Tenants’ Right to Organize Act

To promote the establishment of resident organizations and provide additional amounts for tenant organizations, and for other purposes. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Tenants’ Right to Organize Act 2. Sense of the Congress It is the sense of the Congress that tenants receiving tenant-based rental assistance have the right to decent, safe, stable and sanitary housing 3. Housing choice voucher tenant organizations Section 8(o) of the United States Housing Act of 1937 ( 42 U.S.C. 1437f(o) (22) Right to organize (A) In general Tenants receiving tenant-based rental assistance have the right to establish, operate, and participate in a resident organization for the purpose of addressing issues related to their living environment, which includes the terms and conditions of their tenancy as well as activities related to housing and community development and may not be retaliated against for asserting these rights. (B) Required engagement (i) Public Housing Agencies Each public housing agency shall— (I) recognize legitimate resident organizations; (II) solicit comments from all resident organizations not less than once each year; and (III) not later than 60 days after receiving a comment from a resident organization, meaningfully respond in writing to such comment. (ii) Owners of units Each owner— (I) shall recognize legitimate resident organizations; and (II) may not retaliate with respect to any tenant because of their association with a legitimate resident organization. (C) Protections (i) In general Each public housing agency and each owner may not interfere with the right of tenants to establish and operate a tenant organization. (ii) Protected activities Each public housing agency and each owner shall allow tenants and tenant organizers to conduct the following activities related to the establishment or operation of a tenant organization: (I) Distributing leaflets in lobby areas. (II) Placing leaflets at or under tenants' doors. (III) Distributing leaflets in common areas. (IV) Initiating contact with tenants. (V) Conducting door-to-door surveys of tenants to ascertain interest in establishing a tenant organization and to offer information about tenant organizations. (VI) Posting information on bulletin boards. (VII) Assisting tenants to participate in tenant organization activities. (VIII) Convening regularly scheduled tenant organization meetings in a space on site and accessible to tenants, in a manner that is fully independent of management representatives. In order to preserve the independence of tenant organizations, management representatives may not attend such meetings unless invited by the tenant organization to specific meetings to discuss a specific issue or issues. (iii) Permission A public housing agency or owner may not require tenants or tenant organizers to obtain prior permission before engaging in the activities permitted under this paragraph. (iv) Presumption If a public housing agency or owner takes an adverse action against a tenant that is a member of a tenant organization there shall be a rebuttable presumption that such adverse action is an act of retaliation relating to the participation of the tenant in the tenant organization. (D) Enforcement protocol (i) In general The Secretary shall, not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this paragraph, establish a protocol for the enforcement of this paragraph and such protocol shall— (I) include an independent investigation of tenant and advocate allegations of abuse and retaliation; (II) provide a mechanism for administrative complaints to be made and cataloged; (III) keep tenants informed about the progression of any complaint; (IV) prohibit the withholding of tenant-based rental assistance from any tenant that makes a complaint, until such complaint is closed; and (V) provide confidentiality where necessary, including in cases where alleged abuse is extreme and targeted. (ii) Report The Secretary shall, each quarter submit to Committee on Financial Services of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, a report with respect to the enforcement of this paragraph that— (I) provides all data at both the property-level and jurisdiction-level; and (II) includes information with respect to— (aa) the volume of outstanding complaints; (bb) the average response time for initial complaint; and (cc) the average time it takes to close a complaint. (iii) Authorization of appropriations There are authorized to be appropriated, to the Secretary, such sums as are necessary to carry out this paragraph. (E) Notice of right to organize (i) In general Each public housing agency shall notify each tenant receiving tenant-based rental assistance of the right to organize described in subparagraph (A) annually during the recertification process. (ii) Tenancy addendum The Secretary shall update the most recent Tenancy Addendum for the Section 8 Tenant-Based Assistance Housing Choice Voucher Program to describe the right to organize provided for in this subsection. (F) Definitions In this paragraph: (i) Tenant organizer The term tenant organizer (ii) Legitimate tenant organization The term legitimate tenant organization (iii) Owner The term owner means a person who owns a dwelling unit occupied by a tenant that receives rental assistance. . 