II 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 2834 

To combat toxic indoor mold, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

SEPTEMBER 18, 2023 

Mr. BLUMENTHAL introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 

referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs 

A BILL 

To combat toxic indoor mold, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

4 (a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 

5 ‘‘Healthy at Home Act of 2023’’. 

6 (b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 

7 this Act is as follows: 

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 

Sec. 2. Definitions. 

Sec. 3. Interagency research on health impacts of indoor residential mold. 

Sec. 4. Health, safety, and habitability standards and model standards. 

Sec. 5. Mapping. 

Sec. 6. Housing stock quality requirements. 

Sec. 7. Construction requirements for public housing and certain other federally-assisted construction. 

Sec. 8. Preservation grants for properties receiving section 8 project-based rental assistance. 


lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with BILLS
2 

•S 2834 IS

Sec. 9. Public information and education campaign. 

Sec. 10. Empowering tenants. 

Sec. 11. Healthy Homes incentive for requiring indoor residential mold and 

other hazard disclosure. 

Sec. 12. Uniform physical inspection sampling. 

Sec. 13. Denial of depreciation deduction for properties with failed NSPIRE inspections. 

Sec. 14. Supporting landlords to receive timely voucher payments. 

Sec. 15. Project-based contract administrator reporting requirements. 

Sec. 16. Coordination Between USDA and HUD. 

Sec. 17. GAO study on health and safety concerns in federally-assisted housing. 

Sec. 18. Sense of Congress. 

Sec. 19. Administrative provisions. 

1 SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 

2 In this Act: 

3 (1) INDOOR RESIDENTIAL MOLD.—The term 

4 ‘‘indoor residential mold’’ means any form of multi5 cellular fungi in indoor environments, including 

6 cladosporium, penicillium, alternaria, aspergillus, fu7 sarium, trichoderma, memnoniella, mucor, 

8 stachybotrys chartarum, streptomyces, and 

9 epicoccumoften found in water-damaged indoor envi10 ronments and building materials. 

11 (2) RESIDENTIAL MOLD INSPECTION.—The 

12 term ‘‘residential mold inspection’’ means an inspec13 tion, by a certified or licensed mold inspector or 

14 other indoor environmental professional, including 

15 through the Real Estate Assessment Center, of real 

16 property that is designed to discover— 

17 (A) indoor mold growth in residential prop18 erties; 


lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with BILLS
3 

•S 2834 IS

1 (B) conditions that facilitate indoor resi2 dential mold growth; or 

3 (C) indicia of conditions that are likely to 

4 facilitate indoor residential mold growth. 

5 (3) TOXIGENIC MOLD.—The term ‘‘toxigenic 

6 mold’’ means any indoor mold growth that may be 

7 capable of producing a toxin or toxic compound, in8 cluding mycotoxins and mVOCs, that can cause pul9 monary, respiratory, neurological, gastrointestinal, 

10 or dermatological illnesses, or other major adverse 

11 health impacts, as jointly determined by the Director 

12 of the National Institutes of Health, the Secretary 

13 of Housing and Urban Development, the Adminis14 trator of the Environmental Protection Agency, and 

15 the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and 

16 Prevention. 

17 SEC. 3. INTERAGENCY RESEARCH ON HEALTH IMPACTS OF 

18 INDOOR RESIDENTIAL MOLD. 

19 (a) RESEARCH.— 

20 (1) IN GENERAL.—As soon as practicable after 

21 the date of enactment of this Act, the Director of 

22 the National Institute of Environmental Health 

23 Sciences at the National Institutes of Health, in 

24 conjunction with the Secretary of Housing and 

25 Urban Development, the Director of the Centers for 


lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with BILLS
4 

•S 2834 IS

1 Disease Control and Prevention, the Administrator 

2 of the Environmental Protection Agency, the Sec3 retary of Energy, the Secretary of Health and 

4 Human Services, the President of the National 

5 Academy of Sciences, and the Chair of the board of 

6 directors of the National Institute of Building 

7 Sciences shall jointly conduct a comprehensive study 

8 of the health effects of indoor residential mold 

9 growth, using the most up-to-date scientific peer-re10 viewed medical literature. 

11 (2) CONTENTS.—The study conducted under 

12 paragraph (1) shall ascertain, among other things— 

13 (A) detailed information about harmful or 

14 toxigenic mold, as well as any toxin or toxic 

15 compound such mold can produce; 

16 (B) the most accurate research-based 

17 methods of detecting harmful or toxigenic mold; 

18 (C) potential dangers of prolonged or 

19 chronic exposure to indoor residential mold 

20 growth; 

21 (D) the hazards involved with inadequate 

22 residential mold inspections and improper in23 door residential mold remediation; 

24 (E) the estimated current public health 

25 burden of new or exacerbated physical illness 


lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with BILLS
5 

•S 2834 IS

1 resulting from exposure to indoor residential 

2 mold, including its disproportionate impact on 

3 vulnerable communities, including children and 

4 seniors; 

5 (F) improved understanding of the dif6 ferent health symptomology that can result 

7 from exposure to mold in indoor residential en8 vironments; 

9 (G) ongoing surveillance of the prevalence 

10 of idiopathic pulmonary hemorrhage (AIPH) in 

11 infants; and 

12 (H) longitudinal studies on the effects of 

13 indoor old exposure in early childhood on the 

14 development of asthma and other respiratory 

15 illnesses. 

16 (3) AVAILABILITY.—Not later than the expira17 tion of the 3-year period beginning on the date of 

18 the enactment of this Act, the results of the study 

19 conducted under paragraph (1) shall be submitted to 

20 Congress and the President and made available to 

21 the general public. 

22 SEC. 4. HEALTH, SAFETY, AND HABITABILITY STANDARDS 

23 AND MODEL STANDARDS. 

24 (a) MODEL STANDARDS FOR PREVENTING, DETECT25 ING, AND REMEDIATING INDOOR RESIDENTIAL MOLD


lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with BILLS
6 

•S 2834 IS

1 GROWTH.—Based on the results of the interagency health 

2 study conducted under section 3, the Administrator of the 

3 Environmental Protection Agency, in conjunction with the 

4 Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, the Direc5 tor of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the 

6 Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and 

7 Health at the Occupational Safety and Health Adminis8 tration, the Secretary of Energy, the Executive Director 

9 of the National Institute of Building Sciences, and the 

10 President of the National Academy of Sciences shall, in 

11 accordance with section 12(d) of the National Technology 

12 Transfer and Advancement Act of 1995 (15 U.S.C. 272 

13 note; Public Law 104–113), jointly issue model health, 

14 safety, and habitability standards for preventing, detect15 ing, and remediating indoor residential mold growth, in16 cluding— 

17 (1) model indoor residential mold inspection 

18 standards; 

19 (2) model indoor residential mold remediation 

20 standards; 

21 (3) standards for testing the toxicity of indoor 

22 residential mold and any toxin or toxic compound 

23 produced by indoor residential mold; 


lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with BILLS
7 

•S 2834 IS

1 (4) health and safety standards for the protec2 tion of indoor residential mold inspectors and re3 mediators; 

4 (5) standards for indoor residential mold test5 ing labs; 

6 (6) model ventilation standards for the design, 

7 installation, and maintenance of air ventilation or 

8 air-conditioning systems to prevent indoor residen9 tial mold growth or the creation of conditions that 

10 foster indoor mold growth in residential properties; 

11 and 

12 (7) model building code standards to control 

13 moisture and prevent mold growth in indoor residen14 tial environments. 

15 (b) CONSULTATION.—To the maximum extent pos16 sible, model standards issued under this section shall be 

17 developed in consideration of the needs and vulnerabilities 

18 of low-income populations and with the assistance of— 

19 (1) organizations that develop mold and water 

20 damage standards; 

21 (2) organizations involved in establishing na22 tional building construction standards; 

23 (3) representatives of State or local authorities 

24 responsible for building inspections and issuance of 

25 certificates of occupancy; 


lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with BILLS
8 

•S 2834 IS

1 (4) organizations involved in improving indoor 

2 air quality; 

3 (5) public health advocates; and 

4 (6) health and medical professionals, including 

5 practitioners that care for children and other vulner6 able populations. 

