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[PUBLIC LAW 129-80TH CONGRESS]

[CHAPTER 163-1ST SESSION]

[H. R. 3203]

AN ACT

Relative to maximum rents on housing accommodations; to repeal certain provisions of Public Law 388, Seventy-ninth Congress, and for other purposes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

TITLE I-AMENDMENTS TO EXISTING LAW

SECTION 1. (a) Sections 1, 2 (b) through 9, and sections 11 and 12, of Public Law 388, Seventy-ninth Congress, are hereby repealed, and any funds made available under said sections of said Act not expended or committed prior to the enactment of this Act are hereby returned to the Treasury: Provided, That any allocations made or committed, or priorities granted for the delivery, of any housing materials or facilities under any regulation or order issued under the authority contained in said Act, and before the date of enactment of this Act, with respect to veterans of World War II, their immediate families, and others, shall remain in full force and effect.

(b) (1) Whenever the Housing Expediter determines that there is a shortage, or that there is likely to be a shortage, of building materials, he may by regulation or order require of any person or persons a permit as a condition of constructing any building or facilities to be used for amusement or recreational purposes, other than a building or facilities constructed for use in connection with a State or county fair or an agricultural, livestock, or industrial exposition or exhibition, the net proceeds from which are used exclusively for improvement, maintenance, and operation of such exposition or exhibition. (2) It shall be unlawful for any person to do or omit to do any act in violation of any regulation or order prescribed under authority of this subsection. Any person who willfully violates the provisions of this paragraph shall, upon conviction thereof, be subject to a fine of not more than $5,000, or to imprisonment for not more than two years, or to both such fine and imprisonment.

(3) As used in this subsection, the term "person" includes an individual, corporation, partnership, association, or any other organized group of persons, or a legal successor or representative of any of the foregoing.

SEC. 2. Section 603 (a) of the National Housing Act, as amended, is amended by striking out "June 30, 1947" wherever appearing therein and inserting in lieu thereof "March 31, 1948",

SEC. 3. Title VI of the National Housing Act, as amended, is amended by adding the following new section at the end thereof:

"SEC. 609. (a) In order to assist in relieving the acute shortage of housing which now exists and to promote the production of housing for veterans of World War II at moderate prices or rentals within their

reasonable ability to pay, through the application of modern industrial processes, the Administrator is authorized to insure loans to finance the manufacture of housing (including advances on such loans) when such loans are eligible for insurance as hereinafter provided.

"(b) Loans for the manufacture of houses shall be eligible for insurance under this section if at the time of such insurance, the Administrator determines they meet the following conditions:

"(1) The manufacturer shall establish that binding contracts have been executed satisfactory to the Administrator, providing for the purchase and delivery of the number of houses to be manufactured with the proceeds of the loan;

"(2) Such houses to be manufactured shall meet such requirements of sound quality, durability, livability, and safety as may be prescribed by the Administrator;

(3) The borrower shall establish to the satisfaction of the Administrator that he has or will have adequate plant facilities, sufficient capital funds, taking into account the loan applied for, and the experience necessary, to achieve the required production schedule;

"(4) The loan shall involve a principal obligation in an amount not to exceed 90 per centum of the amount which the Administrator estimates will be the necessary current cost of manufacturing such houses, exclusive of profit. The loan shall be secured by an assignment of the aforesaid purchase contracts for the houses to be manufactured with the proceeds of the loan, and of all sums payable under such purchase contracts, with the right in the assignee to proceed against such security in case of default as provided in the assignment, which assignment shall be in such form and contain such terms and conditions, as may be prescribed by the Administrator; and the Administrator may require such other agreements and undertakings to further secure the loan as he may determine, including the right, in case of default or at any time necessary to protect the lender, to compel delivery to the lender of any houses manufactured with the proceeds of the loan and then owned and in the possession of the borrower. The loan shall have a maturity not in excess of one year from the date of the note, except that any such loan may be refinanced and extended in accordance with such terms and conditions as the Administrator may prescribe for an additional term not to exceed one year, and shall bear interest (exclusive of premium charges for insurance) at not to exceed 4 per centum per annum on the amount of the principal obligation outstanding at any time.