4. LIHTC tenant organizations (a) In general Section 42(g) (10) LIHTC tenant organizations (A) Rights of tenants Tenants of rent-restricted units in any qualified low-income housing project shall have the same right as tenants described in section 8(o)(22)(A) of the United States Housing Act of 1937. (B) Responsibilities of owners and State housing credit agencies A project shall not be treated as a qualified low-income housing project for purposes of this section unless— (i) each owner of such project meets requirements which are the same as the requirements of subparagraphs (B)(ii) and (C) of section 8(o)(22) of the United States Housing Act of 1937, and (ii) each State housing credit agency meets requirements which are the same as the requirements of subparagraph (B)(i) and (C) of such section. (C) Enforcement protocol The Secretary, after consultation with the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, shall— (i) establish a protocol for the enforcement of this paragraph which is the same as the protocol established under section 8(o)(22)(D)(i) of the United States Housing Act of 1937, except that, for purposes of this subparagraph, the reference in such section to tenant-based rental assistance (ii) submit each quarter to the Committee on Ways and Means of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Finance of the Senate a report containing the information described in section 8(o)(22)(D)(ii) of the United States Housing Act of 1937 with respect to the enforcement of this paragraph with respect to qualified low-income housing projects. (D) Notice of right to organize Each State housing credit agency shall annually notify each owner and tenant of a rent-restricted unit of a qualified low-income housing project of the right to organize referred to in subparagraph (A). . (b) Effective date The amendment made by this section shall apply to taxable years beginning after the date of the enactment of this Act. 5. Funding for tenant and other participation and capacity building Paragraph (3) of section 514(f) of the Multifamily Assisted Housing Reform and Affordability Act of 1997 ( 42 U.S.C. 1437f (1) in subparagraph (A)— (A) in the first sentence— (i) by striking not more than not less than (ii) by striking of low-income housing for which project-based rental assistance is provided at below market rent levels and may not be renewed, (including transfer of developments to tenant groups, nonprofit organizations, and public entities), for tenant services and improvement of low-income housing for which project-based rental assistance, public housing subsidies, low-income housing tax credits, Federal or State subsidized loans, enhanced vouchers under section 8(t), or project-based vouchers under section 8(o) are provided or proposed (iii) in the second parenthetical clause, by inserting before the closing parenthesis the following: , and predevelopment assistance to enable such transfers (B) by inserting after the period at the end the following: For outreach and training of tenants and technical assistance, the Secretary shall implement a grant program utilizing performance-based outcome measures for eligible costs incurred. Recipients providing capacity building or technical assistance services to tenant groups shall be qualified nonprofit State-wide, countywide, area-wide, or city-wide organizations with demonstrated experience including at least a two-year recent track record of organizing and providing assistance to tenants, and independence from the owner, a prospective purchaser, or their managing agents. The Secretary may provide assistance and training to grantees in administrative and fiscal management to ensure compliance with applicable Federal requirements. The Secretary shall expedite the provision of funding for the fiscal year in which the date of the enactment of this Act occurs and by entering into an interagency agreement for not less than $1,000,000 with the Corporation for National and Community Service to conduct a tenant outreach and training program to eligible housing under this subsection. The Secretary shall also make available flexible grants to qualified nonprofit organizations that do not own eligible multifamily properties, for tenant outreach in underserved areas, and to experienced national or regional nonprofit organizations to provide specialized training or support to grantees assisted under this section. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, funds authorized under this paragraph for any fiscal year shall be available for obligation in subsequent fiscal years. The Secretary shall require each recipient of amounts made available pursuant to this subparagraph to submit to the Secretary reports, on a quarterly basis, detailing the use of such funds and including such information as the Secretary shall require. 6. Clarification of tenant participation in multi-family projects Section 202(a) of the Housing and Community Development Amendments of 1978 (12 U.S.C. 1715z–1b(a)) is amended by striking under 147f of title 42 under section 147f of title 42, including a project assisted under section 8(o)(13) of the Housing Act of 1937 7. Rulemaking The Secretary of Housing and Urban Development shall, not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this section, issue a rule revising section 964.150 of title 24, Code of Federal Regulations, to permit housing agencies to fund $25 per unit per year for units represented by duly elected resident councils for resident services.

Summary: Tenants' Right to Organize Act This bill provides for the right of tenants who receive certain rental assistance to establish, operate, and participate in a tenant organization. Specifically, tenants who participate in Housing Choice Voucher (i.e., Section 8 tenant-based housing assistance) or Low-Income Housing Tax Credit programs administered by the Department of Housing and Urban Development have the right to engage in a tenant organization to address issues related to their living environment and participate in community development activities. Public housing agencies and unit owners are required to recognize tenant organizations and allow tenants to conduct protected activities, including distributing leaflets, initiating tenant contact, and convening meetings in the building. A public housing agency or building owner may not require prior permission for any of these activities. Further, these entities may not retaliate against a tenant for participating in a tenant organization. The bill also provides grants for state and local organizations for training and outreach with respect to tenant organization capacity building and technical assistance.