I 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 5533 

To combat toxic indoor mold, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

SEPTEMBER 18, 2023 

Mr. COURTNEY (for himself and Mrs. BEATTY) introduced the following bill; 

which was referred to the Committee on Financial Services, and in addition to the Committees on Energy and Commerce, and Ways and Means, 

for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case 

for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the 

committee concerned 

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. 


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Sec. 6. Housing stock quality requirements. 

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

construction. 

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

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— 


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1 (A) indoor mold growth in residential prop2 erties; 

3 (B) conditions that facilitate indoor resi4 dential mold growth; or 

5 (C) indicia of conditions that are likely to 

6 facilitate indoor residential mold growth. 

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

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

9 capable of producing a toxin or toxic compound, in10 cluding mycotoxins and mVOCs, that can cause pul11 monary, respiratory, neurological, gastrointestinal, 

12 or dermatological illnesses, or other major adverse 

13 health impacts, as jointly determined by the Director 

14 of the National Institutes of Health, the Secretary 

15 of Housing and Urban Development, the Adminis16 trator of the Environmental Protection Agency, and 

17 the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and 

18 Prevention. 

19 SEC. 3. INTERAGENCY RESEARCH ON HEALTH IMPACTS OF 

20 INDOOR RESIDENTIAL MOLD. 

21 (a) RESEARCH.— 

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

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

24 the National Institute of Environmental Health 

25 Sciences at the National Institutes of Health, in 


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1 conjunction with the Secretary of Housing and 

2 Urban Development, the Director of the Centers for 

3 Disease Control and Prevention, the Administrator 

4 of the Environmental Protection Agency, the Sec5 retary of Energy, the Secretary of Health and 

6 Human Services, the President of the National 

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

8 directors of the National Institute of Building 

9 Sciences shall jointly conduct a comprehensive study 

10 of the health effects of indoor residential mold 

11 growth, using the most up-to-date scientific peer-re12 viewed medical literature. 

13 (2) CONTENTS.—The study conducted under 

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

15 (A) detailed information about harmful or 

16 toxigenic mold, as well as any toxin or toxic 

17 compound such mold can produce; 

18 (B) the most accurate research-based 

19 methods of detecting harmful or toxigenic mold; 

20 (C) potential dangers of prolonged or 

21 chronic exposure to indoor residential mold 

22 growth; 

23 (D) the hazards involved with inadequate 

24 residential mold inspections and improper in25 door residential mold remediation; 


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1 (E) the estimated current public health 

2 burden of new or exacerbated physical illness 

3 resulting from exposure to indoor residential 

4 mold, including its disproportionate impact on 

5 vulnerable communities, including children and 

6 seniors; 

7 (F) improved understanding of the dif8 ferent health symptomology that can result 

9 from exposure to mold in indoor residential en10 vironments; 

11 (G) ongoing surveillance of the prevalence 

12 of idiopathic pulmonary hemorrhage (AIPH) in 

13 infants; and 

14 (H) longitudinal studies on the effects of 

15 indoor old exposure in early childhood on the 

16 development of asthma and other respiratory 

17 illnesses. 

18 (3) AVAILABILITY.—Not later than the expira19 tion of the 3-year period beginning on the date of 

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

21 conducted under paragraph (1) shall be submitted to 

22 Congress and the President and made available to 

23 the general public. 


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

2 AND MODEL STANDARDS. 

3 (a) MODEL STANDARDS FOR PREVENTING, DETECT4 ING, AND REMEDIATING INDOOR RESIDENTIAL MOLD

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

6 study conducted under section 3, the Administrator of the 

7 Environmental Protection Agency, in conjunction with the 

8 Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, the Direc9 tor of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the 

10 Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and 

11 Health at the Occupational Safety and Health Adminis12 tration, the Secretary of Energy, the Executive Director 

13 of the National Institute of Building Sciences, and the 

14 President of the National Academy of Sciences shall, in 

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

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

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

18 safety, and habitability standards for preventing, detect19 ing, and remediating indoor residential mold growth, in20 cluding— 