7 (c) RESILIENCY.—Model standards issued under this 

8 section shall take into account geographic diversity, pro9 pensity for extreme weather or flooding, and other resil10 iency metrics. 

11 (d) DEADLINES.— 

12 (1) PUBLIC REVIEW AND COMMENT.—The offi13 cers identified in subsection (a) shall make draft 

14 standards issued under this section available for 

15 public review and comment at least 90 days prior to 

16 publication of the final standards or model stand17 ards pursuant to paragraph (2). 

18 (2) PUBLICATION.—Not later than 3 years 

19 after the results of the study conducted under sec20 tion 3 are submitted to Congress in accordance with 

21 such section, the officers identified in subsection (a) 

22 shall issue, and make available to the public, final 

23 standards and model standards under this section. 

24 (e) REVIEW AND UPDATES.—The officers identified 

25 in subsection (a) shall— 


lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with BILLS
9 

•S 2834 IS

1 (1) review the model standards issued under 

2 this section at least once every 3 years based on lat3 est scientific advances and published studies relating 

4 to indoor residential mold growth; and 

5 (2) update such standards and model standards 

6 as necessary to adequately and effectively inform the 

7 public and protect human health, preserve and im8 prove the quality of federally-assisted housing, and 

9 reduce the displacement of tenants. 

10 (f) PHYSICAL CONDITION INSPECTIONS.—Not later 

11 than 3 years after the publication of standards and model 

12 standards under subsection (a), the Secretary of Housing 

13 and Urban Development shall revise the requirements for 

14 conducting uniform physical condition inspections under 

15 part 5 of title 24, Code of Federal Regulations, or any 

16 successor regulation, to incorporate the model standards 

17 issued under this section, as applicable. 

18 SEC. 5. MAPPING. 

19 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than one year after the 

20 date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Hous21 ing and Urban Development shall, using the previous two 

22 years of inspection data, establish a geographic informa23 tion system mapping tool that identifies areas which are 

24 impacted by a known presence of indoor residential mold. 


lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with BILLS
10 

•S 2834 IS

1 (b) REQUIRED INCLUSIONS.—The Secretary shall in2 clude, as part of the mapping tool— 

3 (1) inspection documentation; 

4 (2) management and occupancy reviews; 

5 (3) transfers of budget authority for contracts 

6 under section 8 of the United States Housing Act of 

7 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437f); and 

8 (4) any additional information, as required by 

9 the Secretary. 

10 (c) UPDATES.—The Secretary shall update the map11 ping tool with the latest inspection data not less often than 

12 once per year. 

13 SEC. 6. HOUSING STOCK QUALITY REQUIREMENTS. 

14 Section 8 of the United States Housing Act of 1937 

15 (42 U.S.C. 1437f) is amended by inserting after sub16 section (v) the following new subsection: 

17 ‘‘(w) STANDARDS FOR PHYSICAL CONDITION AND

18 MANAGEMENT OF HOUSING RECEIVING ASSISTANCE PAY19 MENTS.— 

20 ‘‘(1) STANDARDS.—Any entity receiving hous21 ing assistance payments under this section shall 

22 maintain decent, safe, and sanitary conditions, as 

23 determined by the Secretary, and comply with any 

24 standards under applicable State or local laws, rules, 

25 ordinances, or regulations relating to the physical 


lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with BILLS
11 

•S 2834 IS

1 condition of any insured or non-insured property 

2 covered under a housing assistance payment con3 tract for project-based assistance. 

4 ‘‘(2) REMEDIATION.—The Secretary shall take 

5 action under paragraph (3) when a multifamily 

6 housing project with a housing assistance payment 

7 contract under this section or a contract with the 

8 Department of Housing and Urban Development for 

9 similar project-based assistance— 

10 ‘‘(A) receives a failing score on a physical 

11 inspection by the Department; or 

12 ‘‘(B) fails to certify in writing to the Sec13 retary within 3 days that all severe health or 

14 safety deficiencies identified at the project by 

15 the inspector have been corrected. 

16 The requirements under this paragraph shall apply 

17 to insured and non-insured projects with assistance 

18 attached to the dwelling units under this section. 

19 ‘‘(3) NOTICE OF DEFAULT.— 

20 ‘‘(A) ISSUANCE.—Within 15 days of the 

21 issuance of the Real Estate Assessment Center 

22 inspection, the Secretary shall provide the 

23 owner with a notice of default that shall include 

24 a specified timetable, determined by the Sec25 retary, for correcting all deficiencies. 


lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with BILLS
12 

•S 2834 IS

1 ‘‘(B) COPIES.—The Secretary shall provide 

2 a copy of the notice of default to the tenants of 

3 the property, the local government for the juris4 diction within which the property is located, any 

5 mortgagees, and any contract administrator. 

6 ‘‘(C) APPEAL; WITHDRAWAL.—If the 

7 owner appeals the notice of default and the ap8 peal results in a passing Uniform Physical Con9 dition Standards score for the property, the 

10 Secretary may withdraw the notice of default. 

11 ‘‘(4) ENFORCEMENT.—If the owner fails to 

12 fully correct all deficiencies identified in the notice 

13 of default by the end of the time period for cor14 recting such deficiencies specified in the notice, the 

15 Secretary shall, in consultation with the tenant orga16 nization, one or more of the following actions, and 

17 provide additional notice of those actions to the 

18 owner and the parties specified in paragraph (3)(B) 

19 to improve property conditions and preserve housing 

20 assistance: 

21 ‘‘(A) Take any regulatory or contractual 

22 remedies available as deemed necessary and ap23 propriate by the Secretary to improve property 

24 conditions, protect tenants from displacement 

25 and harm, and preserve the housing assistance. 


lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with BILLS
13 

•S 2834 IS

1 ‘‘(B) Require immediate replacement of 

2 the project management with a management 

3 agent approved by the Secretary. 

4 ‘‘(C) Abate the section 8 contract, includ5 ing partial abatement, as determined by the 

6 Secretary, until all deficiencies have been cor7 rected. 

8 ‘‘(D) Pursue transfer of the project to an 

9 owner approved by the Secretary, in consulta10 tion with the tenant organization, under estab11 lished procedures, who shall be obligated to 

12 promptly make all required repairs and to ac13 cept renewal of the assistance contract if such 

14 renewal is offered, in conjunction with the ap15 propriate public housing agency or other local 

16 entity. 

17 ‘‘(E) Transfer the existing section 8 con18 tract to another project or projects and owner 

19 or owners who have demonstrated financial and 

20 organizational capacity to rehabilitate the 

21 project, in consultation with tenants and the 

22 appropriate public housing agency. 

23 ‘‘(F) Pursue exclusionary sanctions, in24 cluding suspensions or debarments from Fed25 eral programs. 


lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with BILLS
14 

•S 2834 IS

1 ‘‘(G) Relocate tenants while providing the 

2 same level of housing assistance. 

3 ‘‘(H) Seek judicial appointment of a re4 ceiver to manage the property and cure all 

5 project deficiencies or seek a judicial order of 

6 specific performance requiring the owner to 

7 cure all project deficiencies. 

8 ‘‘(I) Cooperate with receivership efforts by 

9 State or local governments or lenders which aim 

10 to improve the property conditions and preserve 

11 the project-based housing assistance. 

12 ‘‘(J) Work with the owner, lender, tenants, 

13 or other related party to stabilize the property 

14 in an attempt to preserve the property through 

15 compliance, transfer of ownership, or an infu16 sion of capital or other resources. 

17 ‘‘(5) PROHIBITION ON RENT INCREASES.—Ef18 fective upon the expiration of the 12-month period 

19 beginning on the date of the enactment of this sub20 section, the Secretary shall prohibit any increases in 

21 rents for dwelling units in the property until the 

22 owner fully corrects all deficiencies identified in the 

23 notice of default or demonstrates an ability to finan24 cially address conditions by— 


lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with BILLS
15 

•S 2834 IS

1 ‘‘(A) providing a rehabilitation plan, devel2 oped in consultation with the tenants and ap3 proved by the Secretary; and 

4 ‘‘(B) separately demonstrating a written 

5 and enforceable commitment by the tenants and 

6 the Secretary that any increases will address 

7 the conditions of the property. 

