[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2334 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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118th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 2334
To require each public housing agency to establish and maintain an
online portal for tenants and applicants, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
July 18, 2023
Mrs. Gillibrand introduced the following bill; which was read twice and
referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To require each public housing agency to establish and maintain an
online portal for tenants and applicants, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Housing Transparency Improvement
Act''.
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Covered housing.--The term ``covered housing'' means--
(A) low-income housing; and
(B) any property with assistance converted under
the Rental Assistance Demonstration program authorized
under title II of the Consolidated and Further
Continuing Appropriations Act, 2012 (Public Law 112-55;
125 Stat. 673).
(2) Families; low-income housing.--The terms ``families''
and ``low-income housing'' have the meanings given those terms
in section 3(b) of the United States Housing Act of 1937 (42
U.S.C. 1437a(b)).
(3) Public housing agency.--The term ``public housing
agency''--
(A) has the meaning given the term in section 3(b)
of the United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C.
1437a(b)); and
(B) includes any owner of low-income housing that
enters into a housing assistance payments contract
under section 8 of the United States Housing Act of
1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437o).
(4) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
of Housing and Urban Development.
(5) Small public housing agency.--The term ``small public
housing agency'' means a public housing agency that--
(A) owns, assists, or operates not more than 250
covered housing dwelling units; and
(B) predominantly operates in a rural area, as
described in section 1026.35(b)(2)(iv)(A) of title 12,
Code of Federal Regulations, or any successor
regulation.
SEC. 3. ONLINE PORTAL.
(a) Establishment.--Not later than 1 year after the date of
enactment of this Act, each public housing agency shall establish and
maintain an online portal on the website of the public housing agency
through which families residing in and applicants for a covered housing
dwelling owned, assisted, or operated by the public housing agency
may--
(1) access information, including contact information,
relating to the performance evaluation, management, and control
of the covered housing dwelling;
(2) access a plain language list of the legal rights of
each family residing in or applying for the covered housing
dwelling, which shall be available for translation; and
(3) track service requests and complaints submitted to the
public housing agency through a tracking system described in
subsection (b).
(b) Tracking System.--
(1) In general.--Each public housing agency shall
establish, using existing software or through new software, a
request tracking system, including for inquiry on the status of
an application, short-term and long-term capital improvements,
service requests, and complaints, submitted by a family
residing in a covered housing dwelling owned or operated by the
public housing agency through which the families and applicants
may track requests with real-time updates provided by the
public housing agency.
(2) Service request and complaint database.--
(A) Assignment of number.--The tracking system
described in paragraph (1) shall contain a database
under which the public housing agency shall assign each
family residing in a covered housing dwelling owned or
operated by the public housing agency and each
applicant for a covered housing dwelling owned or
operated by the public housing agency a ticket number
or a private access number to use to make requests or
complaints described in paragraph (1).
(B) Required information.--Each inquiry described
in subparagraph (A) shall--
(i) be searchable through the tracking
system described in paragraph (1);
(ii) have associated with it a description
of--
(I) the nature of the inquiry,
complaint, or request;
(II) the most recent status of the
inquiry, complaint, or request;
(III) whether or not the inquiry,
complaint, or request is open or
closed;
(IV) any action taken on the
inquiry, complaint, or request, and any
next steps to be taken; and
(V) any additional information as
the public housing agency determines
appropriate; and
(iii) not publicly disclose any personal
information relating to the inquiry, complaint,
or request, including the unit number, name of
the resident or applicant, or any other
identifying information that is prohibited from
disclosure under applicable laws.
(3) Prohibition.--A public housing agency may not require a
family residing in a covered housing dwelling owned or operated
by the public housing agency to use the tracking system
described in paragraph (1) to submit requests or to receive
updates relating to service requests and complaints submitted
by the family.
(c) Updates.--Each public housing agency shall ensure that the
online portal established under subsection (a) is updated on a regular
basis and contains the most recent information regarding inquiries,
service requests, and complaints described in subsection (a)(3).
(d) Reporting.--Each public housing agency shall, on an annual
basis, develop a fact sheet for tenants residing in and applicants for
a covered housing dwelling owned, assisted, or operated by the public
housing agency that--
(1) includes, in a clear and easily discernible manner--
(A) the total amount and type of Federal, State,
and local funds received for the fiscal year;
(B) the funding streams for ongoing and upcoming
capital improvement projects;
(C) the most recent inspection date and score;
(D) any major renovation, capital, or redevelopment
plans; and
(E) the name and contact information for the
manager or management of the dwelling, if operating
independently;
(2) is posted on the website of the public housing agency,
if applicable, is available in paper format, is available for
translation, is available upon request, and is submitted as an
addendum as part of the public housing agency plan provided to
the Resident Advisory Board and provided at a public hearing as
required under section 5A of the United States Housing Act of
1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437c-1).
(e) Grants.--
(1) In general.--The Secretary may make grants to public
housing agencies in the amount necessary for the public housing
agency to purchase, establish, and maintain the online portal
required under this section.
(2) Authorization of appropriations.--There is authorized
to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary to carry out
this subsection.
(f) Reporting.--Each public housing agency shall, on an annual
basis, submit to the Secretary information on grants made under
subsection (e), including how the amounts were used related to the
online portal required under this section.
(g) Incentives.--The Secretary shall consider the implementation
and maintenance by a public housing agency of the online portal
required under this section in the annual public housing assessment
system described in part 902 of title 24, Code of Federal Regulations,
or any successor regulation.
(h) Exemptions.--
(1) In general.--The requirement to create and maintain an
online portal under this section shall not apply to small
public housing agencies.
(2) Alternate method.--A small public housing agency that
is exempted under paragraph (1) shall develop, implement, and
submit to the Secretary alternate methods for fulfilling the
requirements under subsections (a) through (d), in particular
paragraphs (1) and (2) of subsection (a).
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