(c) Section 4 of such Act is amended by adding at the end thereof the following new subsection: "(f) For the purposes of this section, any parent of a member of the armed forces of the United States who lost his life in the armed services of the United States since September 16, 1940, shall be considered to be a member of the family of a veteran of World War II.” SEC. 212. Section 215 of the Independent Offices Appropriation Act, 1946 (59 Stat. 134), and section 213 of the Independent Offices Appropriation Act, 1947 (60 Stat. 81), are hereby repealed. Approved July 31, 1951, 7:00 p. m., E. D. T. 91167 0-62-28 Chapter 378 - 1st Session AN ACT To assist the provision of housing and community facilities and services required in connection with the national defense. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That this Act may be cited as the "Defense Housing and Community Facilities and Services Act of 1951". TITLE I-CRITICAL DEFENSE HOUSING AREAS, PROCEDURES FOR EXERCISE OF AUTHORITY, AND EXPIRATION DATE SEC. 101. (a) Notwithstanding any other provisions of this Act, the authority contained in titles II, III, or IV of this Act shall not be exercised in any area unless the President shall have determined that such area is a critical defense housing area. (b) No area shall be determined to be a critical defense housing area pursuant to this section unless the President finds that in such area all the following conditions exist: (1) a new defense plant or installation has been or is to be provided, or an existing defense plant or installation has been or is to be reactivated or its operation substantially expanded; (2) substantial in-migration of defense workers or military personnel is required to carry out activities at such plant or installation; and (3) a substantial shortage of housing required for such defense workers or military personnel exists or impends which impedes or threatens to impede activities at such defense plant or installation, or that community facilities or services required for such defense workers or military personnel are not available or are insufficient, or both, as the case may be. SEC. 102. In order to assure that private enterprise shall be afforded full opportunity to provide the defense housing needed wherever possible, in any area which the President, pursuant to the authority contained in section 101 hereof, has declared to be a critical defense housing area (a) first, the number of permanent dwelling units (including information as to types, rentals, and general locations) needed for defense workers and military personnel in such critical defense housing area shall be publicly announced and printed in the Federal Register by the Housing and Home Finance Administrator; (b) second, residential credit restrictions under the Defense Production Act of 1950, as amended, (1) as to housing to be sold at $12,000 or less per unit or to be rented at $85 or less per unit per month, shall be suspended with respect to the number and types of housing units at the sales prices or rentals which the President determines to be needed in such area for defense workers or military personnel, and (2) as to all other housing, shall be relaxed in such manner and to such extent as the President determines to be necessary and appropriate to obtain the production of such housing needed in such area for defense workers or military personnel; (c) third, the mortgage insurance aids provided under title II of this Act shall be made available to obtain the production of housing needed in such area for defense workers or military personnel; and (d) fourth, no permanent housing shall be constructed by the Federal Government under the provisions of title III hereof except to the extent that private builders or eligible mortgagees have not, within a period of not less than ninety days (as the Housing and Home Finance Administrator shall specify) following public announcement of the availability of such mortgage insurance aids under title II of this Act, indicated through bona fide applications (which meet the requirements as to types, rentals or sales prices, and general locations) for exceptions from such residential credit restrictions or for mortgage insurance or guaranty that they will provide the housing determined to be needed in such area for defense workers and military personnel and publicly announced as provided by subsection (a) of this section. SEC. 103. In order to assure that community facilities or services required in connection with national defense activities shall, wherever possible, be provided by the appropriate local agencies with local funds, in any area which the President, pursuant to the authority contained in section 101 hereof, has declared to be a critical defense housing area (a) no loan shall be made pursuant to title III of this Act for the provision of community facilities or equipment therefor required in connection with national defense activities in such area unless the chief executive officer of the appropriate political subdivision certifies, and the Housing and Home Finance Administrator finds, that such facilities or equipment could not otherwise be provided when needed; (b) no grant or other payment shall be made pursuant to title III of this Act for the provision, or