Congress has been considering various versions of a Section 8 Voucher Reform Act (SEVRA) for several years. SEVRA was developed in response to HUD’s mismanagement of voucher renewal funding in 2004, which ultimately resulted in the loss of more than 100,000 vouchers nationally. Iterations of SEVRA would have addressed the voucher renewal formula, simplified rent setting and income verification processes for the voucher, public housing, and project-based programs, improved portability, improved how well vouchers can be project-based into developments, expansion of the Moving to Work demonstration, as well as many other provisions. NLIHC has been a leader in the effort to reform vouchers to better serve low income tenants, and has testified to Congress on behalf of the needs of Section 8 voucher tenants many times.  In March of 2011, Representative Maxine Waters (D-CA) introduced the Section 8 Voucher Reform Act (SEVRA), H.R. 1209. The Section 8 Voucher Reform Act of 2011 introduced by Mrs. Waters, H.R. 1209, would, among other provisions: 
  • Institute a voucher funding distribution system to stabilize voucher funding for the 2,800 agencies that administer vouchers. 
  • Revise and improve how apartments and houses that are rented by voucher holders are inspected. 
  • Encourage public and assisted housing residents to increase their earned incomes while also simplifying the rent-setting process. 
  • Increase voucher holders’ ability to use vouchers in neighborhoods of their choosing by directing HUD to improve the portability of vouchers and to improve how Fair Market Rents are set. 
  • Prohibit the re-screening of public housing residents receiving vouchers as replacement housing. 
  • Expand, modify and rename HUD’s Moving to Work program into a new Housing Innovation Program (HIP).  
  • Authorize funding for 150,000 new tenant- and project-based vouchers in FY12. 
  • Place into statute performance assessments for the voucher program. 
  • Establish requirements for HUD and public housing agencies to guard against high rent burdens for voucher households. 
 The bill’s HIP provisions were negotiated in the 110th Congress and would make some improvements to the current MTW program, which NLIHC has criticized for its potential harm to residents. NLIHC continues to oppose expanding or extending the MTW program until the program has been evaluated for its harm toresidents. Evaluations of MTW thus far have been cursory, anecdotal and incomplete.