8 ‘‘(6) INFEASIBLE PROPERTIES.—The Secretary 

9 shall take appropriate steps to ensure that project10 based contracts for rental assistance remain in ef11 fect, subject to the exercise of contractual abatement 

12 remedies to assist relocation of tenants for major 

13 threats to health and safety, taken after written no14 tice to the affected tenants. To the extent the Sec15 retary determines, in consultation with the tenants 

16 and the local government, that a property is not fea17 sible for continued rental assistance payments under 

18 such section 8 or other programs, based on consider19 ation of— 

20 ‘‘(A) the costs of rehabilitating and oper21 ating the property and all available Federal, 

22 State, and local resources, including rent ad23 justments under section 524 of the Multifamily 

24 Assisted Housing Reform and Affordability Act 

25 of 1997 (42 U.S.C. 1437f note), and 


lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with BILLS
16 

•S 2834 IS

1 ‘‘(B) environmental conditions that cannot 

2 be remedied in a cost-effective fashion, 

3 the Secretary may contract for project-based rental 

4 assistance payments with an owner or owners of 

5 other housing properties, and to the maximum ex6 tent practicable, ensure that the project-based rental 

7 assistance is available to tenants from the origi8 nating site. 

9 ‘‘(7) REPORTING.— 

10 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall 

11 submit a report to the Committees on Financial 

12 Services of the House of Representatives and 

13 Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs of the 

14 Senate semi-annually identifying all properties 

15 covered by this subsection that received a fail16 ing physical inspection score or have received 

17 an unsatisfactory management and occupancy 

18 review during the 36-month period ending upon 

19 submission of such report. Each such report 

20 shall include— 

21 ‘‘(i) identification of the enforcement 

22 actions being taken to address such condi23 tions leading to such score at each such 

24 property, including imposition of civil 

25 money penalties and termination of subVerDate Sep 11 2014 21:09 Sep 20, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00016 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2834.IS S2834

lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with BILLS
17 

•S 2834 IS

1 sidies, and identification of properties that 

2 have such conditions multiple times; 

3 ‘‘(ii) identification of actions that the 

4 Department of Housing and Urban Devel5 opment is taking to protect tenants of such 

6 identified properties; and 

7 ‘‘(iii) any recommendations for admin8 istrative or legislative actions to further 

9 improve the living conditions at such prop10 erties. 

11 ‘‘(B) TIMING.—The first report required 

12 under subparagraph (A) shall be submitted not 

13 later than 30 days after the date of the enact14 ment of this subsection, and the second report 

15 shall be submitted within 180 days of the sub16 mission of the first report.’’. 

17 SEC. 7. CONSTRUCTION REQUIREMENTS FOR PUBLIC 

18 HOUSING AND CERTAIN OTHER FEDERALLY19 ASSISTED CONSTRUCTION. 

20 (a) EFFECTIVE DATE; APPLICABILITY.—The Sec21 retary of Housing and Urban Development shall take such 

22 actions and impose such standards and conditions as may 

23 be necessary or appropriate to ensure that any public 

24 housing constructed after the date of the issuance of the 

25 model construction standards and techniques established 


lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with BILLS
18 

•S 2834 IS

1 under subsection (b), is constructed in accordance with 

2 such model standards and techniques. 

3 (b) MODEL CONSTRUCTION STANDARDS.— 

4 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Housing 

5 and Urban Development, jointly with the Executive 

6 Director of the National Institute of Building 

7 Sciences, and the President of the National Acad8 emy of Sciences, to the extent such Director and 

9 President agree to participate, shall develop model 

10 construction standards and techniques for pre11 venting and controlling indoor residential mold in 

12 new residential buildings. 

13 (2) CONTENTS.—The model standards and 

14 techniques shall provide for geographic differences in 

15 construction types and materials, geology, weather, 

16 and other variables that may affect indoor residen17 tial mold levels in new buildings. 

18 (3) CONSULTATION.—To the maximum extent 

19 possible, such standards and techniques shall be de20 veloped with— 

21 (A) the assistance of organizations involved 

22 in establishing national building construction 

23 standards and techniques; 

24 (B) the assistance of organizations that de25 velop mold and water damage standards; 


lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with BILLS
19 

•S 2834 IS

1 (C) representatives of State or local au2 thorities responsible for building inspections 

3 and the issuance of certificates of occupancy; 

4 (D) public health advocates; and 

5 (E) housing advocates and organizations 

6 representing the interests of tenants. 

7 (4) PUBLICATION.—The Secretary shall make a 

8 draft of the document containing the model stand9 ards and techniques available for public review and 

10 comment. The Secretary shall make final model 

11 standards and techniques available to the public not 

12 later than one year after the date of the enactment 

13 of this Act. 

14 (5) APPLICABILITY TO NEW CONSTRUCTION

15 AND REHABILITATION.—Within 1 year of the publi16 cation of the final model standards and techniques 

17 required by paragraph (4), the Secretary of Housing 

18 and Urban Development, the Secretary of Health 

19 and Human Services, the Secretary of Energy, the 

20 Administrator of the Environmental Protection 

21 Agency, the Secretary of the Treasury, and the Sec22 retary of Defense shall each include such model 

23 standards and techniques as a requirement for resi24 dential rehabilitation or new construction projects 


lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with BILLS
20 

•S 2834 IS

1 funded with Federal appropriations made available 

2 by such agencies. 

3 (6) APPLICABILITY TO RENTAL ASSISTANCE

4 DEMONSTRATION AND RAD SECTION 18 BLEND PRO5 GRAMS.—Within 1 year of the publication of the 

6 final model standards and techniques required by 

7 paragraph (4), the Secretary of Housing and Urban 

8 Development shall ensure that any rehabilitation or 

9 new construction through the Rental Assistance 

10 Demonstration program under the heading ‘‘Rental 

11 Assistance Demonstration’’ in title II of the Trans12 portation, Housing and Urban Development, and 

13 Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2012 (division 

14 C of Public Law 112–55; 125 Stat. 673), or through 

15 any program blending such Rental Assistance Dem16 onstration and section 18 of the United States 

17 Housing Act of 1937 complies with such model 

18 standards and techniques. 

19 SEC. 8. PRESERVATION GRANTS FOR PROPERTIES RECEIV20 ING SECTION 8 PROJECT-BASED RENTAL AS21 SISTANCE. 

22 (a) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 

23 authorized to be appropriated for the Secretary of Hous24 ing and Urban Development to provide assistance to own25 ers of properties receiving project-based subsidy contracts 


lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with BILLS
21 

•S 2834 IS

1 under section 8 of the United States Housing Act of 1937 

2 (42 U.S.C. 1437f) or to municipalities or other units of 

3 local government that may administer repairs to a prop4 erty receiving such project-based subsidy contracts, 

5 $250,000,000, which shall remain available until ex6 pended. 

7 (b) SET ASIDE FOR NEW CONSTRUCTION.— 

8 (1) SET ASIDE.—Of the total amount of funds 

9 provided pursuant to this section, not less than 10 

10 percent shall be available to eligible recipients de11 scribed in subsection (a) for the purpose of adding 

12 new dwelling units to properties already receiving 

13 project-based subsidy contracts under section 8 of 

14 the United States Housing Act of 1937. 

15 (2) ELIGIBILITY.—Funds made available under 

16 this subsection for new construction may only be 

17 used by an eligible recipients who are already receiv18 ing an award for rehabilitation under this section. 

19 (3) PRIORITY OF WORK.—Eligible recipients 

20 who receive funds for both new construction and for 

21 rehabilitation shall complete rehabilitation work be22 fore beginning new construction and shall provide 

23 certification to the Secretary, in a manner to be de24 termined by the Secretary, that the rehabilitation 

25 has been completed in a satisfactory manner to 


lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with BILLS
22 

•S 2834 IS

1 eliminate health and safety risks before receiving 

2 any funds for new construction. 

