I 
115TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 6925 
To require reporting by the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development 
and the Comptroller General of the United States regarding sexual har-
assment in Federal housing assistance programs, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
SEPTEMBER 26, 2018 
Ms. VELA´ZQUEZ introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on the Judiciary 
A BILL 
To require reporting by the Secretary of Housing and Urban 
Development and the Comptroller General of the United 
States regarding sexual harassment in Federal housing 
assistance programs, 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 ‘‘Sexual Harassment 
Awareness and Prevention Act of 2018’’. 
SEC. 2. HUD REPORTS ON SEXUAL HARASSMENT. 
The Secretary of Housing and Urban Development 
shall include in the annual report required under section 
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809(e)(6) of the Fair Housing Act (42 U.S.C. 3608(e)(6)) 
the following information for the year involved: 
(1) The total number of complaints regarding 
harassment on the basis of sex (as defined under the 
regulations of the Secretary implementing such Act) 
that were received by the Department of Housing 
and Urban Development and handled under part 
100 of the Secretary’s regulations (24 C.F.R. Part 
100), disaggregated with respect to both number 
and percentage, by gender, race, familial status, per-
sons with disabilities, and persons who are elderly. 
(2) The number and percentage of the total 
number of complaints referred to in paragraph (1) 
that were made by tenants of, and applicants for 
programs for, covered housing, disaggregated by the 
program for assistance for the covered housing. 
(3) For each State, the number and percentage 
of the total number of complaints referred to in 
paragraph (1) that were made by residents of such 
State. 
(4) The number and percentage of the total 
number of complaints referred to in paragraph (1) 
that alleged that the complainant was retaliated 
against after reporting the alleged sexual harass-
ment and, of such number, the number and percent-
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age 
that 
alleged 
that 
the 
complainant 
was 
retaliatorily evicted. 
(5) The status of the complaints referred to in 
paragraph (1), including a detailed description of 
the resolutions and remedies provided and, for com-
plaints that were administratively closed, of the rea-
sons for such closures. 
(6) The number and percentage of the total 
number of complaints referred to in paragraph (1) 
that were handled by State or local agencies assisted 
under the Fair Housing Assistance Program author-
ized under sections 810 and 817 of the Fair Hous-
ing Act (42 U.S.C. 3610, 3616). 
(7) The number and percentage of the total 
number of complaints regarding harassment on the 
basis of sex that were referred to the Department of 
Justice by the Department of Housing and Urban 
Development and the number and percentage of 
such total number of complaints handled by the De-
partment of Justice that were not referred by the 
Department of Housing and Urban Development. 
SEC. 3. GAO REPORT ON SEXUAL HARASSMENT. 
(a) REVIEW AND ANALYSIS.—The Comptroller Gen-
eral of the United States shall conduct a review and anal-
ysis of the monitoring and enforcement by the Department 
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of Housing and Urban Development, the Department of 
Agriculture, the Department of the Treasury, and the De-
partment of Justice, of compliance with the prohibitions 
under the Fair Housing Act (42 U.S.C. 3601 et seq.) and 
applicable regulations regarding harassment on the basis 
of sex, which shall include— 
(1) identifying and determining the effective-
ness of— 
(A) any mechanisms used by the Depart-
ment of Housing and Urban Development, and 
all relevant program offices of the Department, 
including the Office of Public and Indian Hous-
ing and the Office of Community Planning and 
Development, to identify the extent to which 
applicants for or participants in programs for 
covered housing are being subjected to such 
harassment; 
(B) any actions that the Department of 
Housing and Urban Development, the Depart-
ment of Agriculture, the Department of the 
Treasury, and the Department of Justice, in-
cluding all relevant program offices within such 
agencies, are taking in response to complaints 
by such applicants and participants regarding 
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such harassment to prevent such harassment in 
the future; and 
(C) any policies and resources, of the De-
partment of Housing and Urban Development, 
the Department of Agriculture, the Department 
of the Treasury, the Department of Justice, in-
cluding all relevant program offices within such 
agencies, and public housing agencies, that are 
currently in effect or are currently available, re-
spectively, to serve applicants for or partici-
pants in programs for covered housing who are 
victims of sexual harassment; and 
(2) determining whether there are differences in 
the methods by which State and local agencies as-
sisted under the Fair Housing Assistance Program 
handle claims regarding harassment on the basis of 
sex and whether such differences yield different re-
sults for similar claims. 
