2022 -- S 2859 | |
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LC005645 | |
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STATE OF RHODE ISLAND | |
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY | |
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2022 | |
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A N A C T | |
RELATING TO STATE AFFAIRS AND GOVERNMENT -- RHODE ISLAND HOUSING | |
RESOURCES ACT OF 1998 | |
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Introduced By: Senators Kallman, Cano, Burke, Mendes, Bell, Mack, Acosta, Lombardo, | |
Date Introduced: April 05, 2022 | |
Referred To: Senate Judiciary | |
It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows: | |
1 | SECTION 1. Chapter 42-128 of the General Laws entitled "Rhode Island Housing |
2 | Resources Act of 1998" is hereby amended by adding thereto the following section: |
3 | 42-128-8.2. Emergency housing assistance. |
4 | (a) The Rhode Island housing resources commission shall administer a program of |
5 | emergency housing assistance to needy families with children and pregnant woman with no other |
6 | children. The commission shall administer the program throughout the state at locations that are |
7 | geographically convenient to families who are homeless or at-risk of homelessness and shall |
8 | administer the program in a fair, just and equitable manner. The state shall accept funds from the |
9 | appropriate federal authorities for said program. |
10 | (b) The commission shall promulgate rules and regulations to establish the levels of |
11 | benefits available under the program and to ensure simplicity of administration in the best interest |
12 | of needy recipients. Such benefits shall include, but not be limited to, the following: |
13 | (1) For the prevention of the loss of housing, the actual liability up to three (3) times the |
14 | monthly rental or mortgage liability; |
15 | (2) For the prevention of utility shutoffs or for the resumption of utility services, up to three |
16 | (3) months of the actual service liabilities; |
17 | (3) For the provision of home heating assistance, up to three (3) months of the actual fuel |
18 | liabilities; |
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1 | (4) The commission shall promulgate regulations which would authorize the commission |
2 | to make payments for a fourth month of rent, utility or fuel arrearages if the director certifies in |
3 | writing that the family would otherwise become homeless, or be without utilities or fuel; |
4 | (5) For the prevention of homelessness, temporary shelter as necessary to alleviate |
5 | homelessness when such family has no feasible alternative housing available, storage of furniture |
6 | for up to thirty (30) days; moving expenses; advance rent payments of one month's rent; and |
7 | security deposit not to exceed one month's rent. |
8 | (c) The commission shall establish procedures, consistent with federal law, to require |
9 | applicants for the program to also submit an application for federal energy assistance where |
10 | appropriate. No benefits for a particular emergency shall be provided to an applicant family under |
11 | the emergency assistance program when benefits are available within seven (7) days of application |
12 | under the federal assistance program to meet such particular emergency. |
13 | (d) The commission shall promulgate rules and regulations to establish the requirements |
14 | and standards for eligibility. |
15 | (e) Emergency housing assistance shall be denied to a family who, at any time within one |
16 | year immediately prior to the filing of an application for emergency assistance, has depleted, |
17 | assigned or transferred real or personal property that would have rendered such family ineligible |
18 | for assistance if the depletion, transfer or assignment was not reasonable at the time or was not for |
19 | good cause reasons. For purposes of the preceding sentence, good cause reasons shall include, but |
20 | not be limited to, that the funds were expended for necessary or reasonable costs of living such as |
21 | rent, utilities, food, health related needs, education related expenses or transportation. |
22 | (f) The commission shall take all reasonable actions to minimize abuse and errors. Such |
23 | activities shall include: |
24 | (1) The collection and analysis of data regarding utilization patterns; |
25 | (2) The recording and tracking of use of this program by individual recipients, including, |
26 | but not limited to, the utilization of a year to year cross check of recipients to determine if a person |
27 | or persons has received similar benefits in the previous year or years; |
28 | (3) The utilization by the commission of mechanisms, such as payment of all or part of a |
29 | regular assistance grant directly to vendors, to prevent the misuse of this program, provided, |
30 | however, that such mechanisms are authorized under federal or state law; |
31 | (4) The utilization of wage reporting and bank matching systems; provided, however, that |
32 | the provision of assistance shall not be delayed by such utilization; |
33 | (5) The verification of all elements of eligibility. Such verification requirements, including |
34 | home visits by workers assigned to recipients, shall be reasonable and in accordance with federal |
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1 | law and regulations, where applicable. The commission shall determine which verification |
2 | requirements can be reasonably met by third-party affidavits and shall provide notification to |
3 | recipients and applicants of the circumstances when third-party affidavits may be used. The |
4 | commission shall establish reasonable procedures for the verification of continuing eligibility, |
5 | including monthly reporting and retrospective budgeting where appropriate. |
6 | (g) Any person or institution which knowingly makes a false representation or, contrary to |
7 | a legal duty to do so, knowingly fails to disclose any material fact affecting eligibility or level of |
8 | benefits to the commission or its agents, for the purpose of causing any person, including the person |
9 | making such representations, to be eligible for emergency housing assistance, shall be punished by |
10 | a fine of not less than two hundred dollars ($200) nor more than five hundred dollars ($500) or by |
11 | imprisonment for not more than one year. |
12 | Nothing in this section shall be construed as preventing the institution of criminal |
13 | proceedings for the violation of any other law of the State of Rhode Island. |
14 | (h) Any vendor under the emergency housing assistance program administered by the |
15 | commission shall submit to the commission, within six (6) months of the last day of the month in |
16 | which such service was rendered, a bill for the same. For the purposes of this chapter a vendor shall |
17 | be any person or institution providing services in connection with any assistance program |
18 | administered by the commission. All vouchers submitted by a vendor shall be signed under the |
19 | penalties of perjury. |
20 | SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage. |
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LC005645 | |
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EXPLANATION | |
BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL | |
OF | |
A N A C T | |
RELATING TO STATE AFFAIRS AND GOVERNMENT -- RHODE ISLAND HOUSING | |
RESOURCES ACT OF 1998 | |
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1 | This act would create a program for emergency housing assistance to needy families with |
2 | children and pregnant woman with no other children through the Rhode Island housing resources |
3 | commission. |
4 | This act would take effect upon passage. |
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