Housing Temperature Safety Act of 2022
Bill: S.3561 | Sponsor: Sen. Gillibrand, Kirsten E. (D-NY)
Policy area: Housing and Community Development

Summary:
Housing Temperature Safety Act of 2022
This bill requires owners of certain federally assisted rental dwelling units to install temperature sensors in those units within a year after the bill is enacted. The bill also requires those owners to record the temperature in those units at least six times each day and to report that information to the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

To require owners of covered federally assisted rental dwelling units 
 to install temperature sensors in such units, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Housing Temperature Safety Act of 
2022''.

SEC. 2. TEMPERATURE SENSORS.

    (a) Definitions.--In this Act:
            (1) Assistance.--The term ``assistance''--
                    (A) means any grant, loan, subsidy, contract, 
                cooperative agreement, or other form of financial 
                assistance; and
                    (B) does not include the insurance or guarantee of 
                a loan, mortgage, or pool of loans or mortgages.
            (2) Covered federally assisted rental dwelling unit.--The 
        term ``covered federally assisted rental dwelling unit'' means 
        a residential dwelling unit that is made available for rental 
        and for which assistance is provided, or that is part of a 
        housing project for which assistance is provided, under--
                    (A) the public housing program under the United 
                States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437 et seq.);
                    (B) the programs for rental assistance under 
                section 8 of the United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 
                U.S.C. 1437f), including--
                            (i) the program for project-based rental 
                        assistance; and
                            (ii) the program for tenant-based rental 
                        assistance;
                    (C) the AIDS Housing Opportunities program under 
                subtitle D of title VIII of the Cranston-Gonzalez 
                National Affordable Housing Act (42 U.S.C. 12901 et 
                seq.);
                    (D) the program for supportive housing for the 
                elderly under section 202 of the Housing Act of 1959 
                (12 U.S.C. 1701q);
                    (E) the program for supportive housing for persons 
                with disabilities under section 811 of the Cranston-
                Gonzalez National Affordable Housing Act (42 U.S.C. 
                8013); or
                    (F) the programs under sections 514, 515, and 516 
                of the Housing Act of 1949 (42 U.S.C. 1484, 1485, 
                1486).
            (3) Owner.--The term ``owner'' means, with respect to a 
        covered federally assisted rental dwelling unit, any private 
        person or entity, including a cooperative, an agency of the 
        Federal Government, or a public housing agency, having the 
        legal right to lease or sublease the dwelling unit.
            (4) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of Housing and Urban Development.
            (5) Temperature sensor.--The term ``temperature sensor'' 
        means an internet capable temperature reporting device able to 
        track the ambient air temperature to the tenth degree 
        Fahrenheit and Celsius.
    (b) Installation and Maintenance.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than 1 year after the date of 
        enactment of this Act, each owner of a covered federally 
        assisted rental dwelling unit shall ensure that each 
        temperature sensor in the covered federally assisted rental 
        dwelling unit is installed and maintained in accordance with 
        the rule issued by the Secretary under paragraph (2) on each 
        level of the covered federally assisted rental dwelling unit.
            (2) Rulemaking.--Not later than 180 days after the date of 
        enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall issue a rule that 
        establishes standards and requirements for the installation and 
        maintenance of temperature sensors in covered federally 
        assisted rental dwelling units.
    (c) Data Reporting.--
            (1) In general.--Each owner of a covered federally assisted 
        rental dwelling unit shall, 6 times each day, collect data from 
        temperature sensors installed pursuant to subsection (b), which 
        shall include--
                    (A) the temperature recorded during each 
                temperature reading; and
                    (B) the time and date of each temperature reading.
            (2) Guidance.--Not later than 180 days after the date of 
        the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall publish guidance 
        with respect to--
                    (A) the collection of temperature sensor data by 
                owners of covered federally assisted rental dwelling 
                units, including the protection of personally 
                identifiable information;
                    (B) the retention of the data described in 
                subparagraph (A) by owners of covered federally 
                assisted rental dwelling units for not less than 2 
                years; and
                    (C) the reporting of the data described in 
                subparagraph (A) to the Secretary unless a tenant of 
                the covered federally assisted dwelling unit has opted 
                out of having that data reported by the owner to the 
                Secretary.
    (d) Report.--Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment 
of this Act, and each year thereafter, the Secretary shall submit to 
Congress a report that--
            (1) describes the status of the implementation of 
        subsection (b), and includes--
                    (A) the percentage of covered federally assisted 
                dwelling units without a temperature sensor pursuant to 
                subsection (b);
                    (B) the percentage of temperature sensors that have 
                been installed by owners of covered federally assisted 
                dwelling units; and
                    (C) the number of fatalities that occurred due to 
                fire, hypothermia, heat exhaustion, and other 
                temperature-related causes in covered federally 
                assisted dwelling units and whether a temperature 
                sensor was present in the dwelling unit; and
            (2) discloses the results of data collection instituted by 
        the Secretary before the date of enactment of this Act to 
        determine the prevalence of temperature sensors in covered 
        federally assisted dwelling units.
    (e) Relation to State Law.--
            (1) Rule of construction.--Nothing in this section shall be 
        construed to annul, alter, or affect, or exempt any person 
        subject to the provisions of this section from complying with, 
        the laws of any State with respect to installing or maintaining 
        temperature sensors, except to the extent that those laws are 
        inconsistent with any provision of this section, and then only 
        to the extent of the inconsistency.
            (2) Determination of inconsistencies.--The Secretary is 
        authorized to determine whether the inconsistencies described 
        in paragraph (1) exist and may not determine that any State law 
        is inconsistent with any provision of this section if the 
        Secretary determines that the State law provides for greater 
        protection or safety.
    (f) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated such sums as are necessary to carry out this Act.
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