I 
119TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 7107 
To require the Inspector General of the Department of Housing and Urban 
Development to provide a report to the Congress on the non-compliance 
of the New York City Housing Authority, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JANUARY 15, 2026 
Mr. LAWLER introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Financial Services 
A BILL 
To require the Inspector General of the Department of Hous-
ing and Urban Development to provide a report to the 
Congress on the non-compliance of the New York City 
Housing Authority, 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 ‘‘Accountability for 
NYCHA Act of 2026’’. 
SEC. 2. CONGRESSIONAL FINDINGS. 
The Congress finds that— 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
21:12 Feb 02, 2026
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00001
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H7107.IH
H7107
kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
(1) the New York City Housing Authority (in 
this Act referred to as the ‘‘Authority’’) is the larg-
est housing authority in the United States, providing 
housing for over 520,000 residents in over 177,000 
apartments in the City of New York (in this Act re-
ferred to as the ‘‘City’’); 
(2) the Authority is a public housing agency 
that receives Federal financial assistance from the 
Department of Housing and Urban Development (in 
this Act referred to as the ‘‘Department’’) to admin-
ister its public housing program; 
(3) the Authority is required to, among other 
things, provide decent, safe, and sanitary housing 
for the public housing residents of the City and com-
ply with Federal law protecting children from the 
hazards of lead poisoning; 
(4) on June 11, 2018, the United States filed 
a complaint in the United States District Court for 
the Southern District of New York (in this Act re-
ferred to as the ‘‘Complaint’’); which set forth the 
findings of the United States investigation, alleging, 
among other things, that the Authority had— 
(A) routinely failed to comply with lead- 
based paint safety regulations; 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
21:12 Feb 02, 2026
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00002
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H7107.IH
H7107
kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
(B) failed to provide decent, safe, and san-
itary housing, including with respect to the pro-
vision of heat and elevators and the control and 
treatment of mold and pests; and 
(C) repeatedly misled the Department 
through false statements and deceptive prac-
tices; 
(5) in a Consent Decree executed June 11, 
2018, the Authority made admissions regarding, 
among other things, deficiencies in physical condi-
tions with respect to lead, mold, heating, elevators 
and pests and made untrue statements to the De-
partment regarding the conditions of the Authority’s 
properties and practices with regard to Public Hous-
ing Assessment System inspections; 
(6) based on the Authority’s misconduct as de-
tailed in the Complaint, on January 31, 2019, the 
Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (in 
this Act referred to as the ‘‘Secretary’’) declared 
that the Authority is in substantial default within 
the meaning of section 6(j)(3)(A) of the United 
States 
Housing 
Act 
of 
1937 
(42 
U.S.C. 
1437d(j)(3)(A)); 
(7) the Department did not take possession of 
the Authority or appoint a receiver, but instead en-
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
21:12 Feb 02, 2026
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00003
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H7107.IH
H7107
kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
tered into a voluntary agreement between the Au-
thority, the Department, and the City on January 
31, 2019, under which the Authority agreed to rem-
edy noted deficiencies subject to the oversight of a 
Monitor appointed by the City; 
(8) as of the date of the enactment of this Act, 
the Authority has still fully not complied with the 
agreement, including the remedying of deficiencies 
or compliance with its obligations under Federal law; 
(9) the Department and the United States At-
torney’s Office for the Southern District of New 
York have sought to extend the term of a Monitor 
over the Authority for an additional 5 years begin-
ning in 2024 through 2029; 
(10) on February 6, 2024, 70 NYCHA employ-
ees were charged by the Department of Justice on 
Federal bribery charges in the largest number of 
Federal bribery charges on a single day; 
(11) the residents of housing provided by the 
Authority should not be required to wait five addi-
tional years for the Authority to provide decent, 
safe, and sanitary housing conditions, as is the 
Authority’s most basic and necessary function under 
the law; and 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
21:12 Feb 02, 2026
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00004
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H7107.IH
H7107
kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
(12) the Congress believes that it must provide 
additional oversight over the Authority, the Depart-
ment, the City, and the Monitor in order to compel 
the Authority to fix the appalling conditions and 
other issues that lead to a declaration of substantial 
default under section 6(j)(3)(A) of the United States 
Housing Act of 1937. 
SEC. 3. INVESTIGATION AND REPORT TO CONGRESS. 
(a) INVESTIGATION.—The Inspector General of the 
Department of Housing and Urban Development shall 
conduct an investigation of the Authority, which shall in-
clude at a minimum— 
(1) determining the status of the New York 
City Housing Authority’s compliance with the agree-
ment entered into between the Authority, the De-
partment, and the City on January 31, 2019, includ-
ing specific areas of deficiency and progress towards 
compliance; 
(2) conducting a review of actions taken by the 
Monitor over the Authority pursuant to such Agree-
ment, including any gaps in oversight by the Mon-
itor; 
(3) conducting a survey of the physical condi-
tions of housing provided by the Authority for the 
City’s residents; 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
21:12 Feb 02, 2026
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00005
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H7107.IH
H7107
kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
(4) conducting an examination of any waste, 
fraud, abuse and violations of Federal law com-
mitted by employees or contractors of the Authority; 
and 
(5) identifying other priority issues and areas, 
as deemed necessary and appropriate by the Inspec-
tor General. 
(b) REPORT.—Not later than the expiration of the 
180-day period beginning on the date of the enactment 
of this Act, the Inspector General shall provide to the 
Committee on Financial Services of the House of Rep-
resentatives and the Committee on Banking, Housing, and 
Urban Affairs of the Senate a report setting forth the 
findings of its investigation, a summary of actions the De-
partment may take to compel the Authority to remedy de-
ficiencies, and any other recommendations of the Inspec-
tor General. 
Æ 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
21:12 Feb 02, 2026
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00006
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6301
E:\BILLS\H7107.IH
H7107
kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB