text: SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
  
      This Act may be cited as the ``Equal Opportunity for Residential 
  Representation Act''.
  
  SEC. 2. CONGRESSIONAL FINDINGS.
  
      The Congress finds that--
              (1) eviction prevention programs provide important and 
          effective social and economic benefits;
              (2) such programs help protect low-income and at-risk 
          households from the trauma and disruption of homelessness and 
          save property owners from the high costs of forced eviction and 
          re-occupancy; and
              (3) investing more resources in eviction prevention helps 
          communities save on the high cost of homelessness by stopping 
          homelessness before it starts--for example, according to 2015 
          data, the Massachusetts Housing and Shelter Alliance estimates 
          that a homeless individual residing in Massachusetts creates an 
          additional cost burden for State-supported services (such as 
          shelters, emergency room visits, and incarceration) that is 
          $9,372 greater per year than for a housed individual.
  
  SEC. 3. PILOT PROGRAM FOR LEGAL ASSISTANCE FOR HOUSING ISSUES FOR LOW-
                INCOME FAMILIES.
  
      (a) Authority.--The Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (in 
  this section referred to as the ``Secretary'') shall carry out a 
  program under this section, through the Office of Community Planning 
  and Development, to make grants to the extent amounts for such grants 
  are made available pursuant to subsection (f) to eligible organizations 
  under subsection (d) to provide legal services and other related 
  supportive services under subsection (e) on behalf of eligible low-
  income families under subsection (c).
      (b) Selection of Grantees.--The Secretary shall select eligible 
  organizations under subsection (d) to receive grants under this section 
  taking into consideration factors, including--
              (1) factors necessary to ensure an equitable distribution 
          of grants to grantees serving urban areas (as such term is 
          defined by the Secretary) and to grantees serving rural areas 
          (as such term is defined by the Secretary), except that the 
          Secretary shall ensure that, of any amounts made available for 
          any fiscal year for grants under this section, not less than 20 
          percent shall be used for grantees serving rural areas;
              (2) the number of rental units in the area served by the 
          grantee that are affordable to low-income households having 
          incomes at or below 80 percent of the area median income and 
          paying more than 30 percent of their incomes for rent;
              (3) the extent to which the population of the area served 
          by the grantee uses eviction or other housing-related legal 
          services or has a need for such services;
              (4) the extent to which tenants in the area served by the 
          grantee are evicted;
              (5) the number of rental units in the area served by the 
          grantee that are affordable to households having incomes at or 
          below 80 percent of the area median income;
              (6) the extent of poverty in the area served by the 
          grantee;
              (7) the number of renter households in the area served by 
          the grantee that--
                      (A) have incomes at or below 80 percent of the area 
                  median income;
                      (B) are not provided rental assistance, such as 
                  rental assistance under section 8 of the United States 
                  Housing Act of 1937 or occupancy in a dwelling unit in 
                  public housing; or
                      (C) live in severely inadequate housing, as 
                  measured using the American Housing Survey definition 
                  of housing having severe physical problems; and
              (8) any other factors that the Secretary considers 
          appropriate for purposes of this section, except that the 
          Secretary may not consider data from a point-in-time count of 
          the homeless (as defined in section 103(a) of the McKinney-
          Vento Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 11302(a))).
      (c) Eligible Low-Income Families.--Amounts from a grant under this 
  section may be used only to provide eligible services under subsection 
  (e) with respect to families (including individuals and including 
  victims of domestic violence) who--
              (1) reside in a rental dwelling unit; and
              (2) have an income (as such term is defined in section 3(b) 
          of the United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437a(b))) 
          that does not exceed 80 percent of the median income for the 
          area in which the family resides.
      (d) Eligible Organizations.--Grants under this section may be made 
  only to--
              (1) a nonprofit organization that provides legal services 
          on behalf of persons or families whose eligibility for such 
          services includes a limitation on income, including any 
          organizations that receive funding from the Legal Services 
          Corporation (established under the Legal Services Corporation 
          Act (42 U.S.C. 2996 et seq.)) to provide such services on 
          behalf of such persons or families;
              (2) legal clinics sponsored by law schools or other 
          organizations; and
              (3) such other institutions, organizations, and entities as 
          the Secretary considers appropriate.
      (e) Eligible Services.--Amounts from a grant under this section may 
  be used only to provide, on behalf of eligible low-income families 
  under subsection (c), legal services and other related supportive 
  services in connection with--
              (1) an eviction of such a family;
              (2) the prevention of an eviction of such a family;
              (3) a dispute between the landlord and a tenant who is a 
          member of such a family; or
              (4) enforcing the legal rights of such a family under 
          Federal, State, or local laws regarding tenancy or fair 
          housing.
      (f) Use of Mortgage Interest Deduction Savings for Grants.--
              (1) Determination of savings.--For each of fiscal years 
          2018 through 2022, the Secretary of the Treasury shall 
          determine the amount of revenues accruing to the general fund 
          of the Treasury by reason of the enactment of the amendment 
          made by section 4 of this Act.
              (2) Authorization of appropriations.--There is authorized 
          to be appropriated for grants under this section for each of 
          fiscal years 2018 through 2022 the amount determined under 
          paragraph (1) for such fiscal year.
  