21 (1) model indoor residential mold inspection 

22 standards; 

23 (2) model indoor residential mold remediation 

24 standards; 


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1 (3) standards for testing the toxicity of indoor 

2 residential mold and any toxin or toxic compound 

3 produced by indoor residential mold; 

4 (4) health and safety standards for the protec5 tion of indoor residential mold inspectors and re6 mediators; 

7 (5) standards for indoor residential mold test8 ing labs; 

9 (6) model ventilation standards for the design, 

10 installation, and maintenance of air ventilation or 

11 air-conditioning systems to prevent indoor residen12 tial mold growth or the creation of conditions that 

13 foster indoor mold growth in residential properties; 

14 and 

15 (7) model building code standards to control 

16 moisture and prevent mold growth in indoor residen17 tial environments. 

18 (b) CONSULTATION.—To the maximum extent pos19 sible, model standards issued under this section shall be 

20 developed in consideration of the needs and vulnerabilities 

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

22 (1) organizations that develop mold and water 

23 damage standards; 

24 (2) organizations involved in establishing na25 tional building construction standards; 


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1 (3) representatives of State or local authorities 

2 responsible for building inspections and issuance of 

3 certificates of occupancy; 

4 (4) organizations involved in improving indoor 

5 air quality; 

6 (5) public health advocates; and 

7 (6) health and medical professionals, including 

8 practitioners that care for children and other vulner9 able populations. 

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

11 section shall take into account geographic diversity, pro12 pensity for extreme weather or flooding, and other resil13 iency metrics. 

14 (d) DEADLINES.— 

15 (1) PUBLIC REVIEW AND COMMENT.—The offi16 cers identified in subsection (a) shall make draft 

17 standards issued under this section available for 

18 public review and comment at least 90 days prior to 

19 publication of the final standards or model stand20 ards pursuant to paragraph (2). 

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

22 after the results of the study conducted under sec23 tion 3 are submitted to Congress in accordance with 

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


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

2 standards and model standards under this section. 

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

4 in subsection (a) shall— 

5 (1) review the model standards issued under 

6 this section at least once every 3 years based on lat7 est scientific advances and published studies relating 

8 to indoor residential mold growth; and 

9 (2) update such standards and model standards 

10 as necessary to adequately and effectively inform the 

11 public and protect human health, preserve and im12 prove the quality of federally-assisted housing, and 

13 reduce the displacement of tenants. 

14 (f) PHYSICAL CONDITION INSPECTIONS.—Not later 

15 than 3 years after the publication of standards and model 

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

17 and Urban Development shall revise the requirements for 

18 conducting uniform physical condition inspections under 

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

20 successor regulation, to incorporate the model standards 

21 issued under this section, as applicable. 

22 SEC. 5. MAPPING. 

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

24 date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Hous25 ing and Urban Development shall, using the previous two 


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1 years of inspection data, establish a geographic informa2 tion system mapping tool that identifies areas which are 

3 impacted by a known presence of indoor residential mold. 

4 (b) REQUIRED INCLUSIONS.—The Secretary shall in5 clude, as part of the mapping tool— 

6 (1) inspection documentation; 

7 (2) management and occupancy reviews; 

8 (3) transfers of budget authority for contracts 

9 under section 8 of the United States Housing Act of 

10 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437f); and 

11 (4) any additional information, as required by 

12 the Secretary. 

13 (c) UPDATES.—The Secretary shall update the map14 ping tool with the latest inspection data not less often than 

15 once per year. 

