Expand and Preserve Home Ownership Through Counseling Act
Latest action · Oct 2, 2008 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedJul 12, 2007
- Passed HouseSep 17, 2008
- Passed SenateNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Expand and Preserve Home Ownership Through Counseling Act - (Sec. 2) Amends the Department of Housing and Urban Development Act to establish, in the Office of the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the Office of Housing Counseling.
Establishes the position of Director of Housing Counseling, appointed by the Secretary, to head such Office. Vests in the Director ultimate responsibility within HUD, except for the Secretary, for all activities and matters relating to homeownership and rental housing counseling.
(Sec. 3) Amends the Housing and Urban Development Act of 1968 (HUDA) with regard to assistance for housing for low- and moderate-income families. Directs the Secretary to establish, coordinate, and monitor HUD administration of homeownership and rental housing counseling procedures provided in connection with any HUD program, including all related requirements, standards, and performance measures.
Requires the Secretary to provide for the certification of various computer software programs for consumers to use in evaluating different residential mortgage loan proposals.
States that such certified programs shall be used to supplement, not replace, housing counseling. Requires the Secretary to ensure that such programs are initially used only in connection with the assistance of such certified housing counselors.
Directs the Secretary, after a period of initial availability, to take reasonable steps to make mortgage software systems certified pursuant to this Act widely available through the Internet and at public locations, including public libraries, senior-citizen centers, public housing sites, offices of public housing agencies that administer rental housing assistance vouchers, and housing counseling centers.
Requires the Director to develop, implement, and conduct national public service multimedia campaigns designed to make persons facing mortgage foreclosure, persons considering a subprime mortgage loan to purchase a home, elderly persons, persons who face language barriers, low-income persons, and other potentially vulnerable consumers aware that: (1) it is advisable, before seeking or maintaining a residential mortgage loan, to obtain homeownership counseling from unbiased and reliable sources; and (2) such homeownership counseling is available.
Requires each multimedia campaign segment to publicize the toll-free telephone number and the HUD website through which individuals can locate a HUD-certified housing counseling agency in their state which can provide advice on buying a home, renting, defaults, foreclosures, credit issues, and reverse mortgages.
Authorizes appropriations for FY2008-FY2010.
Requires the Secretary to provide advice and technical assistance to states, local governments, and nonprofit organizations regarding establishment and operation of educational programs to inform consumers, particularly those most vulnerable (such as elderly persons, persons facing language barriers, and low-income persons), regarding home mortgages, mortgage refinancing, home equity loans, and home repair loans.
(Sec. 4) Amends HUDA to require the Secretary to: (1) make financial assistance available to states, local governments, and nonprofit organizations providing homeownership or rental counseling; and (2) establish standards and guidelines for eligibility of organizations (including governmental and nonprofit organizations) to receive such assistance.
Authorizes appropriations for FY2008-FY2011.
(Sec. 5) Amends HUDA to revise the requirement that organizations receiving HUD assistance for counseling activities to provide such counseling only through counselors certified by the Secretary.
Requires any homeownership counseling or rental housing counseling provided in connection with any HUD-administered program to be provided only by organizations or counselors certified competent to provide it.
Requires the Secretary to take appropriate action to ensure that individuals and organizations providing homeownership or rental housing counseling are aware of HUDA certification requirements and standards and HUDA training and certification programs.
(Sec. 6) Directs the Secretary to study and report to Congress on: (1) the root causes of the default and foreclosure of home loans; and (2) the role of escrow accounts in helping prime and nonprime borrowers to avoid defaults and foreclosures.
(Sec. 8) Amends the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act of 1974 to revise requirements for HUD booklets designed to help consumers applying for federally related mortgage loans to understand the nature and costs of real estate settlement services.
Cosponsors 2
Members who signed on, in the order they did. All signed on Sep 15, 2008.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-TX | Ruben Hinojosa | Sep 15, 2008 | |
| R-WV | Shelley Moore Capito | Sep 15, 2008 |
Committees 2
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| House | Financial Services Committee | Referred Jul 12, 2007 |
| Senate | Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee | Referred Oct 2, 2008 |
Actions 9
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Oct 2, 2008Read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.
- Sep 18, 2008Received in the Senate.
- Sep 17, 2008Mr. Scott (GA) moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended.
- Sep 17, 2008Considered under suspension of the rules. (consideration: CR H8354-8358)
- Sep 17, 2008DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 3019.
- Sep 17, 2008Passed/agreed to in House: On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote. (text: CR H8354-8356)
- Sep 17, 2008Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
- Jul 12, 2007Introduced in House
- Jul 12, 2007Referred to the House Committee on Financial Services.
In the Congressional Record 2
Days the Record’s own index lists this bill, newest first, with the pages and the members it names. Pages starting H are the House, S the Senate, E Extensions of Remarks.
| Where | In the Record | Members | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| House | Debate and remarks H8354–H8358Text printed H8354–H8356 | Judy Biggert R-IL, Robert C. "Bobby" Scott D-VA, Sheila Jackson Lee D-TX | Sep 17, 2008 |
| House | Debate and remarks H3128 | Sheila Jackson Lee D-TX | May 7, 2008 |
Research
What has been written about this bill: committee reports, cost estimates, the sponsor’s authority statement, printed hearings and the Congressional Research Service’s work.
Printed hearings 1
Hearings whose printed record names this bill, newest first: hearings on it, and wider hearings where it came up.
| Number | Hearing | Committee | Held |
|---|---|---|---|
| Serial No. 110-74 | LEGISLATIVE PROPOSALS ON REFORMING MORTGAGE PRACTICES343 pages | Financial Services Committee | Oct 24, 2007 |
Titles 3
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- To establish an Office of Housing Counseling to carry out and coordinate the responsibilities of the Department of Housing and Urban Development regarding counseling on homeownership and rental housing issues, to make grants to entities for providing such counseling, to launch a national housing counseling advertising campaign, and for other purposes.
- Short Titles as Introduced
- Expand and Preserve Home Ownership Through Counseling Act
- Short Titles as Passed House
- Expand and Preserve Home Ownership Through Counseling Act
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Housing and Community Development.
- Commerce
- Computer software
- Congressional reporting requirements
- Consumer education
- Counseling
- Department of Housing and Urban Development
- Economics and Public Finance
- Executive reorganization
- Federal aid to housing
- Finance and Financial Sector
- Foreclosure
- Government Operations and Politics
- Government publications
- Governmental investigations
- Home ownership
- Housing and Community Development
- Housing finance
- Law
- Licenses
- Loan defaults
- Mortgage interest rates
- Mortgages
- Public service advertising
- Rental housing
- Science, Technology, Communications
- Settlement costs
- Social Welfare
Text 3
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Oct 2, 2008Referred in Senate
- Sep 17, 2008Engrossed in House
- Jul 12, 2007Introduced in House
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.
