Sec. 4. Landlord-tenant focused community courts
625 words·~3 min read·
/bill/117/s/2182/is/section-4·A research copy — for the controlling text, always check the official state or federal source. Not legal advice.
The Attorney General, acting through the Bureau of Justice Assistance, shall award grants to States and local jurisdictions to support landlord-tenant focused community courts that offer a process with social service representatives who are available to assist tenants. The process described in subsection
(a)is— intended to— divert landlords and tenants from proceeding with a court-ordered eviction, which places costly burdens on landlords, tenants, the court system, and taxpayers; and help tenants who have fallen behind become current again on their obligations or transition tenants to a new stable home environment without losing access to benefits and other support for which they are eligible; and not intended to keep tenants in housing that they will be unable to afford. In making grants under this section, the Attorney General shall ensure that landlord-tenant focused community courts— are assisted in jurisdictions that serve urban areas, suburban areas, and rural areas; are assisted in serving communities that have high rates of eviction and eviction filings or a large total number of evictions and eviction filings, based on the best available data; are assisted in serving families with children; provide assistance to individuals with limited English proficiency; provide effective communication with individuals with disabilities; and are located in facilities that are accessible to individuals with disabilities and easily accessible by low-income individuals using public transportation. A State or local jurisdiction desiring a grant under this section shall submit to the Attorney General an application at such time, in such manner, and containing— a demonstrated unmet need in the community for a landlord-tenant community court; evidence of support from representatives of various and diverse stakeholders within the community, including renters' rights groups, landlords, and legal aid nonprofit organizations; a detailed description of how the grant will be spent; a detailed description of how the landlord-tenant community court will interact with the existing landlord-tenant justice system of the State or local jurisdiction to, as applicable, to alleviate the eviction crisis, including a description of which cases will be diverted to the landlord-tenant community court; a description of any local ordinance impacting eviction; a description of how the landlord-tenant community court will not be designed to lengthen the process of pursuing a legitimate eviction, limit the access of landlords to the traditional justice system, curtail the right of landlords to evict, or limit or curtail the due process or civil rights of any tenant or housing resident; and any other information as the Attorney General may require, including information sought in consultation with the Secretary. Beginning 1 year after the date on which a State or local jurisdiction receives a grant under this section, and not later than 2 years after that date, the State or local jurisdiction, as applicable, shall submit to the Attorney General and the Secretary a report containing— any aggregate data on landlord-tenant cases filed in that State or local jurisdiction as the Attorney General or the Secretary may require; the data described in subparagraphs
(A)and
(B)of section 5(b)(1) and section 5(b)(2), as applicable; and any other information as the Attorney General or the Secretary may require. The Attorney General may award grants under this section in 3 rounds, with not fewer than 5 grants awarded in the first round. As a condition of a grant provided under this section, the Attorney General shall require the recipient of the grant to contribute an amount equal to or more than the amount of the grant, obtained solely from non-Federal sources. In addition to cash or other direct funding, the contribution required by the Attorney General under paragraph
(1)may include indirect costs or in-kind contributions paid for under non-Federal programs. There are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary to carry out this section.