3 (4) MODEL BUILDING STANDARDS.—Within one 

4 year after the publication of the model building 

5 standards under section 7(b)(4), the Secretary shall 

6 require eligible recipients who receive funds for new 

7 construction and rehabilitation to ensure that new 

8 construction and rehabilitation projects are in com9 pliance with the model building standards and tech10 niques developed under section 7(b)(1). 

11 (c) SET-ASIDE FOR TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.—Of 

12 the total amount of funds provided pursuant to this sec13 tion, not less than 3 percent shall be used to provide tech14 nical assistance to applicants and to advertise the avail15 ability of funds under this section to areas disproportion16 ately impacted by health and safety concerns in federally17 assisted housing. 

18 (d) USE OF AMOUNTS.— 

19 (1) IN GENERAL.—Amounts provided pursuant 

20 to this section shall be used for competitive grants 

21 and low-interest loans for capital improvements to 

22 such properties, including grants for activities that 

23 mitigate threats to the health and safety of resi24 dents, reduce lead-based paint hazards, reduce other 

25 housing-related hazards, including carbon monoxide, 


lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with BILLS
23 

•S 2834 IS

1 radon, or indoor residential mold, improve water and 

2 energy efficiency, or reduce the risk of harm to occu3 pants or property from natural hazards, or for low4 interest loans for the same use. 

5 (2) LOAN AND GRANT ELIGIBILITY.—An owner 

6 of such a property shall be eligible for— 

7 (A) a grant under this section only if such 

8 owner is a nonprofit entity; and 

9 (B) a low-interest loan under this section 

10 only if such owner is a for-profit individual or 

11 entity. 

12 (3) ELIGIBILITY OF UNITS OF LOCAL GOVERN13 MENT.—A municipal government, county, or other 

14 unit of local government may receive a grant under 

15 this section if sufficient capacity is demonstrated in 

16 their application to the Secretary of Housing and 

17 Urban Development. 

18 (e) GRANTS FOR AREAS OF HIGH AND PERSISTENT

19 POVERTY.—Of any amounts made available pursuant to 

20 this section, not less than 30 percent shall be available 

21 without regard to any requirement regarding minimum 

22 grant amount and only for eligible uses within or directly 

23 benefitting— 

24 (1) any county that has consistently had 20 

25 percent or more of the population living in poverty 


lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with BILLS
24 

•S 2834 IS

1 during the 30-year period preceding the date of en2 actment of this Act, as measured by the decennial 

3 census data obtained during those years and the 

4 most recent annual Small Area Income and Poverty 

5 Estimates as estimated by the Bureau of the Cen6 sus; 

7 (2) any census tract having a poverty rate of at 

8 least 20 percent as measured by the most recent 5- 

9 year data series available from the American Com10 munity Survey of the Census Bureau; or 

11 (3) any census tract having a predominantly 

12 disenfranchised population or a population dis13 proportionately impacted by health and safety haz14 ards in federally-assisted housing (as defined by the 

15 Secretary). 

16 (f) PRIORITIZATION.—In awarding grants under this 

17 section, the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development 

18 shall prioritize awards that ameliorate or prevent indoor 

19 residential mold or other severe health or safety threats. 

20 (g) WAGE RATE REQUIREMENTS.—Projects funded 

21 with funds provided under this section shall comply with 

22 the same requirements of subchapter IV of chapter 31 of 

23 title 40, United States Code that are applicable to con24 tracts described in section 3142(a) of such title. 


lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with BILLS
25 

•S 2834 IS

1 (h) POLICIES; PROCEDURES; CONTRACTS.—Grants 

2 and low-interest loans under this section shall— 

3 (1) be provided through the policies, proce4 dures, contracts, and transactional infrastructure of 

5 the authorized programs administered by the De6 partment of Housing and Urban Development, on 

7 such terms and conditions as the Secretary of Hous8 ing and Urban Development deems appropriate to 

9 ensure the maintenance and preservation of the 

10 property, the continued operation and maintenance 

11 of energy efficiency technologies, and the timely ex12 penditure of funds; and 

13 (2) include a financial assessment and physical 

14 inspection of such property. 

15 (i) ELIGIBLE OWNERS.—To be eligible for a grant 

16 or low-interest loan under this section, the owner of the 

17 property shall have at least a satisfactory management 

18 and occupancy review rating, be in substantial compliance 

19 with applicable performance standards and legal require20 ments, and commit to an additional period of affordability 

21 determined by the Secretary, but of not fewer than 50 

22 years. Owners shall include nonprofit owners and preser23 vation purchasers, including public housing agencies and 

24 nonprofit developers. 

25 (j) LOAN TERMS.— 


lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with BILLS
26 

•S 2834 IS

1 (1) IN GENERAL.—A loan under this section 

2 shall— 

3 (A) bear interest at a rate, determined by 

4 the Secretary, that— 

5 (i) does not exceed by 3 percentage 

6 points the discount window primary credit 

7 interest rate most recently published on 

8 the Federal Reserve Statistical Release on 

9 selected interest rates (daily or weekly), 

10 commonly referred to as the ‘‘H.15 re11 lease’’ or the ‘‘Federal funds rate’’; and 

12 (ii) is below the average interest rate 

13 at the given time for a home improvement 

14 loan; and 

15 (B) have a term to maturity of 10 years or 

16 20 years, as determined by the Secretary based 

17 on the credit of the borrower. 

18 (2) VIOLATIONS.—If the owner of a property 

19 receiving a loan under this section does not use the 

20 loan amounts as required under subsection (b)(1), 

21 does not maintain the affordability of the property 

22 as required under subsection (i), or does not comply 

23 with any other requirements established by the Sec24 retary, the Secretary shall— 


lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with BILLS
27 

•S 2834 IS

1 (A) work with the owner for not less than 

2 30 days to ameliorate any violations; and 

3 (B) if after 90 days such violations are not 

4 ameliorated— 

5 (i) increase the interest rate of the 

6 loan by not less than 15 percentage points 

7 above the Federal funds rate; and 

8 (ii) reduce the term to maturity of the 

9 loan to not more than 5 years. 

10 (k) CONDITIONS OF RECEIPT OF GRANT OR LOAN.— 

11 The Secretary shall establish conditions on the receipt of 

12 a loan or grant under this section, as follows: 

13 (1) RECORD; CAPACITY.—The Secretary shall 

14 take reasonable steps to ensure that the owner or 

15 purchaser has no significant record of material non16 compliance with applicable program standards and 

17 has demonstrated capacity to perform the obliga18 tions specified under this section. 

19 (2) REPAIRS.—The Secretary shall require own20 ers to agree to promptly make all required repairs, 

21 and when required by the Secretary, to develop a re22 habilitation plan in consultation with the tenants 

23 and that will be approved by the Secretary, in con24 junction with appropriate capital needs planning and 

25 required reserves, to ensure the provision of decent, 


lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with BILLS
28 

•S 2834 IS

1 safe, and sanitary housing throughout the full term 

2 of any extended restrictions and contracts. 

3 (3) USE RESTRICTIONS.—The Secretary shall 

4 require owners to agree to a longer use restriction 

5 of 50 years and to agree to a perpetually required 

6 renewal of the housing assistance payments contract 

7 if offered by the Secretary. 

8 (l) TRANSFER AUTHORITY.—Of the amounts made 

9 available pursuant to this section, the Secretary of Hous10 ing and Urban Development may transfer up to 0.5 per11 cent to the account for ‘‘Department of Housing and 

12 Urban Development, Program Offices—Office of Hous13 ing’’ for necessary costs of administering and overseeing 

14 the obligation and expenditure of amounts made available 

15 pursuant to this section and such transferred amounts 

16 shall remain available until September 30, 2028. 

