Sen. Booker introduces Housing, Opportunity, Mobility, and Equity (HOME) Act of 2018 and Tenant Protection Act
In early August, Senator Cory Booker (D-N.J.) introduced the HOME Act of 2018 (S. 3342), which requires Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) recipients to develop a strategy to support inclusive zoning policies. The bill also provides a refundable tax credit to individuals who spend more than 30% of their income on rent, similar to legislation recently introduced by Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA) and Congressman Joseph Crowley (D-NY) that is currently under review by NAHMA’s Federal Affairs Committee. Sen. Booker also introduced the Tenant Protection Act (S. 1758). According to a summary of the bill, the legislation would amend the Fair Credit Reporting Act to prohibit a consumer reporting agency from creating a report containing a landlord-tenant court or other housing court record unless the case resulted in a judgment of possession, the decision is not being appealed, and the record is not more than three years old. Additionally, if a person takes an adverse action against a consumer based upon a housing court record, the person would have to provide the consumer a free copy of the report. Under the legislation, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau would be required to (1) issue regulations that direct tenant rating agencies to create a central source for consumers to obtain reports and submit disputes, and (2) report on tenant rating agency compliance. At this time, neither bill has co-sponsors, nor NAHMA does anticipate the bills moving forward during this Congress. We will keep members updated.UP NEXT: What NAHMA is watching for next week
- Senate to resume debate on FY19 spending bills
- NAHMA’s August 2018 Advocacy Challenge continues with great advocacy activities!
- Members of the House remain in-district for month of August
- NAHMAnalyses on recent housing issues