16 SEC. 6. HOUSING STOCK QUALITY REQUIREMENTS. 

17 Section 8 of the United States Housing Act of 1937 

18 (42 U.S.C. 1437f) is amended by inserting after sub19 section (v) the following new subsection: 

20 ‘‘(w) STANDARDS FOR PHYSICAL CONDITION AND

21 MANAGEMENT OF HOUSING RECEIVING ASSISTANCE PAY22 MENTS.— 

23 ‘‘(1) STANDARDS.—Any entity receiving hous24 ing assistance payments under this section shall 

25 maintain decent, safe, and sanitary conditions, as 


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1 determined by the Secretary, and comply with any 

2 standards under applicable State or local laws, rules, 

3 ordinances, or regulations relating to the physical 

4 condition of any insured or non-insured property 

5 covered under a housing assistance payment con6 tract for project-based assistance. 

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

8 action under paragraph (3) when a multifamily 

9 housing project with a housing assistance payment 

10 contract under this section or a contract with the 

11 Department of Housing and Urban Development for 

12 similar project-based assistance— 

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

14 inspection by the Department; or 

15 ‘‘(B) fails to certify in writing to the Sec16 retary within 3 days that all severe health or 

17 safety deficiencies identified at the project by 

18 the inspector have been corrected. 

19 The requirements under this paragraph shall apply 

20 to insured and non-insured projects with assistance 

21 attached to the dwelling units under this section. 

22 ‘‘(3) NOTICE OF DEFAULT.— 

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

24 issuance of the Real Estate Assessment Center 

25 inspection, the Secretary shall provide the 


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1 owner with a notice of default that shall include 

2 a specified timetable, determined by the Sec3 retary, for correcting all deficiencies. 

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

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

6 the property, the local government for the juris7 diction within which the property is located, any 

8 mortgagees, and any contract administrator. 

9 ‘‘(C) APPEAL; WITHDRAWAL.—If the 

10 owner appeals the notice of default and the ap11 peal results in a passing Uniform Physical Con12 dition Standards score for the property, the 

13 Secretary may withdraw the notice of default. 

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

15 fully correct all deficiencies identified in the notice 

16 of default by the end of the time period for cor17 recting such deficiencies specified in the notice, the 

18 Secretary shall, in consultation with the tenant orga19 nization, one or more of the following actions, and 

20 provide additional notice of those actions to the 

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

22 to improve property conditions and preserve housing 

23 assistance: 

24 ‘‘(A) Take any regulatory or contractual 

25 remedies available as deemed necessary and apVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:44 Sep 19, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00012 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H5533.IH H5533

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1 propriate by the Secretary to improve property 

2 conditions, protect tenants from displacement 

3 and harm, and preserve the housing assistance. 

4 ‘‘(B) Require immediate replacement of 

5 the project management with a management 

6 agent approved by the Secretary. 

7 ‘‘(C) Abate the section 8 contract, includ8 ing partial abatement, as determined by the 

9 Secretary, until all deficiencies have been cor10 rected. 

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

12 owner approved by the Secretary, in consulta13 tion with the tenant organization, under estab14 lished procedures, who shall be obligated to 

15 promptly make all required repairs and to ac16 cept renewal of the assistance contract if such 

17 renewal is offered, in conjunction with the ap18 propriate public housing agency or other local 

19 entity. 

20 ‘‘(E) Transfer the existing section 8 con21 tract to another project or projects and owner 

22 or owners who have demonstrated financial and 

23 organizational capacity to rehabilitate the 

24 project, in consultation with tenants and the 

25 appropriate public housing agency. 


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1 ‘‘(F) Pursue exclusionary sanctions, in2 cluding suspensions or debarments from Fed3 eral programs. 

4 ‘‘(G) Relocate tenants while providing the 

5 same level of housing assistance. 

6 ‘‘(H) Seek judicial appointment of a re7 ceiver to manage the property and cure all 

8 project deficiencies or seek a judicial order of 

9 specific performance requiring the owner to 

10 cure all project deficiencies. 

11 ‘‘(I) Cooperate with receivership efforts by 

12 State or local governments or lenders which aim 

13 to improve the property conditions and preserve 

14 the project-based housing assistance. 

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

16 or other related party to stabilize the property 

17 in an attempt to preserve the property through 

18 compliance, transfer of ownership, or an infu19 sion of capital or other resources. 

