[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1814 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

<DOC>






118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1814

   To authorize security deposit and moving costs assistance for low-
               income households, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              June 6, 2023

   Mr. Heinrich (for himself, Mr. Lujan, Mr. Welch, and Mr. Padilla) 
introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the 
            Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To authorize security deposit and moving costs assistance for low-
               income households, 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 ``Delivering Essential Protection, 
Opportunity, and Security for Tenants Act'' or the``DEPOSIT Act''.

SEC. 2. RENTAL SECURITY DEPOSIT AND MOVING COST ASSISTANCE FOR HOUSING 
              CHOICE VOUCHER HOLDERS.

    Section 8(q) of the United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 
1437f(q)) is amended by adding at the end the following:
            ``(6) Supplements for security deposit and moving cost 
        assistance.--
                    ``(A) Security deposits.--
                            ``(i) In general.--The Secretary shall, to 
                        the extent amounts are provided in advance in 
                        appropriations Acts for assistance under this 
                        subparagraph, provide supplemental fees under 
                        this subsection to public housing agencies for 
                        the costs of providing, on behalf of families 
                        assisted under subsection (o), assistance to 
                        cover the costs of a reasonable security 
                        deposit for the assisted dwelling unit of the 
                        family.
                            ``(ii) Requirement.--Each public housing 
                        agency that receives supplemental fees under 
                        clause (i)--
                                    ``(I) shall require the owner of a 
                                dwelling unit for which security 
                                deposit assistance is provided under 
                                that clause to return any unused 
                                amounts of security deposit assistance 
                                upon the termination of the family's 
                                tenancy; and
                                    ``(II) may make such returned 
                                amounts available only for assistance 
                                under this subparagraph.
                    ``(B) Moving costs.--The Secretary may provide 
                supplemental fees under this subsection to public 
                housing agencies for the costs of providing, on behalf 
                of families assisted under subsection (o), assistance 
                to cover the reasonable costs of moving into a new 
                assisted dwelling unit.
                    ``(C) Authorization of appropriations.--There is 
                authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary such 
                sums as may be necessary for assistance under 
                subparagraphs (A) and (B).''.

SEC. 3. RENTAL SECURITY DEPOSIT ASSISTANCE UNDER HOME PROGRAM.

    (a) Eligible Use.--Section 212(a) of the Cranston-Gonzalez National 
Affordable Housing Act (42 U.S.C. 12742(a)) is amended by inserting 
after paragraph (3) the following new paragraph:
            ``(4) Security deposit assistance.--
                    ``(A) In general.--A participating jurisdiction may 
                use funds provided under this subtitle to provide loans 
                or grants to very low- and low-income families for 
                security deposits for rental of dwelling units, 
                regardless of whether the family is provided tenant-
                based rental assistance pursuant to paragraph (3).
                    ``(B) Requirement.--Each participating jurisdiction 
                that provides loans or grants under subparagraph (A)--
                            ``(i) shall require the owner of the 
                        dwelling unit for which security deposit 
                        assistance is provided under that subparagraph 
                        to return any unused amounts of security 
                        deposit assistance upon the termination of the 
                        family's tenancy; and
                            ``(ii) may use such returned amounts only 
                        for assistance under this paragraph.''.
    (b) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated to the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development such 
sums as may be necessary for assistance under subtitle A of title II of 
the Cranston-Gonzalez National Affordable Housing Act (42 U.S.C. 12741 
et seq.), to be made available only for providing security deposit 
assistance under paragraph (4) of section 212(a) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 
12742(a)) (as added by the amendment made by subsection (a) of this 
section).

SEC. 4. STUDY ON ALTERNATIVES TO SECURITY DEPOSITS.

    (a) Study.--The Secretary of Housing and Urban Development shall 
conduct a study to identify and analyze--
            (1) alternatives to rental housing security deposits, 
        including products that require a tenant of a dwelling unit to 
        pay a monthly insurance premium to cover costs of repairing 
        damage to the dwelling unit; and
            (2) the impact that the alternatives described in paragraph 
        (1) have on the rental housing market and tenants, including 
        how the alternatives affect tenants based on tenant race, 
        income, age, sex, disability, and other demographic 
        characteristics.
    (b) Report.--Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of 
this Act, the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development shall submit 
to Congress a report setting forth the findings and conclusions of the 
study conducted under subsection (a).
                                 <all>