for the operation and maintenance, of community facilities or equipment therefor, or for the provision of community services, required in connection with national defense activities in such area unless the chief executive officer of the appropriate political subdivision certifies, and the Housing and Home Finance Administrator finds, that such community facilities or services cannot otherwise be provided when needed, or operated and maintained, as the case may be, without the imposition of an increased excessive tax burden or an unusual or excessive increase in the debt limit of the appropriate local agency; and (c) no community facilities or services shall be provided, and no community facilities shall be maintained and operated, by the United States directly except where the appropriate local agency is demonstrably unable to provide such facilities and services, or to maintain or operate such community facilities and services adequately with its own personnel, with loans, grants, or payments authorized to be made pursuant to title III hereof. For the purposes of this section, the term "chief executive officer of the appropriate political subdivision" shall mean appropriate principal executive officer or governing body having primary responsibility with respect to the community facility or service involved, but shall not, in any case, mean any public housing authority, or its governing body, or any of its officers, acting in such capacity. SEC. 104. After June 30, 1953, (a) no mortgage may be insured under title IX of the National Housing Act, as amended (except (i), pursuant to a commitment to insure issued on or before such date, or (ii) a mortgage given to refinance an existing mortgage insured under that title and which does not exceed the original principal amount and unexpired term of such existing mortgage), (b) no agreement may be made to extend assistance for the provision of community facilities or services under title III of this Act, and no construction of housing or community facilities by the United States may be begun under such title, (c) no land may be acquired by the Housing and Home Finance Administrator under title IV of this Act, and (d) no loan may be made or obligations purchased by the Housing and Home Finance Administrator under section 102a of the Housing Act of 1948, as amended (except pursuant to a commitment issued on or before June 30, 1953, or to refinance an existing loan or existing obligations held under such section by said Administrator on June 30, 1953). TITLE II-MORTGAGE INSURANCE FOR DEFENSE HOUSING SEC. 201. The National Housing Act, as amended, is amended by the addition of the following title at the end thereof: "TITLE IX-NATIONAL DEFENSE HOUSING INSURANCE "SEC. 901. As used in this title, the terms 'mortgage', 'first mortgage', 'mortgagee', 'mortgagor', 'maturity date', and 'State' shall have the same meaning as in section 201 of this Act. "SEC. 902. There is hereby created a National Defense Housing Insurance Fund which shall be used by the Commissioner as a revolving fund for carrying out the provisions of this title, and mortgages insured under this title shall be known and referred to as national defense housing insured mortgages'. The Commissioner is hereby authorized and directed to transfer to such fund the sum of $10,000,000 from the War Housing Insurance Fund established pursuant to the provisions of section 602 of this Act. General expenses of operation of the Federal Housing Administration under this title may be charged to the National Defense Housing Insurance Fund: Provided, That no moneys in said fund shall be expended for administrative expenses of the Federal Housing Administration under this title except pursuant to such specific authorization therefor as may hereafter be enacted by the Congress. "SEC. 903. (a) This title is designed to supplement systems of mortgage insurance under other provisions of the National Housing Act in order to assist in providing adequate housing in areas which the President, pursuant to section 101 of the Defense Housing and Community Facilities and Services Act of 1951, shall have determined to be critical defense housing areas. The Commissioner is authorized, upon application by the mortgagee, to insure under this section or section 908 as hereinafter provided any mortgage which is eligible for insurance as hereinafter provided and upon such terms as the Commissioner may prescribe to make commitments for the insuring of such mortgages prior to the date of their execution or disbursement thereon: Provided, That the property covered by the mortgage is in an area which the President, pursuant to section 101 of the Defense Housing and Community Facilities and Services Act of 1951, shall have determined to be a critical defense housing area, and that the total number of dwelling units in properties covered by mortgages insured under this title in any such area does not exceed the number authorized by the Housing and Home Finance Administrator from time to time as needed in such area for defense purposes and to be insured pursuant to this title: Provided further, That the aggregate amount of principal obligations of all mortgages insured under this title shall not exceed such sum as may be authorized by the President |