SEC-502 -- REFORM OF PUBLIC HOUSING MANAGEMENT. (a) Performance Indicators for Public Housing Agencies.-Section 6(j) of the United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437d(j)) is amended to read as follows: "(j)(1) The Secretary shall develop and publish in the Federal Register indicators to assess the management performance of public housing agencies. The indicators shall be established by rule under section 553 of title 5, United States Code. Such indicators shall enable the Secretary to evaluate the performance of public housing agencies in all major areas of management operations. The Secretary shall, in particular, use the following indicators: "(A) The number and percentage of vacancies within an agency's inventory, including the progress that an agency has made within the previous 3 years to reduce such vacancies. "(B) The amount and percentage of funds obligated to the public housing agency under section 14 of this Act which remain unexpended after 3 years. "(C) The percentage of rents uncollected. "(D) The energy consumption (with appropriate adjustments to reflect different regions and unit sizes). "(E) The average period of time that an agency requires to repair and turn-around vacant units. "(F) The proportion of maintenance work orders outstanding, including any progress that an agency has made during the preceding 3 years to reduce the period of time required to complete maintenance work orders. "(G) The percentage of units that an agency fails to inspect to ascertain maintenance or modernization needs within such period of time as the Secretary deems appropriate (with appropriate adjustments, if any, for large and small agencies). "(H) Any other factors as the Secretary deems appropriate. "(2)(A)(i) The Secretary shall, under the rulemaking procedures under section 553 of title 5, United States Code, establish procedures for designating troubled public housing agencies, which procedures shall include identification of serious and substantial failure to perform as measured by the performance indicators specified under paragraph (1) and such other factors as the Secretary may deem to be appropriate. The Secretary shall also designate, by rule under section 553 of title 5, United States Code, agencies that are troubled with respect to the program under section 14. "(ii) The Secretary may also, in consultation with national organizations representing public housing agencies and public officials (as the Secretary determines appropriate), identify and commend public housing agencies that meet the performance standards established under paragraph (1) in an exemplary manner. "(iii) The Secretary shall establish procedures for public housing agencies to appeal designation as a troubled agency (including designation as a troubled agency for purposes of the program under section 14), to petition for removal of such designation, and to appeal any refusal to remove such designation. "(B) The Secretary shall seek to enter into an agreement with each troubled public housing agency setting forth- "(i) targets for improving performance as measured by the performance indicators specified under paragraph (1) and other requirements within a specified period of time; "(ii) strategies for meeting such targets, including a description of the technical assistance that the Secretary will make available to the agency; and "(iii) incentives or sanctions for effective implementation of such strategies, which may include any constraints on the use of funds that the Secretary determines are appropriate. The Secretary and the public housing agency shall, to the maximum extent practicable, seek the assistance of local public and private entities in carrying out the agreement. "(3)(A) Notwithstanding any other provision of law or of any contract for contributions, upon the occurrence of events or conditions that constitute a substantial default by a public housing agency with respect to the covenants or conditions to which the public housing agency is subject or an agreement entered into under paragraph (2), the Secretary may- "(i) solicit competitive proposals from other public housing agencies and private housing management agents in the eventuality that these agents may be needed for managing all, or part, of the housing administered by a public housing agency; "(ii) petition for the appointment of a receiver (which may be another public housing agency or a private management corporation) of the public housing agency to any district court of the United States or to any court of the State in which the real property of the public housing agency is situated, that is authorized to appoint a receiver for the purposes and having the powers prescribed in this subsection; and "(iii) require the agency to make other arrangements acceptable to the Secretary and in the best interests of the public housing residents for managing all, or part of, such housing. "(B) In any proceeding under subparagraph (A)(ii), upon a determination that a substantial default has occurred, and without regard to the availability of alternative remedies, the court shall appoint a receiver to conduct the affairs of the public housing agency in a manner consistent with this Act and in accordance with such further terms and conditions as the court may provide. The court shall have power to grant appropriate temporary or preliminary relief pending final disposition of the petition by the Secretary. "(C) The appointment of a receiver pursuant to this subsection may be terminated, upon the petition of any party, when the court determines that all defaults have been cured and the housing operated by the public housing agency will thereafter be operated in accordance with the covenants and conditions to which the public housing agency is subject. "(4) The Secretary shall submit to the Congress annually, as a part of the report of the Secretary under section 8 of the Department of Housing and Urban Development Act, a report that- "(A) identifies the public housing agencies that have been designated as troubled under paragraph (2); "(B) describes the grounds on which such public housing agencies were designated as troubled and continue to be so designated; "(C) describes the agreements that have been entered into with such agencies under such paragraph; "(D) describes the status of progress under such agreements; "(E) describes any action that has been taken in accordance with paragraph (3); and "(F) describes the status of any public housing agency designated as troubled with respect to the program under section 14 and specifies the amount of assistance the agency received under section 14 and any credits accumulated by the agency under section 14(k)(5)(D).". (b) Report on Training and Certification Standards.-The Secretary shall submit to the Congress, not later than 12 months after the date of the enactment of this Act, a report regarding the feasibility and effectiveness of establishing uniform standards for training and certification of executive directors and other officers and members of local, regional, and State public housing agencies. (c) Project-Based Accounting Systems.- (1) In general.-Section 6(c)(4) of the United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437d(c)(4)) is amended- (A) in subparagraph (C) by striking "and" at the end; (B) in subparagraph (D), by striking the period at the end and inserting "; and"; and (C) by adding at the end the following new subparagraph: "(E) except in the case of agencies not receiving operating assistance under section 9, the establishment and maintenance of a system of accounting for rental collections and costs (including administrative, utility, maintenance, repair and other operating costs) for each project or operating cost center (as determined by the Secretary), which collections and costs shall be made available to the general public and submitted to the appropriate local public official (as determined by the Secretary); except that the Secretary may permit agencies owning or operating less than 250 units to comply with the requirements of this subparagraph by accounting on an agency-wide basis.". (2) Implementation.-The Secretary of Housing and Urban Development shall, under the rulemaking procedures under section 553 of title 5, United States Code, establish guidelines and timetables appropriate to implement the amendment made by paragraph (1)(C), taking into account the requirements of public housing agencies of different sizes and characteristics, to achieve compliance with requirements established by such amendment not later than January 1, 1993. (c) Report.- (1) In general.-Within 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development shall submit to the Congress a report on the operation and efficiency of the Buffalo Municipal Housing Authority using, among other criteria, the performance indicators under section 6(j)(1) of the United States Housing Act of 1937 (as amended by this section), and giving special attention to such Authority's desegregation program and to the vacancy rate. (2) Specific recommendations.-For purposes of the report required by paragraph (1), the Secretary may specifically determine whether to- (A) petition for the appointment of a receiver for the Buffalo Municipal Housing Authority under the provisions of section 6(j)(3) of the United States Housing Act of 1937 (as amended by this section); or (B) reduce operating subsidies for such Authority under the provisions of section 9 of the United States Housing Act of 1937.