17 SEC. 9. PUBLIC INFORMATION AND EDUCATION CAMPAIGN. 

18 (a) REQUIREMENT.—The Administrator of the Envi19 ronmental Protection Agency, the Secretary of Housing 

20 and Urban Development, and the heads of any other rel21 evant Federal agencies, as determined by such Adminis22 trator and Secretary, shall jointly develop and carry out 

23 a public information and education campaign regarding 

24 indoor air quality and related issues that provides infor25 mation required under this section on a recurring and anVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:44 Sep 19, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00028 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2834.IS S2834

lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with BILLS
29 

•S 2834 IS

1 nual basis through public outreach. The campaign shall 

2 commence within 1 year after the date of the enactment 

3 of this Act. 

4 (b) TOPICS.—The information and education cam5 paign shall include information on the dangers and pre6 vention of indoor residential moisture and mold, volatile 

7 organic compounds, dust, smoking, pollution, indoor ori8 gins of smoke, including cooking, and any other health 

9 risks, as determined by such Administrator and Secretary. 

10 (c) INDOOR RESIDENTIAL MOLD INFORMATION.— 

11 The information and education campaign shall include, at 

12 minimum, the following information regarding indoor resi13 dential mold: 

14 (1) The conditions that facilitate indoor resi15 dential moisture and mold growth. 

16 (2) Guidelines for inspecting indoor residential 

17 mold growth. 

18 (3) Guidelines for remediating indoor residen19 tial mold growth. 

20 (4) The dangers and health risks of exposure to 

21 indoor residential mold growth. 

22 (5) The importance of ventilation and methods 

23 to prevent moisture accumulation in indoor residen24 tial environments. 


lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with BILLS
30 

•S 2834 IS

1 (6) Any other information as determined appro2 priate by the heads of the agencies referred to in 

3 subsection (a). 

4 (d) TENANT RIGHTS INFORMATION.—The informa5 tion and education campaign shall include providing cov6 ered tenants with information on tenant rights to a safe 

7 and habitable living environment and other related infor8 mation as determined by the Secretary of Housing and 

9 Urban Development, which shall include information on 

10 who to contact if a tenant experiences problems or issues 

11 with building management or ownership, including, in the 

12 case of housing assisted under a contract for project-based 

13 assistance how to contact the performance-based contract 

14 administrator and, in the case of the Housing Choice 

15 Voucher program how to contact the housing authority. 

16 (e) MODES OF COMMUNICATION.— 

17 (1) IN GENERAL.—The public information and 

18 education campaign shall provide education and in19 formation through modes of communication that are 

20 commonly utilized and able to be easily consumed by 

21 relevant individuals or organizations, which shall in22 clude communication through advertisements on 

23 public transit in all 50 States and in territories and 

24 possessions of the United States, and distribution of 


lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with BILLS
31 

•S 2834 IS

1 the pamphlet developed pursuant to subsection (j) as 

2 required under such subsection. 

3 (2) AVAILABILITY.—All education and informa4 tion that is part of the information and education 

5 campaign shall be made publicly available on the 

6 websites of the Environmental Protection Agency, 

7 the Department of Housing and Urban Develop8 ment, and any other applicable Federal agencies. 

9 (f) TARGETED GROUPS.—The public information and 

10 education campaign shall be designed to reach tenants, 

11 tenant organizations working directly with tenants in 

12 project-based rental assistance and other types of feder13 ally-assisted housing, resident groups, landlords, health 

14 professionals, the general public, homeowners, prospective 

15 homeowners, the real estate industry, the home construc16 tion and renovation industries, the health, property and 

17 casualty, and life insurance industries, technical and voca18 tional schools and colleges, and other academic institu19 tions. 

20 (g) INFORMATION SPECIFIC TO HEALTH PROFES21 SIONS.—The public information and education campaign 

22 shall include information about warning signs of mold and 

23 other indoor air exposure pollutants and shall include edu24 cation for health professions on mold-related illness, inVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:44 Sep 19, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00031 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2834.IS S2834

lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with BILLS
32 

•S 2834 IS

1 cluding for health professions who work with vulnerable 

2 populations and children in school or daycare settings. 

3 (h) COORDINATION.—In developing and carrying out 

4 the public information and education campaign, the heads 

5 of the agencies referred to in subsection (a) may coordi6 nate with the Ad Council. 

7 (i) LANGUAGE.—All information provided under the 

8 public information and education campaign— 

9 (1) shall be provided in at least two languages, 

10 as determined by the Secretary, based on the most 

11 common languages spoken in the neighborhood, 

12 tribe, municipality, State, or region, and may be pro13 vided in additional languages based on the most 

14 common languages spoken in the neighborhood, 

15 tribe, municipality, State, or region, as determined 

16 by the Secretary; and 

17 (2) shall be provided in language that is at a 

18 sixth grade reading level and is easy to understand. 

19 (j) PROVISION TO COVERED TENANTS.— 

20 (1) TIMING.—The Secretary of Housing and 

21 Urban Development, the Secretary of Agriculture, 

22 the Secretary of the Treasury, the Secretary of Vet23 erans Affairs, and the Attorney General shall ensure 

24 that all appropriate information under the informa25 tion and education campaign is provided to covered 


lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with BILLS
33 

•S 2834 IS

1 tenants upon signing and any renewal of a lease for 

2 the dwelling unit of assisted housing that the cov3 ered tenant resides in. 

4 (2) COVERED TENANTS.—For purposes of this 

5 section, the term ‘‘covered tenant’’ means a tenant 

6 who resides in a rental dwelling unit that is assisted, 

7 through tenant-based or project-based assistance, 

8 under a housing assistance program administered by 

9 the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development or 

10 the Secretary of Agriculture or who receives rental 

11 housing assistance under a program administered by 

12 either such Secretary, including the following pro13 grams: 

14 (A) The program under section 202 of the 

15 Housing Act of 1959 (12 U.S.C. 1701q), in16 cluding the direct loan program under such sec17 tion. 

18 (B) The program under section 811 of the 

19 Cranston-Gonzalez National Affordable Hous20 ing Act (42 U.S.C. 8013). 

21 (C) The program under subtitle D of title 

22 VIII of the Cranston-Gonzalez National Afford23 able Housing Act (42 U.S.C. 12901 et seq.). 


lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with BILLS
34 

•S 2834 IS

1 (D) The programs under title IV of the 

2 McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (42 

3 U.S.C. 11360 et seq.). 

4 (E) The program under subtitle A of title 

5 II of the Cranston-Gonzalez National Afford6 able Housing Act (42 U.S.C. 12741 et seq.). 

7 (F) The program under paragraph (3) of 

8 section 221(d) of the National Housing Act (12 

9 U.S.C. 1715l(d)) that bears interest at a rate 

10 determined under the proviso under paragraph 

11 (5) of such section 221(d). 

12 (G) The program under section 236 of the 

13 National Housing Act (12 U.S.C. 1715z–1). 

14 (H) The programs under sections 6 and 8 

15 of the United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 

16 U.S.C. 1437d, 1437f). 

17 (I) The programs for rural housing assist18 ance provided under sections 514, 515, 516, 

19 533, 538, and 542 of the Housing Act of 1949 

20 (42 U.S.C. 1484, 1485, 1486, 1490m, 1490p– 

21 2, 1490r). 

22 (J) The low-income housing tax credit pro23 gram under section 42 of the Internal Revenue 

24 Code of 1986. 


lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with BILLS
35 

•S 2834 IS

1 (K) The provision of assistance from the 

2 Housing Trust Fund established under section 

3 1338 of the Federal Housing Enterprises Fi4 nancial Safety and Soundness Act of 1992 (12 

5 U.S.C. 4568). 

6 (L) The provision of assistance for housing 

7 under the Comprehensive Service Programs for 

8 Homeless Veterans program under subchapter 

9 II of chapter 20 of title 38. 

10 (M) The provision of assistance for hous11 ing and facilities under the grant program for 

12 homeless veterans with special needs under sec13 tion 2061 of title 38, United States Code. 

