Frank Melville Supportive Housing Investment Act of 2010
Public Law 111-374 · S. 1481 · 111th Congress · began in the Senate
Signed by Barack Obama (D) on Jan 4, 2011 · Housing and Community Development
Sponsor: Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ)
Cosponsors (9): Sen. Mike Johanns, Sen. Joseph Lieberman,
Passage votes
- HouseVoice vote
- SenateUnanimous consent
Data notes
The final version of the law, as each chamber passed it. A chamber that passed it by voice vote or unanimous consent has no count. “Method not stated” means the record does not say how the chamber voted. Where the record has a member-by-member vote, the “Who voted for it” section shows who voted yea.
Summary
The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.
Frank Melville Supportive Housing Investment Act of 2010 - (Sec. 2) Amends the Cranston-Gonzalez National Affordable Housing Act to revise requirements for supportive housing for persons with disabilities.
Authorizes appropriations for tenant-based rental assistance under section 8 (rental voucher program) of the United States Housing Act of 1937 for persons with disabilities in an amount at least necessary to convert the number of authorized vouchers and funding under an annual contributions contract in effect on the date of the enactment of this Act.
Requires the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to issue guidance to public housing agencies (PHAs) receiving voucher assistance under this Act, as well as those that received such assistance under the United States Housing Act of 1937 for incremental vouchers for nonelderly disabled families during FY1997-FY2002, in order to ensure that such vouchers continue to be provided upon turnover to qualified persons with disabilities or to qualified nonelderly disabled families.
Authorizes the Secretary to provide technical assistance to PHAs and other administering entities to: (1) facilitate using vouchers to provide permanent supportive housing for persons with disabilities, (2) help states reduce reliance on segregated restrictive settings for people with disabilities to meet community care requirements, and (3) end chronic homelessness.
(Sec. 3) Modifies project rental assistance contract requirements, including renewal of, and increases in, annual contract amounts.
Requires initial contracts with the sponsor of a project assisted with any low-income housing tax credit or with any tax-exempt housing bonds to have an initial term of up to 360 months and to provide funding for 60 months.
Revises the requirement that all units in housing assisted by capital advances and project rental assistance contracts be made available for occupancy by very low-income persons with disabilities for at least 40 years. Authorizes the Secretary to approve a project owner's request to convert a project from supportive housing for persons with disabilities to the direct benefit of low-income persons with disabilities, if the project is no longer needed for use as supportive housing.
Limits to 25% the aggregate number of units in a multifamily housing project (except a group home or independent living facility) that may be used for persons with disabilities, including supportive housing.
Requires the Secretary, within 30 days of issuing certain capital advances for multifamily projects (except group homes or independent living facilities), to delegate review and processing of such projects to an experienced state or local housing agency meeting specified criteria.
Requires the Secretary to: (1) develop criteria and a timeline to assess periodically the performance of such agencies; and (2) retain authority to review and process such projects in the event that, after its review and assessment, the agency fails to satisfy such criteria.
Revises tenant selection procedures. Requires occupancy in dwelling units assisted under the Act to be available only to persons with disabilities, without regard to the particular disability involved, and households that include at least one person with a disability.
Requires a lease between a tenant and a housing owner to be for at least one year. Prohibits the termination of a tenancy or refusal to renew a lease except for serious or repeated violation of the lease terms.
Applies certain cost limits established by the Act and developed by the Secretary to supportive housing assisted by a capital advance as well as to the amount of funds that may be invested on a per unit basis. Authorizes the Secretary to waive such limitations to achieve specified goals.
Requires the Secretary to establish a minimum percentage of capital advances per fiscal year for multifamily projects.
(Sec. 4) Directs the Secretary to make funds available for project rental assistance to offer additional methods of financing supportive housing for nonelderly adults with disabilities and with extremely low-incomes or for extremely low-income households that include at least one disabled person.
(Sec. 5) Repeals the Secretary's authority to require an owner to deposit an amount up to $10,000 in a special escrow account to assure the owner's commitment to the housing.
(Sec. 6) Authorizes appropriations for FY2011-FY2015.
(Sec. 8) Directs the Comptroller General to study and report to Congress on the adequacy and effectiveness of the program in assisting households of persons with disabilities.
Committees
The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.
Data notes
A committee links to its page only where it exists in the current Congress; older and renamed committees are named without a link.
Related bills
1 bill the Library of Congress relates to this one.
H.R. 1675Related bill
Frank Melville Supportive Housing Investment Act of 2009
Data notes
Related bills are identified by the Congressional Research Service, the House and the Senate: companion and identical bills, bills with similar text, bills that were folded into this law, and rules that brought it to the floor. A bill that is itself a public law in this site’s data links here; the others link to Congress.gov.
Timeline
From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 19 actions.
- Jan 4, 2011Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 111-374.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Dec 28, 2010FloorFloor · Presented to President.
- Dec 21, 2010FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
- FloorFloor · On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by voice vote.
- FloorFloor · DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on S. 1481.
- FloorFloor · Considered under suspension of the rules.
- FloorFloor · Mr. Murphy (CT) moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill.
- OtherOther · Cleared for White House.
- Dec 17, 2010FloorFloor · Held at the desk.
- FloorFloor · Received in the House.
- FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
- FloorFloor · Passed Senate with amendments by Unanimous Consent.
- FloorFloor · Measure laid before Senate by unanimous consent.
- Dec 14, 2010CalendarCalendar · Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 689.
- CommitteeCommittee · Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs. Reported by Senator Dodd with amendments. Without written report.
- Sep 30, 2010CommitteeCommittee · Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs. Ordered to be reported with an amendment favorably.
- Jul 21, 2009CommitteeCommittee · Read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.
- IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in Senate
Data notes
Every action the Library of Congress lists for the bill, from introduction to signing, plus the dated committee hearings. The source lists many steps twice (the chamber’s own entry and the Library of Congress copy, or a presidential and a became-law entry with the same words); those are shown once. Amendments are listed in their own section.
Amendments
1 amendment offered to the bill, with the last recorded step of each.
- Agreed to
S.Amdt. 4836SenateSen. Mike JohannsR-NE· offered Dec 17, 2010Agreed to
To improve the bill.
Dec 17, 2010: Amendment SA 4836 agreed to in Senate by Unanimous Consent.
Data notes
Amendments offered to this bill in either chamber, as the Library of Congress records them: each with a status read from its last recorded step: agreed to, rejected, withdrawn, ruled out of order, fell with another amendment, or offered with no vote recorded (most Senate amendments are only ever offered). The wording of each amendment is the source’s. Amendments to amendments and amendments to other bills are not listed.
Official record
The bill’s full text is on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.