20 ‘‘(5) PROHIBITION ON RENT INCREASES.—Ef21 fective upon the expiration of the 12-month period 

22 beginning on the date of the enactment of this sub23 section, the Secretary shall prohibit any increases in 

24 rents for dwelling units in the property until the 

25 owner fully corrects all deficiencies identified in the 


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1 notice of default or demonstrates an ability to finan2 cially address conditions by— 

3 ‘‘(A) providing a rehabilitation plan, devel4 oped in consultation with the tenants and ap5 proved by the Secretary; and 

6 ‘‘(B) separately demonstrating a written 

7 and enforceable commitment by the tenants and 

8 the Secretary that any increases will address 

9 the conditions of the property. 

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

11 shall take appropriate steps to ensure that project12 based contracts for rental assistance remain in ef13 fect, subject to the exercise of contractual abatement 

14 remedies to assist relocation of tenants for major 

15 threats to health and safety, taken after written no16 tice to the affected tenants. To the extent the Sec17 retary determines, in consultation with the tenants 

18 and the local government, that a property is not fea19 sible for continued rental assistance payments under 

20 such section 8 or other programs, based on consider21 ation of— 

22 ‘‘(A) the costs of rehabilitating and oper23 ating the property and all available Federal, 

24 State, and local resources, including rent ad25 justments under section 524 of the Multifamily 


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1 Assisted Housing Reform and Affordability Act 

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

3 ‘‘(B) environmental conditions that cannot 

4 be remedied in a cost-effective fashion, 

5 the Secretary may contract for project-based rental 

6 assistance payments with an owner or owners of 

7 other housing properties, and to the maximum ex8 tent practicable, ensure that the project-based rental 

9 assistance is available to tenants from the origi10 nating site. 

11 ‘‘(7) REPORTING.— 

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

13 submit a report to the Committees on Financial 

14 Services of the House of Representatives and 

15 Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs of the 

16 Senate semi-annually identifying all properties 

17 covered by this subsection that received a fail18 ing physical inspection score or have received 

19 an unsatisfactory management and occupancy 

20 review during the 36-month period ending upon 

21 submission of such report. Each such report 

22 shall include— 

23 ‘‘(i) identification of the enforcement 

24 actions being taken to address such condi25 tions leading to such score at each such 


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1 property, including imposition of civil 

2 money penalties and termination of sub3 sidies, and identification of properties that 

4 have such conditions multiple times; 

5 ‘‘(ii) identification of actions that the 

6 Department of Housing and Urban Devel7 opment is taking to protect tenants of such 

8 identified properties; and 

9 ‘‘(iii) any recommendations for admin10 istrative or legislative actions to further 

11 improve the living conditions at such prop12 erties. 

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

14 under subparagraph (A) shall be submitted not 

15 later than 30 days after the date of the enact16 ment of this subsection, and the second report 

17 shall be submitted within 180 days of the sub18 mission of the first report.’’. 

19 SEC. 7. CONSTRUCTION REQUIREMENTS FOR PUBLIC 

20 HOUSING AND CERTAIN OTHER FEDERALLY21 ASSISTED CONSTRUCTION. 

22 (a) EFFECTIVE DATE; APPLICABILITY.—The Sec23 retary of Housing and Urban Development shall take such 

24 actions and impose such standards and conditions as may 

25 be necessary or appropriate to ensure that any public 


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1 housing constructed after the date of the issuance of the 

2 model construction standards and techniques established 

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

4 such model standards and techniques. 

5 (b) MODEL CONSTRUCTION STANDARDS.— 

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

7 and Urban Development, jointly with the Executive 

8 Director of the National Institute of Building 

9 Sciences, and the President of the National Acad10 emy of Sciences, to the extent such Director and 

11 President agree to participate, shall develop model 

12 construction standards and techniques for pre13 venting and controlling indoor residential mold in 

14 new residential buildings. 

