310 
SEC. 802. STREAMLINING RURAL HOUSING ACT. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days after the 
date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Housing 
and Urban Development and the Secretary of Agriculture 
shall enter into a memorandum of understanding to— 
(1) evaluate categorical exclusions under the en-
vironmental review process for housing projects 
funded by amounts from the Department of the 
Housing and Urban Development and the Depart-
ment of Agriculture; 
(2) develop a process to designate a lead agency 
and streamline adoption of Environmental Impact 
Statements and Environmental Assessments ap-
proved by the other Department to construct hous-
ing projects funded by both agencies; 
(3) maintain compliance with environmental 
regulations under part 58 of title 24, Code of Fed-
eral Regulations, as in effect on January 1, 2025, 
except as required to amend, add, or remove cat-
egorical exclusions identified under sections 58.35 of 
title 24, Code of Federal Regulations, through 
standard rulemaking procedures; and 
(4) evaluate the feasibility of a joint physical in-
spection process for housing projects funded by 
amounts from the Department of the Housing and 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
23:34 Feb 02, 2026
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00310
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H6337.IH
H6337
ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS
311 
Urban Development and the Department of Agri-
culture. 
(b) ADVISORY WORKING GROUP.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days 
after the date of enactment of this Act, the Sec-
retary of Housing and Urban Development and the 
Secretary of Agriculture shall establish an advisory 
working group for the purpose of consulting on the 
memorandum of understanding entered into under 
subsection (a). 
(2) MEMBERS.—The advisory working group 
established under paragraph (1) shall consist of rep-
resentatives of— 
(A) affordable housing nonprofit organiza-
tions; 
(B) State housing agencies; 
(C) nonprofit and for-profit home builders 
and housing developers; 
(D) property management companies; 
(E) public housing agencies; 
(F) residents in housing assisted by the 
Department of Housing and Urban Develop-
ment or the Department of Agriculture and 
representatives of those residents; and 
(G) housing contract administrators. 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
23:34 Feb 02, 2026
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00311
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H6337.IH
H6337
ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS
312 
(c) REPORT.—Not later than 1 year after the date 
of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Housing and 
Urban Development and the Secretary of Agriculture shall 
submit to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and 
Urban Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on Finan-
cial Services of the House of Representatives a report that 
includes recommendations for legislative, regulatory, or 
administrative actions— 
(1) to improve the efficiency and effectiveness 
of housing projects funded by amounts from the De-
partment of the Housing and Urban Development 
and the Department of Agriculture; and 
(2) that do not materially, with respect to resi-
dents of housing projects described in paragraph 
(1)— 
(A) reduce the safety of those residents; 
(B) shift long-term costs onto those resi-
dents; or 
(C) undermine the environmental stand-
ards of those residents. 
SEC. 803. IMPROVING SELF-SUFFICIENCY OF FAMILIES IN 
HUD-SUBSIDIZED HOUSING. 
(a) IN GENERAL.— 
(1) STUDY.—Subject to subsection (b), the Sec-
retary of Housing and Urban Development shall 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
23:34 Feb 02, 2026
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00312
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H6337.IH
H6337
ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS
313 
conduct a study on the implementation of work re-
quirements implemented prior to the date of enact-
ment of this Act by public housing agencies de-
scribed in paragraph (4) participating in the Moving 
to Work demonstration authorized under section 204 
of the Departments of Veterans Affairs and Housing 
and Urban Development, and Independent Agencies 
Appropriations Act, 1996 (42 U.S.C. 1437f note). 
(2) SCOPE.—The study required under para-
graph (1) shall— 
(A) consider the short-, medium-, and 
long-term benefits and challenges of work re-
quirements on public housing agencies described 
in paragraph (4) and on program participants 
who are subject to such requirements, including 
the effects work requirements have on home-
lessness rates, poverty rates, asset building, 
earnings growth, job attainment and retention, 
and public housing agencies’ administrative ca-
pacity; and 
(B) include quantitative and qualitative 
evidence, including interviews with program 
participants described in subparagraph (A) and 
their respective resident councils. 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
23:34 Feb 02, 2026
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00313
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H6337.IH
H6337
ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS
314 
(3) REPORT.—Not later than 180 days after 
the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary 
shall report the initial findings of the study required 
under paragraph (1) to the Committee on Banking, 
Housing, and Urban Affairs of the Senate and the 
Committee on Financial Services of the House of 
Representatives. 
(4) PUBLIC HOUSING AGENCIES DESCRIBED.— 
The public housing agencies described in this para-
graph are public housing agencies that, as part of an 
application to participate in the program under sec-
tion 204 of the Departments of Veterans Affairs and 
Housing and Urban Development, and Independent 
Agencies Appropriations Act, 1996 (42 U.S.C. 1437f 
note), submit a proposal identifying work require-
ments as an innovative proposal. 
(b) DETERMINATION.—The requirement under sub-
section (a) shall apply if the Secretary of Housing and 
Urban Development determines that— 
(1) there are a sufficient number of public 
housing agencies described in subsection (a)(4) such 
that the Secretary of Housing and Urban Develop-
ment can rigorously evaluate the impact of the im-
plementation of work requirements described in that 
subsection; and 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
23:34 Feb 02, 2026
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00314
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H6337.IH
H6337
ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS
315 
(2) the study would not negatively impact low- 
income families receiving assistance through a public 
housing agency described in subsection (a)(4). 
Æ 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
23:34 Feb 02, 2026
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00315
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6301
E:\BILLS\H6337.IH
H6337
ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS