On June 13, the House approved, by voice vote, a bill (H.R. 5117) to exempt persons with disabilities from the prohibition against providing Section 8 rental assistance to college students.
Rep. Deborah Pryce (R-OH), who sponsored the bill, said that a number of media stories on the fraudulent use of Section 8 housing vouchers led Congress to “close these loopholes and tighten the eligibility requirement,” but that “unfortunately, that fix overlooked the disabled.” She continued, saying, “We are ensuring that these students do not have to put away their textbooks or even hang up their lab coats because of something that we did when we thought we were correcting a problem. There are enough challenges put in front of individuals with severe disabilities, and worrying about a place to call home while they attend college should not be one of them.”
