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119-hr-8185119th CongressWALLET

HELP Act of 2026

Sponsored By: Representative Pressley, Ayanna [D-MA-7]

Introduced

Summary

Creates a national eviction tracking system for federally assisted housing. This bill would also fund no-cost legal help for low-income tenants and change what eviction details appear in consumer reports.

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Bill Overview

Analyzed Economic Effects

5 provisions identified: 3 benefits, 1 costs, 1 mixed.

Evictions and unpaid rent on credit

This bill would amend the Fair Credit Reporting Act so consumer credit reports issued on or after enactment may include evictions and adverse items related to unpaid rent or utility bills. If enacted, having an eviction or unpaid rent on a consumer report could hurt credit and make it harder to rent or borrow.

Free legal help for renters

This bill would authorize HUD to set up an Eviction Protection Grant Program. Grants would fund no-cost legal representation for low-income tenants facing eviction and may pay some court fees for tenants. HUD would prioritize groups with outreach to high-eviction and rural areas. Congress would fund the program with "such sums as needed."

National eviction data and reporting

This bill would require states and local recipients of covered housing help to submit annual eviction reports to HUD. Reports would include household reasons, arrears, addresses, legal representation, and detailed individual data when available. HUD would build a national database disaggregated by small geography and protected classes, set data-retention limits, redact names and use anonymous identifiers, and allow approved researchers to access full records for study.

Eviction help hotline for tenants

This bill would require HUD to set up an eviction hotline within one year of enactment. The hotline would be multilingual and accessible to people with disabilities and would be staffed to handle expected call volume. Callers would get referrals to legal aid and information about tenant rights and local resources.

Eviction notices and tenant info rules

This bill would require HUD to issue rules within one year so owners of covered assisted units must give tenants annual written information about eviction rights and local help. Eviction notices would have to state the reason(s) for the eviction and clarify that state and local law still applies. The bill also defines which units and programs are "covered" and defines key terms like "legal counsel."

Sponsors & CoSponsors

Sponsor

Pressley, Ayanna [D-MA-7]

MA • D

Cosponsors

  • Rep. DeLauro, Rosa L. [D-CT-3]

    CT • D

    Sponsored 4/2/2026

  • Rep. Gomez, Jimmy [D-CA-34]

    CA • D

    Sponsored 4/2/2026

  • Del. Norton, Eleanor Holmes [D-DC-At Large]

    DC • D

    Sponsored 4/2/2026

  • Rep. Tlaib, Rashida [D-MI-12]

    MI • D

    Sponsored 4/2/2026

  • Rep. Jayapal, Pramila [D-WA-7]

    WA • D

    Sponsored 4/2/2026

Roll Call Votes

No roll call votes available for this bill.

View on Congress.gov
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