14 (N) The provision of assistance for perma15 nent housing under the program for financial 

16 assistance for supportive services for very low17 income veteran families in permanent housing 

18 under section 2044 of title 38, United States 

19 Code. 

20 (O) The provision of transitional housing 

21 assistance for victims of domestic violence, dat22 ing violence, sexual assault, or stalking under 

23 the grant program under chapter 11 of subtitle 

24 B of the Violence Against Women Act of 1994 

25 (34 U.S.C. 12351 et seq.). 


lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with BILLS
36 

•S 2834 IS

1 (P) The Low Income Home Energy Assist2 ance Program and any other program adminis3 tered by the Department of Energy that pro4 vides residential home rehabilitation or energy 

5 efficiency assistance. 

6 (Q) Any other Federal housing programs 

7 providing affordable housing to low- and mod8 erate-income persons by means of restricted 

9 rents or rental assistance, or more generally 

10 providing affordable housing opportunities, as 

11 identified by the appropriate agency through 

12 regulations, notices, or any other means. 

13 (k) PAMPHLET.— 

14 (1) REQUIREMENT.—The Secretary of Housing 

15 and Urban Development, in consultation with the 

16 Director of the National Institutes of Health, the 

17 Administrator of the Environmental Protection 

18 Agency, and the heads of any other agencies the 

19 Secretary considers appropriate, shall develop, pub20 lish, and revise, not less frequently than every 5 

21 years, a pamphlet regarding indoor residential mold 

22 hazards. 

23 (2) CONTENT.—The pamphlet required under 

24 this subsection shall— 


lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with BILLS
37 

•S 2834 IS

1 (A) contain information regarding the 

2 health risks associated with exposure to indoor 

3 residential mold growth; 

4 (B) provide information on the hazards of 

5 indoor residential mold growth in federally-as6 sisted and federally-owned housing; 

7 (C) describe the risks of indoor residential 

8 mold exposure for persons residing in a dwelling 

9 with toxigenic mold; 

10 (D) provide information on approved meth11 ods for evaluating and reducing indoor residen12 tial mold growth and their effectiveness in iden13 tifying, reducing, eliminating, or preventing in14 door residential mold growth; 

15 (E) provide advice on how to obtain a list 

16 of persons certified to inspect or remediate in17 door residential mold growth in the area in 

18 which the pamphlet is to be used; 

19 (F) include a statement that a risk assess20 ment or inspection for indoor residential mold 

21 growth is recommended prior to the purchase, 

22 lease, or renovation of target housing; 

23 (G) include a statement that certain State 

24 and local laws impose additional requirements 

25 related to indoor residential mold growth in 


lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with BILLS
38 

•S 2834 IS

1 housing and provide a listing of Federal, State, 

2 and local agencies in each State, including ad3 dress, telephone number, and electronic mail 

4 address, if available, that can provide informa5 tion about applicable laws and available govern6 mental and private assistance and financing; 

7 (H) provide information considered by the 

8 Administrator of the Environmental Protection 

9 Agency to be appropriate or necessary to pro10 mote awareness of the hazards posed by indoor 

11 residential mold; 

12 (I) include information on indoor air qual13 ity safety generally, including best practices 

14 when cooking, taking a shower or bath, and 

15 smoking cessation; 

16 (J) be publicly available on the websites of 

17 the Department of Housing and Urban Devel18 opment, the Environmental Protection Agency, 

19 and other applicable Federal agencies; and 

20 (K) include any other information consid21 ered by the Administrator of the Environmental 

22 Protection Agency to be appropriate or nec23 essary. 

24 (3) TENANTS IN FEDERALLY-ASSISTED HOUS25 ING.—The Secretary of Housing and Urban DevelVerDate Sep 11 2014 21:09 Sep 20, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00038 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2834.IS S2834

lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with BILLS
39 

•S 2834 IS

1 opment and the Secretary of Agriculture shall en2 sure that a copy of the pamphlet required under this 

3 section is provided annually to all covered tenants 

4 mail by a hard copy left at the tenant address, by 

5 United States mail sent to the tenant, or by elec6 tronic mail sent to the tenant. 

7 (l) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 

8 authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be nec9 essary to carry out this section. 

10 SEC. 10. EMPOWERING TENANTS. 

11 (a) NOTIFICATION TO TENANTS OF INSPECTION RE12 SULTS.— 

13 (1) REQUIREMENT.—The Secretary of Housing 

14 and Urban Development shall provide direct notifica15 tion of the results of any inspection of covered prop16 erty to the tenants and resident organizations, as 

17 provided in this subsection. 

18 (2) METHOD.—Notification shall be provided to 

19 tenants in easy-to-understand language in the form 

20 of a written hard-copy document provided through 

21 United States mail or through electronic mail, or 

22 both, with one copy provided for the tenants of each 

23 building in the covered property, and shall include 

24 the inspection score and a detailed description of the 

25 inspection results, including any health and safety 


lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with BILLS
40 

•S 2834 IS

1 violations found and the timeline for their remedi2 ation, while ensuring tenant privacy. 

3 (3) POSTING.—The owner or manager of the 

4 covered property shall post a hard copy of the notifi5 cation of the inspection results in at least one cen6 trally located and easily-identifiable location each 

7 building of the covered property that is accessible to 

8 all tenants, which may include next to the front 

9 door, in communal space, or next to the mailboxes 

10 for tenants. 

11 (4) TIMING.—Notification shall be provided— 

12 (A) in the case of any inspection that 

13 found no severe health or safety issues, no later 

14 than 30 days after completion of the inspection; 

15 or 

16 (B) in the case of any inspection that 

17 found severe health and safety issues, as soon 

18 as the score is final. 

19 (5) OPPORTUNITY FOR TENANT QUESTIONS.— 

20 The notification shall include contact information, 

21 including electronic mail address, phone number, 

22 and mailing address, of the appropriate person or 

23 entity to contact should tenants have questions 

24 about the results of the inspection. Owners who fail 


lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with BILLS
41 

•S 2834 IS

1 to post the notice shall be subject to a Management 

2 and Occupancy Review. 

3 (b) REQUEST FOR SECOND INSPECTION.— 

4 (1) REQUIREMENTS.—Pursuant to a request 

5 made to the Secretary of Housing and Urban Devel6 opment, the Secretary shall carry out a subsequent 

7 inspection for a covered property that has passed a 

8 previous inspection, if the following requirements are 

9 met: 

10 (A) SCORE.—The passing test score for 

11 the previous inspection for the covered property 

12 did not exceed the minimum score required to 

13 pass inspection by more than 15 percent or the 

14 most recent score for an inspection for the cov15 ered property is 15 percent or more less than 

16 any other score for the property for an inspec17 tion of the property conducted during the pre18 ceding 10-year period. 

19 (B) TENANT VOTE.—A vote of tenants of 

20 the covered property was conducted on the 

21 proposition of whether the property should have 

22 passed the most recent inspection, which vote— 

23 (i) was administered by the tenant as24 sociation for the property or an inde25 pendent third party; 


lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with BILLS
42 

•S 2834 IS

1 (ii) utilizes the democratic process and 

2 may have utilized an anonymous voting 

3 platform, either electronically or through 

4 paper ballots, for casting votes; and 

5 (iii) resulted in 51 percent or more of 

6 the tenants residing in the property voting 

7 against the proposition that the property 

8 should have passed the most recent inspec9 tion. 

10 (C) NOTIFICATION.— 

11 (i) TO HUD.—The chief executive offi12 cer of the tenants association notifies the 

13 Secretary, the project-based contract ad14 ministrator for the covered property, and 

15 the owner or management of the property 

16 of the results of the vote and requests a 

17 second inspection for the covered property, 

18 which notification and request— 

19 (I) includes a copy of the tally of 

20 the vote; 

21 (II) does not, in verifying the 51 

22 percent majority vote, disclose person23 ally identifiable information of the 

24 tenants, including by their signatures; 

25 and 


lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with BILLS
43 

•S 2834 IS

1 (III) is transmitted, both by elec2 tronic mail and by mailing a hard 

3 copy, not later than 60 days after re4 ceipt of the notification under sub5 section (a) regarding the passing re6 sult of the previous inspection for the 

7 covered property. 

