Title: Know Your Housing Rights Act of 2020
Policy area: Housing and Community Development

Summary:
Know Your Housing Rights Act of 2020
This bill requires certain federal agencies to notify renters of federally assisted dwelling units of the rights, relief, and assistance available to them in response to the COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) public health emergency.
The notice must explain, for example (1) the effect of the eviction moratorium established by the CARES Act, (2) tenants' continuing obligation to pay rent, and (3) various fair housing protections. The notice must be sent out within seven days of the bill's enactment.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6899 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 6899

To require Federal agencies to develop and provide notice to tenants of 
 housing relief provided by Federal actions to respond to the COVID-19 
                   pandemic, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 15, 2020

  Ms. Dean (for herself, Ms. Waters, and Mr. David Scott of Georgia) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
   Financial Services, and in addition to the Committee on Veterans' 
Affairs, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in 
   each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the 
                jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To require Federal agencies to develop and provide notice to tenants of 
 housing relief provided by Federal actions to respond to the COVID-19 
                   pandemic, 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 ``Know Your Housing Rights Act of 
2020''.

SEC. 2. NOTICES REGARDING RENTER RIGHTS.

    (a) Notice.--Not later than the expiration of the 7-day period 
beginning on the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of 
Housing and Urban Development, the Secretary of Agriculture, the 
Secretary of Veterans Affairs, and the Federal National Mortgage 
Association and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation, at the 
direction of the Director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, shall 
each establish a notice for renters of dwelling units owned by, 
assisted by, or subject to any mortgage held, made, insured, 
guaranteed, or securitized by such agency or enterprise, to inform such 
renters of any rights, relief, and assistance relating to occupancy in 
such dwelling units that is available under statutory, regulatory, and 
other actions in response to the emergency declared on March 13, 2020, 
by the President under section 501 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster 
Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5191) relating to the 
Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.
    (b) Content.--The notice established pursuant to subsection (a) 
shall include a statement--
            (1) explaining the effect of the eviction moratorium in 
        section 4024 of the CARES Act (Public Law 116-1136; 134 Stat. 
        492; 15 U.S.C. 9058) and the effects of any other moratoria or 
        extensions of moratoria provided for, including that--
                    (A) section 4024(b) of the CARES Act prohibits 
                landlords of certain rental ``covered dwellings'' from 
                initiating eviction proceedings ``for nonpayment of 
                rent or other fees or charges'' or from ``charg[ing] 
                fees, penalties, or other charges'' against a tenant 
                relating to nonpayment of rent; and
                    (B) such protections apply only during the 120-day 
                period that began upon enactment of the CARES Act 
                (March 27, 2020);
            (2) that the moratorium under the CARES Act does not 
        terminate the tenant's obligation to pay rent;
            (3) that tenants will owe any rental arrearages that accrue 
        during the moratorium under the CARES Act; and
            (4) that tenants are encouraged to contact their landlord 
        if they are having trouble paying their rent.
    (c) Terms.--Each of the Secretaries specified in subsection (a) and 
each of the enterprises specified in such paragraph, at the direction 
of the Director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, shall--
            (1) make the notice established pursuant to subsection (a) 
        available on the internet, on a website of such agency or 
        enterprise, in a readily available, publicly accessible, and 
        user-friendly manner, not later than the expiration of the 7-
        day period beginning on the date of the enactment of this Act;
            (2) develop a version of such notice for public housing 
        agencies and owners of rental dwelling units described in 
        subsection (a) not later than the expiration of the 7-day 
        period beginning on the date of the enactment of this Act to 
        provide to tenants of such dwelling units; and
            (3) require such public housing agencies and owners to 
        provide such notice to tenants of such dwelling units, not 
        later than the expiration of the 7-day period that begins upon 
        development of such notice pursuant to paragraph (2), by 
        electronic mail, traditional mail, and posting in common areas 
        of multifamily structures containing such dwelling units.
    (d) Other Requirements.--Any notice established or developed 
pursuant to subsection (a) or (c) of this section shall comply with the 
following requirements:
            (1) Accessibility of notices.--Such notices shall inform 
        renters that the notice is accessible, in at least all existing 
        languages for which each such agency or enterprise currently 
        has translations available, to individuals with limited English 
        proficiency and people with disabilities, in accordance with 
        Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990 and section 504 of the 
        Rehabilitation Act 1973, and how to access the notice in such 
        other languages.
            (2) Fair housing and anti-discrimination.--Such notices 
        shall inform renters of their rights under the Fair Housing 
        Act, including describing how renters can file fair housing 
        complaints and informing them of Fair Housing Initiative 
        Program and Fair Housing Assistance Program grantees in the 
        area.
            (3) Housing counseling.--Such notices shall inform renters 
        of housing counseling agencies in the area that are approved by 
        the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
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