I 
116TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 8886 
To amend title 18, United States Code, to provide for prohibitions on eviction, 
and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
DECEMBER 7, 2020 
Mr. COHEN introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 
on the Judiciary 
A BILL 
To amend title 18, United States Code, to provide for 
prohibitions on eviction, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Emergency Eviction 
Enforcement Act of 2020’’. 
SEC. 2. PROHIBITIONS ON EVICTION. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Part 1 of title 18, United States 
Code, is amended by adding at the end the following: 
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‘‘CHAPTER 125.—PROHIBITIONS ON 
EVICTION 
‘‘2741. Prohibition on eviction during national emergency. 
‘‘§ 2741. Prohibition on eviction during national 
emergency 
‘‘(a) CIVIL ACTION.—Any person injured by a viola-
tion of this section may bring a cause of action for injunc-
tive relief and damages equal to three times to amount 
of the injury, and may be awarded attorneys’ fees. 
‘‘(b) IN GENERAL.—Whoever, being a lessor of a cov-
ered dwelling, knowingly— 
‘‘(1) repossesses or physically attempts to re-
possess a covered dwelling from a tenant of the cov-
ered dwelling without a duly issued order from a 
court of jurisdiction; 
‘‘(2) threatens, harasses, intimidates, or creates 
a hostile environment for a tenant of a covered 
dwelling for the purpose of causing the tenant to va-
cate the covered dwelling; or 
‘‘(3) impairs the habitability of a covered dwell-
ing (including suspending utility service, changing 
locks, refusing to repair structure, plumbing, elec-
trical, ventilation systems, maintain appliances in 
state of good repair) for the purpose of causing the 
tenant to vacate the covered dwelling, 
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shall be punished as provided in subsection (c). 
‘‘(c) PUNISHMENTS.—Whoever violates subsection 
(b) shall— 
‘‘(1) for a first offense, be imprisoned not more 
than 1 year or fined under this title, or both; and 
‘‘(2) for each subsequent offense, be imprisoned 
for not more than 5 years or fined under this title, 
or both. 
‘‘(d) DEFINITION.—In this section, the term ‘dwell-
ing’— 
‘‘(1) has the meaning given the term in section 
802 of the Fair Housing Act (42 U.S.C. 3602); and 
‘‘(2) includes houses and dwellings described in 
section 803(b) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 3603(b)). 
For purposes of this section, a dwelling shall be located 
in an area designated by the President as a national emer-
gency, for the duration of the designation, under the Na-
tional Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.), Public 
Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 247d), or Robert T. Staf-
ford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 
U.S.C. 5121 et seq.).’’. 
(b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of chapters 
for such part is amended by adding at the end the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘125. Prohibitions on eviction ................................................................. 2741’’. 
Æ 
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