15 (2) CONTENTS.—The model standards and 

16 techniques shall provide for geographic differences in 

17 construction types and materials, geology, weather, 

18 and other variables that may affect indoor residen19 tial mold levels in new buildings. 

20 (3) CONSULTATION.—To the maximum extent 

21 possible, such standards and techniques shall be de22 veloped with— 

23 (A) the assistance of organizations involved 

24 in establishing national building construction 

25 standards and techniques; 


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1 (B) the assistance of organizations that de2 velop mold and water damage standards; 

3 (C) representatives of State or local au4 thorities responsible for building inspections 

5 and the issuance of certificates of occupancy; 

6 (D) public health advocates; and 

7 (E) housing advocates and organizations 

8 representing the interests of tenants. 

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

10 draft of the document containing the model stand11 ards and techniques available for public review and 

12 comment. The Secretary shall make final model 

13 standards and techniques available to the public not 

14 later than one year after the date of the enactment 

15 of this Act. 

16 (5) APPLICABILITY TO NEW CONSTRUCTION

17 AND REHABILITATION.—Within 1 year of the publi18 cation of the final model standards and techniques 

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

20 and Urban Development, the Secretary of Health 

21 and Human Services, the Secretary of Energy, the 

22 Administrator of the Environmental Protection 

23 Agency, the Secretary of the Treasury, and the Sec24 retary of Defense shall each include such model 

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1 dential rehabilitation or new construction projects 

2 funded with Federal appropriations made available 

3 by such agencies. 

4 (6) APPLICABILITY TO RENTAL ASSISTANCE

5 DEMONSTRATION AND RAD SECTION 18 BLEND PRO6 GRAMS.—Within 1 year of the publication of the 

7 final model standards and techniques required by 

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

9 Development shall ensure that any rehabilitation or 

10 new construction through the Rental Assistance 

11 Demonstration program under the heading ‘‘Rental 

12 Assistance Demonstration’’ in title II of the Trans13 portation, Housing and Urban Development, and 

14 Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2012 (division 

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

16 any program blending such Rental Assistance Dem17 onstration and section 18 of the United States 

18 Housing Act of 1937 complies with such model 

19 standards and techniques. 

20 SEC. 8. PRESERVATION GRANTS FOR PROPERTIES RECEIV21 ING SECTION 8 PROJECT-BASED RENTAL AS22 SISTANCE. 

23 (a) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 

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1 ers of properties receiving project-based subsidy contracts 

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

3 (42 U.S.C. 1437f) or to municipalities or other units of 

4 local government that may administer repairs to a prop5 erty receiving such project-based subsidy contracts, 

6 $250,000,000, which shall remain available until ex7 pended. 

8 (b) SET ASIDE FOR NEW CONSTRUCTION.— 

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

10 provided pursuant to this section, not less than 10 

11 percent shall be available to eligible recipients de12 scribed in subsection (a) for the purpose of adding 

13 new dwelling units to properties already receiving 

14 project-based subsidy contracts under section 8 of 

15 the United States Housing Act of 1937. 

16 (2) ELIGIBILITY.—Funds made available under 

17 this subsection for new construction may only be 

18 used by an eligible recipients who are already receiv19 ing an award for rehabilitation under this section. 

20 (3) PRIORITY OF WORK.—Eligible recipients 

21 who receive funds for both new construction and for 

22 rehabilitation shall complete rehabilitation work be23 fore beginning new construction and shall provide 

24 certification to the Secretary, in a manner to be de25 termined by the Secretary, that the rehabilitation 


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1 has been completed in a satisfactory manner to 

2 eliminate health and safety risks before receiving 

3 any funds for new construction. 

4 (4) MODEL BUILDING STANDARDS.—Within one 

5 year after the publication of the model building 

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

7 require eligible recipients who receive funds for new 

8 construction and rehabilitation to ensure that new 

9 construction and rehabilitation projects are in com10 pliance with the model building standards and tech11 niques developed under section 7(b)(1). 