"(c) The Administrator may consent to the release of a part or parts of the property assigned or delivered as security for the loan, upon such terms and conditions as he may prescribe and the security documents may provide for such release.

"(d) The failure of the borrower to make any payment due under or provided to be paid by the terms of a loan under this section, or the failure to perform any other covenant or obligation contained in any assignment, agreement, or undertaking executed by the borrower in connection with such loan, shall be considered as a default under this section, and if such default continues for a period of thirty days, the

lender shall be entitled to receive the benefits of the insurance hereinafter provided upon assignment, transfer, and delivery to the Administrator within a period and in accordance with the rules and regulations prescribed by the Administrator of (1) all rights and interest arising with respect to the loan so in default; (2) all claims of the lender against the borrower or others arising out of the loan transaction; (3) any cash or property held by the lender, or to which it is entitled, as deposits made for the account of the borrower and which have not been applied in reduction of the principal of the loan; and (4) all records, documents, books, papers, and accounts relating to the loan transaction. Upon such assignment, transfer, and delivery, the Administrator shall, subject to the cash adjustment provided for in section 604 (c), issue to the lender debentures having a face value equal to the unpaid principal balance of the loan.

"(e) Debentures issued under this section shall be issued in accordance with the provisions of section 604 (d) except that such debentures shall be dated as of the date of default as determined in subsection (d) of this section and shall bear interest from such date.

"(f) The provisions of section 207 (k) and 603 (a) of this Act shall be applicable to loans insured under this section, except that as applied to such loans (1) all references in section 207 (k) to the 'Housing Fund' shall be construed to refer to the 'War Housing Insurance Fund and (2) the reference in section 207 (k) to 'subsection (g)' shall be construed to refer to 'subsection (d)' of this section; (3) the references in section 207 (k) to insured mortgages shall be construed to refer to the assignment or other security for loans insured under this section; and (4) the references in section 603 (a) to a mortgage or mortgages shall be construed to include a loan or loans under this section.

"(g) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Administrator shall have the power to assign or sell at public or private sale, or otherwise dispose of, any evidence of debt, contract, claim, personal property, or security assigned to or held by him in connection with the payment of insurance heretofore or hereafter granted under this section, and to collect or compromise all obligations assigned to or held by him and all legal or equitable rights accruing to him in connection with the payment of such insurance until such time as such obligations may be referred to the Attorney General for suit or collection.

"(h) The Administrator shall fix a premium charge for the insurance granted under this section, but such premium charge shall not exceed an amount equivalent to 1 per centum of the original principal of such loan, and such premium charge shall be payable in advance by the financial institution and shall be paid at such time and in such manner as may be prescribed by the Administrator. In addition to the premium charge herein provided for, the Administrator is authorized to charge and collect such amounts as he may deem reasonable for examining and processing applications for the insurance of loans under this section, including such additional inspections as the Administrator may deem necessary.'

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SEC. 4. (a) In order to assure preference or priority to veterans of World War II or their families—

(1) no housing accommodations consisting of a dwelling designed for a single family residence, the construction of which

is completed after the date of enactment of this title and prior to March 1, 1948, shall be sold or offered for sale, prior to the expiration of thirty days after construction is completed, for occupancy by persons other than such veterans or their families; and

(2) no housing accommodations, designed for occupancy by other than transients, the construction of which is completed after the date of enactment of this title and prior to March 1, 1948, shall be rented or offered for rent, prior to the expiration of thirty days after construction is completed, for occupancy by persons other than such veterans or their families; and

(3) no housing accommodations consisting of a dwelling designed for a single-family residence, the construction of which is completed after the date of enactment of this title and prior to March 1, 1948, shall be sold or offered for sale to any person at a price less than the price for which it is offered to veterans or their families; and

