PRINTER'S NO. 3933
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE BILL
No.
2570
Session of
2020
INTRODUCED BY A. DAVIS, HILL-EVANS, CEPHAS, KINSEY, PASHINSKI,
DERMODY, GALLOWAY, CALTAGIRONE, McNEILL, DELLOSO, DeLUCA,
YOUNGBLOOD, McCLINTON, GAINEY, SANCHEZ, KORTZ, DRISCOLL,
MALAGARI, WEBSTER, SCHWEYER, CIRESI, KIRKLAND, FIEDLER,
KULIK, KOSIEROWSKI, OTTEN, KENYATTA, BURGOS, ROZZI, HARRIS,
KRUEGER, LEE, SCHLOSSBERG, ROEBUCK AND DEASY, JUNE 15, 2020
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON URBAN AFFAIRS, JUNE 15, 2020
AN ACT
Amending the act of December 3, 1959 (P.L.1688, No.621),
entitled "An act to promote the health, safety and welfare of
the people of the Commonwealth by broadening the market for
housing for persons and families of low and moderate income
and alleviating shortages thereof, and by assisting in the
provision of housing for elderly persons through the creation
of the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency as a public
corporation and government instrumentality; providing for the
organization, membership and administration of the agency,
prescribing its general powers and duties and the manner in
which its funds are kept and audited, empowering the agency
to make housing loans to qualified mortgagors upon the
security of insured and uninsured mortgages, defining
qualified mortgagors and providing for priorities among
tenants in certain instances, prescribing interest rates and
other terms of housing loans, permitting the agency to
acquire real or personal property, permitting the agency to
make agreements with financial institutions and Federal
agencies, providing for the purchase by persons of low and
moderate income of housing units, and approving the sale of
housing units, permitting the agency to sell housing loans,
providing for the promulgation of regulations and forms by
the agency, prescribing penalties for furnishing false
information, empowering the agency to borrow money upon its
own credit by the issuance and sale of bonds and notes and by
giving security therefor, permitting the refunding,
redemption and purchase of such obligations by the agency,
prescribing remedies of holders of such bonds and notes,
exempting bonds and notes of the agency, the income
therefrom, and the income and revenues of the agency from
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
taxation, except transfer, death and gift taxes; making such
bonds and notes legal investments for certain purposes; and
indicating how the act shall become effective," in
Pennsylvania Housing Affordability and Rehabilitation
Enhancement Program, providing for the COVID-19 Emergency
Rental Assistance Grant Program.
The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
hereby enacts as follows:
Section 1. Article VI-D of the act of December 3, 1959
(P.L.1688, No.621), known as the Housing Finance Agency Law, is
amended to by adding a section read:
Section 408-D. COVID-19 Emergency Rental Assistance Grant
Program.
(a) Purposes.--The agency shall establish a program to
ensure that:
(1) Eligible low-income tenants can remain in their
dwellings while their wages are either lost or reduced
because of the COVID-19 pandemic between March 1, 2020, and
December 30, 2020.
(2) Residential rental property owners can continue
receiving a monthly rent payment to avoid costly tenant
evictions and continue property maintenance and avoid
foreclosure of their properties.
(b) Establishment.--The agency shall establish a program
that provides funding, in the form of a block grant, to a single
applicant, designated by each respective county, that has a
prior record of managing a rental assistance fund. Each single
applicant shall utilize the grant to aid owners of residential
rental properties that have lost rental income because of the
COVID-19 emergency.
(c) Caps.--Assistance to residential rental property owners
shall be capped at 150% of fair market rent.
(d) Eligibility.--To receive assistance under this section,
20200HB2570PN3933 - 2 -
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
the owner of a residential rental property must adhere to the
following requirements:
(1) Agree to not evict prior to December 30, 2020, a
tenant who occupies a rental property for which the owner
seeks reimbursement for lost rental income.
(2) Agree to not increase the rent of the tenant prior
to December 30, 2020.
(3) Agree to keep the rental unit of the tenant in good
condition and in compliance with applicable municipal
property codes.
(e) COVID-19 Emergency Rental Assistance Account.--
(1) The COVID-19 Emergency Rental Assistance Account is
established as a restricted account in the Pennsylvania
Housing Affordability and Rehabilitation Enhancement Fund.
The money in the account is hereby appropriated to the agency
on a continuing basis for the purposes specified in this
section.
(2) Money in the account shall be expended only for
relief due to reduced rental income because of the COVID-19
pandemic between March 1, 2020, and December 30, 2020.
(3) All unrestricted Federal emergency assistance
funding provided to this Commonwealth that may be
appropriated for such purposes, and all other money
appropriated, credited or transferred to the account from any
other fund or source by law shall be retained in and become
part of the account.
(4) The account shall be used by the agency exclusively
for the purpose of issuing grants under this section.
(f) Construction.--Nothing in this section shall be
construed to prevent the Commonwealth from soliciting and
20200HB2570PN3933 - 3 -
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
receiving grants, gifts or bequests for the account and
depositing them into the account according to law.
(g) Guidelines.--The agency shall establish rules and
guidelines to carry out the provisions of this section in an
expeditious manner.
Section 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
20200HB2570PN3933 - 4 -
1
2
3
4
5
6