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

13 the total amount of funds provided pursuant to this sec14 tion, not less than 3 percent shall be used to provide tech15 nical assistance to applicants and to advertise the avail16 ability of funds under this section to areas disproportion17 ately impacted by health and safety concerns in federally18 assisted housing. 

19 (d) USE OF AMOUNTS.— 

20 (1) IN GENERAL.—Amounts provided pursuant 

21 to this section shall be used for competitive grants 

22 and low-interest loans for capital improvements to 

23 such properties, including grants for activities that 

24 mitigate threats to the health and safety of resi25 dents, reduce lead-based paint hazards, reduce other 


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1 housing-related hazards, including carbon monoxide, 

2 radon, or indoor residential mold, improve water and 

3 energy efficiency, or reduce the risk of harm to occu4 pants or property from natural hazards, or for low5 interest loans for the same use. 

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

7 of such a property shall be eligible for— 

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

9 owner is a nonprofit entity; and 

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

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

12 entity. 

13 (3) ELIGIBILITY OF UNITS OF LOCAL GOVERN14 MENT.—A municipal government, county, or other 

15 unit of local government may receive a grant under 

16 this section if sufficient capacity is demonstrated in 

17 their application to the Secretary of Housing and 

18 Urban Development. 

19 (e) GRANTS FOR AREAS OF HIGH AND PERSISTENT

20 POVERTY.—Of any amounts made available pursuant to 

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

22 without regard to any requirement regarding minimum 

23 grant amount and only for eligible uses within or directly 

24 benefitting— 


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1 (1) any county that has consistently had 20 

2 percent or more of the population living in poverty 

3 during the 30-year period preceding the date of en4 actment of this Act, as measured by the decennial 

5 census data obtained during those years and the 

6 most recent annual Small Area Income and Poverty 

7 Estimates as estimated by the Bureau of the Cen8 sus; 

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

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

11 year data series available from the American Com12 munity Survey of the Census Bureau; or 

13 (3) any census tract having a predominantly 

14 disenfranchised population or a population dis15 proportionately impacted by health and safety haz16 ards in federally-assisted housing (as defined by the 

17 Secretary). 

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

19 section, the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development 

20 shall prioritize awards that ameliorate or prevent indoor 

21 residential mold or other severe health or safety threats. 

22 (g) WAGE RATE REQUIREMENTS.—Projects funded 

23 with funds provided under this section shall comply with 

24 the same requirements of subchapter IV of chapter 31 of 


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1 title 40, United States Code that are applicable to con2 tracts described in section 3142(a) of such title. 

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

4 and low-interest loans under this section shall— 

5 (1) be provided through the policies, proce6 dures, contracts, and transactional infrastructure of 

7 the authorized programs administered by the De8 partment of Housing and Urban Development, on 

9 such terms and conditions as the Secretary of Hous10 ing and Urban Development deems appropriate to 

11 ensure the maintenance and preservation of the 

12 property, the continued operation and maintenance 

13 of energy efficiency technologies, and the timely ex14 penditure of funds; and 

15 (2) include a financial assessment and physical 

16 inspection of such property. 

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

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

19 property shall have at least a satisfactory management 

20 and occupancy review rating, be in substantial compliance 

21 with applicable performance standards and legal require22 ments, and commit to an additional period of affordability 

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

24 years. Owners shall include nonprofit owners and preserVerDate Sep 11 2014 20:44 Sep 20, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00025 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H5533.IH H5533

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1 vation purchasers, including public housing agencies and 

2 nonprofit developers. 

3 (j) LOAN TERMS.— 

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

5 shall— 

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

7 the Secretary, that— 

8 (i) does not exceed by 3 percentage 

9 points the discount window primary credit 

10 interest rate most recently published on 

11 the Federal Reserve Statistical Release 

12 on selected interest rates (daily or week13 ly), commonly referred to as the ‘‘H.15 re14 lease’’ or the ‘‘Federal funds rate’’; and 

15 (ii) is below the average interest rate 

16 at the given time for a home improvement 

17 loan; and 

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

19 20 years, as determined by the Secretary based 

20 on the credit of the borrower. 

