Title: Keeping Seniors Safe from COVID-19 Through Home Design Act of 2020
Policy area: Housing and Community Development

Summary:
Keeping Seniors Safe from COVID-19 Through Home Design Act of 2020
This bill requires the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Department of Agriculture, and the Department of Health and Human Services to study improved home and housing design features in nursing homes and assisted living facilities that can help prevent the spread of infectious diseases, including COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019).

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 8540 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 8540

     To require the Secretaries of Housing and Urban Development, 
 Agriculture, and Health and Human Services to conduct a study of how 
 housing design can help prevent the spread of communicable diseases, 
                        and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            October 6, 2020

    Mr. Katko (for himself, Mr. Rose of New York, Ms. Kuster of New 
 Hampshire, and Mr. Delgado) introduced the following bill; which was 
            referred to the Committee on Financial Services

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
     To require the Secretaries of Housing and Urban Development, 
 Agriculture, and Health and Human Services to conduct a study of how 
 housing design can help prevent the spread of communicable diseases, 
                        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 ``Keeping Seniors Safe from COVID-19 
Through Home Design Act of 2020''.

SEC. 2. STUDY AND REPORT ON HOUSING DESIGN.

    (a) Study.--The Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, the 
Secretary of Agriculture, and the Secretary of Health and Human 
Services shall jointly conduct a study to identify improved home and 
housing design features and improved design features in nursing homes 
and assisted living facilities that can help prevent and protect 
against the spread of infection by communicable diseases, including the 
novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), and how such design features 
could be incorporated under housing assistance and mortgage insurance 
programs of the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the 
Department of Agriculture. The study shall consider any advantages that 
might result from updated or improved heating, ventilation, and air 
conditioning systems, installation of hands-free sinks, incorporation 
of outdoor space, redesign and re-use of existing space, and other 
design features and shall consider design features specific to housing 
for particular populations, including elderly persons, persons with 
disabilities, and homeless persons,
    (b) Report.--Not later than the expiration of the 6-month period 
beginning on the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of 
Housing and Urban Development, the Secretary of Agriculture, and the 
Secretary of Health and Human Services shall jointly submit to the 
Congress a report describing the study conducted pursuant to subsection 
(a) and setting forth the findings and conclusions of the study, 
including any recommendations regarding improved home and housing 
design, improved design features in nursing homes and assisted living 
facilities, and implementation of such recommendations.
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