[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 124 (Tuesday, July 26, 2022)]
[House]
[Pages H7149-H7150]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 HOUSING TEMPERATURE SAFETY ACT OF 2022

  Ms. WATERS. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 6528) to require owners of covered federally assisted rental 
dwelling units to install temperature sensors in such units, and for 
other purposes, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 6528

       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 Temperature Safety 
     Act of 2022''.

     SEC. 2. TEMPERATURE SENSOR PILOT PROGRAM.

       (a) In General.--The Secretary shall establish a 
     temperature sensor 3-year pilot program to provide grants to 
     public housing agencies and owners of covered federally 
     assisted rental dwelling units to install and test the 
     efficacy of temperature sensors in residential dwelling units 
     to ensure such units remain in compliance with temperature 
     requirements.
       (b) Application.--The Secretary shall, not later than 180 
     days after the date of the enactment of this Act, establish 
     eligibility criteria for participation in the pilot program 
     established pursuant to subsection (a) and such criteria 
     shall be designed to ensure--
       (1) the pilot program includes a diverse range of 
     participants that represent different geographic regions, 
     climate regions, unit sizes and types of housing; and
       (2) the functionality of the temperature sensors that will 
     be tested, including internet connectivity requirements.
       (c) Installation.--Each public housing agency or owner of a 
     covered federally assisted rental dwelling unit that receives 
     one or more temperature sensors under this Act shall, after 
     receiving written permission from the resident of a dwelling 
     unit, install such temperature sensor and monitor the data 
     from such temperature sensor.
       (d) Collection of Complaint Records.--
       (1) In general.--Each public housing agency or owner of a 
     covered federally assisted rental dwelling unit that receives 
     one or more temperature sensors under this Act shall collect 
     and retain information about temperature-related complaints 
     and violations.
       (2) Definitions.--The Secretary shall, not later than 180 
     days after the date of the enactment of this Act, define the 
     terms temperature-related complaints and temperature-related 
     violations for the purposes of this Act.
       (e) Data Collection.--
       (1) In general.--Data collected from temperature sensors 
     provided to public housing agencies and owners of covered 
     federally assisted rental dwelling units under this Act shall 
     be retained until the Secretary notifies the public housing 
     agency or owner that the pilot program and the evaluation of 
     the pilot program are complete.
       (2) Personally identifiable information.--The Secretary 
     shall, not later than 180 days after the date of the 
     enactment of this Act, establish standards for the protection 
     of personally identifiably information collected during the 
     pilot program by public housing agencies, owners of federally 
     assisted rental dwelling units, and the Secretary.
       (f) Pilot Program Evaluation.--
       (1) Interim evaluation.--Not later than 12 months after the 
     establishment of the pilot program under this Act, the 
     Secretary shall publicly publish and submit to the Congress a 
     report that--
       (A) examines the number of temperature-related complaints 
     and violations in federally assisted rental dwelling units 
     with temperature sensors, disaggregated by temperature sensor 
     technology and climate region--
       (i) that occurred before the installation of such sensor, 
     if known; and
       (ii) that occurred after the installation of such sensor; 
     and
       (B) identifies any barriers to full utility of temperature 
     sensor capabilities, including broadband Internet access and 
     tenant participation.
       (2) Final evaluation.--Not later than 36 months after the 
     conclusion of the pilot program established by the Secretary 