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

22 receiving a loan under this section does not use the 

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

24 does not maintain the affordability of the property 

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


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1 with any other requirements established by the Sec2 retary, the Secretary shall— 

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

4 30 days to ameliorate any violations; and 

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

6 ameliorated— 

7 (i) increase the interest rate of the 

8 loan by not less than 15 percentage points 

9 above the Federal funds rate; and 

10 (ii) reduce the term to maturity of the 

11 loan to not more than 5 years. 

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

13 The Secretary shall establish conditions on the receipt of 

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

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

16 take reasonable steps to ensure that the owner or 

17 purchaser has no significant record of material non18 compliance with applicable program standards and 

19 has demonstrated capacity to perform the obliga20 tions specified under this section. 

21 (2) REPAIRS.—The Secretary shall require own22 ers to agree to promptly make all required repairs, 

23 and when required by the Secretary, to develop a re24 habilitation plan in consultation with the tenants 

25 and that will be approved by the Secretary, in conVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:44 Sep 19, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00027 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H5533.IH H5533

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1 junction with appropriate capital needs planning and 

2 required reserves, to ensure the provision of decent, 

3 safe, and sanitary housing throughout the full term 

4 of any extended restrictions and contracts. 

5 (3) USE RESTRICTIONS.—The Secretary shall 

6 require owners to agree to a longer use restriction 

7 of 50 years and to agree to a perpetually required 

8 renewal of the housing assistance payments contract 

9 if offered by the Secretary. 

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

11 available pursuant to this section, the Secretary of Hous12 ing and Urban Development may transfer up to 0.5 per13 cent to the account for ‘‘Department of Housing and 

14 Urban Development, Program Offices—Office of Hous15 ing’’ for necessary costs of administering and overseeing 

16 the obligation and expenditure of amounts made available 

17 pursuant to this section and such transferred amounts 

18 shall remain available until September 30, 2028. 

19 SEC. 9. PUBLIC INFORMATION AND EDUCATION CAMPAIGN. 

20 (a) REQUIREMENT.—The Administrator of the Envi21 ronmental Protection Agency, the Secretary of Housing 

22 and Urban Development, and the heads of any other rel23 evant Federal agencies, as determined by such Adminis24 trator and Secretary, shall jointly develop and carry out 

25 a public information and education campaign regarding 


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1 indoor air quality and related issues that provides infor2 mation required under this section on a recurring and an3 nual basis through public outreach. The campaign shall 

4 commence within 1 year after the date of the enactment 

5 of this Act. 

6 (b) TOPICS.—The information and education cam7 paign shall include information on the dangers and pre8 vention of indoor residential moisture and mold, volatile 

9 organic compounds, dust, smoking, pollution, indoor ori10 gins of smoke, including cooking, and any other health 

11 risks, as determined by such Administrator and Secretary. 

12 (c) INDOOR RESIDENTIAL MOLD INFORMATION.— 

13 The information and education campaign shall include, at 

14 minimum, the following information regarding indoor resi15 dential mold: 

16 (1) The conditions that facilitate indoor resi17 dential moisture and mold growth. 

18 (2) Guidelines for inspecting indoor residential 

19 mold growth. 

20 (3) Guidelines for remediating indoor residen21 tial mold growth. 

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

23 indoor residential mold growth. 


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1 (5) The importance of ventilation and methods 

2 to prevent moisture accumulation in indoor residen3 tial environments. 

4 (6) Any other information as determined appro5 priate by the heads of the agencies referred to in 

6 subsection (a). 

