July 28, 2006

President Signs Pryce Bill to Protect Columbus Disabled Students

Measure Preserves the Housing Eligibility of Disabled Students at

Creative Living near OSU 

Washington, DC – Today, President Bush signed into law H.R. 5117, legislation authored by Congresswoman Deborah Pryce (R-Columbus), to preserve the Section 8 housing eligibility of severely disabled students at Creative Living near The Ohio State University, and at similar housing facilities nationally.  Pryce released the following statement after the bill signing:

“This is a great victory today,” said Pryce. “Students at Creative Living can again focus on their studies, and need not worry that they could lose their housing because of an unintended consequence of federal law.”

“I am thrilled with the closure this brings for the students currently residing at Creative Living, but our work is not done,” Pryce added.  “We must now press for a more comprehensive legislative solution to ensure the housing eligibility of disabled students seeking Section 8 assistance in the future.  There are enough challenges put in front of individuals with severe physical disabilities – worrying about a place to call home while they attend college should not be one of them.”

Amid reports that wealthy students were exploiting a loophole in Section 8 regulations by living in housing designated for the poor, last year language was added to an appropriations bill by the Senate requiring that family income and government assistance be used as part of the eligibility equation for Section 8 applicants.  The new law unintentionally affected disabled students residing at Creative Living, a housing complex near OSU, and jeopardized the housing eligibility of a number of Creative Living’s residents. 

The new law exempts disabled students who were receiving Section 8 as of November 30, 2005, and ensures that Creative Living’s disabled students – many of whom depend upon the Section 8 program to pursue their education -- will not be unfairly shut out of the rental assistance program.