119 HR 8378 IH: Pets Belong with Families Act U.S. House of Representatives 2026-04-20 text/xml EN Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.

I 119th CONGRESS2d Session H. R. 8378 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES April 20, 2026 Mr. Lawler (for himself, Mr. Crow, Ms. Titus, Mr. Fitzpatrick, Ms. Tlaib, Ms. Malliotakis, and Ms. Underwood) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Financial Services A BILL To modify the reasonable requirements that may be imposed on pet owners living in public housing, and for other purposes.

1.

Short title

This Act may be cited as the Pets Belong with Families Act.

2.

Prohibition on breed restrictions

Section 31 of the United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437z–3) is amended by striking subsection (b) and inserting the following: (b)

Reasonable requirements

(1)

In general

The reasonable requirements referred to in subsection (a) may include— (A)requiring payment of a pet deposit by a tenant owning or having pets, except that— (i)the pet deposit— (I)shall not exceed 10 percent of the tenant’s monthly base rent; and (II)shall be amortized over not less than 3 months as part of a tenant’s rental payments; and (ii)any amount of a pet deposit that is unused at the termination of the tenancy shall be reimbursed to the tenant within 30 days of vacating a dwelling unit; (B)limitations on the number of animals in a dwelling unit or building, based on unit size or other relevant conditions; (C)prohibitions on certain species of animals prohibited by State or local law; and (D)prohibitions on any individual animal that is declared a threat to public health and safety by a court of competent jurisdiction or whose ownership is otherwise prohibited by State or local law. (2)

Prohibition on withholding

A public housing agency may not withhold a pet deposit described in paragraph (1) for damage unrelated to the pet, including due to ordinary wear and tear. (3)

Limitation

The reasonable requirements described in subsection (a) shall not include any prohibition based on the breed, size, or weight of an animal..