     under this Act, the Secretary shall publicly publish and 
     submit to the Congress a report that--
       (A) examines the number of temperature-related complaints 
     and violations in federally assisted rental dwelling units 
     with temperature sensors, disaggregated by temperature sensor 
     technology and climate region--
       (i) that occurred before the installation of such sensor; 
     and
       (ii) that occurred after the installation of such sensor;
       (B) identifies any barriers to full utility of temperature 
     sensor capabilities, including broadband Internet access and 
     tenant participation; and
       (C) compare the utility of various temperature sensor 
     technologies based on--
       (i) climate zones;
       (ii) cost;
       (iii) features; and
       (iv) any other factors identified by the Secretary.
       (g) Definitions.--For the purposes of this Act:
       (1) Temperature sensor.--The term ``temperature sensor'' 
     means an internet capable temperature reporting device able 
     to measure ambient air temperature to the tenth degree 
     Fahrenheit and Celsius.
       (2) Covered federally assisted housing.--The term ``covered 
     federally assisted rental dwelling unit'' means a residential 
     dwelling unit that is made available for rental and for which 
     assistance is provided, or that is part of a housing project 
     for which assistance is provided, under--
       (A) the program for project-based rental assistance under 
     section 8 of the United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 
     1437f);
       (B) the public housing program under the United States 
     Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437 et seq.);
       (C) the program for supportive housing for the elderly 
     under section 202 of the Housing Act of 1959 (12 U.S.C. 
     1701q); or
       (D) the program for supportive housing for persons with 
     disabilities under section 811 of the Cranston-Gonzalez 
     National Affordable Housing Act (42 U.S.C. 8013).
       (3) Owner.--The term ``owner'' means--
       (A) with respect to the program for project-based rental 
     assistance under section 8 of the United States Housing Act 
     of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437f), any private person or entity, 
     including a cooperative, an agency of the Federal government, 
     or a public housing agency, having the legal right to lease 
     or sublease dwelling units;
       (B) with respect to public housing program under the United 
     States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437 et seq.), a public 
     housing agency or an owner entity of public housing units as 
     defined in section 905.108 of title 24, Code of Federal 
     Regulations;
       (C) with respect to the program for supportive housing for 
     the elderly under section 202 of the Housing Act of 1959 (12 
     U.S.C. 1701q), a private nonprofit organization as defined 
     under section 202(k)(4) of the Housing Act of 1959; and
       (D) with respect to the program for supportive housing for 
     persons with disabilities under section 811 of the Cranston-
     Gonzalez National Affordable Housing Act (42 U.S.C. 8013), a 
     private nonprofit organization as defined under section 
     811(k)(5) of section 811 of the Cranston-Gonzalez National 
     Affordable Housing Act.
       (4) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
     of Housing and Urban Development.
       (h) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized 
     to be appropriated to the Secretary--
       (1) such sums as may be necessary for the Secretary to 
     provide grants to owners of covered federally assisted rental 
     dwelling units participating in the pilot program established 
     under this Act;
       (2) such sums as may be necessary for the Secretary to 
     administer the pilot program established under this Act; and
       (3) such sums as may be necessary for the Secretary to 
     provide technical assistance to owners of covered federally 
     assisted rental dwelling units that are participating in the 
     pilot program established under this Act.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from