8 (ii) NOTIFICATION OF SECOND IN9 SPECTION SCORE.—Tenants shall be noti10 fied of the score of the second inspection 

11 using the same notification criteria as 

12 apply to the first inspection and shall be 

13 provided with the contact information of 

14 the person or entity that they can contact 

15 with any questions about the second in16 spection. 

17 (2) MEDIATION.—If a second inspection is con18 ducted pursuant to a vote under paragraph (1) and 

19 the covered property is assessed a passing score for 

20 such second inspection, and if another vote is taken 

21 that complies with the same requirements applicable 

22 under such paragraph to the first inspection, and 

23 such vote results in 51 percent or more of the ten24 ants residing in the property voting against the 

25 proposition that the property should have passed the 


lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with BILLS
44 

•S 2834 IS

1 second inspection, the Secretary shall provide a ten2 ant association representative an opportunity for 

3 mediation with the building owner and the project4 based contractor administrator regarding continuing 

5 issues and inspection findings and the process for a 

6 Management and Occupancy Review shall begin con7 currently. The mediation shall be conducted within 

8 180 days of the second inspection. 

9 (c) TENANT HOTLINE.—Commencing not later 90 

10 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Sec11 retary of Housing and Urban Development shall— 

12 (1) undertake ongoing activities to advertise the 

13 availability and telephone number of the Multifamily 

14 Housing Complaint Line of the Multifamily Housing 

15 Clearinghouse; 

16 (2) periodically provide tenants of covered prop17 erty, through the website of the Department and 

18 otherwise, as the Secretary considers appropriate, 

19 with information about what happens when they call 

20 the complaint line; 

21 (3) provide sufficient staff for the complaint 

22 line to ensure that the complaint line is sufficiently 

23 staffed for a minimum of 12 hours each day and so 

24 that the waiting time to speak live to an employee 


lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with BILLS
45 

•S 2834 IS

1 of the Department does not exceed 15 minutes on 

2 average as measured over a given one-week period; 

3 (4) ensure that the complaint line offers ten4 ants of covered properties intake for health and safe5 ty issues at such properties; 

6 (5) ensure that upon calling the complaint line, 

7 a tenant of a covered property is first informed of 

8 how to contact the project-based contract adminis9 trator for the property to discuss the issue the ten10 ant called about, and if the tenant has previously 

11 contacted such administrator or does not wish to in12 volve such administrator, the person answering the 

13 call on the complaint line is capable of providing as14 sistance for the tenant directly or can intake tenant 

15 information to assist with the request; 

16 (6) ensure that if the complaint line has re17 ceived calls within any 60-day period from tenants 

18 of a covered property representing 15 percent or 

19 more of the dwelling units in the property, the ap20 propriate regional office of the Department shall be 

21 notified; 

22 (7) ensure that if within three months after the 

23 notification of the appropriate regional office of the 

24 Department, the tenant hotline has received any ad25 ditional calls from tenants of the same covered propVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:44 Sep 19, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00045 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2834.IS S2834

lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with BILLS
46 

•S 2834 IS

1 erty, the headquarters office of the Department shall 

2 be notified; and 

3 (8) provide availability of translation services 

4 for the complaint line. 

5 (d) COVERED PROPERTY.—For purposes of this sec6 tion, the term ‘‘covered property’’ means a multifamily 

7 housing property that is subject to inspection by the Real 

8 Estate Assessment Center of the Department of Housing 

9 and Urban Development. 

10 (e) ADVANCE NOTICE TO TENANTS.—Not later than 

11 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the 

12 Secretary of Housing and Urban Development shall up13 date inspection procedures and requirements to ensure 

14 that tenants of covered properties have at least 7 days 

15 of advance notice of when their building will be inspected. 

16 In the advance notice of inspection, tenants shall be pro17 vided the opportunity to inform the Department of Hous18 ing and Urban Development or inspectors, or both, of spe19 cific issues regarding the unit or building. 

20 SEC. 11. HEALTHY HOMES INCENTIVE FOR REQUIRING IN21 DOOR RESIDENTIAL MOLD AND OTHER HAZ22 ARD DISCLOSURE. 

23 (a) SUPPLEMENTAL HEALTHY HOMES FUNDING.— 

24 There is authorized to be appropriated to Secretary of 

25 Housing and Urban Development for use under the 


lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with BILLS
47 

•S 2834 IS

1 Healthy Homes Initiative, pursuant to sections 501 and 

2 502 of the Housing and Urban Development Act of 1970 

3 (12 U.S.C. 1701z–1 and 1701z–2), and for related activi4 ties and assistance, $80,000,000, to remain available until 

5 September 30, 2028, for financial awards under this sec6 tion. Amounts appropriated pursuant to this section shall 

7 supplement, but not supplant, amounts otherwise appro8 priated. 

9 (b) FINANCIAL AWARDS.—The Secretary of Housing 

10 and Urban Development shall provide financial awards 

11 under this section for a fiscal year to each State, Indian 

12 tribe, county, unit of local government, and other unit of 

13 government that requires, to the satisfaction of the Sec14 retary, that during such fiscal year sellers of residential 

15 properties containing not more than 4 dwelling units shall 

16 complete and provide to the purchaser a disclosure form 

17 indicating the presence of all environmental hazards, in18 cluding radon, carbon monoxide, formaldeyde, lead, asbes19 tos, and indoor residential mold, that are known to the 

20 seller. Such a disclosure form shall be its own conspicuous 

21 form that includes information regarding health and dan22 gers about such environmental hazards. 

23 (c) USE.—Amounts provided as financial awards pur24 suant to this section shall be used only for activities that 

25 make health-related improvements to housing units that 


lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with BILLS
48 

•S 2834 IS

1 serve primarily low-income persons and are located within 

2 the jurisdiction of the State, Indian tribe, county, local 

3 government, or other unit of government that is awarded 

4 such assistance. 

5 SEC. 12. UNIFORM PHYSICAL INSPECTION SAMPLING. 

6 The Secretary of Housing and Urban Development 

7 shall revise the regulations of the Secretary under subpart 

8 G of part 5 of title 24, Code of Federal Regulations (relat9 ing to physical condition standards and inspection require10 ments), as follows: 

11 (1) ANNUAL INSPECTIONS.—In section 5.705, 

12 as amended by the final rule for National Standards 

13 for the Physical Inspection of Real Estate (88 Fed. 

14 Reg. 30442), to provide that physical inspections are 

15 conducted annually without exception. 

16 (2) SAMPLING OF UNITS.—To provide that, in 

17 carrying out uniform physical inspection require18 ments under an annual inspection, the Department 

19 of Housing and Urban Development shall ensure 

20 that any units in HUD housing that were not in21 spected during the previous two annual inspections 

22 shall be inspected during the next occurring annual 

23 inspection. 

24 (3) INCLUSION OF PRIORITY UNITS IN SCORE.— 

25 In carrying out uniform physical inspection requireVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:44 Sep 19, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00048 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2834.IS S2834

lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with BILLS
49 

•S 2834 IS

1 ments under an annual inspection, the Department 

2 of Housing and Urban Development shall ensure 

3 that any and all individual units requested to be in4 spected by tenants are included as part of the com5 posite score of the property. 

6 SEC. 13. DENIAL OF DEPRECIATION DEDUCTION FOR PROP7 ERTIES WITH FAILED NSPIRE INSPECTIONS. 

8 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 167 of the Internal Rev9 enue Code of 1986 is amended by redesignating subsection 

10 (i) as subsection (j) and by inserting after subsection (h) 

11 the following: 

12 ‘‘(i) DISALLOWANCE OF DEPRECIATION DEDUCTION

13 FOR PROPERTY WHICH FAILS NATIONAL STANDARDS

14 FOR THE PHYSICAL INSPECTION OF REAL ESTATE.— 

15 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in para16 graph (2), no depreciation deduction shall be allowed 

17 under this section (and no depreciation or amortiza18 tion deduction shall be allowed under any other pro19 vision of this subtitle) to the taxpayer for the taxable 

20 year with respect to any property described in sec21 tion 168(e)(2)(A)(i) which fails an NSPIRE inspec22 tion during the taxable year. 

