# 119-hr-4385: Helping More Families Save Act

119-hr-4385, Helping More Families Save Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Torres, Ritchie [D-NY-15] (D-NY); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-09-19).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-4385
- As of: 2026-09-19
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-4385
- Congress: 119
- Title: Helping More Families Save Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2025-07-14
- Sponsor: Rep. Torres, Ritchie [D-NY-15] (D-NY)
- Cosponsors: 8
- Policy area: Housing and Community Development
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-09-19

## Summary

**This bill would create a temporary pilot that converts rent increases from earned-income gains into interest-bearing escrow savings for participating families, using an expanded Family Self-Sufficiency framework.** It ties escrow deposits to earned-income growth while protecting eligibility rules and building evaluation into the design. - Families: Enrolled families would have rent increases tied to earned-income gains deposited into interest-bearing escrow accounts instead of counted as income for HUD programs. Accounts must be held at least 5 years, can extend to 7 years, and deposits stop for families above 80 percent of area median income. - Housing providers and program operators: The Secretary would select up to 25 eligible entities, including public housing agencies and private project owners, to run the pilot covering up to 5,000 families across urban and rural areas. Entities may use section 8 or 9 funds to fund escrow deposits when those funds are offset by the family's rent increase. - Policymakers and researchers: The Secretary must study outcomes and report to the Senate Banking Committee and House Financial Services Committee within 8 years, and the pilot would terminate 10 years after enactment. *Would authorize $5.0 million for FY2026 for technical assistance and evaluation, creating potential federal outlays if appropriated.*

## Cosponsors (8)

- Rep. Timmons, William R. [R-SC-4] (R-SC), 2025-07-14T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Nunn, Zachary [R-IA-3] (R-IA), 2025-10-06T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Salazar, Maria Elvira [R-FL-27] (R-FL), 2025-10-31T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Pressley, Ayanna [D-MA-7] (D-MA), 2025-10-31T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Fields, Cleo [D-LA-6] (D-LA), 2025-11-17T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Beatty, Joyce [D-OH-3] (D-OH), 2025-12-01T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Williams, Nikema [D-GA-5] (D-GA), 2025-12-01T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Bera, Ami [D-CA-6] (D-CA), 2026-03-18T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Opt-out and protections for pilot renters: benefit, high. If selected, the program would have to tell you you are enrolled and how it may affect your rent and money. You could not be in this pilot and Family Self-Sufficiency at the same time. You could opt out at least two weeks before the account opens and at any time later. Your Section 8 or 9 assistanc…
- Escrow savings pilot for HUD renters: benefit, medium. This bill would create an escrow pilot for HUD-assisted renters, at up to 25 sites serving up to 5,000 families. Sites would open interest-bearing accounts within 6 months and deposit any rent increase caused by your earned income. Your rent would still be set under normal Section 8 rules. You coul…
- How HUD would pick and fund pilots: benefit, low. Entities would apply, and HUD would pick a mix across states, urban and rural areas, public housing agencies, and private owners within 18 months. HUD could waive some rules to run the pilot and let sites use Section 8 or 9 funds for escrow deposits, offset by rent increases. The bill would authori…
- Income shield and 80% AMI cap: mixed, medium. While you are enrolled, HUD would not count your increases in earned income when deciding eligibility or benefit amounts for HUD-run programs. Escrow deposits would not be allowed if your adjusted income is above 80% of area median income. You would have to recertify income at least once each year,…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-9877: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026
- 119-hr-6644: 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act
- 119-hr-2102: Major Richard Star Act
- 119-hr-4382: America’s Olympic and Paralympic Games Commemorative Coins Act
- 119-hr-842: Nancy Gardner Sewell Medicare Multi-Cancer Early Detection Screening Coverage Act
- 119-hr-3514: Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act of 2025

## Sources
- [119-hr-4385 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/4385)

## Related
- [119-hr-9877: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9877)
- [119-hr-6644: 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-6644)
- [119-hr-2102: Major Richard Star Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-2102)
- [119-hr-4382: America’s Olympic and Paralympic Games Commemorative Coins Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-4382)
- [119-hr-842: Nancy Gardner Sewell Medicare Multi-Cancer Early Detection Screening Coverage A…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-842)
- [119-hr-3514: Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3514)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-4385 (as of 2026-09-19).