  SEC. 4. REDUCTION IN LIMITATION ON MORTGAGE INTEREST DEDUCTION RELATING 
                TO ACQUISITION INDEBTEDNESS FOR CERTAIN TAXPAYERS.
  
      (a) Acquisition Indebtedness.--Clause (ii) of section 163(h)(3)(B) 
  of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 is amended to read as follows:
                              ``(ii) Limitation.--The aggregate amount 
                          treated as acquisition indebtedness for any 
                          period shall not exceed--
                                      ``(I) $1,000,000 in the case of a 
                                  joint return ($500,000 in the case of a 
                                  married individual filing a separate 
                                  return), and
                                      ``(II) the applicable amount in any 
                                  other case.
                              ``(iii) Applicable amount.--For purposes of 
                          clause (ii)(II), the applicable amount is as 
                          follows:
  
  
  ------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                            The applicable
                    ``For taxable years--                     amount is--
   
  ------------------------------------------------------------------------
  Beginning in calendar year 2018.........................        $900,000
  Beginning in calendar year 2019.........................        $800,000
  Beginning in calendar year 2020.........................        $700,000
  Beginning in calendar year 2021.........................        $600,000
  Beginning in or after calendar year 2022................    $500,000.''.
  ------------------------------------------------------------------------
  
      (b) Effective Date.--The amendment made by subsection (a) shall 
  apply to amounts paid or incurred after December 31, 2017.
target: Equal Opportunity for Residential Representation Act This bill requires the Department of Housing and Urban Development's (HUD's) Office of Community Planning and Development to carry out a program to make grants to organizations to provide legal services and other related supportive services on behalf of low-income families (including individuals and victims of domestic violence) who reside in a rental dwelling unit and have an income that does not exceed 80% of the median income for the area in which the family resides. The following organizations may receive such grants:  nonprofit organizations that provide legal services to persons or families of limited income, including organizations that receive funding from the Legal Services Corporation;  legal clinics sponsored by law schools or other organizations; and  such other entities as HUD considers appropriate.  These grants may be used only to provide legal services and other related supportive services in connection with: (1) an eviction of such a family, (2) the prevention of such eviction, (3) a dispute between the landlord and a tenant who is a family member, or (4) enforcing the family's legal rights regarding tenancy or fair housing. Funds for such program shall be derived from revenues resulting from amendments by this bill to the Internal Revenue Code to reduce the limitation on the mortgage interest deduction for the acquisition indebtedness of certain taxpayers.
feat_title: Equal Opportunity for Residential Representation Act