23 ‘‘(2) EXCEPTIONS.— 

24 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—No deduction shall be 

25 denied under paragraph (1) in the case of a 


lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with BILLS
50 

•S 2834 IS

1 health or safety violation which causes a prop2 erty to fail an NSPIRE inspection if either— 

3 ‘‘(i) such violation is cured within 90 

4 days of the date of a failed inspection, or 

5 ‘‘(ii) the inspector finds sufficient evi6 dence that such violation was caused by 

7 the tenant and not by the owner or man8 agement of the property. 

9 ‘‘(B) EXTENSION OF TIME TO CURE.—The 

10 Secretary of Health and Human Services may 

11 provide 30-day extensions of the 90-day period 

12 described in subparagraph (A)(i) on a case-by13 case basis and communicate such extensions to 

14 the Secretary of the Treasury. 

15 ‘‘(3) NSPIRE INSPECTION.—The term 

16 ‘NSPIRE inspection’ means any housing inspection 

17 required under the National Standards for the Phys18 ical Inspection of Real Estate of the Real Estate As19 sessment Center of the Department of Housing and 

20 Urban Development. 

21 ‘‘(4) INCREASED DURATION FOR DISALLOW22 ANCE IN THE CASE OF MULTIPLE FAILED INSPEC23 TIONS.—In the case of a property which fails two 

24 consecutive NSPIRE inspections, paragraph (1) 

25 shall be applied by substituting ‘for the taxable year, 


lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with BILLS
51 

•S 2834 IS

1 and for the immediately succeeding taxable year,’ for 

2 ‘for the taxable year’. 

3 ‘‘(5) DISALLOWED DEPRECIATION AMOUNTS

4 MAY NOT BE TAKEN IN FUTURE YEAR.—The depre5 ciation deduction allowed with respect to the prop6 erty described in paragraph (1) with respect to any 

7 future taxable year shall be determined without re8 gard to the amount denied for any year for which 

9 such deduction was denied. 

10 ‘‘(6) BASIS ADJUSTMENTS.—If, but for this 

11 subsection, a depreciation or amortization deduction 

12 would be allowable to the taxpayer with respect to 

13 any property— 

14 ‘‘(A) the taxpayer’s basis in such property 

15 shall be reduced by any depreciation or amorti16 zation deductions disallowed under this sub17 section, and 

18 ‘‘(B) the basis of the remainder interest in 

19 such property shall be increased by the amount 

20 of such disallowed deductions. 

21 ‘‘(7) REGULATIONS AND GUIDANCE.— 

22 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, after 

23 consultation with the Secretary of Housing and 

24 Urban Development, shall prescribe such reguVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:44 Sep 19, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00051 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2834.IS S2834

lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with BILLS
52 

•S 2834 IS

1 lations as may be necessary or appropriate to 

2 carry out the purposes of this subsection. 

3 ‘‘(B) HUD SECRETARY.—Not later than 

4 one year after the date of the enactment of this 

5 subsection, the Secretary of Housing and 

6 Urban Development shall prescribe regulations 

7 to establish a mechanism for providing informa8 tion to the Secretary detailing which properties 

9 have failed an NSPIRE inspection during the 

10 taxable year and which properties have received 

11 extensions of time to cure. In creating this 

12 mechanism, the Secretary of Housing and 

13 Urban Development shall ensure that the Sec14 retary of the Treasury receives information 

15 about failing properties at least once per cal16 endar quarter.’’. 

17 (b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendment made by 

18 this section shall apply to taxable years beginning after 

19 the date that is one year after the date of the enactment 

20 of this Act. 

21 SEC. 14. SUPPORTING LANDLORDS TO RECEIVE TIMELY 

22 VOUCHER PAYMENTS. 

23 (a) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding and other provi24 sion of law, the Secretary of Housing and Urban Develop25 ment shall allow public housing agencies to approve a tenVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:44 Sep 19, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00052 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2834.IS S2834

lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with BILLS
53 

•S 2834 IS

1 ancy using a voucher provided under section 8(o) of the 

2 United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437f(o)) 

3 and make a payment under such voucher before inspection 

4 of the dwelling unit if the inspection will be conducted 

5 more than 14 days after receiving a tenancy package. 

6 (b) FAILED INSPECTIONS.—If the unit fails inspec7 tion and is not brought into compliance within 14 days, 

8 the owner of the unit shall repay the payment received 

9 from the public housing agency within the following 14 

10 days and shall not hold the tenant responsible for payment 

11 and shall not evict or terminate the tenant on such basis. 

12 If the tenant is in the unit at the time the payment is 

13 issued but the unit does not pass inspection, the public 

14 housing agency shall be responsible for relocating the ten15 ant and providing additional assistance. 

16 (c) ADDITIONAL INCENTIVES.—Within 180 days 

17 after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary 

18 of Housing and Urban Development shall establish addi19 tional incentives for public housing agencies to perform 

20 expedited inspection of dwelling units. 

21 SEC. 15. PROJECT-BASED CONTRACT ADMINISTRATOR RE22 PORTING REQUIREMENTS. 

23 The Secretary of Housing and Urban Development 

24 shall require, not later than 180 days after the date of 

25 the enactment of this Act, that project-based contract adVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:44 Sep 19, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00053 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2834.IS S2834

lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with BILLS
54 

•S 2834 IS

1 ministrators shall submit to the Secretary data on projects 

2 and project owners covering the previous 180 days, includ3 ing an analysis of any trends identified over the previous 

4 180 days on housing conditions, tenant complaints, tenant 

5 hospitalizations brought to the attention of the contract 

6 administrator, and any other information as required by 

7 the Secretary. 

8 SEC. 16. COORDINATION BETWEEN USDA AND HUD. 

9 Within 3 years after the date of the enactment of this 

10 Act, the Secretary of Agriculture shall ensure, to the 

11 greatest extent practicable, that the minimum require12 ments and physical quality standards for housing prop13 erties assisted by the Department of Agriculture meet or 

14 exceed the standards established by the Secretary of 

15 Housing and Urban Development pursuant to section 4 

16 of this Act. 

17 SEC. 17. GAO STUDY ON HEALTH AND SAFETY CONCERNS 

18 IN FEDERALLY-ASSISTED HOUSING. 

19 Not later than the expiration of the 3-year period be20 ginning on the date of the enactment of this Act, the 

21 Comptroller General of the United States shall submit a 

22 report to the Congress analyzing and assessing the com23 munication, as applicable, between public housing agen24 cies, landlords, and tenants over resolving problems with 

25 the health, safety, or other issues of dwelling units that 


lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with BILLS
55 

•S 2834 IS

1 are federally subsidized and inspected through subpart G 

2 of part 5 of title 24, Code of Federal Regulations, landlord 

3 responsiveness regarding such issues, opportunities for im4 provement in such communications, and how tenants un5 derstand their rights and how they are responded to when 

6 issues arise, including protocols for responding to tenant 

7 complaints and tenant understanding of such processes. 

8 The report shall include recommendations for how to im9 prove such communications and the physical quality of the 

10 housing stock for which such assistance is provided. 

11 SEC. 18. SENSE OF CONGRESS. 

12 It is the sense of the Congress that the Departments 

13 of the Treasury and Housing and Urban Development 

14 should work together cooperatively, including through de15 velopment of a Memorandum of Understanding if appro16 priate, to ensure that implementation of this Act is con17 sistent with the provisions of the Fair Housing Act (42 

18 U.S.C. 3601 et seq.). 

19 SEC. 19. ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS. 

20 There is authorized to be appropriated to the Sec21 retary of Housing and Urban Development— 

22 (1) $50,000,000, to remain available until Sep23 tember 30, 2024, for costs to the Department of im24 plementing this Act and the amendments made by 


lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with BILLS
56 

•S 2834 IS

1 this Act, including costs of providing staff to carry 

2 out this Act and such amendments; and 

3 (2) $10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2025 

4 and 2026 for continuing costs of carrying out this 

5 Act and the amendments made by this Act. 

Æ 


lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with BILLS