HELP Act of 2026
- Bill Number
- H.R. 8185
- Origin Chamber
- House
- Congress
- 119th Congress, Session 2
- Policy Area
- Housing and Community Development
- Status
- Introduced
- Latest Action
- 2026-04-02: Referred to the House Committee on Financial Services.
- Last Updated
- 2026-04-17T19:44:48Z
AI-Generated Summary
Purpose
The Housing Emergencies Lifeline Program Act of 2026 (HELP Act) aims to address evictions in federally assisted rental housing by creating a national database for tracking eviction data, funding legal aid and prevention programs, restricting the use of eviction records in credit reports, and requiring tenant notifications and a support hotline.
Key Provisions
- Eviction Database (Sec. 2):
- Requires states and local entities receiving HUD housing assistance to submit annual reports on evictions from assisted units, including reasons (e.g., rent arrears), dates, addresses, legal representation, and individual details (e.g., income, disability, demographics, homelessness history).
- HUD must build and maintain a database with privacy safeguards (e.g., anonymized identifiers, data retention limits), disaggregated by location, income, race, gender, disability, and other protected classes under the Fair Housing Act.
- Allows unredacted data access for academic research on eviction causes and civil rights compliance.
- Eviction Protection Grants (Sec. 3):
- Competitive grants to nonprofits and government entities for free legal help (pre-trial, trial, post-trial, mediation) to low-income tenants at risk of or facing eviction.
- Priorities: Marketing in high-eviction areas, experience with limited English proficiency or disabilities, administrative capacity.
- Ensures rural tenant representation; authorizes funding for grants and emergency homeless aid (legal counsel, court fees).
- Restrictions on Consumer Reports (Sec. 4):
- Amends the Fair Credit Reporting Act to exclude eviction records, proceedings, and rent/utility arrears from credit reports starting on enactment.
- Tenant Information and Hotline (Sec. 5):
- Owners of covered assisted units must provide annual written notices on eviction rights/responsibilities, local resources; eviction notices must state reasons and note state/local laws apply.
- HUD must create a multilingual, accessible hotline (with disability accommodations) for eviction guidance, resource referrals, and rights education.
- Definitions (Sec. 6): Covers HUD programs like public housing, Section 8, HOME, McKinney-Vento, elderly/disabled housing, and federally backed mortgages.
Significant Changes to Existing Law
- Fair Credit Reporting Act Amendment: Prohibits credit reporting agencies from including any eviction-related information or rent/utility arrears, protecting tenants' credit histories (previously allowable).
- Introduces mandatory eviction reporting, data collection, and privacy rules for HUD-assisted housing, with no prior federal database requirement.
- Authorizes new grants and hotline, expanding HUD's role in eviction prevention.
Potential Impacts
- Government Agencies: Increases HUD workload (database, grants, rules, hotline); states/local entities must report data annually.
- Citizens: Low-income renters in assisted housing gain legal aid access, credit protection, better information/resources, potentially reducing evictions and homelessness.
- Landlords/Owners: Must provide notices and comply with reporting; may face delays in evictions due to legal aid.
- No direct international relations impact.
Main Stakeholders
- Tenants: Low-income renters in HUD-assisted housing (e.g., public housing, Section 8), especially rural, disabled, minority, or homeless-history individuals.
- Housing Providers/Owners: Public housing agencies, private landlords with federal assistance or backed loans.
- Government Entities: HUD, states, localities receiving HUD funds.
- Nonprofits/Legal Aid: Eligible for grants to represent tenants.
- Researchers: Access to data for eviction studies.
- Credit Agencies: Restricted from using eviction data.
Notable Legal, Constitutional, or Political Implications
- Privacy: Mandates strong data protections (redaction, limited retention/use), balancing research needs with individual rights under laws like the Fair Housing Act.
- Federalism: Imposes reporting/privacy rules on states/locals tied to federal funds, potentially raising administrative burdens but tied to voluntary assistance receipt.
- Civil Rights: Disaggregated data enables monitoring for discrimination; legal aid promotes "right to counsel" in evictions.
- No explicit constitutional challenges noted; politically, supports tenant protections amid housing crises without mandating universal legal representation.
This summary was generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies. Refer to the official source document for the authoritative text.
Sponsor
Rep. Pressley, Ayanna [D-MA-7]
Cosponsors (5)
Rep. DeLauro, Rosa L. [D-CT-3], Rep. Gomez, Jimmy [D-CA-34], Del. Norton, Eleanor Holmes [D-DC-At Large], Rep. Tlaib, Rashida [D-MI-12], Rep. Jayapal, Pramila [D-WA-7]
Recent Actions
- 2026-04-02: Referred to the House Committee on Financial Services.
- 2026-04-02: Introduced in House
- 2026-04-02: Introduced in House
Bill Versions
- Housing Emergencies Lifeline Program Act of 2026 — issued 2026-04-02 — PDF (14 pages)