[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2334 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 2334

  To require each public housing agency to establish and maintain an 
   online portal for tenants and applicants, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             July 18, 2023

Mrs. Gillibrand introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
    referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To require each public housing agency to establish and maintain an 
   online portal for tenants and applicants, 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 ``Housing Transparency Improvement 
Act''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Covered housing.--The term ``covered housing'' means--
                    (A) low-income housing; and
                    (B) any property with assistance converted under 
                the Rental Assistance Demonstration program authorized 
                under title II of the Consolidated and Further 
                Continuing Appropriations Act, 2012 (Public Law 112-55; 
                125 Stat. 673).
            (2) Families; low-income housing.--The terms ``families'' 
        and ``low-income housing'' have the meanings given those terms 
        in section 3(b) of the United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 
        U.S.C. 1437a(b)).
            (3) Public housing agency.--The term ``public housing 
        agency''--
                    (A) has the meaning given the term in section 3(b) 
                of the United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 
                1437a(b)); and
                    (B) includes any owner of low-income housing that 
                enters into a housing assistance payments contract 
                under section 8 of the United States Housing Act of 
                1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437o).
            (4) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of Housing and Urban Development.
            (5) Small public housing agency.--The term ``small public 
        housing agency'' means a public housing agency that--
                    (A) owns, assists, or operates not more than 250 
                covered housing dwelling units; and
                    (B) predominantly operates in a rural area, as 
                described in section 1026.35(b)(2)(iv)(A) of title 12, 
                Code of Federal Regulations, or any successor 
                regulation.

SEC. 3. ONLINE PORTAL.

    (a) Establishment.--Not later than 1 year after the date of 
enactment of this Act, each public housing agency shall establish and 
maintain an online portal on the website of the public housing agency 
through which families residing in and applicants for a covered housing 
dwelling owned, assisted, or operated by the public housing agency 
may--
            (1) access information, including contact information, 
        relating to the performance evaluation, management, and control 
        of the covered housing dwelling;
            (2) access a plain language list of the legal rights of 
        each family residing in or applying for the covered housing 
        dwelling, which shall be available for translation; and
            (3) track service requests and complaints submitted to the 
        public housing agency through a tracking system described in 
        subsection (b).
    (b) Tracking System.--
            (1) In general.--Each public housing agency shall 
        establish, using existing software or through new software, a 
        request tracking system, including for inquiry on the status of 
        an application, short-term and long-term capital improvements, 
        service requests, and complaints, submitted by a family 
        residing in a covered housing dwelling owned or operated by the 
        public housing agency through which the families and applicants 
        may track requests with real-time updates provided by the 
        public housing agency.
            (2) Service request and complaint database.--
                    (A) Assignment of number.--The tracking system 
                described in paragraph (1) shall contain a database 
                under which the public housing agency shall assign each 
                family residing in a covered housing dwelling owned or 
                operated by the public housing agency and each 
                applicant for a covered housing dwelling owned or 
                operated by the public housing agency a ticket number 
                or a private access number to use to make requests or 
                complaints described in paragraph (1).
                    (B) Required information.--Each inquiry described 
                in subparagraph (A) shall--
                            (i) be searchable through the tracking 
                        system described in paragraph (1);
                            (ii) have associated with it a description 
                        of--
                                    (I) the nature of the inquiry, 
                                complaint, or request;
                                    (II) the most recent status of the 
                                inquiry, complaint, or request;
                                    (III) whether or not the inquiry, 
                                complaint, or request is open or 
                                closed;
                                    (IV) any action taken on the 
                                inquiry, complaint, or request, and any 
                                next steps to be taken; and
                                    (V) any additional information as 
                                the public housing agency determines 
                                appropriate; and
                            (iii) not publicly disclose any personal 
                        information relating to the inquiry, complaint, 
                        or request, including the unit number, name of 
                        the resident or applicant, or any other 
                        identifying information that is prohibited from 
                        disclosure under applicable laws.
            (3) Prohibition.--A public housing agency may not require a 
        family residing in a covered housing dwelling owned or operated 
        by the public housing agency to use the tracking system 
        described in paragraph (1) to submit requests or to receive 
        updates relating to service requests and complaints submitted 
        by the family.
    (c) Updates.--Each public housing agency shall ensure that the 
online portal established under subsection (a) is updated on a regular 
basis and contains the most recent information regarding inquiries, 
service requests, and complaints described in subsection (a)(3).
    (d) Reporting.--Each public housing agency shall, on an annual 
basis, develop a fact sheet for tenants residing in and applicants for 
a covered housing dwelling owned, assisted, or operated by the public 
housing agency that--
            (1) includes, in a clear and easily discernible manner--
                    (A) the total amount and type of Federal, State, 
                and local funds received for the fiscal year;
                    (B) the funding streams for ongoing and upcoming 
                capital improvement projects;
                    (C) the most recent inspection date and score;
                    (D) any major renovation, capital, or redevelopment 
                plans; and
                    (E) the name and contact information for the 
                manager or management of the dwelling, if operating 
                independently;
            (2) is posted on the website of the public housing agency, 
        if applicable, is available in paper format, is available for 
        translation, is available upon request, and is submitted as an 
        addendum as part of the public housing agency plan provided to 
        the Resident Advisory Board and provided at a public hearing as 
        required under section 5A of the United States Housing Act of 
        1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437c-1).
    (e) Grants.--
            (1) In general.--The Secretary may make grants to public 
        housing agencies in the amount necessary for the public housing 
        agency to purchase, establish, and maintain the online portal 
        required under this section.
            (2) Authorization of appropriations.--There is authorized 
        to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary to carry out 
        this subsection.
    (f) Reporting.--Each public housing agency shall, on an annual 
basis, submit to the Secretary information on grants made under 
subsection (e), including how the amounts were used related to the 
online portal required under this section.
    (g) Incentives.--The Secretary shall consider the implementation 
and maintenance by a public housing agency of the online portal 
required under this section in the annual public housing assessment 
system described in part 902 of title 24, Code of Federal Regulations, 
or any successor regulation.
    (h) Exemptions.--
            (1) In general.--The requirement to create and maintain an 
        online portal under this section shall not apply to small 
        public housing agencies.
            (2) Alternate method.--A small public housing agency that 
        is exempted under paragraph (1) shall develop, implement, and 
        submit to the Secretary alternate methods for fulfilling the 
        requirements under subsections (a) through (d), in particular 
        paragraphs (1) and (2) of subsection (a).
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