(b) REPORT.—Not later than the expiration of the 
18-month period beginning on the date of the enactment 
of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United States 
shall submit to the Congress a report regarding the review 
and analysis conducted pursuant to subsection (a), which 
shall include assessments of the effectiveness of the mech-
anisms and actions referred to in paragraphs (1) and (2), 
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respectively, of subsection (a) and recommendations for 
additional actions, as appropriate, to better monitor and 
enforce compliance with the prohibitions under the Fair 
Housing Act and applicable regulations regarding harass-
ment on the basis of sex. 
SEC. 4. INTERAGENCY TASK FORCE. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—Effective upon the submis-
sion to the Congress of the report under section 3(b), 
there is established an Interagency Task Force on En-
forcement of Prohibitions Against Sexual Harassment 
Under the Fair Housing Act. 
(b) MEMBERSHIP.—The Task Force shall consist of 
the following members or their designees: 
(1) The Secretary of Housing and Urban Devel-
opment. 
(2) The Secretary of Agriculture. 
(3) The Secretary of the Treasury. 
(4) The Secretary of Veterans Affairs. 
(5) The Attorney General. 
(c) CHAIRPERSON.—The Chairperson of the Task 
Force shall be the Secretary of Housing and Urban Devel-
opment. 
(d) RESPONSIBILITIES.—The Task Force shall be re-
sponsible for implementing the recommendations made in 
the report submitted to the Congress under section 3(b) 
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and for addressing ongoing issues with respect to moni-
toring and enforcement by the Department of Housing 
and Urban Development, the Department of Agriculture, 
the Department of the Treasury, and the Department of 
Justice, of compliance with the prohibitions under the 
Fair Housing Act (42 U.S.C. 3601 et seq.) and applicable 
regulations regarding harassment on the basis of sex. 
(e) CONSULTATION.—The Task Force shall consult 
with tenants of covered housing (including tenant organi-
zations, such as resident advisory boards and resident 
councils), tenant advocates, anti-sexual violence advocacy 
organizations, and fair housing organizations to solicit 
feedback on implementation of the recommendations made 
in the report submitted to the Congress under section 3(b) 
and other Task Force activities. 
(f) MEETINGS.—The Task Force shall initially con-
vene not later than the expiration of the 30-day period 
beginning upon its establishment under subsection (a) and 
shall meet not less often than once each year thereafter. 
SEC. 5. COVERED HOUSING. 
For purposes of this Act, the term ‘‘covered housing’’ 
means— 
(1) housing assisted under the program for sup-
portive housing for the elderly under section 202 of 
the Housing Act of 1959 (12 U.S.C. 1701q), includ-
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ing the direct loans program under such section 202 
as in effect before the enactment of the Cranston- 
Gonzalez National Affordable Housing Act (Public 
Law 101–625; November 28, 1990); 
(2) housing assisted under the program for sup-
portive housing for persons with disabilities under 
section 811 of the Cranston-Gonzalez National Af-
fordable Housing Act (42 U.S.C. 8013); 
(3) housing assisted under the program for 
housing opportunities for people with AIDS/HIV 
under subtitle D of title VIII of the Cranston-Gon-
zalez National Affordable Housing Act (42 U.S.C. 
12901 et seq.); 
(4) housing assisted under any of the programs 
under subtitles B through F of title IV of the 
McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (42 
U.S.C. 11371 et seq.); 
(5) housing assisted under the HOME Invest-
ments Partnerships program under subtitle A of title 
II of the Cranston-Gonzalez National Affordable 
Housing Act (42 U.S.C. 12741 et seq.); 
(6) housing assisted under the rent supplement 
program under section 101 of the Housing and 
Urban Development Act of 1965 (12 U.S.C. 1701s); 
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(13) housing assisted under any of the rural 
housing assistance programs under section 514, 515, 
516, 533, 538, or 542 of the Housing Act of 1949 
(42 U.S.C. 1484, 1485, 1486, 1490m, 1490p–2, 
1490r); 
(14) any housing project for which equity is 
provided through any low-income housing tax credit 
pursuant to section 42 of the Internal Revenue Code 
of 1986 (26 U.S.C. 42); 
(15) housing assisted under the Comprehensive 
Service Programs for Homeless Veterans program 
under subchapter II of chapter 20 of title 38, United 
States Code (38 U.S.C. 2011 et seq.); 
(16) housing and facilities assisted under the 
grant program for homeless veterans with special 
needs under section 2061 of title 38, United States 
Code; 
(17) permanent housing for which assistance is 
provided under the program for financial assistance 
for supportive services for very low-income veteran 
families in permanent housing under section 2044 of 
title 38, United States Code; and 
(18) housing assisted under such other Federal 
housing programs, and federally subsidized dwelling 
units providing affordable housing to low-income 
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persons by means of restricted rents or rental assist-
ance, as may be identified for purposes of this sec-
tion by the appropriate agency. 
Æ 
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