(4) no housing accommodations, designed for occupancy by other than transients, the construction of which is completed after the date of enactment of this title and prior to March 1, 1948, shall be rented or offered for rent, at a price less than the price for which it is offered for rent to veterans and their families; and

(5) the Housing Expediter shall prescribe by regulations: (i) the manner in which such housing accommodations shall be publicly offered in good faith for sale or rental to veterans of World War II or their families in accordance with the provisions of this section, and (ii) exceptions to this section for hardship cases, including appropriate exceptions from the operation of paragraphs (3) and (4): Provided, That nothing contained in this Act shall affect or remove any veteran's preference requirements heretofore established under Public Law 388, Seventy-ninth Congress, and outstanding with respect to housing accommodations completed prior to the date of the enactment of this title. (b) This section shall cease to be in effect whenever the President proclaims that the protection to such veterans and their families provided by this section is no longer needed.

(c) For purposes of this section (1) the Housing Expediter shall prescribe by regulations the time as of which construction of housing accommodations shall be deemed to be completed, and (2) the term "person" shall have the meaning assigned to such term in section 1 (b) (3) of this Act.

(d) Any person who willfully violates any provision of this section shall, upon conviction thereof, be subject to a fine of not more than $5,000 or to imprisonment for not more than one year, or to both such fine and imprisonment.

TITLE II-MAXIMUM RENTS

DECLARATION OF POLICY

SEO. 201. (a) The Congress hereby reaffirms the declaration in the Price Control Extension Act of 1946 that unnecessary or unduly prolonged controls over rents would be inconsistent with the return to a peacetime economy and would tend to prevent the attainment of the goals therein declared.

(b) The Congress therefore declares that it is its purpose to termirate at the earliest practicable date all Federal restrictions on rents on housing accommodations. At the same time the Congress recognizes that an emergency exists and that, for the prevention of inflation and for the achievement of a reasonable stability in the general level of rents during the transition period, as well as the attainment of other salutary objectives of the above-named Act, it is necessary for a limited time to impose certain restrictions upon rents charged for rental housing accommodations in defense-rental areas. Such restrictions should be administered with a view to prompt adjustments where owners of rental housing accommodations are suffering hardships because of the inadequacies of the maximum rents applicable to their housing accommodations, and under procedures designed to minimize delay in the granting of necessary adjustments, which, so far as practicable, shall be made by local boards with a minimum of control by any central agency.

(c) To the end that these policies may be effectively carried out with the least possible impact on the economy pending complete decontrol, the provisions of this title are enacted.

DEFINITIONS

SEC. 202. As used in this title

(a) The term "person" includes an individual, corporation, partnership, association, or any other organized group of persons, or a legal successor or representative of any of the foregoing.

(b) The term "housing accommodations" means any building, structure, or part thereof, or land appurtenant thereto, or any other real or personal property rented or offered for rent for living or dwelling purposes (including houses, apartments, rooming- or boarding-house accommodations, and other properties used for living or dwelling purposes) together with all privileges, services, furnishings, furniture, and facilities connected with the use or occupancy of such property. (c) The term "controlled housing accommodations" means housing accommodations in any defense-rental area, except that it does not include

(1) those housing accommodations, in any establishment which is commonly known as a hotel in the community in which it is located, which are occupied by persons who are provided customary hotel services such as maid service, furnishing and laundering of linen, telephone and secretarial or desk service, use and upkeep of furniture and fixtures, and bellboy service; or

(2) any motor court, or any part thereof; or any tourist home serving transient guests exclusively, or any part thereof; or

(3) any housing accommodations (A) the construction of which was completed on or after February 1, 1947, or which are additional housing accommodations created by conversion on or after February 1, 1947, except that contracts for the rental of housing accommodations to veterans of World War II and their immediate families, the construction of which was assisted by allocations or priorities under Public Law 388, Seventy-ninth Congress, approved May 22, 1946, shall remain in full force and effect, or (B) which at no time during the period February 1,

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