7 (d) TENANT RIGHTS INFORMATION.—The informa8 tion and education campaign shall include providing cov9 ered tenants with information on tenant rights to a safe 

10 and habitable living environment and other related infor11 mation as determined by the Secretary of Housing and 

12 Urban Development, which shall include information on 

13 who to contact if a tenant experiences problems or issues 

14 with building management or ownership, including, in the 

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

16 assistance how to contact the performance-based contract 

17 administrator and, in the case of the Housing Choice 

18 Voucher program how to contact the housing authority. 

19 (e) MODES OF COMMUNICATION.— 

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

21 education campaign shall provide education and in22 formation through modes of communication that are 

23 commonly utilized and able to be easily consumed by 

24 relevant individuals or organizations, which shall in25 clude communication through advertisements on 


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1 public transit in all 50 States and in territories and 

2 possessions of the United States, and distribution of 

3 the pamphlet developed pursuant to subsection (j) as 

4 required under such subsection. 

5 (2) AVAILABILITY.—All education and informa6 tion that is part of the information and education 

7 campaign shall be made publicly available on the 

8 websites of the Environmental Protection Agency, 

9 the Department of Housing and Urban Develop10 ment, and any other applicable Federal agencies. 

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

12 education campaign shall be designed to reach tenants, 

13 tenant organizations working directly with tenants in 

14 project-based rental assistance and other types of feder15 ally-assisted housing, resident groups, landlords, health 

16 professionals, the general public, homeowners, prospective 

17 homeowners, the real estate industry, the home construc18 tion and renovation industries, the health, property and 

19 casualty, and life insurance industries, technical and voca20 tional schools and colleges, and other academic institu21 tions. 

22 (g) INFORMATION SPECIFIC TO HEALTH PROFES23 SIONS.—The public information and education campaign 

24 shall include information about warning signs of mold and 

25 other indoor air exposure pollutants and shall include eduVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:44 Sep 19, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00031 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H5533.IH H5533

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1 cation for health professions on mold-related illness, in2 cluding for health professions who work with vulnerable 

3 populations and children in school or daycare settings. 

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

5 the public information and education campaign, the heads 

6 of the agencies referred to in subsection (a) may coordi7 nate with the Ad Council. 

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

9 public information and education campaign— 

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

11 as determined by the Secretary, based on the most 

12 common languages spoken in the neighborhood, 

13 tribe, municipality, State, or region, and may be pro14 vided in additional languages based on the most 

15 common languages spoken in the neighborhood, 

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

17 by the Secretary; and 

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

19 sixth grade reading level and is easy to understand. 

20 (j) PROVISION TO COVERED TENANTS.— 

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

22 Urban Development, the Secretary of Agriculture, 

23 the Secretary of the Treasury, the Secretary of Vet24 erans Affairs, and the Attorney General shall ensure 

25 that all appropriate information under the informaVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:44 Sep 19, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00032 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H5533.IH H5533

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1 tion and education campaign is provided to covered 

2 tenants upon signing and any renewal of a lease for 

3 the dwelling unit of assisted housing that the cov4 ered tenant resides in. 

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

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

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

8 through tenant-based or project-based assistance, 

9 under a housing assistance program administered by 

10 the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development or 

11 the Secretary of Agriculture or who receives rental 

12 housing assistance under a program administered by 

13 either such Secretary, including the following pro14 grams: 

15 (A) The program under section 202 of the 

16 Housing Act of 1959 (12 U.S.C. 1701q), in17 cluding the direct loan program under such sec18 tion. 

19 (B) The program under section 811 of the 

20 Cranston-Gonzalez National Affordable Hous21 ing Act (42 U.S.C. 8013). 

22 (C) The program under subtitle D of title 

23 VIII of the Cranston-Gonzalez National Afford24 able Housing Act (42 U.S.C. 12901 et seq.). 


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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. 


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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.). 


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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— 


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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 


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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 20:44 Sep 20, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00038 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H5533.IH H5533

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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 


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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 


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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; 


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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 


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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 


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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 


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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 

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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 


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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 


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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.— 

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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 


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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, 


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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\H5533.IH H5533

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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\H5533.IH H5533

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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\H5533.IH H5533

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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 


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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 


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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 


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