[[Page H7150]]

California (Ms. Waters) and the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Hill) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from California.


                             General Leave

  Ms. WATERS. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks on 
this legislation and include extraneous material.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from California?
  There was no objection.
  Ms. WATERS. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Madam Speaker, I thank Representative Torres for introducing H.R. 
6528, the Housing Temperature Safety Act of 2022, in response to the 
tragic apartment fire that occurred in his district in the Bronx. 
Seventeen people died in that fire, including eight children, while 
dozens more were injured. Sadly, this tragedy was entirely preventable 
and even foreseeable.
  The Twin Parks North West apartment building was home to 120 
families, including 91 families who were assisted through the housing 
choice voucher program. Because of heating and ventilation issues in 
the building, too often families found themselves shivering in their 
apartments, forcing them to take matters into their own hands by 
purchasing space heaters, which were deemed to be the cause of this 
tragic fire.
  To address this issue, and to better hold housing providers 
accountable to ensuring their apartments are meeting temperature 
requirements, H.R. 6528 would create a pilot program to install and 
study the efficacy of temperature sensors in federally assisted 
housing.

                              {time}  2110

  As the tragedy in the Bronx proved, inadequate heating and cooling in 
federally assisted units is a danger to our communities. This bill 
provides a key step towards researching and improving tools to better 
ensure families' homes are both safe and warm.
  I thank Representative Torres for his leadership on this issue.
  Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 6528, and I 
reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. HILL. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Madam Speaker, on the morning of January 9, a fire broke out in the 
Twin Parks North West apartment building in the Bronx, New York. 
Seventeen lives were tragically lost that day, including eight 
children. Investigators later determined that the fire was caused by a 
defective space heater left on to warm an apartment that was too cold 
on that terrible January winter night.
  H.R. 6528, ably written by my good friend from the Bronx, New York 
(Mr. Torres), would create a pilot program at the Department of Housing 
and Urban Development for building owners to voluntarily install 
temperature sensors in federally assisted buildings. The hope is that 
temperature sensors authorized by this pilot program will help monitor 
the conditions inside housing units to ensure that conditions are not 
too hot in the summer or too cold in the winter.
  Property owners who contract with HUD have a responsibility to 
maintain decent, safe, and sanitary housing, and this legislation might 
help to ensure that these homes have adequate heat during the winter so 
residents will not have to rely on space heaters to keep warm.
  Representative Torres' idea will try to protect the welfare of 
renters in federally assisted housing and is a pilot program worth 
taking a look at to see if this can make a real difference.
  Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and 
I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. WATERS. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from 
New York (Mr. Torres).
  Mr. TORRES of New York. Madam Speaker, I am enormously grateful to 
Chair Waters for her advocacy for safe, decent, and affordable housing 
and her support. I thank the Representative from Arkansas for his kind 
words.
  The Housing Temperature Safety Act, H.R. 6528, comes more than 6 
months following the tragedy of Twin Parks North West which was the 
scene of the deadliest fire in New York City history in more than three 
decades. Even though the immediate cause of the fire was a 
malfunctioning space heater, the deeper cause of the fire cannot be 
overlooked.
  We must ask ourselves a simple but fundamental question: What 
prompted tenants to use hazardous space heaters in the first place?
  The answer, of course, is the chronic deprivation of heat and hot 
water which is all too common in places like the South Bronx. Tenants 
freezing in their apartments are left with no choice but to resort to 
space heaters out of desperation for heat. A space heater is often a 
cry for help and a cry for heat.
  The catastrophic fire at Twin Parks North West was a consequence not 
only of a broken space heater but also of an equally broken system of 
housing code enforcement.
  The Housing Temperature Safety Act would pilot the use of heat 
sensors which would enable State and local housing administrators to 
monitor heat and hot water levels in real time in order to hold 
property owners accountable for providing sufficient heat and hot 
water.
  When I served on the New York City Council, I passed a local law 
establishing the New York City Heat Sensors Program which led to a 58 
percent decline in heat and hot water complaints among buildings where 
the sensors were installed.
  The Housing Temperature Safety Act of 2022 presents us with a 
historic opportunity to harness the power of technology to bring 
housing code enforcement into the 21st century which is long overdue.
  Madam Speaker, I strongly encourage my colleagues to vote for H.R. 
6528 and embrace the future of housing enforcement in America.
  Mr. HILL. Madam Speaker, I want to commend my friend from New York 
(Mr. Torres) who has brought his exceptional service to the people of 
the Bronx to the people's House. He does what all Members do here which 
is take a great idea at a time of tragedy when he learned a better way 
to do something and bring that to the House, use it as an example from 
which all Americans can benefit.
  So, again, Madam Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support H.R. 
6528, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  Ms. WATERS. Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
  Madam Speaker, H.R. 6528 is an important step forward in holding 
housing providers accountable to better protect the health and safety 
of families receiving Federal housing assistance.
  What happened in the Bronx is a tragedy that was wholly preventable. 
While more must be done to prevent similar tragedies, I am glad that we 
are providing new solutions to improve fire safety in Federal housing.
  I thank Representative Torres for this bill.
  Madam Speaker, I, again, urge my colleagues to join me in supporting 
H.R. 6528, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentlewoman from California (Ms. Waters) that the House suspend the 
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 6528, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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