I 

117TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 6529 

To require owners of a covered federally assisted rental dwelling units to 

install self-closing doors in such units, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JANUARY 28, 2022 

Mr. TORRES of New York introduced the following bill; which was referred 

to the Committee on Financial Services 

A BILL 

To require owners of a covered federally assisted rental dwelling units to install self-closing doors in such units, 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. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘lllll Act of 

5 2022’’. 

6 SEC. 2. SELF-CLOSING DOORS. 

7 (a) PLAN.—Each owner of a covered federally as8 sisted rental dwelling unit shall, not later than 1 year after 

9 the date of the enactment of this Act, ensure that all 

10 doors, in the building that contains the covered federally 


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1 assisted rental dwelling unit, that provide access to inte2 rior corridors and stairwells are self-closing doors and that 

3 such self-closing doors are maintained. 

4 (b) CERTIFICATION.—Each owner of a covered feder5 ally assisted rental dwelling unit shall certify under pen6 alty of perjury each month to the Secretary of Housing 

7 and Urban Development in such manner as the Secretary 

8 may require that all doors in the building that contains 

9 the covered federally assisted rental dwelling unit owned 

10 by the owner, that provide access to stairwells are self11 closing doors and that such self-closing doors are main12 tained. 

13 (c) INSPECTION.—The proper installation, mainte14 nance, and functioning of self-closing doors in a building 

15 containing a covered federally assisted dwelling unit shall 

16 be included in all inspections required by the Secretary. 

17 (d) GUIDANCE.—The Secretary shall provide guid18 ance to public housing agencies (as defined in section 

19 3(b)(6) of the United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 

20 U.S.C. 1437a(b)(6))) with respect to how to educate ten21 ants about self-closing doors, and other health and safety 

22 measures, to help advance primary prevention and prevent 

23 future deaths and other harms in covered federally as24 sisted dwelling units. 


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1 (e) REPORT.—Not later than 1 year after the date 

2 of the enactment of this Act, and each year thereafter, 

3 the Secretary shall submit a report to the Congress that— 

4 (1) describes the status of the implementation 

5 of subsection (a), and includes— 

6 (A) the number of covered federally as7 sisted dwelling units without a self-closing door; 

8 (B) the number of self-closing doors that 

9 have been installed by owners of covered feder10 ally assisted dwelling units; 

11 (C) the number of fatalities that occurred 

12 due to fire in the 1-year period preceding the 

13 date on which the report is submitted in build14 ings containing a covered federally assisted 

15 dwelling unit and what fire safety features such 

16 buildings had installed, including whether the 

17 buildings had self-closing doors installed; 

18 (D) a list of any owners of covered feder19 ally assisted housing that have not complied 

20 with the certification required described in sub21 section (b) in the 1-year period preceding the 

22 date on which the report is submitted; and 

23 (E) the results of any inspections of cov24 ered federally assisted dwelling units conducted 


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1 by the Secretary that included an inspection of 

2 self-closing doors; and 

3 (2) discloses the results of data collection insti4 tuted by the Secretary before the date of the enact5 ment of this Act to determine the prevalence of self6 closing doors in covered federally assisted dwelling 

7 units. 

8 (f) RELATION TO STATE AND LOCAL LAW.—This 

9 section does not annul, alter, or affect, or exempt any per10 son subject to the provisions of this section from com11 plying with, the laws of any State or unit of local govern12 ment with respect to installing or maintaining self-closing 

13 doors, except to the extent that those laws are more strin14 gent than any provision of this section, and then only to 

15 the extent of the inconsistency. The Secretary is author16 ized to determine whether such inconsistencies exist and 

17 may not determine that the law of any State or unit of 

18 local government is inconsistent with any provision of this 

19 section if the Secretary determines that such law provides 

20 for greater protection or safety. 

21 (g) DEFINITIONS.—For the purposes of this Act: 

22 (1) ASSISTANCE.—The term ‘‘assistance’’ 

23 means any grant, loan, subsidy, contract, cooperative 

24 agreement, or other form of financial assistance, but 

25 such term does not include the insurance or guarVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:46 Jan 29, 2022 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H6529.IH H6529

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1 antee of a loan, mortgage, or pool of loans or mort2 gages. 

3 (2) SELF-CLOSING DOOR.—The term ‘‘self clos4 ing door’’ means a door that— 

5 (A) when opened and released, returns to 

6 the closed position; and 

7 (B) complies with the accessible door 

8 standards most recently issued by the American 

9 National Standards Institute. 

10 (3) COVERED FEDERALLY ASSISTED HOUS11 ING.—The term ‘‘covered federally assisted rental 

12 dwelling unit’’ means a residential dwelling unit that 

13 is made available for rental and for which assistance 

14 is provided, or that is part of a housing project for 

15 which assistance is provided, under— 

16 (A) the public housing program under the 

17 United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 

18 1437 et seq.); 

19 (B) the programs for rental assistance 

20 under section 8 of the United States Housing 

21 Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437f), including— 

22 (i) the program for project-based rent23 al assistance; and 

24 (ii) the program for tenant-based 

25 rental assistance; 


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1 (C) the AIDS Housing Opportunities pro2 gram under subtitle D of title VIII of the Cran3 ston-Gonzalez National Affordable Housing Act 

4 (42 U.S.C. 12901 et seq.); 

5 (D) the program for supportive housing for 

6 the elderly under section 202 of the Housing 

7 Act of 1959 (12 U.S.C. 1701q); 

8 (E) the program for supportive housing for 

9 persons with disabilities under section 811 of 

10 the Cranston-Gonzalez National Affordable 

11 Housing Act (42 U.S.C. 24 8013); or 

12 (F) the programs under sections 514, 515, 

13 and 516 of the Housing Act of 1949. 

14 (4) OWNER.—The term ‘‘owner’’ means, with 

15 respect to a covered federally assisted rental dwelling 

16 unit, any private person or entity, including a coop17 erative, an agency of the Federal Government, or a 

18 public housing agency, having the legal right to lease 

19 or sublease dwelling units. 

20 (5) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 

21 the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. 

Æ 


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