6
‘‘(v)
INSPECTIONS.—When
deter-
7
mining whether a dwelling unit that is in
8
a high-crime area meets the housing qual-
9
ity standards under paragraph (8)(A), a
10
public housing agency shall also determine
11
whether the dwelling unit meets the stand-
12
ards established under this subparagraph.
13
‘‘(vi) ANONYMOUS HOTLINE.—A pub-
14
lic housing agency that provides project-
15
based assistance under this paragraph with
16
respect to a structure in a high-crime area
17
shall establish an anonymous hotline for
18
tenants to report suspicious activity and
19
crimes that occur in the community in
20
which the structure is located.’’.
21
(2)
CONFORMING
AMENDMENT.—Section
22
8(d)(2) of the United States Housing Act of 1937
23
(42 U.S.C. 1437f(d)(2)) is amended by adding at
24
the end the following:
25
VerDate Sep 11 2014
03:20 Mar 17, 2023
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00005
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H1334.IH
H1334
kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
6
•HR 1334 IH
‘‘(E)(i) Subsection (o)(13)(P) (relating to safety and
1
security standards for high-crime areas) shall apply to a
2
contract for project-based assistance under this paragraph
3
and to a public housing agency that enters into such a
4
contract.
5
‘‘(ii) When determining whether a structure assisted
6
under this paragraph that is in a high-crime area, as de-
7
fined in subsection (o)(13)(P), meets any applicable hous-
8
ing quality standards, a public housing agency shall also
9
determine whether the structure meets the safety and se-
10
curity standards established under that subsection.’’.
11
(c) DEADLINES.—
12
(1) DETERMINATION OF HIGH-CRIME AREAS.—
13
Not later than 90 days after the date of enactment
14
of this Act, the Secretary of Housing and Urban De-
15
velopment shall make an initial determination as to
16
which areas of the United States are high-crime
17
areas
for
purposes
of
sections
6(f)(2)(B),
18
8(d)(2)(E), and 8(o)(13)(P) of the United States
19
Housing Act of 1937, as added by this section.
20
(2) SAFETY AND SECURITY STANDARDS.—Not
21
later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this
22
Act, the Secretary of Housing and Urban Develop-
23
ment shall establish the safety and security stand-
24
ards for public housing projects and other assisted
25
VerDate Sep 11 2014
03:20 Mar 17, 2023
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00006
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H1334.IH
H1334
kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
7
•HR 1334 IH
structures located in high-crime areas required
1
under
sections
6(f)(2)(B),
8(d)(2)(E),
and
2
8(o)(13)(P) of the United States Housing Act of
3
1937, as added by this section.
4
SEC. 3. GRANT PRIORITY FOR PUBLIC HOUSING PROJECTS
5
IN HIGH-CRIME AREAS.
6
Section 9(d) of the United States Housing Act of
7
1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437g(d)) is amended by adding at the
8
end the following:
9
‘‘(4) EMERGENCY
SAFETY
AND
SECURITY
10
FUNDING
PRIORITY
FOR
HIGH-CRIME
AREAS.—In
11
awarding grants for safety and security measures
12
using amounts from the Capital Fund, the Secretary
13
shall give priority to an application from a public
14
housing agency that proposes to use the grant for a
15
public housing project located in a high-crime area
16
(as defined in section 6(f)(2)(B)).’’.
17
Æ
VerDate Sep 11 2014
03:20 Mar 17, 2023
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00007
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6301
E:\BILLS\H1334.IH
H1334
kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS